That is Priceless by Steve Melcher for October 29, 2021

“Well look who got all dressed up in her party black dress! I guess Macbeth must be coming by.”

These are witches? I have to suggest / that they don’t seem by evil possessed. / Ten hags short of a coven / at their brass cauldron-oven. / Should be “sky-clad;” they’re waaay overdressed.

Girls night out and it was time to try out the home brew. There were some demons dancing, and thunder cracking. There also was some resulting blindness but it was temporary.

Surprisingly monochromatic, / this painting is idiomatic. / Shown as three Macbeth witches, / these are women with riches— / aristocrats, yet charismatic.

Elphaba and friends defying gravy.

Glinda, giving in to peer pressure for Hallowe’en.

It used to be that every witch would brew up her own poison, for her apples or to put it on a spindle or whatever, but now they all outsourced their needs to the three wicked witches.

“Nice outfit, Beverly. Is it new?”

“Yes, it’s a gift from my boyfriend, the Cisco Kid.”

“I don’t know what you see in that lard ass.”

“It’s Cisco, not Crisco.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“It’s just not the same anymore being witches, is it?”

“How is that, Gracie?”

“Well, now that we know the true source of evil in the world is white men, what’s the point?”

“Thrice to thine, and thrice to mine, and thrice again to make mulled wine!”

Is this stew gluten free?

They claim to be witches, these three/- but we who know “witch”, disagree../ they’re somewhat less sinister/ than a Lutheran minister-/ or a bankruptcy referee./// As a man with a pair of divorces/ who’s not given to drink, or slow horses/ allow me to state/ that, in my estimate/ they’re less fearsome than wife number three./// And whilst ‘round their caldron they flutter/ the absence of horror is utter:/ if terror’s expedient// read the list of ingredients/ on the tub which contains your “butter”…/// All three are entirely too cute/ to be toying with eye of newt:/ any one of the three/ would be greeted with glee/ on her broom… in her birthday suit !

Hepzibah had hoped to have gotten a better review of her Hansel stew…perhaps if she seasoned it with a little Gretel…?

Strange brew….

Have you guys seen my ………………. cat?

And our creation will be known as “the squad”

“Wish you could have seen it girls. I turned this stupid peasant into a newt.”

The origin of the LBD…little black dress!

Now add a little eye of newt and toe of frog. And that’s how you make COVID-19

Sorry girls, I was unable to summon the flames directly from hell, and I had to go with store-bought.

Witches three, riding on brooms/May give one sensations of doom/But please don’t feel bad/They’re really not mad/They’re just here to clean up your room!

What Carrionites look like on their home planet of Rexel Four.

(yeah, sorry. There is a Doctor Who marathon on BBCAmerica this weekend, and the only one I’ve been able to watch all the way through was The Shakespeare Code.)

Thanks for the concern, y’all – but fear not for Ish. All of the above was written in jest. Marriage #3 lasted 37 years. As you can imagine, we were different people at the end than we were when we married. Ish has been in a very happy relationship for the last 7 years. “All’s well that ends well.” As for the Lutheran Minister, he fits the meter. He could be anything from a Baptist to a Presbyterian.

More likely they ran out of every flavor except pumpkin spice.

At the Texas witches conference, they were discussing how you don’t make chili with beans and Little Children Soup with their feet still attached.

“It had PLENTY of rat’s noses in it ALREADY! You DIDN’T have to add any more!”

“Pfft—you NEVER add enough rat’s noses. It NEVER smells right!”

The difference is we use a whitener in our was caldron.

“Isn’t it kind of dangerous to cook our chili at midnight in downtown Salem? Some of the yokels might get the wrong impression.”

“Nah. We’ll be fine…”

2 WITCH. Thrice and once, the hedge-pig whin’d.

3 WITCH. Harpier cries:—’tis time! ’tis time!

.

1 WITCH. _Round about the caldron go;

In the poison’d entrails throw.—

Toad, that under cold stone,

Days and nights has thirty-one;

Swelter’d venom sleeping got,

Boil thou first i’ the charmed pot!_

.

ALL. _Double, double toil and trouble;

Fire burn, and caldron bubble._

Methinks if not for the fame given by Shakespeare to witches we would know very little in today’s pop culture about their practices and recipes. There would be no “Double, Double Toil and Trouble…” or “Eye of Newt and Toe of Frog….” Hats off to the Bard.

Three ladies, and all of them friends/ Known to use any means to their ends / All said, “Painter! Paint us / As frightful, yet famous!” / Who would be the one that comprehends?

A really good rundown on the painting: https://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/display/2011/the-three-witches-from-macbeth.php

If the character artist from the Final Fantasy series did the cover art for a Charmed DVD box set.

They must have put it on sale at $40 an ounce

The Three Witches from Macbeth: 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Three_Witches_from_Shakespeares_Macbeth_by_Daniel_Gardner,_1775.jpg 

has info and links that point to more info about this roughly jumbo envelope size, gouache and chalk on paper, pastel painting.

Again, a larger strip image is shown by (⌘- or Ctrl-) clicking the image at 

http://thatispriceless.blogspot.com/2021/10/masterpiece-2817.html 

I have added a comment there (already approved by Mr. Melcher) pointing to the artist info I used to point to here. First work by this artist used here.

Beverley distracts Annie by dancing the Jerk while Gracie prepares to stab Annie in the back. This was part of a larger plot to free up Gracie to date Raul, Annie’s main squeeze. The scenario was adapted for the small screen and comprised an episode of Gilligan’s Island. To this day, Gracie complains that Raul still leaves up the toilet seat.

As with food coloring!

Eye of newt and toe of frog, / Wool of bat and tongue of dog, / Adder’s fork and blindworm’s sting, / These are a few of my favorite things.

The Beauty Potion looks liked it worked a little better though…….

“We’re having MacBeth over for dinner. Do you think that will be enough for the three of us?”

After that scoundrel ruined my life and had me run out of town; he suddenly wasn’t interested in me!

I have sworn off men forever!

So, do you two come here often?

“What are you cooking, Endora?”

“I’m making a soup out of Mr Nussbaum.”

“Oh, I love the smell of Nussbaum in the morning. It smells like … I don’t know …. witchery!"

That butter must be from faeries.

I knew wife number three and I agree!

At first look I had not noticed that / in the lower left corner’s a cat. / So I missed it. Not tragic. / It appeared, though, by magic. / Who can know what else will be begat?

In the era of the Witch Bottle, this is like going wholesale. Economy of scale. Though they don’t seem the types to give a care about economy.