Ahoy, Me Hearties!

Aye, landlubbers in the Pacific Northwest are a wee bit addled. Methinks it might have something to do with scurvy… Or the fact that rain waterlogs rational parts of the brain for 8 months out of every year.

Anyway, it is no surprise to me that it was a couple of Northwest scallywags who had the fool idea that there should be a day of the year set aside just for yammerin’ in pirate. It’s not known whether our heroes, Ol’ Chumbucket and Cap’n Slappy, were a wee bit squiffy at the time, but no matter — it was a creative idea and that is precisely why yer seein’ it here on the Good Ship Elbow.

The two buccaneers chose September 19^th as the day for everyone to go on account since it happened to be the birthday of Cap’n Slappy’s ex-wife. He claims that that he picked the date so that he would remember it, but methinks he just wanted a good excuse for callin’ her a thievin’ wench.

 
Well, humor columnist Dave Barry caught wind of the notion in 2002 and, shiver me timbers, the bloomin’ day went global!

So Mateys, if you’d like to celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day, here’s a Pirate Dictionary to help you get started.

Meanwhile, raise the Jolly Roger!

Mutter and scowl a lot.

And what the heck —

shake yer booty, too.

Fair winds, me friends, fair winds!

PROMPT: Man yer pens, ye cowardly swabs — Dead men tell no tales, so ye best write ‘em now! 

Here’s some piratey inspiration to get ye started —

How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long and David Shannon

Do Pirates Take Baths? by Kathy Tucker and Nadine Westcott

Voyage of Plunder by Michele Torrey

Yo-ho-ho!