The Swine Flew

It looks like the animal revolution is widening and it's not just cows who are severing their ties to homo sapiens. Early today, a tractor-trailer filled with pigs overturned on a major highway near Little Rock, Arkansas. Some of the swine remained in the truck but others took advantage of the situation and left. Apparently, they hogged the road so much that commuters had to detour. The State Troopers tried to round up the escapees and that was no small job because the swine could weigh as much as 800 pounds each.

Bovine Revolution and Ogden Nash

I'm telling you, folks, that there is a bovine revolution underway. Remember the story of the cow escaping from a NYC slaughterhouse? (See my blog post dated 5/7/o9.) Now AP is reporting on two cows who left a Massachusetts farm and ran off to New Hampshire. As a former resident of Massachussets, I can tell you the human reasons for leaving Massachusetts for New Hampshire: lower taxes and cheaper booze.

But I'm getting off-track. With cattle escaping all over the place, I propose that Cattle Roundup 101 and Rope Handling 101 be added to the training of public safety officials. This revolution is only going to get worse.....

Ogden Nash addressed the basic information about cows. I wonder what he would say about all of these escapees. Anyway, here is Ogden:

A cow is of the bovine ilk,

One end is moo, the other milk.

World's Smallest Cat

Meet Mr. Peebles, the world's smallest cat according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Mr. Peebles was rescued by a veterinarian from a barn cat life in Tazewell County, Illinois. She took him back to her clinic and Mr. Peebles has taken up residence there.

The cat weighs 3.1 pounds and is 6.1 inches tall and measures 19.2 inches from his nose to the tip of his tail.

Nature's Checks and Balances In Old Age

Have you ever noticed that nature seems to have a system of checks and balances? This seems especially true as we grow older.

I find it difficult to contort my body into the unnatural positions needed to shave my legs. However, since my eyesight isn't what it used to be, I rarely notice.

My hearing isn't as sharp as it used to be. Good thing. I'm less embarrassed by the odd sounds emitted from my body.

I can't walk as far as I once did. Doesn't matter. I've seen it all anyway.

We lose friends and family and no longer need the time spent with them. This gives us time to concentrate on our own frailties.

I finally recognise and accept my character flaws. But it's okay. I can blame them on old age.

Surviving the Great Depression Per Ron Gibbs

When I knew Ron Gibbs, we were both working for Scantom's in Rochester. Scrantom's was an old established business in Rochester. Ron was working there during the Great Depression. Both Ron and Mr. Brauer, the owner, liked to tell that Scrantom's survived the depression by Ron's ability to repair fountain pens.

Unfortunately, Scrantom's could not survive Office Depot and Staples.

Early Basketball: Another Ron Gibbs Story

Ron Gibbs, a co-worker and friend, was born around the turn of the last century. He grew up in Andover, a community near the one where I grew up. He played on one of the first basketball teams in the area. They used an actual basket like the one pictured on the right. When they went to an away game, the players rode in the back of a delivery truck, probably like the one pictured above. Because basketball was a winter game, Ron said they used a little coal heater in the truck to keep warm.

Can you envision Michael Jordan in those conditions?

A Ron Gibbs Story

Many years ago, I worked with a great gentleman named Ron Gibbs. Ron was a country boy who had taken a job in the "big city" of Rochester, NY sometime in the 1920s. He got a job downtown and took the trolley to work. The first morning as they approached the street where he needed to get off, the conductor called out "Gibbs". Ron said that he was both amazed and impressed that the conductor knew his name and where he was to get out. It was only a few days later that he realized that the street was named Gibbs.

A Little Ogden Nash

It's time for some Ogden Nash and I've tried to select something that is timely.

The Wasp

by Ogden Nash

The wasp and all his numerous family

I look upon as a major calamity.

He throws open his nest with prodigality,

But I distrust his waspitality.

Slaughterhouse 0, Cow 1

Animal lovers everywhere are rejoicing over the news of a cow that escaped a slaughterhouse in New York City. It ran through through city streets, chased by mounted police who finally captured it. However, the cow clearly won because it was turned over to an animal care agency instead of going back to the slaughterhouse. Yay!

Maybe this is the beginning of a revolution by animals. They will refuse to go to be slaughtered and we will all end up as vegetarians.

Humorist Margaret Thatcher

Columnist Cal Thomas tells the story about Margaret Thatcher taking her all male cabinet out to dinner. The waiter asks what she would like to eat and she replies "I'll have the beef."

The waiter says "What about the vegetables?" and she answers "They'll have the same."

A Love Story

With a family as large as ours, you run into a lot of love and love stories. The love story that has left the greatest impression on me is the story of my youngest uncle, Max and his wife, Elaine. I don't remember when they first married but in my early teens and until their passings, I was very impressed by their love for each other. I always thought they were like a couple of teenagers in love, even into their 50's, 60's, 70's. Unfortunately, due to their poor health, they spent their last days apart, reunited whenever family could bring them together. Uncle Max's last words to Aunt Elaine before her death were "Well, I'll meet you at the pearly gates." He did, exactly a month later.

Threads of Life

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see a large pile of threads. The threads all vary: some are thick, some are thin, some are colorful, some are dull, some are long, some are short. I sense that each thread is a part of my life and that they need to be woven together. But I hesitate to do anything. Will the tapestry of my life be beautiful or ugly?

Say What You Mean

When John Gray's book "Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus" was first published, the title was greeted with amusement. However, the contents are now generally considered conventional wisdom.

One of his premises was the difference in communications between women and men. A pair of our friends demonstrate the interpretations perfectly. Mister (the names have been changed to protect the innocent) has a habit of collecting things. One of things he acquired was a dump truck that he parked in the driveway for months. Missus hated the sight of that eyesore in her driveway. One morning, on her way out the door, she growled to Mister, "When I get home tonight, I don't want to see that truck!"

When she got home that night, she didn't see the truck. Instead, she saw the huge tarp covering the truck.............

Identifying a Liar

While surfing the WebMD site, I happened upon a topic that I didn't expect to find there. Heather Hatfield wrote an article entitled "10 Ways to Catch a Liar". She assembled information from experts to come up with a list of ten telltale signs that a person is lying.

1. Inconsistencies


2. Ask the unexpected


3. Gauge against a baseline


4. Look for insincere emotions


5. Pay attention to gut reactions


6. Watch for microexpressions


7. Look for contradictions


8. A sense of unease


9. Too much detail


10. Don't ignore the truth
    

She adds an extra tip: Be trusting

In general we have a choice about which stance we take in life," says Ekman (Paul Ekman, an expert in lie detection). "It we take a suspicious stance life is not going to be too pleasant, but we won't get misled very often. If we take a trusting stance, life is going to be a lot more pleasant but sometimes we are going to be taken in. As a parent or a friend, you're much better off being trusting rather than looking for lies all the time.

Back on 8/31/05 I had a post entitled "How to Recognize a Liar". I also quoted Dr. Ekman.

Curious Court Case

Here's an interesting story off the AP wires:

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court has turned away a challenge from a death row inmate in Texas who claimed his constitutional rights were violated by jurors who consulted a Bible during deliberations.

Jurors reviewed a biblical passage relating that a murderer who used an iron object to kill "shall surely be put to death." They were deciding whether to impose a death sentence on Khristian Oliver for fatally shooting and bludgeoning his victim with the barrel of a gun.
The court previously has said that jurors should base their verdicts only on evidence presented in the courtroom.

But state and federal courts upheld Oliver's sentence, despite testimony that some jurors consulted the passage that described a killing similar to the one Oliver committed.
The case is Oliver v. Quarterman, 08-833.

My Robin Returns

When I glanced out the back door a few days ago, I saw a nice fat robin pulling out worms. I told my husband "My robin is back!" For the last few years, there is often a robin in the same area of the yard. I assume it is the same robin. But then I wondered "Could that really be? How long do robins live?"

A quick internet seach told me two things: 1) I wasn't the only one who had wondered that and 2) it (robin lifespan) varies. Basically, if a robin makes it past the first year, which is hard to do, it will probably live for five or six years. So "my robin" may be the same robin who has lived near us the last few years.

For a quick and fascinating look at information about robins, go to http://www.learner.org/jnorth/search/RobinNotes2.html

Thoughts About Penicillin

To help me fight my second bout with bronchitis this year, the doctor prescribed a form of penicillin. My husband remarked about how inexpensive it now was (56 cents for 20 capsules) and that set off some memories I have of childhood encounters with penicillin.

Back in those days, as the scribes would say, penicillin was administered directly by our physician, in the form of injections. It was a really big deal if you had to have "a shot of penicillin." If you had to return to the doctor in a few days for a second "shot", that meant you were practically at death's door. Thankfully, perceptions have changed. It looks like recovery is possible now for only 56 cents.

Grim Ironies

Life has a way of flinging grim ironies at us. I've seen two in the news recently. One headline read "Two Die in Fiery Crash." The location? Endwell, NY. Or how about the story of the woman just arrested for killing a child? She lived with her grandfather who is a pastor. His name? Lawless.

The World's Cheapest Car

Tomorrow is a big day for auto aficionados because it launches the sale of the Tata Nano in India. The Nano is a five person car designed for city driving. India has a growing middle class and it is hoped that the Nano will appeal and sell to that market.

It appeals to me because it has a price tag of $2000 US dollars. Of course, I would have to give up one of my windshield wipers, air conditioning, the radio and power steering in a basic model.

To get more information on the "Peoples Car" go to their website at www.tatanano.com.

A Pet Peeve

My mother told me about one of her pet peeves and it struck me as being unusual. You know that membane between the egg white and the egg yolk. When the egg is boiled too long, according to my mother, that membrane turns a greenish-gray and that really bugged her. Strange, huh?