Is It or Isn't It
     Evidently, people in Wisconsin are able to buy lions over the internet.(Wish i'd known that when I was a resident.) Why they would want to buy a lion is a mystery, but remember, this is Wisconsin. Anyway, right now they think that there is a loose lion in Milwaukee. Again, I'm not sure why they don't know for sure, but that's their problem. Actually, the only thing they have to go on is a cell phone picture of a "Lion-ish like animal," which was enough to get the Milwaukee area scared.
     A man thought he saw this lion and shot it. It turned out to be a pit bull. I mean, we all know how much a pit bull resembles a lion. It turned out the man was not that good a shot anyway, so the dog just has a damaged leg and is getting the best medical treatment a dog can expect in Wisconsin. Hope he has good insurance.

Jewelry for the Woman Who Has Everything
     In Rhode Island several woman are complaining. Why? They sent their breast milk to a jeweler with the promise that it would be made into keepsakes. They paid their money, but so far have not received any jewelry. Surprise! Surprise! I'm as shocked as anyone to think this might be a scam.

A Bit of History
     During his 1956 presidential campaign, a woman called out to Adlai Stevenson: "Senator, you have the vote of every thinking person!" Stevenson called back: "That's not enough, madam, we need a majority!" Truer words were never spoken. I wonder what he'd say today.

Today's Prayer
     "Lord grant me the strength to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the friends to post my bail when I finally snap!"

People Never Cease to Amaze Me
     This morning I had to stop at the post office. I was about fourth in line. The second person in line was a woman with two boys, about three and maybe four or five. They were lively, and obviously curious about everything, wanting to touch and explore their environment. The lady kept up a continual string of instructions, "Stand still, stay right here, don't turn around like that, don't bother the lady, and stand still." All the instructions were repeated endlessly, as long as she was in the post office. 
     The admonitions changed slightly as she was leaving the building, "Don't run ahead of me, leave that alone, stay up with me, don't go over there, open the door for your mother, not that one, the other one." And once outside and before the door closed, "Stay on the sidewalk."
     It reminded me of a dog owner with a hound that has no intention of obeying. You've probably seen them, "Stay, sit, come, stay," all in the space of about thirty seconds.
     This woman had one of those voices that carries, just goes on and on until it bounces off some hard surface. She wasn't yelling or even talking loud, but every word was heard all over the post office.
    The guy behind me said in a low voice, "That's why they invented those kid leashes." The guy ahead of me said, "That's why they have muzzles, and I'm not thinking about the kids."
     Like I said, people are interesting. I wonder what someone is writing about me.

Here It Is Again; Pay Attention!
     "Don't mess with old people." But did the police in Pittsfield, Mass., Listen? 
     It started when the department got a call saying that someone with a baseball bat was causing a disturbance. The police responded.
     An 88-year-old woman opened her front door and was wielding a knife. She yelled at police that there was no reason for them to be at her door, and then to emphasize the point she slapped one of the officers. It turned out she was correct, as the right address was a block away. They hauled her into the station anyway, but she's been released on her on recognizance,

It's Amazing We Humans Have Lived This Long

We've just learned that the sun is more mean-spirited than previously thought. I've just found out that after being in the sun, the UV rays that you're not in any more, can continue to damage your skin for up to four hours after you get out of the sun. Now tell me, is that really fair? And how about eight hours ago, or last week, or last summer? I spent whole summers in the sun when I was growing up on the farm, so I'm probably doomed. But the way I look at it is this, what more can the sun do to me? At my age? So my philosophy is, I don't bother the sun and I expect the sun not to bother me.

I got this information off the internet so have no idea if it has any basis in fact, but I bet it will start a whole new level of frenzied warnings, and  profound sounding articles from dermatologists whose degrees are from Andy and Joe's Online Medical U. And that will be followed up with about 2,376 different products that manufactures have in the pipeline just waiting for this information to scare the 'whatever' out of everybody."

Now if I had a suspicious mind I'd be thinking, "How convenient this information is for the sun-screen people, and the 2,736 products they have in their pipelines just waiting for this information to scare the 'whatever' out of everybody." That's if I had a suspicious mind.

Now We Have Something Else To Worry About
        Let me explain. I live in Oregon. That's Oregon, not a body part or a musical instrument. It's a nice state. It's called the Beaver State. I guess that at some time there were lots of beavers hanging about, at least before the beaver-hat craze that swept the world and finally died out (no pun intended) around the mid 1800s.
     The beaver has made somewhat of a come back, to the consternation of some folks. The beaver is not universally appreciated. One mid-west Indian tribe that has extensive timber holdings would really rather the beavers went west and settled in Oregon. With all their oneness and appreciation of nature, they have a bounty on the local beavers, mainly because the beavers drown acres and acres of timber. But that's another story.
     Here in Oregon the beavers seem to have an attitude. Right here in Deschutes County two Oregon hikers climbed onto a beaver dam. The beaver came out and assaulted them, according to the hikers, knocking one of them into the river, and scaring the other hiker into somehow getting trapped in a tangle of submerged logs. 
     The first hiker climbed out of the river and then couldn't find his hiking partner. The sheriff's department came out with some rescue volunteers to search for the missing hiker. About the time they got into action, the hiker was able to extricate himself.
     So except for a little trauma everyone is safe and happy, and just maybe a little wiser.
     If you're thinking about visiting Oregon and climbing out on a beaver dam (I can't imagine this being high on anyone's bucket list), I would suggest you knock first and see if it's okay with the beaver. I mean, if your grandfather had been made into a hat you might be a little paranoid also.