Left is right; right is wrong

That is what I learned when I lived in London for a few months. "Left is right and right is wrong." Later, I lived in the Cayman Islands and learned that they feel that way about it, too. Even later, I lived in Bangkok, Thailand. Yep, they, too, think that left is right and right is wrong.

They should be able to read this line, at least the first part of it.

,siht daer nac uoy fI

?esenihC era uoy ebyam

If you can read this,

Maybe you are Chinese?

The first part is written from right to left and says the same thing as the second portion.

To help clear up my ramblings, let me explain. As an American, I believe that the right side of the road is the right side of the road on which to drive and that the left side of the road is the wrong side of the road for driving.

The Brits (and their former colonies) feel that the right side is the wrong side of the road and that the left side is the right side of the road on which to drive.

Makes sense, right? (I mean, correct?)

I wonder who has the right to say which side is correct. To me it feels write (or rite) (or right) to drive on the right.

Collect Telephone Calls

Do you know what are the biggest days of the year for receiving collect telephone calls? Here is a list of the top three:

3. Third biggest day for getting collect calls is Valentine's Day. How thoughtful is your darling to remember you on the special "Love Day"! Can you imagine the phone ringing and the operator telling you, "You have a collect call from your girlfriend. Will you accept the charges?"

2. The second largest day of collect calls is Mom's Day in May. "You have a collect call from your son in Montana. Will you accept the charges, Mother?" "Of course, put him on." It is so nice to know that he loves me enough to call my on Mother's Day, even if I must pay the cost.

1. Number one on the list for most collect calls is Father's Day. Dear old Dad deserves a call from his offspring. However, my own telephone bill is unpaid. I doubt they will let me make a call unless Dad will pay for it.

In the year 1992, 83 million calls were made on Father's day. However, Mother;s Day had 106 million calls. The hooker, though, is that 27 percent of those of Father's Day were COLLECT calls.

Let's just say that....

Stretching the truth is not actually lying, is it? I mean, if it is a lie, it is only a white one, right?

Maybe a half lie will work. A half lie is half true, I guess, so it isn't all as bad as a completely false lie.

"Be sure your sin will find you out," says the writer of inspiration. In other words, no matter how well we hide our error or our fault, some day the truth will be exposed.

Consider this little story:

These boys really hated their first period high school class. None of them did well under that particular teacher. They connived and came up with a plan.

They skipped that first period class and decided to say that there was a car problem if the teacher ever asked them. It was not true, of course, but who would know?

Later that day, when they got to school, they went to their second period class. It was more to their liking. However, when that class ended and they went into the hallway of the school to go to the third period class, their first period teacher saw them and cornered them. She asked them to come to her home room at the end of the school day to make up work that they missed in class that day. They reluctantly agreed.

After the final class of the day, those four boys went to the first period teacher's home room. She asked them why they were absent from her class that day. One of the boys said, "We had a flat tire."

"You need to take a short quiz, boys," the teacher told them. She assigned them seats around the classroom. She asked them to take out a sheet of paper on which to write. When they had complied, she wrote on the blackboard only one question.
"Which tire was flat?"

Be sure your sin will find you out.

Burma Shave

People under the age of fifty may not be aware of those Burma Shave signs along America's highways. Their pithy verses often had great lessons for travelers. The red and white signs were spaced far enough apart that you could read them comfortably while driving at the normal speed of 55 mph. Here is an example for those who don't know what they were.

A drive along a country road often brought smiles, even laughter, to everyone in the car as they read the sayings.

At first, the company used the signs only to advertise its product, a brushless shaving cream. Later, the rhyming verses had a message in addition to the final sign which said, "Burma Shave".


Guess what has happened. The signs are no longer used, and neither is Burma Shave. When Interstate highways came along, such signs were not used and would not have been read much if they had continued to be used.

Here are a few of the witty Burma Shave sign messages:

Drinking drivers,
Nothing worse.
They get the quart
Before the hearse.
Burma Shave.


You'll love your wife;
You'll love her paw.
You'll even love
Your mother-in-law
If you use Burma Shave
Burma Shave.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

On Jeopardy the other night, the final question was... How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the tomb of the Unknowns ---- All three missed it --

This is really an awesome sight to watch if you've never had the chance. It is very fascinating.

1. How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the tomb of the Unknowns and why?

21 steps. It alludes to the twenty-one gun salute, which is

The highest honor given any military or foreign dignitary.

2. How long does he hesitate after his about face to begin his return walk and why?

21 seconds for the same reason as answer number 1


Why are his gloves wet?

His gloves are moistened to prevent his losing his grip on the rifle.


4. Does he carry his rifle on the same shoulder all the time
And if not, why not?

He carries the rifle on the shoulder away from the tomb. After his march across the path, he executes an about face and moves the rifle to the outside shoulder.

5. How often are the guards changed?

Guards are changed every thirty minutes,

Twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year.

6. What are the physical traits of the guard limited to?


For a person to apply for guard duty at the tomb, he must be

Between 5' 10' and 6' 2' tall and his waist size cannot exceed 30'. Other

Requirements of the Guard: They must commit 2 years of life to guard the

Tomb, live in a barracks under the tomb, and cannot drink any alcohol on

Or off duty for the rest of their lives. They cannot swear in public for the

Rest of their lives and cannot disgrace the uniform {fighting} or the tomb in

Any way. After two years, the guard is given a wreath pin that is worn on

Their lapel signifying they served as guard of the tomb. There are only

400 presently worn. The guard must obey these rules for the rest of their

Lives or give up the wreath pin.

The shoes are specially made with very thick soles to keep the heat

And cold from their feet. There are metal heel plates that extend to the

Top of the shoe in order to make the loud click as they come to a halt.

There are no wrinkles, folds or lint on the uniform. Guards dress for duty is
In front of a full-length mirror.

The first six months of duty a guard cannot talk to anyone, nor

Watch TV. All off duty time is spent studying the 175 notable people laid

To rest in Arlington National Cemetery . A guard must memorize who they are

And where they are interred. Among the notables are: President Taft, Joe

E. Lewis {the boxer} and Medal of Honor winner Audie Murphy, {the most

Decorated soldier of WWII} of Hollywood fame.

Every guard spends five hours a day getting his uniforms ready for

Guard duty.

ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD, AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM.

In 2003 as Hurricane Isabelle was approaching Washington , DC , our

US Senate/House took 2 days off with anticipation of the storm. On the ABC

Evening news, it was reported that because of the dangers from the

Hurricane, the military members assigned the duty of guarding the Tomb of

The Unknown Soldier were given permission to suspend the assignment. They

Respectfully declined the offer, 'No way, Sir!' Soaked to the skin,

Marching in the pelting rain of a tropical storm, they said that guarding

The Tomb was not just an assignment, it was the highest honor that can be

Afforded to a serviceperson. The tomb has been patrolled continuously,

24/7, since 1930.

God Bless and keep them.

Dictionary Definition

M-W Dictionary definition:


chickenhawk: a hawk that preys or is believed to prey on chickens.




Other Dictionary's definition:

Chickenhawk: A US President or Congressman who was afraid to fight when in the military service, making excuses instead of risking his own life, but who becomes a strong advocate of pushing other people's children into the devastation of a war he creates to put himself into the history books.



Let's show mercy to the turkey.


Runs in the family, I guess.

I Wonder What They Used Before.

We used pages from the Montgomery Ward Catalog or Sears Roebuck Catalog when I was a kid.

We did not like to use the colored pages as they were stiffer and less pleasant than the black and white pages. My parents kept a catalog in the outhouse for that purpose. That was when our house was 'five rooms and a path' as they said it back then.

I have read that the Chinese invented the idea around 589 AD. The first foreigners to confirm that the Chinese used it were Arabs in 851 AD.

Even after the bidet was invented sometime after 1700 AD, the paper was still more popular among the masses. That bidet was expensive and besides, who wants a wet behinder after doing the business?

I wonder about a side issue of this subject. I wonder what they used before this product when it came to TPing trees.

My 1964 Corvette??

How well I remember my 1964 Corvair---or was it a Corvette? I always had problems with those names which were so much alike, and of course, made by the same company.

My Corv.... was light brown in color and looked so much like that car pictured above. I drove that thing everywhere. It was a used car when I bought it but as nice as any new car. Gas mileage was good enough. There was no rust when I bought it. It drove so easily and with the small size, it was a cinch to park.

When I finally retired the car because it became harder to keep up when it got old, I parked in behind our garage. After a while, a neighbor wanted to buy it and offered a really great price. He wanted to use it for parts for another Corv.... that he had. I hated to sell it. Still, it was doing nobody any good parked behind the garage.

Whenever I say that I owned a 1964 Corvette, people wonder how a poor boy could afford such a car.

That is when someone gets the bright idea of showing me a picture like this one. That is not the kind of car I had. Mine is like the one above, a Corv.....??

Clean Your Ears!

Doctors tell us to put nothing smaller than our elbow into our ears. Of course, your own elbow can't be positioned to be put into your ear. Still, the idea is to keep the Q-Tips out.

Many people are now using a new technique instead of the Q-Tip in the ear. It is an ear cone, sometimes called an ear candle. It uses real fire to clean the ears, they say.

Magnetic attraction or convection is said to pull old wax, old dead skin that has accumulated over several years and any other strange things from the ears and into the cone. The cone can be bought online or made at home. It is made of muslin cloth and beeswax. It is shaped into a cone form so the small end can be inserted into the ear. A paper plate is often used to keep any drips from the flaming cone from getting onto the patient's face. Put a hole through a paper plate, and insert the cone point through the hole and into the ear.

They tell me it sometimes snaps, crackles and pops just like rice krispies are said to do. The ear feels much cleaner after the process ends around 40 minutes later. The inverted cone drops out all types of unpleasant stuff that has been inside your head.

Medical people tend to avoid ear coning procedures since the FDA has not approved it yet. Also, their insurance agents probably warn against having open flames near the patients.

If you have experienced this procedure, please give the readers a report. Your opinion will be appreciated.

We Share Everything

A young man encountered an aged couple in a Macdonald's Restaurant. He watched them for some time. He noticed that the older lady found a booth for them while the old man ordered food. It did amaze him somewhat that the old man ordered a Big Mac, a large order of French fries and a large drink.

When the old man carried the food to the table where the Mrs. was sitting, he smiled at the young observer. The young guy finally got nerve enough to begin conversation.

"I see you ordered only one Big Mac, one order of fries and a large drink. I also notice that you have two straws in the drink," he casually offered. "Is there a reason why only one of you is eating?"

"No, young fellow," the old man said. "We share everything. We've been married for over forty years and have always shared everything."

The old man paused to carefully break the Big Mac into two equal pieces. He and the woman divided the fries. Since there was an uneven number of fries in the package, they broke one into two pieces so each of them had the same amount.

"I am impressed," said the young man. "Such love for each other is hard to find nowadays."

"Yes, that is correct," the old man responded. Then, he began eating his half of the Big Mac and fries. The woman just sat and watched.

The inquisitive youngster again interrupted."Sir, you said you share everything, but your wife is just watching while you are eating. Can you explain that to me?"

"Of course," the old man said. "We are sharing everything in this meal, just as we share nearly every other aspect of life."

"I beg to differ, Sir," the young man said. "You are eating; she is watching. That does not look to me as if you are sharing."

"We share everything, young man," said the old man.

"Why is she not eating, then?" the inquisitor queried.

"She is waiting for my teeth," was the old man's answer.

Prayer for a Happy Marriage

A man and woman had been married for more than 60 years. They had shared everything. They had talked about everything. They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about.

For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover.

In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box and took it to his wife's bedside. She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money totaling $95,000.

He asked her about the contents. "When we were to be married," she said, "my grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll."

The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears. Only two precious dolls were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness.

"Honey," he said, " that explains the dolls, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?"

"Oh," she said, "that's the money I made from selling the dolls."

Now for the prayer:

Dear Lord, I pray for Wisdom to understand my man; Love to forgive him;
And Patience for his moods;

Because Lord, if I pray for Strength,

I'll beat him to death because I don't know how to crochet.

Dumb As a Doorknob

Where does this phrase, which accurately relates to "Dubya" Bush, come from? Did it originate with Bush? I doubt it as he is not bright enough to think of such
a phrase.


In fact, William Sheakespeare used a similar phrase, "dumb as a doornail", in Henry VI, part 2.

Another famous Brit also used it. Charles Dickens used the phrase "dumb as a doornail" in his well-known Christmas Carol.

A doornail was the nail that the doorknocker rested on. Actually, it was a plate or a knob. A doornail which was dead was a used one that had its tip mashed after it was pounded into the door so it could not be used again.

Besides this, you may have heard the phrase "if walls could talk,....". Walls can't talk; they are dumb, as in unable to speak. The phrase "deaf and dumb" relates to this quality.

In the most recent US political situation, the former Chief of Staff of the White House, is not "dumb as a doorknob"; he speaks well for what he witnessed while around Dubya and his gang.

A few Bushisms which reveal his intellectual capacity follow:

"I think I need a bathroom break. Is this possible?"

"See, in my line of work you gotta keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to set in, to kind of catapult the propaganda."

To a mother of three children, he said, "You work three jobs? ...Uniquely American,isn't it? I mean, that is fantastic that you're doing that."

"We are ready for any unforeseen event which may or may not happen."

"A clear lesson I learned in the museum was that outside forces that tend to divide people up inside their country are unbelievably counterproductive."

"I don't particularly like it when people put words in my mouth, either, by the way, unless I say it."

Why the Lundehund is an Unusual Dog Breed

He's a cute little guy, isn't he? Those pointed ears make him appear alert. His short-haired coat helps to define the muscles on his little body.

What makes him unusual? Besides the extra joints in the nape of the neck, he has a feature which helps him to climb steep slopes better than many other dogs. Can you see what that feature is in the photo?

If you can't see it too well, I can put up another photo. Do you want to see one which tells you more definitely why the lundehund can climb steep places so well? OK. Here it is.



Now you know, right? It is unusual in that it has six toes on each foot.

Do you know of other dog anomalies to share. Put them here as comments.




Do you have a valuable pet? Get Pet Insurance

Paul Revere's Ride--Trivia

"Listen, my children, and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere.

On the eighteenth of April in seventy-five,
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year...."


Those lines from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem have been memorized by thousands of American school children over the years. I remember, as a junior high school student in Indiana, when the whole class was required by our English teacher to memorize this entire poem, along with many others.

I still recall various lines from the poems I memorized back then.

Now, I have a couple of trivia questions to ask you. To know if you have the right answers, comment on this post. I will then tell you if you are correct.

On what day of the week did April 18, 1775, fall?

What did Paul Revere say at the end of his famous ride?