Hello and welcome back to the amazing world of the Dogpound. Did I tell you that I have a mastodon and a Sasquatch for a neighbor? Honest, and this is no April Fool’s joke either. As a side bar, how many of you got pranked on Monday or you pranked someone? I am writing this ahead of the ”jokester” day, and even though I have no big plans, I will be on the look out for any tom-foolery. As another side bar, I have used that word before but never knew were it came from. The Internet gives two stories: one, being derived from the 1300s, a common name attached to being a fool, and two, to the 1600s, where a court jester to some royalty was named Tom. Anyway, side bars aside, I do have lifelike animals in the woods a mile down from my house. I was not aware of their presence until a friend of mine came by and asked if I knew I had these special neighbors. I thought he was kidding, but a quick drive down the gravel lane did indeed prove he was telling me the truth. I stopped by my neighbors for a “meet and greet” session and inquired about their unusual pets. Nice older couple; he told me that he has been a machinist for 50 years and was now retired. I asked him how he got into making these huge lifelike creations. He said that once he retired, his wife told him he had to get a hobby. Reading between the lines, I am guessing there was a heavy emphasis on a hobby that took him outside the house. LOL He has an amazing talent. We have a Western outfitter store north of where I live in Sullivan, Ind., and he built them a huge Texas Longhorn. He did the scaffolding, then laid the skin and painted it. It must stand at least 20 feet tall and is 40 feet long. It is huge and looks like a real Texas Longhorn. He told me that he has other creations spread throughout his woods, and when we have some warmer weather he will take me on a tour. I can hardly wait!
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
“Real friends are those who, when you’ve made a fool of yourself, don’t feel that you’ve done a permanent job.” – Erwin T. Randall
SMILES
A woman walked up to a little old man rocking in a chair on his porch. “I couldn’t help noticing how happy you look,” she said. “What’s your secret for a long happy life?” “I smoke three packs of cigarettes a day,” he said. “I also drink a case of whiskey a week, eat fatty foods and never exercise.” “That’s amazing,” the woman said. “How old are you?’
“Twenty-six,” he said.
During one “generation gap” quarrel with his parents, young Michael cried, “I want excitement, adventure, money and beautiful women. I’ll never find it here at home, so I’m leaving. Don’t try to stop me!” With that, he headed toward the door. His father rose and followed close behind. “Didn’t you hear what I said? I don’t want you to try to stop me.” “Who’s trying to stop you?” replied his father. “If you wait a minute, I’ll go with you.”
That is all I have for today. As always, be good, do good, play safe, and remember, if you are going to be foolish, try to do it when no one is looking.
–JR
