While growing up, did anyone else have that one family on your street that turned their lights out every Halloween evening, but you knew they were home?

Yeah. We rang their bell (extra times) even so.

I must of lived on a privileged Block or something because I remember the porch lights going out as it got late but can't recall being turned away entirely.

But I'll tell you what was really cool. When you finally got old enough to eject the Parental Units and really hustle through "never before Trick or Treated Territory" (houses more than a block away) and you were so successful you actually had to run back home, drop off your full pillowcase, grab another one (usually your older brother's) and catch back up with your friends.

Now those were the days. But come to think of it... I think it was around that time that the Parental candy rationing program was put into effect at my house.

My husband was talking about a pig farm in Melrose... I know that there was one in Malden.. He did say it was across from the gun club at Mt Hood you could get through to it by rte. 1 or Melrose...

Hi Jackie. What was a nice memory jogger! I think your husband is right, though the Malden pig farm and the Melrose pig farm may have been one in the same.

Anyway, here's what I remember. Back in the forties, fifties, sixties quite a few towns had active pig farms. I can't tell you about the thirties because I wasn't there but Geezer probably knows.

But I digress...

So... in those days everyone had a garbage pail buried in a hole just outside their back door and everything that was edible for a pig but no longer useable for humans went into the pail at the bottom of your back porch. Many of the Victorian homes around Melrose still have the hole and the pails are still in place. They were actually.... almost... but not quite..... raccoon proof, with heavy steal lids.

During the week, the "honey wagon" would arrive on your street and city workers would throw your edible garbage into their big very smelly truck with flies absolutely all over the place and fly maggots everywhere else and off it went to a local pig farm.

And what was "The End" of the pig farms?

That's easy.... those dang new fangled Garbage Disposals that arrived in the 70's.

We must have had smart raccoons. One or two would step on the pedal and then hold the lid up and a third one would scoop up the garbage for all three. Imagine the uproar if a honey wagon drove around town these days.

There's a little road (blocked off) that goes to the right up the hill across from the Fish and Game. That led to the pig farm, but really, no one went near the place. It smelled about ten times worse that a honey wagon, and the owner was absolutely nuts.

Speaking of nuts, remember the old guy whose yard abutted the dogleg on the first hole at Mt. Hood? If you hit a ball into his yard and went after it, you had a chance of getting a load of rock salt shot at you.

LOL you got that right, Fossil, smart raccoons.

I think we had weight lifters. My dad tried the "bricks on the top" method and he quickly became the laughing stock of the raccoon community. One brick over the pedal, one on top of the hinge. Two raccoons worked together to push each brick off, one at a time. It took about 30 seconds and they were in.

I never understood why my dad even cared about someone stealing our garbage. I guess it was sum sort of 'pride' thing.

Years ago we used those metal "ash cans" that used to be used to remove ashes from coal furnaces (now I'm really dating myself) as trash cans. Raccoons had no problem getting the lids off and spreading stuff all over the yard, so one time I saw one dive into the barrel, and I slammed the lid on and put a cinder block (do they still call them that?) on top, trapping him inside. That was one seriously PO'd raccoon. I left him in there for a whole day, then tied a rope to the handle and pulled the barrel over from about 50 feet away. He took off like his ass was on fire, but I never had another raccoon mess with the barrels. They learn fast, but my wife didn't speak to me for three days. Oh, well..............[:D]

Melrose Winter Festival
Ages: Open to All Ages
Cost: FREE
Date: Thursday, Feb 20
Time: 12:00pm - 2:30pm
Location: Mt. Hood Golf Course - Club House

Get out of the house and help us celebrate the winter at Mount Hood Memorial Park. Come take in the sights, sounds, and all of the beautiful winter views that the park has to offer. We will be having games, activities, entertainment, music, face painting, ice skating (weather permitting), snow shoeing, trail walking, s'mores, hot coco, and a huge free BBQ for all who attend. Don't miss out on all of the fun and surprises that we have in store. Dress warm and we look forward to seeing everyone there!!!

Hmmm, don't remember this happening before. Sounds kinda fun.

Oh! I remember those Ash Cans. They came with a metal dolly that had two large, steel spoked wheels. Our house was converted from Coal to oil, so we had one of those coal bins accessed through a window on the driveway side of the house. The Ash Cans were wicked heavy and of course it was the boy's job to wheel them out with the trash and bring them in when you got home from school.


And Remembering, that outing does sound like fun. Can Geezer bring his dog?

Strange that you should say that [:)]. 'We' happened to drive to The Hood today for one of our walks, but were turned away because there was no parking. Could have parked down at the bottom of the hill and tried to walk up, but never would have made it.
It did look like a fun event, though I do recall going to one a couple of years ago, so I don't think it's "new".

Brilliant quote I attached from another string...

Hey Geezer. I wouldn't want to leave you out of a risk free opportunity like this. You got any extra cash lying around? Wanna join me?

I do have all these big bags of money in the house that I keep tripping over. I suppose that they would be classified as 'extra cash'. Your idea is tempting, of course, and I will cogitate on it, but I was sort of waiting to invest when spats finally come back.

Well Geezer, I just can't argue with logic like that. My Dad always told be, "forget that 'day trading' stuff, just buy and hold and you can't go wrong". Heck, all you need to do is look at the DOW's steady growth (yes, with it's ups and downs) over the years to figure that out.

So good luck Geezer. By the way, do you have the original boxes that the Spats came in? I here it makes a difference.
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Now... Where do you suppose that Fossil and RATT wandered off to...?

I have been informed that the "neck massagers" sold at CVS are most often not used for that purpose. Needless to say, I am SHOCKED, and believe we should investigate how they ever got a license to open and sell "sexual paraphernalia"!!

LOL! Great one Geezer! Too funny.

Looks like I'd better start brushing up on my gambling skills! A flush beats a straight, right?

Of course it does. The highest hand you can get is a Royal Straight Flush, not a Royal Straight Straight.....right??

Off on another tangent - I just heard a commentor on the Science Channel say blah, blah, blah "it would change future history". Because I have absolutely nothing better to do, I concluded it all depends on your perspective. If something happens Thursday that changes Friday, it actually is Wednesday's future history, even though it won't become history until Saturday.

I hate the word "commentator". Do you comment or commentate? If you're a presenter, do you present or presentorate? If you're an announcer, do you announce or announcerate? If you're a professor, do you profess or professerate? [:-?]

If you're a Master..............

the history thing was too confusing to me to comment on[:-)]

giggle-giggle... Geezer almost said it.. titter.. titter-giggle giggle.

I absolutely knew someone would go there! [:D] You must have gone to parochial school.

Geezer; are you trying to bait someone?

Yes, I've become a master at baiting.
(So now instead of reminiscing about when I was 10, I'm acting it, lol)

Quite normal, really. Life is just a giant bell curve, and at some point we all end up right back where we started - in diapers.

Well now, that all Depends.....

"Now with FIT-FLEX™ Protection" [:|]

I get mine shipped from Tibet. They have a zipper in the front and a flap in the back. They're called Air Male.

OK I understand Diapers and I know about Depends. But I'm having a difficult time visualizing something called a Fit Flex. Where exactly, does this thing 'Fit' and what is it 'Flexing'?

Oh, and a final question: How the heck do you do that TM Trade Mark thing when you post? That's wicked cool.

Oh Jeezer, now we have something called an Air Male?

(and that's Jeezer with a J.)

The "TM" came along with the 'cut & paste'. I was surprised that it did.

Does this remind you of anyone?


DUE DATE NEXT WEEK FOR DOG-THEMED LIMERICK CONTEST
Melrose Free Press - Updated at 1:25 PM

The Melrose Dog Society has introduced a new limerick contest as an all-ages community activity, and as a way to raise money for the group’s efforts....

Prizes:  First place is a $50 gift card, second place is $25 gift card, and third place is a book of dog poetry.  

There once was a dog named Buffoon
Tried to fart his way to the moon.
But he flopped as a rocket,
Took a dump in my pocket,
And died in a rectal typhoon.

There once was a dog named Uriah,
Whose owner was often a liar.
He would always deny
That his dog left that 'pie'
And his pants would then catch on fire.

I knew a young dog on Nantucket
Who shat every day in a bucket.
Then his old haunches dropped
He tripped and then flopped
And looked up at me and said **** **!

Wow. You guys are very good. I can't compete with quality stuff like this. This is definitely going to some more conjugation.

If you aren't crying at the end of this,
either you have never had a dog
or you shouldn't.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwGnCIdHQH0

(FYI you can skip the ad at 3 seconds)

Sorry to say OG, that with the 'warning' you gave I hesitate to watch the video. I even change channels on some of the ASPCA (which I support) commercials on tv.

On a somewhat related "dog note" (and I'm saying this here as opposed to under another potentially more read string, partially to avoid some of the flak) 'we' walked at Mt. Hood today, after not having been there for quite a while due to the cold, and I want to apologize, on behalf of what I hope is the majority of dog owners/walkers, for the substantial 'evidence' left behind from owners who don't "pick up", thereby giving ALL of us a bad name. I picked up as much as I could, but eventually ran out of bags. As a dog owner it was/is embarrassing to see, and I am sorry that it happens.

At the risk of exposing us to the "flak" you mentioned, and as a golfer and frequent Mt Hood user, I have to say that what you saw was what we were talking about during that debate. No quarrel with responsible dog owners at all. Unfortunately, a whole lot of owners are not responsible, and can't follow the rules intended to make Mt Hood a pleasant place for everybody to enjoy. Dogs are not allowed on the golf course at all, and others - walkers, joggers, etc, are not supposed to be strolling around on the course either, but they do it all the time, despite that there are clearly marked areas where those activities are specifically allowed. If you didn't pay your greens fee, thereby paying for your right to use the golf course, you shouldn't be on the course. Unfortunately, there as never any enforcement done, either of the dog policies, or any other, so the same people who abused the place in the first place go right on doing it, and will continue to do it until they are forced to stop. These people think rules don't apply to them.

No apology (from you, at least) is necessary. I wish everyone was as responsible as you, but clearly they are not, and I'm not holding my breath waiting for that to change.

Give it a try Geezer, it's not THAT bad and you will actually feel better (at least I did).

Just picture Jimmy Stewart talking to Johnny Carsen on the "REAL" Tonight Show about how much a dog becomes, literally, part of the family. You'll tear up, but feel good.

I'm sorry if I left wrong impression.

Thanks OG......the second it started I remembered having seen that before (possibly 'live'!) but I had forgotten it. Thank you for finding/posting it.

...and Fossil, your comments and concerns are of course valid, and apparently unfortunately true. The "flak" I was referring to is the standard "All dog owners suck and should be shot", that I have seen on other dog-related strings.

Gotcha. I try very hard not to pay much attention to comments like that - anyone who would say something so stupid is not anyone I'd listen to anyway.

Now, to get back on the lighter side of our conversations...

Geezer, when "you two" are on your way to the Hood, at what point during the drive does she start realizing where you're going? Going up Upham? After turning onto Slayton? Not until the parking lot? Somewhere else?

And did she display any emotion that day when the parking was full so you couldn't go?

I almost hate to relate this, because I fear that people will think that I'M nuts [:-)], but dogs are a hell of a lot smarter than we give them credit for.

Other than the two "neighborhood routes" that we walk (and her being one of those 'out front' dogs on her leash, she knows and takes all the turns before I get there) we have 5 or six other places where we walk, and she recognizes all of them a good 1/2 mile before we get there (can tell by the almost silent whines) so on the trip to the Hood route, the whines start turning onto Waverly off Upham. For the 5 or 6 relatives homes that we drive to for visits, the 'more excited' whines start a good mile from there homes, amazing.

Even more fascinating to me was the second time (after my wife passed away) that we went to visit my cousin in Ocean Park, ME. She had only been there once before, over a YEAR earlier, but the whines started as we turned onto the street before the street the cottage is on.

After 8 years now, there isn't a day that goes by that she doesn't do something that either amazes me or makes me laugh. I know I sound crazy, and it's probably true (and that's fine!), but I'd be lost without her!

I know exactly what you mean, Geezer, and I'm starting to look around as I will be in the market for a puppy this summer, I hope. I've narrowed it down to a Beagle (had one as a kid) a Black Lab (also had as a kid until she was stolen) or Golden Retriever (always liked them). If you have any guidance on these or your little girl's breed, for that matter, I'd be interested in any advice you might have.

Oh, and a little story about the Beagle. She used to absolutely freak out whenever my Mom would drive us up Main St. (across from Pine Banks) to the Veterinarian on the right side as you leave Melrose. She (knew that meant "shots were coming" next and would actually try to escape as the car door was opened in the Vet's parking lot.

That's for sure OG. When I park anywhere within two blocks of the Melrose Animal Clinic, I have to carry her to where we're going, as she won't even think of walking in the direction of the Vet, and ya can't 'drag `em'.
I also hadn't had a dog since childhood, and never thought I would, but haven't regretted it for a second (except for, as George Carlin said, that pets are a tragedy waiting to happen, but I try not to even think about that, my plan is for both of us to "go" on the same day!).
Would be happy to discuss 'breeds' with you, but would be hard to beat any of the 3 you're currently thinking about. Although I sometimes feel "guilty" about going to a breeder, as opposed to a rescue, you do have to consider health issues. A good online site with a lot of information, is dogchannel.com.

Thanks for the info Geezer. I'll check out Dogchannel.com And I may came back with some questions/advice later.

Thanks again.
OG

I've had several breeds over the years, but the chocolate lab I've got now is the best I ever had. He's getting way up there now - 14, so he's coming to the end of the line soon, and if I get another that's what it will be.

Oh yes, Fossil. I overlooked the chocolate lab! That is one handsome dog.

Can you tell me? Did you get yours thru a private breeder? I'm really leery about these franchise stores like Pet-Stop or Pet Shop or whatever the name is I see on TV. Sounds like you got a good dog, no hip issues,so just curious if you went the private route.

Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't the Black, Brown and Yellow Lab's all the same dog? In other words, you could breed two Black Labs and wind up getting Blacks, Browns and Yellows in the same litter. That's what I've heard on the internet....so it must be true, right?

I think I will go for the Brown, if I can find one.