Being harebrained
Thu, 06/25/2026 - 12:00am
ECHOES FROM THE LOAFERS’ CLUB MEETING
You should cut back on the red meat and fried foods.
My aunt just celebrated her 106th birthday.
Did she do it by eating red meat and fried foods?
No, she did it by minding her own business.
DRIVING BY BRUCE’S DRIVE
I have a wonderful neighbor named Bruce. Whenever I pass his drive, thoughts occur to me. I enjoyed a glass of Adam’s ale–plain old water–as I watched fireflies. It was good to see someone using their blinkers. It’s June. Time to start preparing for winter. I put the snow shovel away on June 15. I hope that wasn’t a rash decision. To some folks, that means making winter reservations in Arizona. When I found myself in Surprise, Arizona, for a day years ago, I wasn’t surprised.
You know about the Swiss Army Knife, but do you know about the Minnesota Army Knife? It’s equipped with a snow shovel, a roll of duct tape, a windshield squeegee and jumper cables.
MINNESOTA TO ALASKA
A friend, Dave Olerud of Haines, Alaska, passed away not long ago. I miss his phone calls. Originally from Boyd, Minnesota, Dave got me involved with the American Bald Eagle Foundation in Haines. Dave was the founder of the ABEF. That led to many wonderful visits to Alaska for me. Dave told me I had caught the Alaska virus, which required me to return regularly.
A PINKY SWEAR
A pinky swear is a traditional gesture where two people hook their pinky fingers together to signify that a promise had been made. The pinky finger might be the runt, but it contributes to our grip strength. The pinky toe’s primary function is stability and balance, acting as an outrigger during walking and running. It cuts back on the swaying. Because it is on the outside of the foot, the pinky toe is susceptible to stubbing. Stubbing a pinky toe often results in a different kind of a pinky swear.
A WISHING STONE
Folklore says if you find a rock with a white line all the way around it, you have found a wishing stone. The stripe is usually a vein of quartz or calcite. A wishing stone is a stone that some people believe grants a wish or brings good luck. Hold the stone and close your eyes while making your wish. Speak the wish aloud or ponder it quietly in your mind. Carry the stone with you in your pocket or bag as a reminder of your wish. Place it under your pillow to invite dreams and insights related to your wish. I hope you find one and it brings you monumental good luck.
I’VE LEARNED
The creation of the high-five is credited to Los Angeles Dodgers baseball players Glenn Burke and Dusty Baker in 1977. After Baker had hit a home run, Burke raised his hand in celebration, and Baker instinctively slapped it, creating the iconic celebratory gesture.
The states that spend the biggest share of their household incomes on fast food are Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico and West Virginia. The state spending the least is New Jersey. Iowans spend the 29th largest portion of their incomes and Minnesotans the 44th.
Southdale Center, which opened in Edina, Minnesota, in 1956, was the first fully enclosed, climate-controlled shopping mall in the world.
“Hairbrained” is a common misspelling, but the word is “harebrained,” meaning “silly as a hare.”
If it had not been for Thomas Edison, we’d be watching TV by candlelight.
BAD JOKES DEPARTMENT
How do chickens pick their noses? With their chicken fingers.
What rhymes with orange? No, it doesn’t.
What is the closest thing to silver? The Lone Ranger’s bottom.
NATURE NOTES
A ginormous American robin splashed water out of the birdbath. A ginormous robin might weigh 3 ounces—less than a deck of cards.
Lemon-yellow goldfinches made me look. A blue-gray gnatcatcher, looking like a miniature mockingbird, produced buzzy, insect-like calls. I listened to a scarlet tanager near the city of Mabel. Or perhaps Mabel was near the scarlet tanager.
Foxtail barley is a common grass of the roadsides, often growing in saline soil. Even though it is considered a weedy species, the flowering spikes are attractive—silky and waving in the slightest breeze. It’s known for its distinctive feathery seed heads that resemble a fox's tail.
Great crested flycatchers are known to include a shed snakeskin in their nests. They will use materials with similar characteristics, such as cellophane, plastic wrappers or onion skins. Research suggests the purpose might be to deter predators. A study found that nest boxes with snakeskins were less likely to be disturbed by predators.
MEETING ADJOURNED
“Sometimes being kind allows others to see the goodness in humanity through you. Always be kinder than necessary.”―Germany Kent.