How many thousand walks did we not go together, so that we still turn to see if he is following at his padding gait, attentive to the invisible trails. Not the least hard thing to bear when they go from us, these quiet friends, is that they carry away with them so many years of our own lives. Yet, if they find warmth therein, who would grudge them those years that they have so guarded? Nothing else of us can they take to lie upon with outstretched paws, and chin pressed to the ground; and, whatever they take, be sure they have deserved. - John Galsworthy

By Way of Reply

Foreplay in Smyrna (or North Brookfield): Get in the Back of the Truck!

And a request was made some time ago for the Tickets to Pittsburgh joke which has pleased many generations of Murphies. This is it, to the best of my knowledge:

A priest and a rabbi approach the train ticket window where the young lady behind the counter is quite clearly braless. The priest says, "We'd like two pickets to Tittsburgh, please!" The Rabbi says, "Yes, and can we have our change in dimes and nipples?"

Dear Woman

Seriously, be prepared to barf.

Sometime today . . .

. . . the blog will reach 60,000 visits.

Eagle Nest Cam

Check it out. Ya hafta watch a 30 second commercial. And that's a dead rabbit in the foreground.

Watch some Milton Friedman while you're there. There are several videos of him on the same blog and he is just wonderful.

The Art of Conversation

Now, if only video cameras had existed back when Laura used to talk on that toy phone, she too could be a YouTube sensation!

xkcd Radiation Dose Chart

(Click to view full)

Click here to read the accompanying blog post for some background info.

What spring looks like in Chenango County

Any Murphies

or Murphy friends or relations or hangers-on who have not seen the movie Moonstruck should do so, without delay.

Also, look out the window at the moon. Last night was the biggest full moon since 1993, and it did look amazing, hanging there like a lantern in the tree branches close enough to touch. Tonight, it ought to be almost as . . . well, striking.

Teachers Unions Explained