Today is Sunday, October 28 and there are only 25 days until Thanksgiving. By now you should have started thawing your turkey and preparing to bake your pies. Today we remember the birthdays of Auguste Escoffier, Dr Jonas Salk and Charlie Daniels. On this day in 1492 Christopher Columbus discovered Cuba, in 1793 Eli Whitney applied for a patent on the cotton gin and in 1965 the Gateway Arch (630’ high) was completed in St Louis, MO. In Czechoslovakia it is Foundation of the Republic Day, in Greece and Cyprus it is Ochi Day and in the US it is National Chocolate Day.

In the course of searching for this week’s fact I came across the fact that there is a town in Kentucky named Monkey’s Eyebrow. I wondered what other odd named towns there were and did more research. Here are some that I came up with.

Screamer, an unincorporated community in southeastern Alabama, has a noisy history. According to a local historian, the name may have two origins. In one version of the story, it comes from the fact that 19th century Native Americans used to loudly heckle white train travelers as they passed by what was then a reservation. This one made more sense so I skipped the other one.

Why call a town "Why?" This teeny-tiny community near the U.S.-Mexico border is named after the Y-shaped intersection of two nearby highways. But because of an Arizona law requiring that place names have at least three letters, "Y" became the much more existential "Why."

What started out as a temporary solution has become a point of pride for locals (currently fewer than 200 in number) in No Name, Colorado. According to reports, a government official first marked a newly constructed exit off I-70 with a sign reading “No Name” as a placeholder. By the time officials got around to officially labeling it, “No Name” had the support of the community and it stuck.

It feels like Christmas every day in Santa Claus, Indiana. But the origin of the name wasn’t quite so festive. As the story goes, the town was first named Santa Fe. In 1896, when the town wanted to secure a post office, postal officials told it to pick another name since Santa Fe was already taken. Someone thought Santa Claus was an acceptable alternative, and the post office agreed.

The wags in Gas, Kansas know what you're thinking. "You just passed Gas." "Gas Kan." "Get Gas!" The jokes write themselves. Gas got its name when, no surprise, natural gas was discovered in the area in 1898. Farmer E.K. Taylor promptly sold 60 acres of his land to industrial interests and subdivided the rest into lots, laying the groundwork for Gas (a.k.a. Gas City).

I wanted to include Monkey’s Eyebrow, Kentucky in this list, but could not find too much information on the name. One person claimed that the name came from the fact that, if you stood on a hill and looked down, the shape of the town looked like a monkey’s eyebrow. I am not sure what that would look like, but there you have the only explanation I could find.

Yes, there is a Hell on Earth, and it’s 15 miles northwest of Ann Arbor, Michigan. There are several stories floating around about how this name came to be, but the one the town itself declares official is this: In the 1830s, the town settler, George Reeves, made a deal with local farmers to trade his homemade whiskey for the grain they grew. When the farmer’s wives knew their husbands were off dealing with Reeves, they were known to remark, “He’s gone to hell again.” The name stuck.

The town of Loveladies, New Jersey, was actually named after a man, not a group of women. Located on Long Beach Island, it got its start as one of the life-saving stations that appeared on the Jersey shore in the 1870s. The station borrowed its name from a nearby island owned by Thomas Lovelady, a local hunter and sportsman. When the community grew into a town it tested out several new titles, including Club House and Long Beach Park. In 1952, the early name of Loveladies became official.

Sandwiched between Zuni and Navajo reservations in western New Mexico, Candy Kitchen Ranch purportedly got its name when a local moonshine distiller needed a front to hide his illicit operations during Prohibition. To secure the sugar necessary to concoct barrels of hooch, the moonshiner established a confectionery that produced pinion nut candy on the side.

Around 1860, residents living in the fertile heart of central North Carolina had no name for their home. But when the United States Post Office planned to put down roots in the area, the townspeople convened to decide on a name. Debate ensued: Why not name it this? Why not name it that? The discussion dragged on until one frustrated local butted in and said, “Why not name the town Why Not and let’s go home?”

The Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, village of Intercourse knows what you’re thinking. “It’s okay, you can giggle!” the village’s website says. “We’re happy with our name. It’s the perfect conversation starter.” Just how did the town come by its unusual moniker, which it adopted in 1814? There are several possibilities. According to one theory, the name came from the fact that the town—which was originally called Cross Keys after a local tavern when it was founded in 1754—was at the intersection of two major roads. Another theory posits that the name is an evolution from “Entercourse” because, at the time, the town was located next to the entrance of a racetrack. The final theory revolves around the original meaning of the word intercourse: “connection or dealings between persons or groups; exchange especially of thoughts or feelings.”

This Horry County town, Ketchuptown, got its name from a country store built by Herbert Small in 1927, but not because of the condiments it sold. Every week, farmers would flock to Small’s store to “catch up” on news and gossip. As a town grew up around the store, the name stuck.

This week our fact tells us that in Massachusetts you must have a license to wear a goatee. Do you need one if you are visiting from another state? One has to wonder what they have against goatees as opposed to a full beard. Can you be issued a summons if you are driving through and get stopped? I will have to check that out before I go there.

Today is Sunday, October 21 and there are only 65 days until Christmas. Time to break out the guar gum and polysorbate so you can start baking. Today we remember the birthdays of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Alfred Nobel and Edward “Whitey” Ford. On this day in 1520 Magellan entered the strait which was later named for him, in 1797 the US Navy frigate Constitution, Old Ironsides, was launched in Boston and in 1945 women in France were allowed to vote for the first time. In England it is Trafalgar Day, in Hondurous it is Army Day and in the US it is National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day and National Reptile Awareness Day.

Recently, I was out driving and the scent of a skunk wafted into the car. This made me start to wonder about animals like the skunk.  What exactly is the purpose of the skunk? The only thing I can see that it does is stink up the house late in the evening after some other animal has bothered it or it has been run over by a car. What could the skunk possibly have been used for? I doubt that it was caught and eaten, unless you were extremely desperate and had no family or neighbors left to consume. In all the paintings and pictures I have seen from history, I have never noticed anyone wearing clothing made from skunk or men wearing skunk-skin hats. You start to wonder if maybe this was a mistake that never got corrected.

Consider some of the other animals that exist. For example, the zebra. Is it just a horse that was crossed with a skunk? Did it develop stripes so that it would show up better against the brown and green background of Africa? You wonder why the zebra, the mule, the donkey and the horse all came to be. Why not just the horse or just the mule? Which one was first?
Another animal that I always wondered about is the giraffe. Why does that animal have such a long neck? Did it develop over time because the other animals could not see what was going on behind the bushes and hills? “Hey was that something dangerous over there behind that mound of dirt?” “I don’t know. I couldn’t see it. Too bad we don’t have something with a really long neck that could see what was going on over there.”

There are many other animals that I wonder about. Camels for example. I don’t really see the entire purpose behind them. I suppose that they developed as a method of crossing the desert.  But why not just use horses. Or were the camels first and then the horses came along because camels were less attractive? Why are there one-hump and two-hump varieties? Were the two-hump camels for longer trips and the second hump was an extra storage tank for water? Or was the second hump developed so people could sit between them because riders kept falling off the one hump? I heard once that the camel was actually a horse that was built by committee.

Another issue that puzzles me is the need for alligators and crocodiles. They are both ugly and dangerous. Did we really need both? What is their purpose? Were they developed just to eat the slow-witted people who tried to play with them? The only time I have ever seen alligators doing something worthwhile is when I watched one of those Top 20 shows and saw some lame brain trying to do tricks with one and the alligator got the guy’s head in its mouth. But why both? I think that one ugly, 10 foot long reptile that can run up to 35 mph should be enough.

Here is another puzzle. We have deer. We also have elk and moose. Why? What could possibly be the need for all three? Deer were a source of food a long time ago and still are in some areas. What is the purpose of the moose or the elk? If they serve the same purpose, then why do we need more than just the deer? If all you want is variety, try beef or pork.

Recently I heard someone referring to an act as someone’s swan song. The meaning was that this was a final act by someone before they left where they were. What does a swan have to do with this final act? More importantly, what does their song sound like that makes us think of the end of someone’s activity? Does a swan even have a “song” or is it just a honk, like a goose? And why a swan? Why not a penguin or a lark or an eagle. Or, considering it is the end of something, why not a vulture’s song. “Yes he did that. It was his vulture song because he was leaving.” 

I have heard someone being told he was acting like a horse’s ass. What does that mean? We know what that part of a horse’s anatomy does. Does that mean that is what the person was doing? How does one act like a horse’s ass? Does he go out into a field and drop a large dumpling (or on the street if he is pulling a carriage)? Why a horse and not a dog or a platypus or a lemming? Doesn’t the horse have enough problems being thought of as a zebra without stripes? 

This week our fact tells us that it is unlawful in Denver to lend your vacuum cleaner to your next-door neighbor. Is it okay to lend it to the house two doors down or to the house behind you? Again, one of those laws that makes you wonder why this was needed. I know I have threatened this in the past, but one of these days I am going to do some research and find out the reason behind some of these crazy laws. Stay tuned.

Today is Sunday, October 14 and there are only 40 days until Black Friday, so get your tents, sleeping bags and porta-potties ready. Today we remember the birthdays of William Penn, Elwood Haynes and C Everett Koop. On this day in 1774 the Continental Congress was the first to declare colonial rights, in 1884 George Eastman patented paper-strip photographic film and in 1980 president nominee Ronald Reagan promised to name a woman to the Supreme Court. In Bangladesh it is Durga Puja, in Malagasy Republic it is Independence Day and in the US it is National Dessert Day.

Recently, I had an experience that was both very surprising and reminiscent. We were coming home from a few days in Baltimore and I stopped at a rest station on the turnpike to take advantage of the facilities and to get gas. When I pulled up to get gas, I thought I noticed an attendant cleaning the windshield of a car. I mentioned to Barbara that it looked like he was washing the window, but I couldn’t believe that was what was happening. I figured it was just a customer who decided to do it while he waited for his tank to fill. 

When an attendant came to my car, he took my credit card and started to fill the tank. Then he got his squeegee out and cleaned my windshield – without my asking or having to pay for it. In fact, he did not even give me a chance to offer him a tip afterwards. I don’t know that I would have, but there was never really a point where I had a chance. I remember a time when they used to wash your windshield, check your oil and give you trading stamps when you bought gas. Until the other day, you were lucky they pumped your gas. 

And yes, I said the attendant. New Jersey does not allow you to pump your own gas. They apparently feel that we are not capable of doing something that we do any time we travel to another state. Don’t misunderstand. When it is windy and pouring rain or snowing or the sun is beating down, I am more than happy to let someone else pump my gas. I am just not sure why we are essentially the only state left in the union that will not let a person pump their own gas. I am sure that, at some time in the near future, someone will decide that if we can pump our own gas in every other state we might as well do it here, too. In the meantime, Mr or Ms Attendant, pump away!

As I mentioned before, we were in Baltimore for a couple days. We did a couple touristy things, including visiting the National Aquarium and Fort McHenry. On our way to the fort Barbara spotted a museum that we decided to go see on the way back. It was the American Visionary Art Museum and had some very interesting exhibits and sculptures. Here are a couple pictures of the sculptures they had - XXX and XXX - and here is a Christmas tree made up of crystals, beads and glass – XXX. You would probably have enjoyed the pictures more if I knew how to get them from my phone to my computer to this blog, but I still have some technology issues to deal with.

It was a great place and if you are ever down that way, you should go by and visit. If you do go to the Baltimore Inner Harbor, don’t go to the Visitor’s Center for any help. We went to find out how we could get the water taxi to the fort. It turns out that we couldn’t. They were not running there because it was out of season. The guy at the counter said we would have to take the bus or drive. The bus was free, he gave us a brochure and he gave us directions to the bus stop. We walked over, following his directions, found a bus stop and waited. While we were there waiting, I looked down the block and saw a bus coming that was painted the way the bus on the brochure was. I was able to read the destination sign on the top and it was the one we were waiting for. I then watched as it turned the corner and drove away from us. The directions he gave us were not as explicit as they should have been. The upside was that we drove out and were able to go to that museum on the way back.

One thing that I noticed while we were there was that a number of people travelled around using motorized scooters. There were people who were driving with a specific destination in mind. Others seemed to be using them just to use them and have fun. What struck me as unusual was that when someone was done with the scooter, they just left it where they were and walked off. At least that was the way it seemed to me. Apparently, you just left them and if someone else wanted to use it they got on, paid for it using a credit card (I saw a place to swipe a card on the scooters) and rode off. I was tempted to try one, but was not sure I wanted to spend time at an ER when we were only going to be there for a couple days.

This week our fact tells us that if you take any number, double it, add 10, divide by 2 and subtract your original number, the answer is always 5. Go ahead, I’ll wait. Welcome back. How many times did you try it and how large a number did you start with? I did it several times using two, three and four digit numbers and it always worked out. I have two questions – what does this information do for me and why did someone take the time to figure it out in the first place? We can come up with this, but not why touching a frog will supposedly give you warts. Go figure!

Today is Sunday, October 7 and there are only 79 days until Christmas. If you have not already started listening to Christmas music, you should at least have started putting together play lists. Today we remember the birthdays of William Billings, Leon Trotsky and Desmond Tutu. On this day in 1780 the British were defeated by the American militia near Kings Mountain, SC, in 1816 the first double decked steamboat, the “Washington” arrived in New Orleans and in 1957 “American Bandstand” premiered.  In Libya it is Evacuation Day and in the US it is National LED Light Day and National Frappe Day.

Since it is the first post in October, I wanted to give you October information, but there was not much available. Here is what I was able to glean – it is the tenth month of the year and the sixth of seven months with 31 days, the birthstones are tourmaline and opal and the birth flower is the calendula. In addition I found that October is National Caramel Month, National Dessert Month and National Pasta Month. I guess this is all part of getting your winter weight up for hibernation. I hope that will satisfy your need for information.

As you are aware, tomorrow is Columbus Day. The official day was the 12^th, but it has been set as the second Monday in October to facilitate the need for three-day weekends. Unfortunately, I don’t think very many people get the day off or understand the significance of the day. This is a day that celebrates a man who sailed off with three ships, headed for a destination that would provide him with wonderful riches. He was headed for the East Indies, but didn’t quite make it. This is a holiday that celebrates a man who had a destination in mind, no real idea how to get there and never made it to his original objective.

A more interesting fact is that he did not actually discover America. He never even set foot in North America! He landed on various Caribbean islands that are now the Bahamas as well as the island later called Hispaniola. He ended up making a total of four trips to not the East Indies. So now we celebrate his day each year. Fast forward to present day. A man, let’s call him Kenny, gets his friends to finance a trip and he leaves from Maine to drive to Florida. He does not use a map or GPS or ask for directions. After all, he is a man. He knows where he is going. After being gone for almost two weeks, he arrives back home with souvenirs of his trip. He has a t shirt from the Football Hall of Fame and one from Mt Rushmore.

People are quick to point out that those places are not in Florida. A few weeks later, after getting more funding, he sets off again, confident that he will hit Florida this time. Several weeks later, he comes back with stuff from the Grand Canyon. He is again ridiculed for not getting to his destination. He counters that while that is so, look at the wonderful things he brought back from where he did get to. He tries again and this time returns with items from The Grand Ole Opry and a bottle of bourbon from Kentucky. Everyone enjoyed the bourbon, but pointed out that, once again, he had not made it to Florida. He spends some time putting together what he is sure will be a successful trip. His friends reluctantly fund him and off he goes. He returns several weeks later with tales of Mardi Gras, beads that he collected and stories about a new and different style of cooking.

Everyone is sort of interested, but must point out, once more, that he did not get to Florida. They decide that they will no longer fund Kenny and his wanderings. He goes off to live by himself, disappointed that he was unable to find Florida. Several years after his death, stories of his trips are told and become somewhat exaggerated, due to faded memories. Kenny is praised as an intrepid adventurer and each August, the second Monday is celebrated as Kenny Day. Each year they hold a parade in his honor. The parade starts in the same place, but takes a different route each time and never goes by the reviewing stand. A little crazy, I know, but it is basically what happened with Columbus Day, except for the parade.

I do not have much else this week. We had some medical things to take care of and were not able to get out and about too much. Next week I should have some new things to talk about.

This week our fact tells us that in North Dakota it is illegal to keep an elk in a sandbox in your back yard. Can you keep him in a sandbox in the front yard? Can you keep him in the back yard as long as he stays out of the sandbox? Just another one of those things that make you say, “Huh?”