Trying Times….

….call for silly jokes.  Hence, today’s Laff-on-the-May.

Once upon a time, there was a very nice gentleman who lived by himself and decided he would like to have a pet.  He took himself off to the pet store and explained his situation.  No dogs, cats, rabbits, or hamsters, please.  Just something small and companionable.

I have just the thing, said the pet store owner.  The little fella was brought in just this morning and fits your needs to a tee.  He’s an adult centipede, requiring little but a shoebox with holes and some grass.  Great!  Said our friend.  I’ll take him.

And off they went.

Round about five o’clock, our friend says to the centipede: “Hey there, little fella, I think I’ll go down to the bar and get a nice cold beer.  Would you like to come with me?”

Alas, there was no response from the shoebox.  Not so much as a peep.  Our friend was disappointed but persistent. Perhaps, he thought, I should speak a bit louder. And so he says:

“Hey there, little fella, I think I’ll go down to the bar and get a nice cold beer. Would you like to come with me?”

Still nothing from the little box. It’s all so sad, he muses.  So terribly, terribly sad.  But, ever the optimist, he decides to give it one more shot.  Even louder this time.

“Hey there, little fella, I think…..”

Suddenly, a quiet little voice emerges from the box and it says:

“Hey  Mister, I heard you the first time.  I’ve been a little busy puttin’ on my shoes.”

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In the meantime, of course, our hearts and prayers are with all those in the eyes of the horrific storms known as Ida and Kabul.