Read Between The Lines !

When I was young, we didn't have a lot of money and fortunately, we thought that was normal. We always seemed to find the means of getting money. On good weeks, we'd receive some sort of allowance from our parents, but not always. There were opportunities everywhere if you wanted to earn a buck. At the local construction sites, workers always left their empty soda bottles around and collecting them at two cents each was easy money.

If two cents doesn't seem like much to you, keep in mind that a Snickers bar cost a nickel and a Coca Cola cost a dime (and you got two cents for returning for the empty bottle). You could bring in ten bottles and get twenty cents. That was enough to buy a Coke and two five-cent candy bars. I say five-cent candy bars because there was also two-cent candy bars, not to mention penny candy.

Selling lemonade or Kool-Aid was also a way of making a shekel or two. It was like a competition and each group of kids had their own stands and their own products. We even baked and sold cookies and brownies. Granted, some of the adult customers must have bought something to drink at our stands based on either pity or good will, but we didn't care.

In my early teens, my pals and I discovered a plot of land that was previously farmed for strawberries. Plowed over and abandoned some two years earlier, the strawberries had returned in number. At first we just sat down and gorged ourselves but once full, we harvested all we could and went house to house selling quarts of strawberries. We made a killing and were in the money for weeks. In addition, we refrigerated enough strawberries for two months.

As older kids, we mowed lawns, washed cars or had paper routes for income. I often wonder what some of today's kids do to make their money. It seems so easy to expect it or ask Mom and Dad for it. It just makes me think the work ethic of today is not as strong as in the past. Too busy with their ipods or computers.

A Follow-up on last Friday's story about Ryanair's sadistical CEO, Michael O'Leary, who stood up during a press conference in Dublin Thursday and confirmed that yes, indeed, he's going to start charging passengers when they need to go to the bathroom.

The so-called "wee fee" is no longer under consideration; it's in development. O'Leary has asked Boeing to design toilets that won't work unless you swipe a credit card first. So not only will you have to pay to pee, you'll have to do it on credit.

This Date In History: 1796; French general Napoleon Bonaparte marries Joséphine de Beauharnais, widow of the Vicomte de Beauharnais. 1867; The United States agrees to purchase the Alaska Territory from Russia for US$7,200,000. 1916; Pancho Villa and his soldiers of the Mexican Revolution raid the border town and military camp of Columbus, New Mexico. 1959; The original Barbie doll makes her debut in American shops.

Picture Of The Day: Don't take this literally, but the pictures will explain themselves today. That is, of course, if you are clever enough to determine their meaning. Eye mean ewe halve two think two ice. Don't worry if you don't get them all.....but, I'll give you an idea of what today's pic have to say.... This one says "Holy Smoke"!

Birthdays: My pal Ginny - Happy Birthday my love 19XX, Amerigo Vespucci, Italian navigator, after whom the continents of America are named 1454, Ernest Bevin, British statesman and trade union leader 1881, Mikhaylovich Molotov, Russian revolutionary 1890, Yury Gagarin, Soviet cosmonaut 1934.

Printable Things I Never Told You: 1) I think the cops have every right to shoot your sorry ass if you're running from them. I also think they have the right to pull your ass over if you are breaking the law, regardless of what color you are. 2) I think that anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about. 3) Another hint for the picture below...starts with "Dead as..." 4) Some readers don't know that there are cryptic and blatant messages and hellos in every post I make. Read between the lines. 5) My memory's not as sharp as it used to be. Also, my memory's not as sharp as it used to be.

The HIts Just Keep On Coming:

Three doctors were driving together to the hospital when they had an accident and all three died. They found themselves in front of the Pearly Gates, with St. Peter there shaking his head. St. Peter said, "Gentlemen, I'm afraid Heaven is full - we just don't have room for you here."The first doctor said, "But, St. Peter, surely you recognize me! I developed the DNA theory, and have helped improve millions of lives through my work." St. Peter shook his head, thinking, and finally said, "You're right, we just have to let you in. Come on -- we'll make room somehow."

The second doctor said, "I know you recognise me, St. Peter. I developed the MRI, and because of my machine, millions of people with medical problems are helped." Again St. Peter is moved. "Yes, come on in. Surely you deserve to be here, too," he replies.

Finally, the last doctor pipes in, "St. Peter, You must also know me -- I'm the doctor who developed HMOs." To this St. Peter only hesitates a moment, and then replies, "Yes, you, too, have a place in Heaven -- but you can only stay 3 days."

A woman and a baby were in the doctor's examining room, waiting for the doctor to come in for the baby's first exam. The doctor arrived, examined the baby, checked his weight, and being a little concerned, asked if the baby was breast-fed or bottle-fed. The woman said, "Breast-fed." The doctor said, "Well, strip down to your waist."

She woman responded and stripped down.. He pinched her nipples, then pressed, kneaded, and rubbed both breasts for a while in a detailed examination. Motioning to her to get dressed, he said, "No wonder this baby is underweight. You don't have any milk." The woman said, "I know. I'm his Grandma, but I'm glad I came."

That's it for today my little gummy bears. More on Wednesday.

Stay Tuned !