Paint were a very precious quantity in the early days of America. The British merchants could make a fortune supplying paint to the colonies. One company sent a ship with barrels full of red paint across the Atlantic. But somewhere in the middle of an ocean fog it collided with…

In the 1900’s an English town had fallen on really hard times. For decades its primary industry had been its textile mills, but now the mills were all closed and unemployment was at an all-time high. Desperate, the town’s mayor looked frantically around for other industries to bring to his…

A young man had been working as a bag boy in a supermarket for several years. One day the supermarket got new orange juice machines. The bag boy was excited and asked the manager if he could work the juice machines. The manager turned him down. The bag boy asked,…

I learned an odd fact. In Scotland they don’t just have “veterinarians” for overall help of animals, but specialists like “orthodontists” who work on the teeth of sheep or cattle, helping those animals be better able to eat grass. One recently received a call from a frantic farmer in Australia.…

[Advice forwarded from an 83 year-old woman. She’s got 15 years on me, but I’m listening to her words.] I’m reading more and dusting less. I’m sitting in the yard and admiring the view without fussing about the weeds in the garden. I’m spending more time with my family and…

[For July/August, each Friday Grif.Net will focus on real Newspaper Headlines garnered over the past years] County Officials to Talk Rubbish President Carter Plans Swell Deficit Caribbean Islands Drift to Left Farmer Bill Dies in House Syrian Head Seeks Arms Safety Experts Say School Bus Passengers Should Be Belted Hershey…

A sailor was caught AWOL as he tried to sneak on board his ship at 3 am. The chief petty officer spied him and ordered the sailor to stop. He commanded, “Take this broom and sweep every link on this anchor chain by morning or it’s the brig for you!”…

An ancient Babylonian General was once involved in a plot to overthrow the king. His plot included a number of followers in the upper ranks of the army. However, his plot was uncovered, and the king threw him in jail, sentencing him to death without a trial. However, from the…

One day, a man from Prague came to visit his friend in Southern California. When asked what he wanted to see, the visitor replied, “I would like to see the world-famous San Diego Zoo.” To his delight, his host took him to the Zoo. As they were touring the grounds,…

[On the first weekday of the month we offer bad puns. August is no exception. Will try out some word-plays on cooking this month.] Do bakers with a sense of humor only bake wry bread? The best way to make an apple crumble is to torture it for 10 minutes.…

[From Time Magazine, January 02, 1956] On the Christmas cards that Presidential Candidate Adlai Stevenson sent out during the week, acknowledging cards he received, he struck a humble note. His card bore the prayer of an unknown Confederate soldier. I asked God for strength, that I might achieve. I was…

[For July/August, each Friday Grif.Net will focus on real Newspaper Headlines garnered over the past years] Defendants Speech Ends in Long Sentence Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers House Passes Gas Tax onto Senate Police Discover Crack in Wyoming Stiff Opposition Expected to Casketless Funeral Plan Many Antiques Seen…

[My good buddy Ken H from MinneSOta, forwarded this and since I was born in that desolate wilderness, I laughed out loud . . ] Pop – Elsewhere: a sound that can be annoying or startling. In Minnesota: carbonated beverages. Winter – Elsewhere: a season that has cold temperatures. Maybe…