Mad Cows And Canadians
College of Bovine Studies, Michigan State University
Heh, heh. Just kidding. That's actually some farm out on St. Joseph Island in northern Ontario. My wife Wendy took this picture when we were in Canada for our Agawa Canyon Tour. A local TV news program carried a story about some states here in the U.S. lobbying for a renewed ban on Canadian beef. No wonder. That's a rough looking bunch of cows that has taken over this farmer's home. If they're not mad cows, they're pretty thuggish I'd say.
Here's a couple Canadian quandaries. Since I was royally hassled at the border last time I entered Canada, we were prepared this time with birth certificates and driver's licenses at the ready. Of course, this time the young lady didn't ask for anything like that. She did want to know the license plate number on our car. That we weren't prepared for. But we did find it for her in short order.
After telling her our destination, she asked if we were carrying anything into the country besides clothes. I off-handedly gestured to the bike that was mounted on a rack on the back of our vehicle.
"Are you going to leave the bike in Canada?" she asked.
What kind of question is that? Does she think I'm smuggling contraband used bikes into the country? Does she think I'm going to drop the bike off at a landfill, in retaliation for all that Canadian trash that is dumped in Michigan? Wendy wanted to reply, "Only if it's stolen," but I know that border guards do NOT have much of a sense of humor. So we just said, "No" with puzzled looks.
Quandary two: At Richards Landing on St. Joseph Island we stopped for breakfast at Ann's Cafe, a very small diner where I believe the owner (Ann, obviously) is also the cashier, hostess and sole waitress. On the menu there, they offered a senior citizen's discount for ages 60 and over. In bold, there was this comment: "Ladies may be asked to show picture identification as proof of age."
So, ladies must prove their age. But not men. Huh. I have heard stories that claim women will lie about their age, but I always thought they lied younger, not older. Wendy said that women around 60 probably look younger than men the same age. That logic confounds me too. So a 60-year-old man looks like a 60-year-old man, but a 60-year-old woman looks 55? C'mon, that can't be true. Is it?
posted by Big Dave T @ 3:35 PM
13 Comments:
My ex-husband got the Senior Citizen discount once at Taco Time when he was only 41!!!!! He didn't question it. I would rather pay full price than be mistaken for an old bag - soon enough I'll be there.
Only thing I can say, Dave, is "ah, the power of make-up!" (LOL).
Sounds like you have the same problem with the Canadian border patrol that I have with the Mexican border patrol.
I loved the comment your wife wanted to make about the bike, but you're right border guards are not known for their sense of humor.
Actually is she works at it, a 60 year old woman should look around 45 ;-)
Of course not. Old women always look older than old men. It's because of that flab thingie that hangs down from their underarm right above their by-then-not-funny-bone.
hehe...Michigan State, LOL. But you did leave a considerable amount of trash behind, right? It seems to be the only way to even the score, for now. Yeah, you live about an hour away, says the Michigan grad.
Thanks for stopping my blog. I can use all the help I can get on my writing.
Hoss got it right up there. My grandmother always had that flab thingie.
I'll bet the restuarant was great. I love small-town diners that mix gossip with food.
NOOOOOOOOOOOO! What happened to the truce, Dave? By the way, Hoss has promised to stop calling my beloved alma mater Michigan State Agricultural and Veterinary. Perhaps you should try to be so gallant!
It is a good thing for a man to have a wife who possesses a keen sense of humor like Wendy's. Mine is wearing a little thin since last Saturday...
Nankin--Just so as to not start any rumors, I did not stop your blog. I did stop by, however. You should keep writing. It's good.
Bonnie--Mea culpa. I sincerely apologize for breaking my truce, and my word. That photo was "in the hopper" so to speak, and I forgot.
I am cheering on your Spartans from here on out. It would be great if we could both run the table and share the Big Ten football title. I'd like my son there at MSU to have a football team he could brag about, if just for one year. I don't think he was born the last time MSU won the Big Ten in football.
So go green, go white!
I'm 55 but sometimes look 60 when my hair dye hasn't been put in yet. I can't believe I'm 55! How did I get this old? I guess I better not complain, I do want to live a lot longer.
There you go picking on us Canadians again. So our Governor-General's Mansion needs a little work, at least we keep the yard mowed. Sheesh!
Don't get me started on Senior citizen discounts... descrimination aside...
Darn fine french toast at Ann's.. and even though she works like a slave and the restaurant is open till 8.p.m most days... She is fortunately for her NOT the only waitperson on staff but certainly the best.
But even still she was able to recall my breakfast order 5 months afterward on a return trip to the island. Then again a year later on another trip....and yesterday 8 months later.
Excellent French toast on that biker's paradise. (Served on homemade light or dark bread..with syrup mined on the island itself.,, Coffee could be better though).
Long live that quaint usually busy smokefree establishment with the picture of the albino deer, and the news clipping hanging on the wall of that old person driving through the front of the building a few years back.
Thank goodness the restaurant survived that bruital attack from that particular elderly patron who was possibly itching to save a few loonies before placing the car into "Drive",or "Reverse" or claiming the "Brakes failed"... I'm certain the OPP checked that blue hair's ID before the trip to the tiny little hospital up the street.
Senior Discounts indeed!
Mark
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