Awww, yes……we really do have a place in Kentucky called “Beaver Dam”. As far as I know, there are no beavers and there are no dams. It kind of reminds me of a “Maine Coon” cat. They do not come from Maine and they are not related to racoons….. I have to admit,though, I have enjoyed a “dam” joke every now and again (my fave: “What did the fish say when it hit the concrete wall?” ). One of my very best-ies lives there with her husband and 3 girls. According to “Wickipedia”, Beaver Dam was name after the baptist church that “predates the city by 65 years.” Wow-I always knew those baptists were crazy. I’m surprised the pastor let them get away with a cuss word in the title, though. There are approximately 1,300 households and only 3.43% are African American. One of my black friends asked “How do you have a .43% of a person-anyways???????” Good point.

My Beaver Dam friend is probably one of the craziest girls I know. Do you have a friend that just is crazy and fun? My pal and I used to do the silliest things! For instance, one January we both were snowed into our dorm. Literally! There were 3 feet of snow piled high to the top rims of the car tires. A snow in Kentucky like that is a recipe for “SHUT DOWN”! We still had our implements with which to rascal around, though. One of those was this enormous bugle that my brother had left me which I could use for sporting events. The University of Kentucky is a school known for it’s sporting events and this bugle would ensure a listen. In fact, when my family dropped me at my dorm the first day of college, my brother took it with him and consistently blew the thing as they drove off. THe thing is-he didn’t stop blowing. I could hear it even as they were 2 miles and 10 minutes away from their departure. I laughed so hard that I peed myself.

I digress……..anyways. My pal and I were bored to tears and took the bugle and used it to shout “RICOOOOLA” to all the passer-by’s, who, for whatever reason, were trapesing about campus on that snowy day. We got the biggest laugh and still use that as our mantra every time we see each other. (If you don’t know about “Ricolla”-click here >www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FpDJOBwP-o)

So, whether you are a beaver or live by a dam or live in Beaver Dam, it is always good to laugh. So-laugh a lot today, never be embarrassed to shout “Ricolla” to some innocent person, and take the time to re-connect with those who may live far but who’s memories are close at heart.