If you are like I am, you get so sick of television. The majority of the programs on cable television seem to be "bang bang - shoot 'em up dead" - murder and mayhem. Daryl and I have been finding more and more "oldies but goodies" that are clean, decent, and funny with no need for naked bodies, blood and guts to make them attractive to view.

O.K., so I am "old school" but a recent "Leave It To Beaver" episode featured him trying to save a mouse in a paper bag. Watching it brought back many memories of our real lives that paralleled the life of shows like "Leave It To Beaver." As so often it has to do with my grandmother, who was like no other -- but then, maybe she was like everybody’s grandmother.

An example would be the mouse episode. Grandmother had a mouse and set a trap. She caught the mouse by the tail, no less, carefully took the mouse, trap and all, outside to release the mouse from the trap, and, you guessed it, that little mouse made a bee-line for the house and beat her back in the house. Beaver had his mouse in a paper sack. 

Grandma so enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren. During a visit at Grandma’s house one of the grandchildren, Steve, let out a big war whoop. "Grandma, Grandma, get a jar! I just caught a snake." Now, Grandma didn't like snakes any better than I do, but she obliged and did help him "can the snake" for a while before letting him loose after Steve went home.

As much as she didn't like snakes, she always told us about all the good they did cleaning up the bugs, eating the bugs for their breakfast, along with some small rodents. It had been another "Grandma School" day, which taught you things you learn way ahead of regular schooling. 

My mother is like Grandma used to be about ladybugs: she won't kill them but takes them outside so they can go their merry way. 

Remember the old adage? "Ladybug, ladybug, fly away home. Your house is on fire and your children are alone." There has to be a story behind that but I don't know what it is.

My cousin, Jim, did find this though: in Medieval England, farmers would set torches to the old hop (used in flavoring beer) vines after the harvest in order to clear the fields for the next planting.

This poem was sung as a warning to the ladybugs that were still crawling on the vines in search of aphids.

The ladybugs' children (larvae) could get away from the flames, but the pupae, referred to as "Nan" in some versions, were fastened to the plants and thus could not escape.

Pupae are the larvae when they have formed a cocoon and are changing into adults. Nan was originally an affectionate form of the name Ann, but it is not generally used as a short form of Nancy.

In Britain ladybugs are referred to as ladybirds.

My mother is a firm believer that when all is said and done and there is no life left on the earth, there will still be bugs that will inherit the earth and also clean up what is left.

My sister Kaye’s husband, Mike, never kills rattlesnakes. He will capture them and move them to another comfortable destination like the waterhole a few miles away. (They live in Arizona.) He maintains Arizona is their home - the snakes were there first and should be treated with respect.

I do believe snakes are a bit territorial. When my parents’ house burned down and the "folks" took hiatus and spent some time with my sister in Arizona before they were able to rebuilt their house, they came back to find the cement block foundation (which was removed) crawling with snakes. You wonder why, but many is the snake that found himself dispatched to the wet lands behind their home and, though it continued for several years, eventually they quit trying to make my parents home their home. The wetlands were also home to some little brown snakes, quite small. It was interesting to note that their families were many but so thin and tiny at birth. They were scarcely thicker than thread.

As much as I don't like snakes because they slither and seem so creepy, (or are we in tune with the Bible when snakes were depicted as evil?) small children seem to be born with their dislike before they are ever introduced to them in the Bible.

The disappearance of many snakes in our local environment is a little scary. These lower amphibians, including frogs and toads, are disappearing. Why? What does it tell us about our environment?

My mother reminded me about a field trip she took to the Minnesota Zoo with a group of young children. The children were treated to a live exhibit of a huge snake. The volunteer let the snake hang around her neck while showing the children the snake. While she told the children all about the snake she invited the children to pet it. They were reluctant, so with a twinkle in her eye she challenged my mother to hold the huge beast. Mom said no, but she didn't let it go at that, knowing it was something she had to do to show the children it was possible and that they would not be harmed if they touched the snake.

Surprising, the snake was not slimy and slithery, but more like rubbing one’s hand over a purse.  The mission was accomplished. Some of the children were all too happy to follow the example, though some just kept their distance.

There does seem to be more and more educational and not-so-educational shows on television about amphibians of late. Somehow I don't think I want to wrestle an alligator or charm a snake. I am glad we live in the north country instead of the swampy areas of the US. Why they are such interesting pets to some people, I don't know. It’s a matter of taste. When my sister, Kaye, first moved to Arizona and did house cleaning, she acknowledged that a close friend of hers had a pet alligator who had his own bath and bedroom. Now what could be cuddly and loveable about five feet of jaw-filled teeth, I don't know. Kaye said he was quite docile, but why wouldn't he be? He had it made, except for being in captivity. She failed to see a purpose in keeping him.

I agree. We tend to think of pets as being soft and cuddly as well as being more loveable.

Birthdays and anniversaries:

• Thursday, March 1 — Dan Nelson, Arlen Brekke, Chet Alan Hansen, Jordon Cook, Rick Loberg, Sara Ihrke, Duane Reichl, Nicole Farr, Emily Ayers, Paula & Richard Conroy.

• Friday, March 2 — Willard Christenson, Wilfred Christenson, Laurie Jensen, Angie Hagen Rasmussen, Joanne Kaiser, Roger Langlie, Casey Lyman, Abner Smith, Alexis Elizabeth Klocek, Eldert De Raad, Ronnie & Marcia Hutchins, Paul & Kathy Underland.

• Saturday, March 3 — Jeff Lageson, John Crabtree, Valerie Tobiason Quiring, Maurine Larson, Frank Thompson, Bill Draayer, Terri Jensen, Darlene Christensen, Charlie Hanson, Jessica Tufte, Terri Miles, David Underland, Darren & Christine Hanson, Angie & Jeff Rasmussen, Nicole & Nathan Milender.

• Sunday, March 4 — Dawn David, Teresa Hove, Larry Spear, Julia Elizabeth Neitzel.

• Monday, March 5 — Dayna Schember, Nicole Ella Schultz, Tim Toft, Vickie Haberman, Steve Van Ravenhorst.

• Tuesday, March 6 — Valerie Schember, Aaron Reese, Larry Reese, Dawn Dulas, Lynda Maddox Norland, Wade Wacholz, Ryan Schimek, Marlene Peterson, Lillian Weaver, Jami Ann & Travis Marzolf

• Wednesday, March 7 — Jace John Goslee, his 6th; Marlee Diane Dutton, her 8th; Jake Ortiz, Emily Horan, David Otterson, Chuck Hagen, Lorna Reistad, Kenneth Peterson, Lance Cummins, Peggy Evenson and Rose Myhre.

Wishing you quiet moments of beauty on your special day!