Neither rain nor hail nor sleet ...

"Neither rain nor hail nor sleet nor snow nor heat of day nor dark of night shall keep this carrier from the swift completion of his appointed rounds.”

Postal employee Newman after completing his mail route

Here’s a little known fact from yet another famous postal worker, Cliff, from the 80’s sitcom Cheers. Often incorrectly cited as the motto of the U.S. Postal Service, this quote actually is an inscription on the James Farley Post Office in New York City, derived from a quote from The Histories of Herodotus, referring to the courier service of the ancient Persian Empire. So there you have it. Right from a U.S. mail carrier’s mouth.

While we’re on the subject of the U.S. Postal Service, Mom and Pappy John stopped at the smallest working Post Office in the United States during their EcoTour while in Fort Myers, Florida. It was closed because it was a Presidents Day, but their tour guide assured them that a U.S. Postal employee reports to duty there every day. Unless they can freely lift their leg on some vegetation like Saw Palm, I don’t know where they relieve themselves. But that’s their problem.

Pappy John at the Ochopee Post Office in Florida

Finally, for those of you who are not Seinfeld fans, I would like to introduce you the classic, short, pudgy mailman for whom I was named.

Leader of the Pack

The Triple Threat takes a break from the trail

Thelma, Roger and I took advantage of the nice weather this past weekend and hit the trails at Kings Gap State Park and Environmental Education Center. As good Dog Scouts, we carried the requisite items in our backpacks to be prepared for the unexpected.

Mnemonic Chart Provided by Dog Scouts of America

For those inexperienced hikers who want to know what we carry in our First Aid Kit, I will enlighten you. Unlike Calgon, it’s not an Ancient Chinese secret. While I do have an uncle who is American-Chinese, he’s pretty boring and doesn’t really have any secrets to divulge.

First Aid medications to keep handy while hiking, traveling, and every day use*: 

• Benadryl (for bee stings and other allergic bites)
• PeptoBismal (upset stomach)
• Immodium AD (diarrhea)
• Melatonin (anxiety)
• Aspirin (mild pain relief)

Never give Tylenol or any product containing acetaminophen which is toxic to dogs.

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* Suggested by our primary care physician, Dr. Noelle Weeks of Shippensburg Animal Hospital.

Dog Nab It

Dog nab it! Last week was National Dog Week, and I missed blogging about it. What kind of Dog Scout am I? I just recently received a notice from Dog Scouts of America saying that I needed to pay my annual dues (which I had already done) and now this! I thought sure that it was this week – the last week in September. I made certain that I didn’t miss Grandparents Day or the 10th Anniversary of 9-11, but then this happens. As it turns out, it’s the last full week in September which has been duly noted for next year. I guess it’s like those other crazy holidays like Election Day which falls on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November. 

In any event for those of you who don't know, National Dog Week was founded to encourage responsible pet ownership and promote good relations between people and their dogs – something that we, as Dog Scouts, promote every day of the year.

We have just been so busy with other stuff that blogging has been placed on the back burner. Thanks to Google Analytics, I know that the traffic to my site has been way up since our recent trip to the OBX. I apologize to you newcomers who visit day after day looking for new material only to find none. After all, my name is Newman, meaning “Man of all things New!” Actually, I don’t know if that’s what it means, but it sounds good.

While we’re on the subject of new, Roger finally got to go to a Dog Scout event with Mom. Quite frankly, I got sick and tired of hearing him moan about how he was the black sheep in the family, so I told Mom to take him with her just to get him to shut up his yapper. Seriously, on a cold, rainy day like last Saturday, I had no desire to spend it at Bark in the Park. I was all too happy to spend it with Dad and Thelma Lou on the couch.

Being the little charismatic Frenchman, Rog made the best of situation and managed to land a job at Metro Bank’s mascot. No stripes off my brindle back. Even Thelma Lou was “ok” with it so long as he keeps his endorsements with Metro Bank and don't infringe upon her duties as Buckley Beaver at ACNB Bank.

Roger as the Metro Man Mascot

Roger says, "You can call me 'The Man.' You can call me 'The Little Man.' You can even call me "The Metro Man.' But you can not call me 'The Metrosexual Man!' I was born naturally handsome and don't have to spend countless hours working on my appearance!"