Saturday morning: Business abounds . . .

1. Remember the whole "Spring" thing?

Yeah,. so 16 degrees in the North Country, and the sun's been up for 90 minutes. The good news is that it's supposed to get up to 48 today. That would be spring. Yes, I know, the sap is running through the trees.

2. I really hate to do this, but I am *not* going to get to Mudthaw next wekend. (I am sorry, Owynn). I talked to the sports editor at the local paper,and he said he can use me for two games a day next weekend. That's a decent payday, and like almost everyone else, we can use the money. It's the New York State Federation Basketball tournament (I am at the public school tournament this weekend). It's boys and girls, and there will be some great basketball.

I *will* be at Coronation.

3. NCAA brackets anyone? I have picked 24 of 32 games right in one bracket and 23 of 32 in the other. I hit on Siena last night, just because they are local.

4. The County Board voted last night to preserve the two buildings at Gaslight Village in Lake George, NY. What does that mean? It might be a site for the Skateboard Park.

5. Busy day today: Errands all over downtown Salem, paying for the work on the truck (and getting it later), a quick visit to Wolff's Bier Garten, a girls' state semifinal tournament game at Hudson Valley Community College, then picking up alethea_eastrid, who has been at Gulf Wars all week. (Thank so much to everyone who helped her!).

Tomorrow? Two state championship boys' game. (I was at several games last night, too).

6. Believe it or not, I am really enjoying a lager at Davidson Brothers in Glens Falls these days. It's a Danish Lager and very dark. It's got a great taste, just a little thinner than a Brown ale. (I am not a huge Brown guy, but I like them when they are well-made).

7. I have no words for this, except that I was fascinated by the last senetence.

Associated Press

JUNEAU, Alaska - It's a subject that can cause nervous snickering, a little uneasiness and even a few bad jokes.

But many in the southeast Alaska community of Klawock, population 800, weren't laughing last April after a 26-year-old registered sex offender was accused of molesting a local family's pet dog.

The man was spotted by a local woman coaxing the Labrador retriever into the woods near a ball field. There he allegedly tied it to a tree, taped its muzzle shut with duct tape and had sex with it, witnesses told police at the time.

The man had been twice convicted of raping a young boy and more recently had served probation for assault after lunging at a child. While the incident with the dog was reported to the police, Klawock Mayor Don Marvin said nothing happened for two days while fearful parents escorted their children home from school.

"When this incident happened, we had a community that was scared," Marvin said.

Because Alaska has no law against such an attack, Ketchikan District Attorney James Scott eventually charged the man with two counts of criminal mischief, which was later changed to a theft charge.

In requesting a $10,000 bail, Scott told the court that the state was concerned that if a small child had been available and unattended that day, "the small child would have been found taped (and) tied in the woods."

Shocked by that and other similar cases of involving humans having sex with animals, lawmakers in Florida and Alaska are considering bans on bestiality. They are among 15 states were the practice is not explicitly illegal.

New post on the beer blog

I am trying to get Short Pours back on track.

Check it out.

There will be at least one more post this weekend.

The queen is home . . .

Bruised and happy. ;)