Doug the Pug is nearly eleven and starting to show his age.  We adopted him seven years ago and he has loved the freedom of the farm.  He is a smart dog and learned commands quickly.   This photo is when he first came home with us.

• Homosexual conduct should be illegal
• 9-11 was God punishing perverseness
• President Obama was not born in the U.S.
• Muslims should not be allowed to be in Congress
• Islam is contrary to the U.S. Constitution.

I had my annual physical last month, which included the dreaded blood test.  Once again, my cholesterol level is elevated.  Crap.  The suggested diets to lower cholesterol are as varied as they are numbered.  Who really has the answer?

Some diets say cut out carbs and focus on lean protein, low fat dairy and whole grains (South Beach Diet), while others recommend a diet rich in seafood, nuts, fruits and veggies, whole grains, olive oil (Mediterranean Diet).  Others recommend a mix of 30% protein, 30% fat and 40% carbs (Zone Diet), in contrast to a diet of no flour or sugar and more meat protein (Atkins Diet).  And, for the real hard core, there is the "caveman diet," which says to eat only what the caveman ate: fish, meat, fruit and nuts.  No dairy, starchy veggies or grains.

When a new craft brewery opened a couple of years ago, just 14 miles from the farm, I had high hopes as someone who likes craft beer.  When my two bachelor friends, who are brothers, and I checked it out over the course of the first year we found all the beers to be a bit flat, with little natural carbonation.  As a result, we were disappointed enough we stopped going.



Last month I decided to check them out again and found that the beers had improved.  Not what you could call award winners, but now drinkable.  At $5.00 a glass they certainly better be.  The last time we were there I commented to my friends that they always served the beer in mugs, even though they had glasses available.  My contention was that there was less beer in the mugs than the glasses.



That's all it took and the bet was on.  On the next round I asked for a glass instead of a mug.  The server questioned my request, stating that it was the same amount as the mugs. Not to be deterred, I said I wanted to try out a glass instead.  Taking it back to our table I poured the fresh beer into my empty mug.  I lost the bet.

Undaunted, I made another bet that neither the mug or glass were a true "pint" of beer. Not even close to the British Imperial pint, which is 20 ounces.  I maintained that they didn't meet the definition of a U.S. pint of 16 ounces.



I had no way to measure content right then and there, so I tested a comparable glass I had at home. Sure enough, the glass held 14 ounces to the top, or 13.5 with a head on the beer.  Now granted, this all seems petty, but when you order a "pint" of beer you expect at least 15.5 ounces.  My friends and I said, "well, there must be a law."  There isn't.  As a matter of fact, most craft breweries and brewpubs use the same glassware.  So, when you stroll in and say, "I'll have a pint of stout," it isn't actually a pint.





  

When is Verizon's unlimited plan not?