Thanks - I Just Had It Stuffed.

When I drive down the road, I can't help but notice little businesses that sit along the road, and I always wonder what they do there. I don't mean the stores - obviously, I know what they sell at the local Joe's House of Artificial Appendages. No, I'm talking about the little industrial buildings, the ones made of brick with small windows all around them. They don't always have the most informative names. Maybe Joe could give them some pointers.

Anyway, before I moved I used to drive by one such business. It was a sqaut, gray-bricked building that sat a ways back from the road. At the top of the building was a logo that consisted of a beaver sitting on a couple of logs. As I was driving, I never got to read past the word "Beaver" on the sign.



This stood as an example of one of those things that burrows itself into my brain and squirms during those quiet moments where I'm supposed to be reflecting on my life or praying or whatever the hell it is other people do when it's quiet and they're alone. What, precisely, did this company do? Do they build dams? That would make sense. In fact, that's the only thing I could think of that did make sense. Well, that or they were manufacturing merkins, but that didn't seem very likely.

It wasn't until I was at my new far from this little building that I figured it out. I was procuring a handful of delicious Boston baked beans when I happened to notice that the top of the machine was printed with that same beaver in relief. So they made candy machines. Bizarre. Bizarre, and a little dissapointing (be honest - you were rooting for merkins too).

This led to another one of my thoughts about these companies. At what point was someone sitting around, and they decided to start a business, and they picked that? I don't just mean candy machines, I mean whatever they make. Lamps. Window blinds. Shoelaces. Seriously, think about it, someone was sitting down at dinner, and he says to his wife, "Honey, I think I want to go into business for myself. I'm tired of taking orders from someone else. I'm going to buy that little building up the street, and I'm going to start manufacturing those little things people put in their wallets to hold pictures. Well, that or merkins.". (Okay, that one was just gratuitous - I'll stop now.)

What's funny is that what started this train of thought was that there are little businesses that live along the short road my company is at the end of, one of which is a company that makes hot air balloons. Frequently, I'll look out a window or drive past and witness them blowing up a hot air balloon, presumably for quality assurance purposes. I've seen all colors. I've seen one with the cover of Dark Side of the Moon on it. You get the idea.

Well this morning, this morning I drove by a forty foot beaver. This morning I drove past a forty foot beaver wearing a baseball cap. And waving. With a three foot flame shooting up it's butt. Not everyone gets an omen first thing in their day that lets them know things are gonna get weird. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones.

And I seriously have to get a cell phone with a camera.