But then, I already knew that. What leads me to this latest conclusion of my intellectual aptitude? My perfect score on the license plate identification test. I got all 15 correct.

So once more, I have demonstrated that I am a font of useless information and trivia.

Oh, and speaking of everything I know... I now know what that critter on the golf course in Myrtle Beach was. It was a fox squirrel. We visited the NC Museum of Natural Sciences yesterday and I saw one. The museum's first section by the entrance is a collection of cases bearing many of the species native to NC (dogwood, cardinal, scotch bonnet, azalea, etc.) and in the case of the animals, they are stuffed specimens. Think taxidermy, not Gund. Anyway, I was wandering around the displays when my husband started gesturing wildly for me to come over by him. Not wanting him to be mistaken for someone having a seizure, I quickly walked over and saw what he was pointing at, which was in point of fact, a fox squirrel. Upon extensive internet research, I found that fox squirrels live in many states in the U.S., but only in Myrtle Beach do they look like THIS. Everywhere else, they look like regular squirrels, just bigger. And if the internet said so, it must be true.

Exhibit A: Happy Birthday America! In celebration of your 232nd birthday, some fine folks in the NC mountains chose to honor you with a parade. Of lawnmowers. Not even nice new lawnmowers. Old, beat-up lawnmowers. Bearing Confederate flags, no less. I'm sure there was alcohol involved and yes, in case you're wondering, you CAN get a DUI riding a lawnmower after imbibing. Don't ask me how I know this; just remember that I grew up in the sticks. The Confederate flag lawnmower parade is sadly NOT a product of my overactive imagination. My husband drove to the mountains on Friday and actually witnessed it. Unfortunately, he was too afraid to get out of his car and take a picture. He was in the Prius, after all.

Exhibit B: We drove out to watch the local fireworks display Friday night and a fine show it was. Grover and Ollie, having never actually seen real, live fireworks, were insanely excited. I had explained how it typically worked - large opening number, lots of smaller stuff in-between and a grand finale. Well, I was 2/3 right. As I said, it was a fine show... until the grass caught fire. (Did I mention we're in the middle of a drought?) They bravely carried on, lighting a few more mortars and hosing down the grass - yes, at the same time - until the fire got too big and a second fire engine had to be called in to help. Luckily, the fireworks display is held in the community baseball field across the road from the Fire Department. So the grand finale consisted of the field lights being turned on and lots of flashing red lights from the fire engines. At least Grover and Ollie enjoyed it. That's good enough for me.

I just asked Ollie what we should have for supper and she responded "How about tender stuff covered in dew?". (It's a line from the Disney movie "Brother Bear".) I almost fell out of my chair laughing.