alligators and chickens

i've been blogging on sheets of paper shoved in pockets rather than online. the comments i get are few but interesting. i will begin unloading my pockets today--starting with the least interesting scrap of paper.

another strange combination of tv shows has changed my world view. we've been watching leave it to beaver season one. on the third episode beaver buys an alligator though the mail. he is disappointed it is so small. i am shocked into remembering my own childhood when such things were possible. a kid could buy an alligator or baby chicks from ads in the back of a comic book. every dime store had packets of "mexican jumping beans" at the counter (poor little grubs stuck in nuts). living things were toys. such cruelty is hard to imagine in today's world.

then we watched a documentary on the secret life of chickens. no high-waisted pants like on leave it to beaver, but interesting nonetheless. one part of the show focused on egg laying factories. six or seven chickens stuck in each pen, unable to move their wings, pecking at food and laying eggs until they die. i'm pretty sure such facilities weren't around in the 1950s. such cruelty would be hard to imagine in yesterday's world.