It seems like during the summertime, I go for longer spells without writing a new entry.  There's more going on, and maybe I spend less time pondering the little things life has to offer.  And after reading this one, you may say that I should have waited even longer to start tapping on the keyboard again.  If you're easily offended, you might want to skip this entry.

A few weeks ago I heard on the news that the Roy Rogers Museum in Branson, Missouri, was forced to close, and all of their memorabilia was auctioned off.  This "memorabilia" included Roy's horse Trigger and dog Bullet.  Now, Trigger and Bullet died decades ago, but because of the miracles of science, they're still with us.  Both were stuffed -- or, professionally prepared by a taxidermist -- and have been on display at the museum for many years.  At auction, Trigger galloped past $266,000; and Bullet fetched $35,000.  (Sorry for the puns.)

Is it just me, or does it not seem strange to keep a dead animal out in the open?  This isn't an isolated case.  Some pet owners have Sparky stuffed so that he is curled up in the corner of the living room just like like they remember him back in the '80s.  Why do people do this?  Is it because they can't bear to part with their furry companions?  It's not something I would do, but at least this is a logical explanation for why others do it.

Let's carry this logic one step further.  If these people want to keep their beloved Sparky around even after death, would they make the same decision about a person, a loved one?  If they had a close family member who died, would they want to keep him/her around, too?  It's a creepy thought, but why is it more creepy to stuff a loved one than a dog?  Most people will have much stronger feelings for a spouse than they would for a pet, so shouldn't these people who just can't let go have an even greater desire to keep their spouse with them forever?  I wonder.  However, while I'm not completely certain about it, I imagine that one is legal while the other is very illegal.  Last month there was a story about a 91 year old lady who kept the embalmed remains of her husband and sister in a bedroom for at least several months because she wanted to be with them.  The last time I checked, the authorities didn't know whether to press charges or not.  "This is the first time we've dealt with a situation like this," one of the deputies said.  I would think so.

On the other hand, it's completely acceptable to display ancient Egyptian human mummies in museums.  Why is this OK?  Is it because lots of time has passed?  How much time is long enough?  We know that one year isn't long enough for the practice to be socially acceptable, but 2000 years is.  The tipping point must occur somewhere in between.

Society can be a funny thing.  It's not always easy to quantify when something is right and when something is wrong, but collectively a society just knows.  Even though there are always a few people at the extremes, we don't always need laws to tell us that something "just ain't right".  I really wish I could wrap this up with a moral to the story, but I don't have one.  It's interesting to step back and think with an open mind about why we do the things we do.  It's impossible to apply logic to it because there often isn't any.  Of course, if we were always logical, we would be Vulcans.  "Seems logical to me, Captain."