Well, Cal, my comment _was_ certainly "tongue in cheek." However, now that you mention it, and in retrospect, I DID notice that my pets (Alexander the cat, Sparky the dog, and the six anonymous goldfish), whose antics I usually depend upon for entertainment, were remarkably boring over the 72-hour period preceding the transit of Mercury. I attributed that, at the time, to either the warm weather, or, perhaps, the impending Democratic sweep of the House and Senate. They are very conservative. But, now, thanks to your reminder, I realize that their behavior was likely due to the remarkably aseismic impending global outlook at the time.

Michael F. Williams
Arroyo Grande, CA USA