A group of friends from the local Church wanted to get together on a regular basis, socialize, and play games. The lady of the house was to prepare the meal.

When it came time for Al and Janet to be the hosts, Janet wanted to outdo all the others. She decided to have mushroom-smothered steak. But mushrooms are expensive. She then told her husband, “No mushrooms. They are too expensive.”

He said, “Why don’t you go down in the pasture and pick some of those mushrooms? There’s plenty in the creek bed.”

She said, “No, some wild mushrooms are poison.”

He said, “Well, I see wild animals eating them and they’re OK.”

So Janet decided to give it a try. She picked a bunch, washed, sliced,  and diced them for her smothered steak. Then she went out on the back porch and gave Ol’ Spot (the yard dog) a double handful. Ol’ Spot ate every bite. All morning long, Janet watched Ol’ Spot and the wild mushrooms didn’t seem to affect him, so she decided to use them.

The meal was a great success. Janet even hired a helper lady from town to help her serve. After everyone had finished, they relaxed, socialized, and played ’42’ and dominoes. About then, the helper lady came in and whispered in Janet’s ear.

She said, “Mrs. Williams, Ol’ Spot is dead.”

Janet went into hysterics. After she finally calmed down, she called the doctor and told him what had happened.

The doctor said, “That’s bad, but I think we can take care of it. I will call for an ambulance and I will be there as quickly as possible. We’ll give everyone enemas and we will pump out everyone’s stomach. Everything  will be fine. Just keep them calm.”

Soon they could hear the siren as the ambulance was coming down the road. The EMTs and the doctor had their suitcases, syringes, and a stomach pump. One by one, they took each person into the bathroom, gave them an enema and pumped out their stomach.

After the last one was finished, the doctor came out and said, “I think everything will be fine now,” and he left.

They were all looking pretty weak sitting around the living room and about this time the helper lady came in and whispered to Janet, “You know that fella that run over Ol’ Spot never even stopped.”

Alright, it is another story I glommed off the internet but, especially today, too many people jump to conclusions without having all the facts. Remember your grandparents telling you “Haste makes waste”, “Look before you leap”, “Act in haste, repent at leisure”? It is even truer today when smoldering ashes are doused in gasoline to create a conflagration by the media and agent provocateurs, too often way out of proportion to reality. Then the moment passes and the damage is done. It is always easier to squeeze the toothpaste out of the tube than to get it back in.