Brian MarickHappy birthday, Maine!
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/march-14-2026
But, boy, you should have gotten someone who’d seen a moose at least once to draw your coat of arms (1876 version).
Dale Emery@marick That is an unusually pretty moose.
Bill Caputo@dhemery @marick little known fact: the artist (having no moose handy) opted to tie reindeer antlers atop his dog's head to serve as a makeshift model...
...Interestingly, this later inspired a mean-spirited mountain hermit to use a similar tactic as the basis of a dastardly plan to steal Christmas from a nearby unsuspecting village--only to be foiled by a toddler shortly after putting the plan into action.
However! In the name of holiday charity (and perhaps pity for the clearly feeble minded old man and his poor dog), the village chose not to press charges, instead feeding both of them undisclosed game meat and sugary treats before sending them on their way with presents of their own.
@logosity @marick I did not know any of that! And I’m pretty sure I still don't know any of that!
Fun† fact: 30 years ago in a Seattle art gallery I spotted a sketch of a cell, hand-drawn by Chuck Jones, of Max holding a mirror that reflected the Grinch. Apparently it's one of only a few brief moments where both characters appear in the same cell. At the time I could not justify paying $1100 for it. I now cannot justify having refused to pay $1100 for it.
† for certain definitions of “fun.”
@dhemery @logosity I once purchased a copy of L. Sprague de Camp’s /Literary Swordsmen and Sorcerers/ and noticed it was signed. For a moment I felt myself teetering on the edge of becoming A Collector. I manfully fought it off.
You got lucky, not being exposed to temptation. Where would it have ended?
@logosity @dhemery This is awesome.
In my family, I’m famous for leaving screenings of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas at the moment of his triumph, before his downfall and forced labor at culinary duty (carving the roast beast).
My daughter even added illustrated pages to our copy of the Seuss book, giving it a new happy ending.