It's fun to reach into the past for tidbits to see how they fit with the whole picture.

"Jeezum crow" is one of those tidbits. I once wrote about that and other North Country sayings. I embraced it as a regional expression. I have since learned that my conclusion might be far afield. Vermont also claims to have originated the phrase. And regardless of where or when it was first uttered, "Jeezum crow" appears now to be widespread.

I thought I had laid the whole thing to rest until I picked up a novel by James Patterson titled "Mary Mary." Page 21 at the top. There it was. I hollered to Kaye in the kitchen. "Jeezum crow!" I exclaimed. "Here it is again. James Patterson, of all people, using Jeezum crow.'" She was not impressed.

A GOOD JAIL JOKE

My column on vegetable gardens led to lively responses.

One young man named Darin told me he recently built a house and decided it was time to plant his first vegetable garden. He started with the rototiller and turned up tons of rocks. He griped to a neighbor and was embarrassed to be reminded that when he did the landscaping, all the rocks and stumps from that effort had been taken out back -- precisely where he was now trying to plant a garden.

"At least," he reasoned, "my garden will have good drainage."

Wayne Miller sent me a joke that has to do with an elderly man who lived alone. He wanted to plant a tomato garden, but it was too difficult to dig in the hard ground.

His only son was in prison, and the old man wrote a note to describe the problem, saying he wished the young man were there to help him.

The response he received told him not to dig in the garden because "that's where the bodies are buried."

In the middle of the night, authorities swarmed onto the old man's property with shovels and dug up the entire area. Not finding any bodies, they said they were sorry and left.

Soon, there was another letter from the son in prison. It said something like, "Go ahead and plant the tomatoes, Pop. That's the best I could do under the circumstances."

If I knew who originated the story, I'd be happy to give credit.

KILROY ALL OVER

Romeyn Prescott, who was brought up in AuSable Forks and now hails from Potsdam, forwarded a letter he sent to a radio program that features comments from people who sample foods in various localities. Romeyn said he was dismayed to hear them belittle the "michigan," accusing them of "turning this hometown delight into a laughing stock."