It Could Be a Case of Milking a Story

Urban legend or not, a bulletin board item has been making the rounds locally, says David Mikkelson of the San Fernando Valley Folklore Society. Supposedly written by a woman who had just returned to work from maternity leave, it says:

“Whoever used the milk in the small plastic container that was in the refrigerator yesterday, please do NOT own up to it. I would find it forever difficult to meet your gaze across a cafeteria table. . . . Just be aware that the milk was expressly for my son, if you get my drift. I will label these things from now on, but if you found your coffee tasted just a little bit special, you might think of calling your mom and telling her you love her.”

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GOT MILK (PART TWO): A reader in a bar at Los Angeles International Airport found a questionnaire that could be interpreted as a revisionist view about which substance the Patriots threw into Boston Harbor (see accompanying).

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HEY, IT’S SHOW BIZ: If you were worried about the 300 white doves released during the ground-blessing for L.A.’s planned Roman Catholic cathedral on Sunday, let me reassure you: The doves--considered a Christian symbol of the Holy Spirit--all flew safely to their home in Norwalk, about 15 miles away.

“They’ve got a good record,” said Craig Nelson of Nelstar Productions, supplier of the birds, adding that they’ve performed at numerous events, including opening-day ceremonies at Dodger Stadium.

And, as with many performers in this town, they’ve changed their identities.

“In reality, they are pigeons--homing pigeons,” Nelson said. “We call them white doves because that sounds a little more romantic. But real doves would not survive in the wild here.”

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT: A survey of seven major cities, including L.A., found that “restaurants in cities with a Republican mayor serve about 15% more red-meat specials than those in cities with Democrats at the helm,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

I’m surprised that L.A. was included since there’s an obvious conflict of interest. L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan is the owner of the downtown Original Pantry Cafe, whose brochure brags that “more than 7,200 head of cattle are required to supply the steaks served here each year.”

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ATTENTION, SHOPPERS: One thing you have to say about Riordan, at least he isn’t trying to get rich (or, rather, richer) off souvenir items in the 73-year-old Pantry. Trinkets for sale at the Figueroa Street eatery have to be the cheapest in town, ranging from Pantry coffee cups ($3) and Pantry postcards (10 cents each) to Pantry T-shirts ($5) and Pantry caps ($4). It’s where I do my wardrobe shopping.

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ANOTHER SLAM AT L.A.? “This sign was spotted after leaving Hope, Ariz., on a trip back to L.A. on U.S. 60,” writes Marie Sleet of Claremont (see photo). Even if you agree with the message, you have to question the grammar.

miscelLAny:

A spelling bee for students at the Pepperdine School of Law will be held Oct. 15, with a top prize of $500. The contest will involve words used in the practice of law. How many different ways can you spell “money”?

Steve Harvey can be reached by phone at (213) 237-7083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com and by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, Times Mirror Square, L.A. 90053.