The way Wendell Strout figured it, his brand-new cell phone would survive a dunk in a bucket of icy water the day pigs could fly.

The animal control officer was out feeding his pet hog Thunder earlier this week when his new Kyocera phone slipped from his pocket. There was an awful “plink” as the gadget sank to the bottom of the water bucket.

It was like a modern episode of “Green Acres.”

Thunder went on chowing on his feed. Strout plucked his soaking cell phone from the bucket. The phone was dead and dripping. There was a tense moment in the sty.

“All I could think about was the fact that I’d passed up insurance for the phone,” Strout said. “It would have cost $4.95.” Without the insurance, it would have cost more than $150 to replace the soaked phone.

In a pig’s eye, Strout decided.

He took the phone inside and blew warm air on it with a hair dryer. Skeptical, he turned on the power. There was a healthy beep. Buttons lit up. The display welcomed Strout back.

All was well. Thunder was fed, and Strout didn’t have to dip into his piggy bank. His doubts were hogwash.

– Mark LaFlamme
A couple who know their limits

When Annette and Sheldon Savage close the North Auburn Cash Market at the end of the month, local sportsmen will be losing more than a deer tagging station.

The Savages have operated the store on the shore of Lake Auburn for nearly 30 years and have dispensed tips, along with bait and tackle to local anglers.

Here’s one: When you’re fishing for brook trout off the bridge between Lake Auburn and its basin, pay attention to which side of the bridge you’re on.

“If you stand on the lake side of the bridge, the limit is two fish,” said Annette. “But if you stand on the other side, it’s five, because you’re fishing in the stream, not the lake.”

For local fishermen, that’s a keeper.

– Carol Coultas

Cover your cough

Most of us heard it from mom growing up: “Cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough” and “Wash your hands!”

In case you didn’t hear it, or aren’t doing it, Maine’s governor is making mom’s advice official.

On Wednesday, Gov. John Baldacci and Maine Health Bureau chief Dr. Dora Mills announced a “Cover-Your-Cough-and-Wash-Your-Hands” campaign.

It does seem like information a bit basic to come from the governor, but Mills said people need to be reminded about the effectiveness of some old-fashioned ways of preventing the spread of winter illnesses, including the flu.

– Bonnie Washuk