Elephants in trees, legs on octopi

Bora, discussing whether elephants run, tells a joke:

Two elephants are sitting on a tree. A third elephant flies by. The first elephant turns to the second elephant and says: "Hmmm, I bet her nest is close by"

Which reminds me of the classic question: Why do elephants paint their nails red?

Click through for the answer.

The answer, of course, is that it helps them hide in cherry trees. If you doubt the truth of this, ask yourself when you last spotted an elephant in a cherry tree.

Bora also observes that it was Ogden Nash's birthday a few days ago, which obliges me to post my favorite bit of Nashery:

There was a young belle of old Natchez
Whose garments were always in patchez.
When comment arose
On the state of her clothes,
She replied, "When Ah itchez, Ah scratchez."

Interestingly, I typed something slightly different from memory. I actually think my version scans better. Adding "old Natchez" definitely is a better phrasing, but breaks the rhythm.

There was a young lady from Natchez
Whose clothing was always in patches.
When comment arose
On the state of her clothes,
She drawled, "When I itches, I scratches."

For Dr. Myers, I'll end with Nash's "The Octopus":

Tell me, O Octopus, I begs
Is those things arms, or is they legs?
I marvel at thee, Octopus;
If I were thou, I'd call me Us.

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Check out the new digs! Congrats!!

And how do elephants get down from cherry trees? They stand on a leaf and wait till autumn.

The elephant's a pretty bird,
It hops from twig to twig.
It builds its nest in a rhubarb tree
And whistles like a pig.
Ha ha ha, hee hee hee,
Elephants eggs in a rhubarb tree.