Riddle Me This One, Will Ya?

Okay.. so I was shopping on Saturday with afriend and this man comes up to me.  HE is a round little fellow with cokebottle glasses and a top hat... a black T-shirt with writing on it and a pocket watch on a chain that was hanging from his shorts.  He was, to say the least and interesting fellow....

He says... "Hey, can I tell you a riddle?"

"Sure, why not?" I replied, finding his demeanor a little bit amusing,.... and his odor a little bit musty... like maybe he was some antique from a bye-gone era.

"If athletes get 'athlete's foot,'" he said, "..what do astronauts get?"

I thought about it and smiled wondering what the punchline could be... as the man said...


"Missle toe!"  (mistletoe)

(It was a seasonal joke, I think.)


I had to laugh as we parted ways...and immediately of course retold the joke to my friend who was by this time, already shopping n the other side of the store.  She laughed too.

It was kinda funny.  The man was obviously a fun  loving fellow and he made me laugh!.  HA.  Not sure what was funnier the man or the riddle that he told.  Either way, it was notable, you might say.

The incident made me look up and read about mitletoe, the plant that people like to "kiss" underneath at Christmas time.  By the way,  I learned is a poisonous plant, (poisonous...to people, but edible for birds) and to trees it is a parasitic plant.  It grows in trees and has no roots.  The Romans saw the plant as a symbol of peace and Scandanavians associated the plant with their godess of love, Frigga, believing that  "Those who kissed under the mistletoe had the promise of happiness and good luck in the following year" (www.allthingschristmas.com).  But get this; it's name means, "dung on a stick!:"  
Not very romantic to kiss "under the mistletoe," if you ask me.