That’s Odd

A Debut Novel

Dillon Helbig is a second grader who is the author of a special book at Ada Community Library in Boise, Idaho. But Helbig never set out to be a published author. What began as a mischievous act turned into fame for the cute boy.

Weeks ago, Helbig wrote an adventure story in a red-cover notebook and illustrated it with colored pencils. He was so excited about his novel that he wanted to share it with others. What better place to share a book than in a library?

Days later, during a visit to the library with his grandmother, he brought the 81-page book and surreptitiously slipped it onto a children’s picture-book shelf.

“It was naughty-ish,” Dillon, 8, admits. But the result, he says, is “pretty cool.”

The book, titled “The Adventures of Dillon Helbig’s Crismis,” is authored “by Dillon His Self.”

Dillon later confessed to his mother, Susan Helbig, that he slid his book into the stacks and left it there, undetected. But when they returned about two days later to find the tome, it was missing. Susan called the library to ask whether anyone had found Dillon’s notebook and to request that they please not throw it away.

It turns out that the branch manager, Alex Hartman, had not thrown it away. He had found the book and read it and was intrigued, even reading it to his six-year-old son, who thought it was one of the funniest books he’d ever heard.

And so, the librarians thought that others may enjoy Helbig’s book, too. With Dillon’s and his mom’s permission, they added a barcode to the book and added it to the library’s collection. The lone copy of “The Adventures of Dillon Helbig’s Crismis” has become a book in demand. There is now a waiting list – at least 55 people long – for the book.

The library has awarded Dillon its first Whoodini Award for Best Young Novelist, a category the library created for him, named after the library’s owl mascot.

Dillon, buoyed by the success of his first book, says he is working on a sequel.

Dillon, your story is certainly one for the books.

An Old Story

The older people in the Italian town of Perdasdefogu have put the town on the map.

Out of the 1,765 people who live in town, 10 of them are over the age of 100.

Vittorio Lai celebrated his 100th birthday on Saturday. Piuccia Lai, who shares the same last name but is not related, will celebrate her 100th birthday on February 20.

Sardinia, where the town is located, has been identified as one of the five places in the world with the highest concentration of centenarians, with 33.6 people over the age of 100 for every 100,000 residents.

The small town made headlines in 2012 when the Melis family was certified by Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest set of nine siblings.

Consolata Melis, the family’s eldest sibling, holds the record for the town’s oldest-ever resident after dying at the age of 108 in 2015.

Scientists who have studied the town said clean air, active lifestyles, and healthy diets all likely contribute to the high concentration of older people.

“The presence of 10 centenarians confirms the exceptional longevity of the inhabitants of Perdasdefogu, and moves the bar even higher,” Luisa Salaris, a demographics professor at the University of Cagliari, noted.

Sounds like the good, old days.

Pig Pen

Wyverne Flatt is probably not someone you’d like to have as a neighbor. But there’s nothing bad about Wyverne; it’s just his pet who may make people look twice.

Wyverne currently lives in the village of Canajoharie in upstate New York. In 2018, while he was living in South Carolina, he bought a cute little pig – as big as a shoe – for a pet. When he moved to New York in 2019, Wyverne brought Ellie with him.

But village officials found out that Ellie is living with Wyverne and say that it’s illegal to house Ellie in Canajoharie. Wyverne, for his part, says that he has registered Ellie as an emotional support animal that helped him get through his divorce and the death of his mother.

“I could never dream of giving away somebody whose part of my family,” Wyverne says. “She’s very smart. She’s more intelligent than my dogs. I think she can kind of hone in on you when you’re feeling bad because she’ll want to come in and snuggle with you.”

Since then, local officials have determined that Flatt is in violation of local zoning laws. Flatt argues that since Ellie is an emotional support animal, the local government has rules saying that it must provide him with reasonable accommodation.

Flatt’s neighbors have signed affidavits saying that they like Ellie.

If the court rules against Wyverne, he could face jail time or could have Ellie taken away from him.

And that would happen when pigs fly, Wyverne says.

Bike Tour

Bob Barnes is touring the U.S. and visiting all 50 state capitals – by bike.

Barnes is a former Uber driver but that doesn’t mean he wants to stay behind the wheel. In the “Great American Triple Switchback” – the name he gave his trip – the 52-yearold has already cycled 7,900 miles and has visited 26 capitals, including Washington, D.C.

“It’s awesome to be out here and just have all these experiences in every single little town, every state,” Barnes said.

He started his journey on August 1, 2021 and hopes to zigzag the country in just a year.

“I call it ‘real reality,’” he told Fox News. “As opposed to what’s on TV and the internet.”

Barnes added, “I do consider myself an adventurer. I love to explore, and I like to see things for myself.”

This is not the first time that Barnes put the pedal to the road. He took a similar journey several years ago, and he cycled about 5,800 miles throughout the country.

“I was awestruck; it was so eye-opening,” Barnes said. “I wanted to come back out here and do it again.”

On Barnes’ GoFundMe page, he posts a few times a day about his trip.

“My obligation is to report to ‘you the follower’ 3 times a day promptly showing and talking about what ‘we’ have seen. It’s a very lighthearted, fun and interactive experience,” Barnes wrote. “Basically ‘we’ are touring the entire United States on a field trip, and I am the guide,” he added.

In general, Barnes bikes 44 miles a day.

Biking through the continental U.S. has its challenges, but how will Barnes get to Juneau, Alaska, and Honolulu, Hawaii? Well, he plans on taking a ferry from Canada to Alaska and then biking to the capital. As for Hawaii, he will fly with his bike to the island and start pedaling there.

Biking around the U.S. is a dream come true for Barnes, and he think that’s others should follow their passions.

“It’s everything you think it would be if you get on a bike and start pedaling around the country, that’s what it is,” Barnes said. “It’s just fascinating. It’s like a big neighborhood.… It’s just the country is the neighborhood.”