By ,
Published January 13, 2015
Maybe she told him to "make like a tree and leave," but he heard "make like a tree and live."
At any rate, an 83-year-old Indian man has been living in a tree in a village in Orissa state for 50 years after a particularly spirited spat with his wife, the Independent Online reports.
"We quarreled over a tiny issue and that is why he left me and promised not to live with me and return home until his death," his wife said. "I have tried a lot and forced him to come back, but he has refused all the time."
Originally, the nature dude's digs were in a mango tree, but he had to relocate to a new arbor abode after the old one collapsed in a storm.
His son says he doesn't see his dad — who insists his lofty lifestyle has helped his spiritual growth — heading home any time soon.
"I have tried several times to woo him back home but he refused to return. Hurt and dejected, I had to come back home," he said.
And in Orissa, post-squabble tree-dwelling might be catching on.
The BBC did a report earlier this year on a 45-year-old guy who has called a treehouse his home for 15 years after a marital melee.
Run, Budhia Singh, Run
BHUBANESWAR, India (AP) — Cheered by thousands, a 4-year-old boy dubbed "India's Forrest Gump" ran 40 miles to enter the country's foremost record book.
"I loved running today. I can run as much as I want," Budhia Singh told reporters Tuesday after the run. Then he sucked his thumb.
Budhia had planned to run 43 miles, but doctors stopped him after 40 miles when he showed signs of extreme exhaustion. His coach, Biranchi Das, said he completed the distance in seven hours and two minutes without a break, a record for someone so young.
Officials of Limca Book of Records, India's best-known record book, witnessed the run and said it would be included in its 2007 edition, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.
Budhia's father has died and his mother, unable to support him, was about to sell him to another villager two years ago when he was rescued by the coach.
The coach had earlier seen Budhia's talent when the boy accidentally entered a sports ground without permission. He ran laps as punishment. When the coach returned five hours later, the boy was still running.
Budhia has gained swift popularity in India. He is being likened by the Indian media to Forrest Gump, the fictional book and movie character who is ridiculed by peers for using leg braces, but overcomes his disability when he discovers that he can "run like the wind blows."
WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Some call it luck, but Keith Selix knows better. The 81-year-old Waterloo man has won three big lottery prizes since last year — a streak he believes would normally be impossible.
But since his wife died in February 2005, the man's fortune has mysteriously changed.
"I'm still thinking that I'm being led from up above," said Selix, a retired John Deere machinist who spends about $200 a week on lottery scratch-off tickets. "I'm firmly in belief of that."
Ironically, Selix's wife had often scolded him for wasting his money on the "those cotton-picking tickets."
But Selix kept scratching after his wife's departure, and he has since cashed in three winning tickets totaling $81,000.
Selix's latest win came late last month and included $30,000 from the "Wild Crossword" confetti instant-scratch game. He also won $30,000 in June playing the "Wild Crossword" lizard game and $21,000 in September playing the "Double Blackjack" instant-scratch game.
The odds of winning the grand prize in either "Wild Crossword" game is 1 in 89,775, according to the Iowa Lottery. The odds of winning the grand prize in "Double Blackjack" is 1 in 119,700.
Selix has used most of his winnings to remodel his home. He has a new kitchen, with new cupboards, appliances and ceramic tile. He's put vinyl siding and new windows on his house.
"And now I'm going to start on my bathroom and living room," he said.
Selix plans to continue playing, though the chances of getting struck by lightning are greater than his chance of winning a fourth time. According to the National Weather Service, there is 1 in 3,000 chance of lightning striking someone in an 80-year lifespan.
Selix has never been hit by lightning, and "that convinces me I'm getting help from upstairs."
Cubs Fans Everywhere Are Calling Their Agents
LONDON (AP) — A soccer fan is reported to have taken out a $1.85 million insurance policy to cover him against the trauma of England being knocked out early from the World Cup.
Paul Hucker on Wednesday told Britain's national news agency, the Press Association, that he paid $195 for the policy. To collect, England would have to be knocked in the group stage of the June 9-July 9 tournament.
England faces Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago, and Sweden and is favored to advance. In addition, a panel of five sports commentators would have to decide the exit was premature. If Hucker can prove this, he then needs to provide medical evidence that the elimination caused him severe mental trauma.
"I feel very patriotic and very optimistic," he told the Press Association. "To have psychological trauma and depression is something I don't want."
Hucker said friends thought he was joking when he explained the policy, but he maintains it's serious.
However, there appears to be a catch.
Hucker said the policy does not cover England failing to progress if it's a result of players being out because of foot injuries.
England's star striker Wayne Rooney broke his right foot on Saturday and England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson says he would need "a miracle" to be fit for the month-long tournament.
Compiled by FOXNews.com's Taylor Timmins.
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