Life Lessons For Life

The only friends the little girl had were her Chihuahua dog and her cat. The three of them played together for hours in the shed behind the old garage. Using cardboard boxes and boards and leftover material, she had transformed the little room into a home.

Piecing together odds and ends of old clothes, she fashioned baby clothes for her pets. The dog and the cat allowed her to try clothes on them as often as she wished. They knew they were loved.

Living out in the country miles from the nearest neighbor was never lonely with the dog and cat running around the acreage with her. When she stepped on a snake the dog would growl and bark and the cat would hiss and meow and they all ran on to the next adventure.

One day a stranger knocked on the door of the house. When she opened the door, the stranger with sad eyes told her how sorry he was, that the dog had run out into the path of his car on the highway. The dog he put in her arms was dead.

The little girl found the shovel in the messy garage, did her best to dig a hole by the shed, wrapped her precious friend in the clothes she had worked hard to sew by hand, and laid her dog in the hole. She knelt down and scooped the dirt over him by hand, she didn't want to take a chance that the shovel would hit her dog.

That was the first and last funeral she ever attended. To this day she has not been at a funeral. When her grandparents died she was not taken to the funeral. Children were not included at those occasions back then. The other grandparents lived too far away so when they passed away she was told about it later.
When a good friend passed away she had already moved to another state.

Now that the girl is within a few years of 70, she wonders if the first funeral she attends will be her own.

The Voice Of The Family Pet

A friend and I were visiting at the library and she told me about a book she recently read about a family dog "speaking" the story. The entire book is in the person of the dog.

She told me that the story is about a family as seen by the pet. It sounded good so I checked it out and brought it home and began reading. I was 2/3 through the book and had to put it down to get some sleep.

There is something for everybody in this book, it is well written, and a quick read. I don't want to say too much except that I am enjoying it immensely. There are many things I can relate to in the book and am sometimes entertained, sometimes sobbing, and often chuckling.

Bagpipes

This is one of the last things my mother mailed to me last year. It was a newspaper clipping a friend had sent to her.

As a bagpiper, I play many gigs. Recently I was asked by a funeral director to play at a graveside service for a homeless man. He had no family or friends, so the service was to be at a pauper's cemetery in the Kentucky back country.

As I was not familiar with the backwoods, I got lost and being a typical man, I didn't stop for directions. I finally arrived an hour late and saw the funeral guy had evidently gone and the hearse was nowhere in sight. There were only the diggers and crew left and they were eating lunch.

I felt badly and apologized to the men for being late. I went to the side of the grave and looked down and the vault lid was already in place. I didn't know what else to do, so I started to play.

The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around. I played out and my heart and soul for this man with no family and friends. I played like I've never played before for this homeless man. And as I played Amazing Grace the workers began to weep. They wept, I wept, we all wept together. When I finished I packed up my bagpipes and started for my car. Though my head hung low, my heart was full.

As I opened the door to my car, I heard one of the workers say, "I never see nothin' like that before and I've been putting in septic tanks for twenty years."

Apparently I'm still lost.

The Painted Veil

Have you seen the movie The Painted Veil? I highly recommend it. When I started watching it, I planned on watching half and going to sleep and watching the rest the next day. The movie is 2 hours and 30 minutes long. But it was so interesting I stayed up and watched the entire movie. I like it so much I will watch it again in a few months.

The movie is based on the novel by Somerset Maugham.

Maybe it is because I am a huge fan of both Edward Norton and Naomi Watts that I loved the movie so much. Diana Rigg is also in the movie and I have always liked her acting.

Check it out if you haven't seen it yet. It is a timeless love story with some excellent acting throughout.

For All You Golf Fans

My kids and their spouses and my grandkids golf. Some of my friends too. The two grandsons play very well. Before I had kids I did golf some and did some archery and was bowling often. The only sport I played while raising my kids was tennis. I could play tennis all day if I didn't have to work. But I would play real early in the morning and go home and get ready for work, maybe one morning a week. Can't find anyone to play tennis with here yet. One friend who golfs each week does play tennis but she doesn't have time for both. There is a bowling alley in town but it is full all the time. So right now the only activities for me are bingo, dominoes, and cards. Ha. My heart and waistline are craving more.

Boogie Through Life

My mother sent this to me a couple years ago. I found the newspaper clipping while cleaning out my file cabinet.

************************Boogie Through Life********************

Don't cry because it is over; smile because it happened.

Pain and suffering are inevitable, but misery is optional.

Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift. That is why is called The Present.

A good exercise for the heart is to bend down and help another up.

Everything is always okay in the end, if it's not, then it's not the end.

Be happy. Boogie through life!

Using Ordinary Things

How's this for an imaginative invitation? Inflate a balloon. Pinch end shut but don't tie closed. Write invitation details on the balloon with a bright permanent marker. Make sure the ink is dry before you deflate. Place balloon in an envelope and mail one out to each guest. When your guests receive it, they'll have to blow it up to see what it says.

Note: It is suggested to use a pump for sanitary purposes.

Now I want to have a party.

Easy Peasy Bacon Burgers

Mix ground beef, shredded cheddar cheese, prepared horseradish, some seasoning, and real bacon bits together in bowl. Shape into patties. Grill to done. I sometimes add some Worcestershire sauce to the mix. Yum.

One Of The Universal Laws

Law of Mechanical Repair:  After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch and you'll have to pee.

For me, it is as soon as my hands are in the soapy dishwater.

Pizza Hut Can Be Ever So Accommodating

A group of us play bingo every Friday afternoon in a town about 15 miles away. Sometimes we go to that town early and have lunch in one of the great little restaurants there. We have driven by the Pizza Hut so many times, thinking there would not be be gluten free fare. I called the Pizza Hut and asked them what they could provide for my friend and me. They invited us to come in for lunch and try the salad bar. They prepared chunks of chicken breast for us to add to our salads. The staff was so accommodating and friendly and fun and the manager even printed out gluten free information on every item in their restaurant and brought the list out to our table.

My salad consisted of great lettuce/carrot mix, pears, sweet banana peppers, green olives, sunflower seeds, cheese, more carrots, cucumber, potato salad and lots of chicken pieces. It was fresh and delicious. I made two trips to the salad bar and am looking forward to visiting Pizza Hut again soon.

If any of you have to eat gluten free or know someone who does, try your local Pizza Hut. I hope your experience is as great as mine was.

My friends ate personal pan pizzas and said they were excellent. We won't be passing by the Pizza Hut any longer.

Ghosts And Goblins

What do ghosts and goblins drink on Halloween?
Ghoul-aid.

What do ghosts put on top of and ice cream sundae?
Whipped scream.

What do ghosts serve for dessert?
I Scream!