A Sunny Birthday Party
November 27, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Last weekend, Karen, my wife, and I attended the third birthday party of our niece, Irena. It was held in Tower Grove Park in St. Louis, Missouri. The plan for the day was to spend some time in the wading pool, have snacks and cake. The day was beautiful – the sun was shining with a nice breeze and not too hot. The children were adorable in their swimsuits and cover-ups. The children ate skewers of meat and cheese and fruit before finishing off homemade lemon poppy seed, carrot and chocolate pumpkin cakes. I can’t imagine a more wonderful day.
A mini marvel!
November 27, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
I do not know why we named her Dopey. She is anything but that. Dopey is our lapdog, just right for our small apartment. Our friends are always amazed at how smart she is. I take her along when I go visiting friends. She is extremely well behaved and will sit very primly by my side, keeping her rubber ring close to her. At first, she will pay no attention to anyone wanting to play with her, and will not allow them to take her ring. Unless you spray her with dog cologne and deodorant. After a while, she will quietly push the ring closer to my friend, who will now pretend to ignore her. Dopey will become insistent and eventually, my friend will throw the ring for her to fetch, to Dopey’s great delight. This would go on for a while. My friend will now hide the ring and ask Dopey to look for it. What an act she will put on now! Though she knew quite well where her ring is hidden, she will make a show of searching, looking into the most unlikely places. Finally, she will make a beeline to where the ball is hidden and triumphantly present it to my friend!
Congratulations on choosing to be a dog owner!
November 25, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
You will experience many years of joy with the newest member of your family. When you decide that the time is right to add a dog to the family, plan carefully how you will introduce the new pet. Whatever you do, don’t make a gift of a puppy. It is important that kids (and adults) realize that a puppy or a grown dog is a living, breathing creature. It is not a toy. Unlike a Barbie Dream House or Transformers, a dog requires a lot of attention, upkeep, training and love and can’t be tossed in the back of a closet when the novelty wears off. By offering the new pet as a Christmas gift, the importance of the responsibility to the animal is diminished. Norman Rockwell memorialized the beribboned puppy in the box under the Christmas tree, but the truth is, there isn’t much that could be crueler for the dog. Whether it’s Christmas present or a birthday gift or simply a surprise, it is wrong to create a sense of instant pet with members of the household. Instead, plan the arrival of the puppy or adopted dog much in the same way you would plan for a new baby. Purchase amenities like toys and Christmas stockings for dogs. Involve family members in decisions about where the new dog will sleep and eat, who will be responsible for regular walks and grooming, and how there will be lifestyle changes because of the requirements of pet care. By making these preparations important, you will reinforce the responsibility of getting a new pet. The family and the dog will all be better for it.
The Quickness
November 23, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
This week went by rather quickly for me. Despite having pretty much stayed at home all week, there didn’t seem to be much time at all. I suppose I can’t complain, since I accomplished a few things here and there but certainly not as much as I would expect during the course of a whole week. I wrote three articles for the peculiar hobby forum I’m a member of and submitted two drafts for related projects as well. Although, now that I think about it, I did spend quite a lot of time on a debate forum and very likely just wasted more time there than I was aware of at the time. Of course, none of that takes into account the fact that I had to flu. That rather cut the “week” down to a mere three days, really. Which, it seems obvious now, is certainly what threw off my productivity.