Things That Go Bump in the Night

I am an insomniac. According to a sleep study I once had, my "awake brain" likes to stay active when my body is asleep. That makes for a restless enough night's sleep as it is. But when after staying up till 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning, & having turned off all the lights & finally being able to crawl into bed, trying carefully not to wake my husband, things start to go bump in the night.

Adopting a Shelter Pet is Worth It

Today, as I am typing this, my little dog Maggie is lying down on the hard wooden floor, resting near our cat Ella's litter box. I have no idea why she likes to sleep near where our cat does her business. Meanwhile, Ella is lying all cozy & snug in Maggie's dog bed. Why Ella chooses to steal Maggie's bed when she could easily apply her cat's agile "springs for feet" aeronautics to jump up onto our bed, the couch, or any high surface she chooses, is beyond me. I can only surmise that stealing Maggie's dog bed is Ella's way of enacting vengeance for those times when Maggie steals Ella's cat food.

Having a Dog With Cancer

Animals are awesome. They have the amazing ability to feel discomfort, yet still act as if nothing is wrong. I mean, there are dogs hobbling around on 3 legs, acting as if it's a perfectly normal thing. People on the other hand, whine & fuss, complain & evoke sympathy, when we are in pain, sick with the flu, or just don't "feel right". When we're not feeling well, most people know it.....unless we have the physical stamina of an animal, & can hide our discomfort well.

What Are We Teaching Our Sons?

I wrote a post recently about what we are teaching our daughters. Of course I don't want to neglect the topic of what we are teaching our sons. Today more than ever, it is crucial that we show our kids how to survive in this increasingly cut-throat world we live in, as well as to grow up to be the kind of men & women that they are meant to be.

What I've Learned From My Pets

From Pepsy

When I was eleven years old, my parents gave me a fluffy bundle of cute for my birthday. I named my new puppy Pepsy. What I've learned from that wonderful little dog in the 15 years I was blessed to be able to have her in my life is:

• Give a puppy a bed & some snuggling, & they'll give you a lifetime of hugs
• Teach a dog to say she's sorry, & you'll be the one feeling bad when she wraps her legs around your neck & presses her face to yours, as she's trying to say "please don't be mad at me; I didn't mean to go potty on the carpet"
• A dog can catch another animal for sport, & not kill it, but instead let it go. Humans can learn a lot from that.
• Don't catch a frog with your mouth, unless you want a foamy mouth.
• Going to the vet, like going to the doctor, is unpleasant, yet necessary.
• Who cares what others think about how you look, when YOU know you're fabulous!
• It doesn't matter if you're little - you can still make your voice heard.
• When you want something badly enough, jump high until you get it!

My Pepsy

Me, Pepsy (in front), & my sister's sweet dog Frosty. 
I've obscured my friend's image behind me, out of 
respect for her privacy.  

I'll never forget my birthday in 1972. I was eleven years old. My parents had surprised me with a tiny, brownish-black, squirming bundle of cute. I remember the delight I had when that little puppy entered my world. I loved drinking soda back then...still do. Although I am a Coke drinker now, the cola brand that graced our refrigerator shelves when I was growing up, was Pepsi. Not being quite sure what to name my new puppy, somehow, the color of her fluffy fur reminded me of the color of the Pepsi in our fridge. Of course I didn't want to spell my puppy's name the same way that the cola was spelled, so her name became Pepsy instead.