Letter of Gratitude from an Old Dog

Dear Important Human:

Before I tell you why I am writing this letter, please allow me to tell you about myself.  I am a 15 year old Black Lab/Dalmatian mix and probably one of the happiest and friendliest you will ever meet. My name is Mercedez and my former owner abandoned me and my siblings when we were only two weeks old.  This awful person took me away from my dog mommy but it wasn't long before I found out I had a new human mommy.  No one could love me more.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Last month I spent a few days at Rochelle's farm doing the usual house/dog/cat/sheep/lamb and goat sitting.  I was unaware she had hired a team to landscape the area around the house.  As I watched from the kitchen window I was shocked at how organized and fast this team worked.

I have never seen any gardeners maintain such an incredible pace. They mowed the lawn, completed the weed eating and pruned the fruit trees and bushes in record time. They had equipment that was so quiet I never would have known they were there if I had not looked out the window.  But the most amazing part was the unique way they fertilized as they worked.

When they were finished, they left as quietly as they arrived and I found out they never charged for their services.  I wonder if they need a promoter....

Oh, and by the way, the sheep do not make that nice "Baaa" sound we read about in nursery rhymes. They sound more like old men burping....or worse.

Missing A Birth And A Brush With Death

My monthly Fly On The Wall post is part of a group of bloggers that allow you access into their homes to see what exciting and hilarious things happened on the home front during the past month. This month I was away from home. The beginning of the month I spent house/dog/cat/livestock sitting for my daughter who was enjoying the shores of Hawaii.

What I did not realize until I got there was that two of the sheep were pregnant.  The instructions she gave me in response to my wide eyes were "Don't worry Mom, there shouldn't be any problems.  If you see the mama is struggling and there is a little leg sticking out of her, just give it a gentle tug."

Every evening I heard a noise at the front door.  It was the goats.  They jumped their fence regularly to visit the house alerting me that it was feeding time.  They walked extremely close to my side to the fields and enjoyed the game of 'Let's See If We Can Trip The Old Lady.'  I wrote about their funny and sometimes painful antics in Stepping Out Of Your Comfort Zone.

13 1/2 Things I May Never Understand- Can You Help?

You may call this post a rant and I suppose in some ways it is.  But what I really want are your opinions.  Each of us is entitled to our own views and these are some things that I need you to help me to understand.   I will do a follow-up post of your responses.

As we get older, we are supposed to get wiser.  However,I don't get it -- unless you can enlighten me.

1)  Stickers on cars that read "Precious Cargo On Board." In other words, if you were considering slamming into the back of my car STOP RIGHT THERE.  There is a baby on board and you could hurt him.  With all the weirdos in the world, why would I want to advertise that I have a baby in the car?

When You Are Forced Out Of Your Comfort Zone

I am not a sheep midwife.  I am neither a shepherd nor a goat herder.  I am a relatively sophisticated city girl.  I love petting the fur of a soft puppy or kitten as much as the next person.  But being kicked and pushed by filthy sheep ready to give birth is NOT my idea of a good time.

 

How Do These 6 Professional Beggars Affect You?

How do you feel about beggars?  The definition of begging is:  To ask for something in an urgent or humble manner. 

I was eating a piece of toast this morning and my two new rescue dogs (that heartwarming tale here) were jumping up and down, begging me for a piece.  I assumed they were not taught that begging is rude.  But they are so cute and little, I let it go.  Suddenly, I had an epiphany.

I realized that I rarely, if ever, give in to begging because I have no problem saying "No."  Does that make me nasty..... or smart?  Let's look at some instances of begging and see how we feel about giving to these six types of beggars.

Let's Sum It Up -- Again

We get busy.  It happens.  Sometimes we miss reading posts from our favorite bloggers.  Last week I shared highlights from my blog posts for the past week and it was so popular -- I'm doin' it again!  So................Let's Sum It Up!

For those of you that may have missed them, hopefully you will have a chance to take a peek and comment.  I LOVE your comments and always respond within twenty-four hours.  That's how friendships are formed, right?

Starting with Monday......TAKE TIME FOR YOUR HEALTH TODAY

SO.......

YOU HAVE HEALTH FOR YOUR TIME TOMORROW

I shared  how I am privileged to see miracles Every. Single. Day.  As a result, I get a lot of Hugs - Read about it here.

6 Ways To Turn A Blogger Off

Dear Blogger:

Today I visited your blog.  I didn't stay.  I wanted to, but it was too difficult.  I tried, but I had to leave. I knew you spent a lot of time writing something amazing.  I knew I would enjoy reading your post when you had tweaked my interest with your title. 

Rest assured, Blogger, you are not alone.  There have been numerous blogs I have visited recently that I had to leave. The part I don't understand is there is so much information available, so many short courses and tips for Bloggers and yet.....

How to Double Your Chance To Win - Giveaway

This is a Win-Win.  Everyone who enters is a winner because I will post all entry stories on my blog.  In addition, there are two opportunities to win an autographed copy of Battered Hope.   Click here to read the first couple chapters.  



What's It Like?

Ever wonder what it's like?  If you know -- please enlighten me.

What's it like to leave your dirty dishes and clothes around the house knowing that someone is going to pick them up for you?

What's it like to come home from work and sit down to a home-cooked meal with all the trimmings?

The 'Funnest' Award - Quintet of Radiance

Awards are so unexpected - I suppose that is what makes them so special.  One of the rules for this award is to describe yourself using the letters of the alphabet.  At first, this seems a bit difficult because it feels like you are bragging.  However, it is just sharing with others the way you see yourself.  Hopefully, there is some accuracy.  When I couldn't decide which adjective to use, I used more than one - so sue me!

 

I received the Quintet of Radiance Award from Tina Basu and I graciously accept.   Knowing that there are fellow bloggers that appreciate your writing, is reward in itself.  Thank you, Tina

One Heroic Dog's Story

One Dog's Story.  One Heroic Dog's Story. For all you dog lovers out there - this one is definitely for you. 

Meet Brutus, a military K9 at McChord.  He is the first K9 to receive the Medal of Honor for his tour in the Middle East.  Brutus tops the scales at 200 pounds.  He is part Boxer and part British Bull Mastiff - quite the combo! 

Brutus is running toward his favorite - a TREAT

Here is his incredible story:

Which High School Would You Rather Attend - Then or Now?

We all need a good laugh.  Sometimes the things we laugh the hardest about are actually very sad.  Recently I have read a few posts recalling childhood memories, such as the one I did here. 

When I read the following differences between what high school was like in 1957 versus what it is like today, I had to laugh and cry at the same time.  I know many of you will relate and if you have any similar stories to share, I would love to here them.

HIGH SCHOOL    1957 vs. 2013

Jack goes quail hunting before school and then pulls into the school parking lot with his shotgun in his truck's gun rack.  

1957:  The Vice Principal comes over to Jack's truck, looks at his shotgun and then goes to his truck and shows Jack his shotgun.

How to Fly Through the Air With the Greatest of Ease

It was midnight.  The phone rang.  Everyone was sleeping, except me.

Last month, I was babysitting my daughter's six dogs, three sheep and her cat.  The dogs were my crew to help shepherd my new BFF, Hurley the sheep and his two lady companions.  As a thank you for my week of house and animal sitting, daughter Rochelle gave me an incredible full day at a luxurious spa.  I shared this story in 'Will a Day at the Spa remove the Smell of Sheep?'  A full ninety minute massage took me to a state of relaxation I did not know existed.  Add a facial, mani, pedi and a dip in a mineral pool; I turned into spaghetti.  Standing up took effort and I wanted to stay this relaxed forever -- or at least a day or two.

What Can You Possibly Do? The Internet is DOWN.

"I'll have to send a technician out."  Words that make you want to cry out "NO, NO, please fix it now."

The internet was down.  Immediately my mind was full of 'what ifs'.  What if they can't send anyone out for days, or weeks?  What if I don't meet my time obligations?  What if I get so far behind that I won't be able to catch up?  What if someone is trying to contact me and can't get through?

I tried my phone, my tablet, my laptop, three computers in the house and they were ALL DOWN. What am I going to do?

Then the technician on the other end of the phone line said something that made me love him instantly.  "The good news is, I can have a technician there before noon tomorrow."

10 Best Excuses Not To Do Something

I'm a workaholic so excuses are not in my vocabulary.  When I hear excuses, I have to bite my tongue so that I do not offend someone; most excuses are pretty lame.  Here are some of my favorites.

10.  I don't have time.  Each of us has the same amount of time in any given day.  It is up to us to use it wisely or choose to waste it.  Here's a secret how to have time to do what you need to do.

It Does Feel Like Home

"It does feel like home, doesn't it?"

"I know what you are trying to do and it won't work!"

"I did the best I could with the little I had!"

"Well, it isn't good enough.  This place will never feel like home - NEVER!"

I was hurt.  I had tried.

I don't think there was any more that I could have done.  No, it wasn't home.  My only hope is that someday she would appreciate what I had done.

She missed the old dog house – it smelled like her.  Thank God the fire did not take her as well.

This has been a 100 Word Prompt Challenge.

Linking this post to Write Tribe's 100 Words on Saturday 2014 #17, the Ultimate Blog Challenge July 2014 and NaBloPoMo.

Related articles

• 100 Words on Saturday 2014 - #10

Amazing Astrid Asks the Questions

It's FRIDAY!  It's Ask Away Friday which is an excellent opportunity to connect and interview your fellow bloggers. Bloggers swap questions and answer them on their own blog.  We would love to have you join us.


Today I am swapping questions with Astrid.   Astrid is an amazing woman as she has had many challenges in her life that would devastate the average person.  She was born in the Netherlands, three months premature which resulted in health issues.  She is legally blind.  She also is autistic and has other neuro developmental conditions.  Yet, she maintains a phenomenal positive attitude and welcomes challenges, especially helping others who suffer from similar issues.

I am so pleased to have met her.  Here are the questions she asked me today:

10 Ways to Guarantee You Do NOT Make a Sale

Let's talk. There is a lot of information available on how to sell your merchandise. You can take a course, read a book, do research on-line. What I want to address here is how to be sure you don't sell. I am referring to the face-to-face or one-on-one sales approach.

Whether you are selling a car or a bottle of vitamins, certain things you do will help guarantee you do not make the sale. It has been said that trying to sell yourself is not as important as selling your product. Hogwash! Selling is ALL about selling yourself. Here is how to guarantee you DON'T sell. Think about it!

Starting with the 10th way not to sell.......

Wouldn't You Love To Be A Fly On The Wall?

Wouldn't you love to be a fly on the wall sometimes?  Just to see what goes on behind closed doors?  Here's your chance.  This is a group challenge sharing what is going on in our homes.

Blackberry or iPhone?

Everyone in my family has an iPhone.  Even my 2.5 year old grandson has an iPad.  So.... what's the problem that I can't decide whether to upgrade to a newer Blackberry or switch to an iPhone?  I did my research, checked with friends, checked on-line and still had not made a decision.  Off to the phone store, I was determined to have them help me decide.