What Should the Penalty Be for Leaving a Dog in a Hot Car?

After rescuing a few dozen dogs, I have learned how to talk dog.  
It is an easy language to understand because dogs are commutative.  
All you have to do is to observe and listen.  They understand when you 
are sad, happy, or silly.  And they certainly know when you are planning 
on going out and leaving them alone.

Packing your suitcase for a trip is a sure trigger.  
You can hear them say, "Don't you realize that you 
will be leaving me behind?

Why can't I come with you?"

Do High School Memories Make You Shudder?

Mackenzie High School Detroit

When asked what my favorite school memory was I shuddered.  Favorite.  School.  Memory.  I couldn't think of one.   

I did well in school with excellent grades but school is as much about socializing as it is about academics.  Socially, I was an outcast and had few friends.  I grew up in a legalistic home where anything fun was not allowed.  I loved my parents dearly and did not rebel but I realized that they were imposing their convictions on me and I felt that wasn't fair.

The best way to sum it up is to relay a vivid memory with you.  It was gym class.  First of all I hated gym.  I have never been nor do I want to be athletic except for basketball.  I was our team's star player and the memories on that court make me smile - especially the free throws.  I could do them backwards and still make the basket. But it was only a small portion of the whole school picture and the negative memories certainly outweighed the positive ones.

How Important Are Holidays to You?

Are you someone who looks forward to and celebrates holidays to the fullest?  I think that most of us have a favorite holiday for specific reasons.  Time off work.  Family time together.  Dressing up.  Giving and receiving gifts.


Remember when you were a kid and it took forever for Christmas to arrive?  Every night you dreamed about that special toy you asked Santa for and hoped you'd get.  You could hardly wait for Halloween to get here so you could wear your new costume and have enough candy to last a month.  I remember hiding my stash so my parents didn't know how much I actually ate.  Thanksgiving can be so exciting with the anticipation of going to grandparents' house for a huge turkey dinner and lots of fun games. But, the best was your birthday -- that special day you didn't have to share with anyone.  It was all about you - gifts for you -- your favorite chocolate cake - and a day off from chores.

What Would You Like Your Superpower to Be?

In a monthly blogging challenge called Secret Subject Swap, I was asked this question:  "You think your neighbors have secret superpowers.  Do you spy on them?  Bribe them?  Become friends with them?"

This is extremely difficult for me to answer because I have never enjoyed fantasy - of any type.  I don't watch it on TV and I don't read books written in that vein.  You get the picture.  I am a realist by nature and practical in all areas of my life.  So I struggled with this question.

However, as an interviewer on my radio show, I have learned how to ask questions.  Hubby says I can go into a room of 25 strangers and in less than an hour I know each of their life stories.  That's just it -- I love true life stories.  Always have.

But the challenge is that I must answer the question - so here's my best shot.  I can be sneaky.  I worked for a detective agency in my youth and learned a trick or two about finding out the truth.

Would You Give Up Social Media for Money?

What amount of money would it take to entice you to give up social media for a year?  That question was posed to me and after thinking about it for 30 seconds I couldn't think of any amount of money that would entice me.  I would give it up without any problem.



However, this question did make me think about what I accomplish on social media and why it would be easy to give up.

How to Get that Dream Job

When I was a little girl, I preferred to make believe I was a secretary rather than playing with dolls as most girls did.  I chose secretary because I loved to organize, keep notes and pretend to work for someone 'important.'

In the 1950s-60s, career choices for women were generally limited by occupations in nursing, teaching, secretarial or as an airline stewardess. 

After high school graduation, every job I applied for I got and quickly realized I could start to write my own ticket.  My first job was for the Veterans Administration, but I found it tedious.  Although my next two jobs for prestigious law firms were exciting, my goal was to be my own boss.

Then I saw it.  The newspaper ad said "Wanted:  Gal Friday/Office Manager.  Must be able to work independently and have excellent skills."  I applied.  I got it.  

The job was an office manager for a construction company and it was located in a lumberyard.  My boss never had a secretary before and he wanted me to set up the offices and run all aspects of the business while he worked in the field. He was a commercial builder of huge projects; apartment complexes, hotels, and office buildings.

I ordered the necessary equipment and set up the office.  When we were ready to move into the new office space, I asked for his previous office records.  He opened the trunk of his big, shiny new Cadillac and showed me several boxes overflowing with receipts and invoices.

Sorting through it all, I came to realize that a lot of people owed him a lot of money!  When I confronted him with this he said he didn't have the time to worry about it.  This was in the 1960s and $60,000 in past due debt was a small fortune.  I told him that I was willing to collect on these and he said I could keep half of whatever I collected.

I knew that I would be dealing with some 'rough around the edges' characters. Then I had a brilliant idea.  I found the biggest and burliest man I could find and offered him $20 a day.  All he had to do was go with me to the various businesses that owed my boss money. He didn't have to say a word. He was just to stand behind me with his arms crossed.  

Do I really have to tell you what happened?  I collected on every single one. My boss was so impressed he told me to give myself a raise whenever and for whatever amount I wanted.  I stayed with him for several years and loved my job immensely.  

I was able to move into any unit I wanted to live in whenever I felt like upgrading.  He gave me a car to drive and an expense account.  My husband and I spent weekends at his cottage or on his boat.  

I stayed with him until he retired and we both cried.  Ours was a great relationship and I had the best secretarial job anyone could have ever hoped for.  

In later years, I started a business teaching office organization to corporation's secretarial pools.  It was not the challenge I needed and extremely boring. These secretaries were only interested in getting a paycheck and not improving their skills. 

I continue to run a tight ship in my office and manage a few businesses.  I have never tired of playing secretary!

If you have a dream, pursue it.  Never let it go.

What was your dream job?  Did you ever get it or better yet.....create it?