More Assorted Stuff

14 and ½ inches long! Margaret got to go up to see her and said she actually had some meat on her legs. This was exciting. It would have been more exciting if I had seen her myself, but no, I have to have this croupy, cruddy, cough thing going on, plus the digital camera is gone phooey. I have a couple of Isabel’s black and whites to put up in the gallery, however. She is a real artist when it comes to photography.

Has anybody bothered making any of the dreaded New Year’s Resolutions? Time’s a-wastin’. I had written some notes about being more organized and less of a procrastinator but when I looked for them on my desk, I could not find them, so I figure it will wait until tomorrow.

Go lay down! Not you, the stupid dog! You can get up. Every time I cough, she thinks there is something very wrong with me and comes and puts her paw on my knee. When I chase her away, she is certain that it is serious, so she comes right back. If I ignore her, she puts her cold, wet nose right on me wherever she can get at. She does not do it right away; of course, she waits until I am intent on doing something else, then she sneaks up on me and gets me, usually on the underside of my forearm. It is all very annoying.

You want to know what else is annoying? I’ll tell you what else is annoying. Why do people think that signs are meant for everyone, except them? Well, besides the obvious contempt some people have (Soosan) http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=sbalak for speed limit signs. If the sign in the park says, “Keep your dog on a leash at all times while on the trail” why is your stupid, ugly nasty little yapper an exception? And no, I don’t care that “He doesn’t bite anyone.” I don’t want to come around the corner on a trail and meet a 200 pound Great Dane without a human attached! “Oh, he’s friendly.” A number of years ago one of my children was deathly afraid of dogs. I mean screaming, running, crying terrified, even to see one on the leash across the street. We never knew why and they have since overcome it rather nicely, but your quaint little remarks about it when you are responsible to keep the stupid creature on its leash in the first place just don’t cut it. Who do you think you are? And of course, you can’t call the cops, because even if they would respond to such a call, it would not be a priority and the idiot letting their cur roam free would be gone. Not to mention what your nasty, vile, reprehensible creature has done in the middle of the path that I have just stepped in with my new $250 Tony Lamas boots!

Here’s another thing, too. Sunglasses are NOT a cool fashion statement when you are carrying on a conversation with me. Take off the sunglasses and look me in the eye.

And where are people’s manners any more? Do you think when you chew with your mouth open that I want to see that train wreck? Or hear it? And when did bodily functions become acceptable table talk? And whatever happened to “Excuse Me,” “Please” and “Thank You?”

Can you tell I am feeling grumpy today? That idiot’s dog in the park set me off. I don’t really have $250 boots, but it doesn’t matter. I should be able to walk on the trail unmolested.
But I must say, there are some good things going on. My wife and I went to lunch yesterday and the hostess seated a young couple with two children next to us. They were probably 5 and 8 years old and I expected the worst. Was I ever in for a pleasant surprise! They were soft-spoken, said “Please” and “Thank You” to the waitress, didn’t fight or bicker or throw food or anything at each other. The parents didn’t scream and yell at them every couple of minutes, but they had a nice, quiet lunch and spoke in normal conversational tones! They just behaved. It was beautiful.

Then a couple of teenage young men came in and got the other booth near ours. Here again, they said, “Please” and “Thank You” to the waitress and spoke to her like she was a real person and then, get this, they paid their bill and brought back an appropriate, even generous amount and left it for a tip! I was really impressed.

As the Good Book says, “Life is full of surprises, sometimes.”