memoir

Taylor Swift Writes a Heartfelt Message to a Bullied Fan

Reblog from Kindness Blog

Kindness Blog's avatarKindness Blog

This young man, Caillou Pettis (below) is a big fan of the famous American singer-songwriter, Taylor Swift. Unfortunately, Caillou has been a victim of bullying on a daily basis and so he decided to write a message, to Taylor, describing his predicament.

Caillou Pettis

Taylor Swift is so amazing. I love everything she does, so much, and I am so glad that she cares about the fans. Fans are everything to Taylor. She cares about them. I’ve been a fan for as long as I can remember. My name is Caillou Pettis, and I love you, your fans, etc. Your songs are so sweet, and they’ve got so much meaning in every lyric, and it really makes me smile to know that a celebrity with tens of millions of fans replies to fans. It’s incredible.

I get bullied everyday, and I try to #ShakeItOff. One of the biggest reasons why I…

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Bitches About Britches

thongMy mother practiced an excellent form of birth control for her daughters.  She only bought cheap cotton panties because “nobody is supposed to see your underwear anyway.” I don’t know how I would have behaved otherwise, but I wasn’t about to get frisky in those horrible britches.  Sometimes Mother was lucky enough to find some so cheap they didn’t have elastic in the legs, just the waist.  The fit wasn’t too bad in the morning, but by midmorning, these Continue reading →

The Case of the Mysterious Spotted Dog Murder

Our life with Annie, our surly, farting Dalmatian was complicated by her partner in crime, Greg, the ever-present kid from across the street.  I use ever-present in the strictest sense.  Greg’s mom worked nights.  In a casual relationship never addressed by any of us, Greg made a beeline to our house as soon as he got home every day, hit the pantry for a snack, and let Annie out of prison.  Greg was well known for investigating our premises, keeping himself abreast of what all that was going on at our house, while he dawdled about, picking things up, questioning, “What’s this?  When did you get this?”   We’d chat about his day.  Afterwards, he and Annie would go off on a ramble, since we lived in a rural neighborhood with many large wooded areas. They were a common sight, known all over the neighborhood.

At any rate, one afternoon he and Annie stumbled on a construction site, just as a human skull was unearthed.  Naturally, the ensuing hub bub was tremendous. With law enforcement and news crews arriving, Greg and Annie managed to be front and center, part of the big story. Greg was ecstatic, carrying the news all over the neighborhood, taking full credit for the entire situation.  Anxious to milk the situation for all it was worth, Greg made a hasty trip back to our house to retrieve a gag item of my daughter’s, a dummy arm and hand intended to hang from the trunk of a vehicle, giving the impression of a body is in the trunk.

Returning to the wooded area near the site of all the excitement, Greg tossed the “arm” to Annie, initiating her favorite game of “keepaway.”  Annie burst from the woods, arm in her mouth, ripping through the yellow crime scene tape.  Greg was right behind her, yelling his head off. It was like a scene out of a Monty Python movie. Annie, no novice, at being chased by shouting strangers, headed home, dragging the incriminating arm.  Winded, she scratched at the back door, still clinging to her prize.  Shortly, she was followed by Greg and a bevy of law enforcement officers, asking to see the arm.  She’d hidden in the bedroom, reluctant to part with such a desirable prize, but I brought it out for their examination.  I was so glad not to be Greg’s parent that day.

Oh, the skull turned out to be that of a Native American who’d probably died more than one hundred years before.

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An Amazing Story About the Kindness of People.

Excellent post from Kindness Blog

Kindness Blog's avatarKindness Blog

man in a wheelchairIn 2005, I was travelling in Italy with my parents. My Dad was in his early 80s, suffering from advanced Parkinson’s… but he wanted to see Italy before it was too late.

One morning in Venice, he slipped and fell, and had to be taken to the hospital by water ambulance (an adventure in itself!). A couple of hours later, my Mom called me from the hospital–they were releasing him, but couldn’t give them a ride back (it was a holiday of some sort), so I needed to take his wheelchair to him.

It was raining when I left the hotel with the folding wheelchair. It only weighed about 20 lbs, but it was large and awkward to carry, and there were 17 bridges (all with stairs) between me and the hospital. I dragged/carried the chair up each flight of stairs and bounced it down. By the third or fourth…

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Not Quite the Proverbial Turd in the Punchbowl

Annie, our surly Dalmatian with gastrointestinal issues was not only a pooping housebreaker (see link below), she was a wedding crasher.  We knew the Craig’s across the street were hosting a wedding, so made a point to give Annie had plenty of time to spend in our yard to conduct business before their guests started arriving at one-thirty in the afternoon. In the interest of being good neighbors, we’d even made a last minute inspection of their yard before the guests arrived, just to make sure she hadn’t left an unwelcome “wedding gift.”

Alerting the family to keep her incarcerated, the whole family was on alert.  Annie was a lazy dog, normally content to sleep the afternoon away, snoring stertorously.  Apparently, the party traffic was disturbing.  She spent her afternoon whining at the back door, dancing with her legs crossed, claiming she had to pee.  We took her out on her leash a time or two, but she came up dry while attempting to escape to the party across the street.  All went well until a neighbor kid came bursting in our back door, releasing Annie just as the wedding party exited the house across the street.  Bowels urgently loaded, she streaked over to join the fun.  In all the excitement of tossing the bouquet, she escaped the crowd’s notice as she laid a prize-winning turd a few feet behind the gaggle of bridesmaids vying for the bouquet.  One of the more top-heavy ones slipped in her offering,  bringing the rest down like a bunch of bowling pins.  Annie scored a perfect strike!  I could have sworn I heard shouts of “Dog-S–T!” rising above that bevy of pastel Southern beauties.  I guess their mama’s didn’t raise them right!

 

Coming up next:  Annie is accused of murder.  Human skull found in our neighborhood and Annie found with detached arm!

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Kittens + Dogs

From Jeanne Fogart’s Blog

foguth's avatarJeanne Foguth's Blog

furbedJudging by these photos, cats & kittens have a natural affinity to dogs, so it makes me wonder if terms like ‘fighting like cats and dogs’  are fair.  For certain, Xander does his level best to see beyond skin, fur and even scales (he has a bit of trouble seeing past scales and things that slither). Being a good purrtector, Xander compares what an individual says to what they do as a basis to determine their character, instead of the outside fur, etc.

Perhaps, if we humans learned to do that, there would be fewer wars.

catYdogpuppy+cat

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A HOUDINI–HOUNDINI MYSTERY

Great dog story from itenerantneerdowell

warturoadam77p's avataritinerantneerdowell

DSCN0440

“Summer 2014, Deck Construction–Maggie’s in Foreground”

Maggie was (is) a good little girl dog–some would even say, a very good dog.  Tan and white, friendly, with pet parents that loved and cared for her.  She pranced through her yard–flag-like tail held high in the air.

When did my dog catch the wanderlust?  Was the desire to break free, go out and explore new horizons, always there? Maggie had everything–or so everyone thought.  But, somehow, it wasn’t enough.  What made good dogs do bad things?

Game after game of spirited backyard chase took place with her canine cousins. Maggie ran around a large shrub, hid underneath low branches–dared the others to come closer. When my daughter’s dogs, Phantom and Bogart approached–she’d jump out.  Ha, gotcha–chase me more, more.

It was nice weather for late November.  The newly constructed deck and back entrance–with large windows, were perfect for dog watching.  I could monitor any…

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Pantiless Party Performance

Surprise partyConnie and Marilyn were adorable little girls, born a little over a year apart.  Born fouth and fifth of five children, we all doted on them, with the exception of my brother Billy, who was displaced by all that cuteness.  Mother dressed them in pastel shades of the same style dresses as much as she could.  Connie was fair and blue-eyed with cotton white Continue reading →

The Least You Can Do

Reblogged from Joeyfully Stated. This woman is a genius!

joey's avatarjoeyfullystated

A long, long time ago, we were homeless and living with another family. I bet most of you never read that post, because it only has six likes. At any rate, that was the darkest time of our marriage, a time during which we were least happy with life and least happy with one another.

The darkness fell after I had come home from lunch and maternity clothes shopping with Beauty Queen, to find The Mister sat on the couch, let go from his job.
Occasionally, The Mister comes home earlier than expected and yes, I do freak out, each and every time.
*kiss kiss* “WHY ARE YOU HOME?!?” I scream.

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At any rate, during this dark time, I cared for our children, the child of the residence, the house, and our one baby, while The Mister worked to get us out of our predicament. Now and again, I…

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