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?"

What Were Your Best Summer Memories from Your Childhood?

As a child, summer was something you looked forward to all year long.  Longer days to play outside.  Ice cream.  The beach.  Summer Camp.  NO school.  Picnics.  Road trips to visit cousins.  Playing board games on the front porch that lasted for days.  Playing in the rain.

As an adult, summer is much different.  Working.  Working inside.  Dieting so you can fit into that bathing suit.  Taking the kids camping and being the one who does all the cooking, clean-up, planning.  Forgetting how much you enjoyed the heat when you were 90 pounds young.  Hating it now.  

Regardless, summer does have its moments and my best ones are spending time with the grands.    

"Ready to go for a walk, Gramma"                 

What Do You Do if a Power Surge Blows Up Your Computer?

What would your response be to this statement?  "I have all my Christmas shopping and wrapping done."  When I told my daughter, she smiled and said, "Of course you do, Mom."

I enjoy buying throughout the year when there is a sale of the item I need.  Even more fun is wrapping everything as soon as I bring it home.  I keep a hidden list so I know what I bought and how much I spent but, then I forget the majority of it.  When the gifts are opened I get excited all over again.  I know, I know, it's a small pleasure but I love it!

Mostly excited about gifts wrapped from the grands

10 Reasons to Skip Summer

Yes, I'm one of those inconsiderate people who likes the cold when everyone around me is freezing. Even in the winter time, I like my home cool.  The living room is the only room in the house that is heated. No matter how cold it is outside, we sleep with the windows open and the fan blowing.  No, I am not hot flashing - we just prefer living in cool temperatures.

My friends know that I don't own a winter jacket.  They offered to loan me one when I visited my daughter in the Arctic a couple years ago. I reluctantly took it with me for the trip, but I never zipped it closed – the temperature was a balmy MINUS 30 degrees. At that temperature, it doesn't matter if it is Fahrenheit or Celsius – your breath freezes in mid-air. Barely fazed me. Always been this way.

I grew up in Midwest USA.  Over 40 years ago the man I chose to spend the rest of my life with informed me he wanted to move to the West Coast.

“Don't believe what you read, it rarely rains in Seattle” he lied. Blinded by love, I believed him and helped to fulfill his desire to live and die near the ocean.

I realized very quickly that it rained a lot more than I had even imagined, but it didn't matter because the bonus to living here was the summers were cool.