Any Questions?

Hope everyone is doing well and surviving the heat. I can write this knowing that, wherever you are in the world, your face most likely has a slight sheen to it. Hmph. Global warming isn’t a thing?

Yesterday, I went to the drive-through pharmacy. Thank goodness, America got that one right. I pulled up to the window.

The lady pulls back the plexiglass, “Can I help you?”

I almost said, “Yes, I need directions to the interstate.”

“I need help weeding my garden.”

“I could use a hand with some pesky neighbors.”

“How do I fix my Spotify? The songs keep skipping, every minute or so, in the car.”

But I bite my tongue and reply, “Hi! Here to pick up a prescription.”

Why else would I be at a pharmacy on a Sunday afternoon? But I digress.

She asks, “What’s your name?”

Not, “What’s the name?”

I wasn’t picking up a prescription for myself. It was for my dog. Does she really want my name? To create confusion?

I immediately think, “What’s the right answer to this?”

So I blurt out, “Thumper.”

She just looks at me. I look right back with the utmost seriousness and say, “I know I don’t look like a Thumper.”

It is what it is.

We exchange niceties. She has two more hours on her shift and the day off tomorrow. Seems thrilled.

Transaction winding down.

Do I want the receipt? No. Because I want to save a tree. This particular pharmacy is known (world wide) for their mile long receipts filled with coupons, surveys, etc. No lie. No exaggeration.

As I am leaving she asks, as every pharmacy employee does, “Do you have any questions?”

I looked at her and said, “Yes, I do have a question.”

“What on earth was my Mom thinking when she named me Thumper?”

She chuckled and off I went.

Hope you all have a wonderful start to the week. Remember to be kind to those out there who serve us in so many ways.

And if you can’t be kind?

Be funny. That is a kindness.

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#7 Take a Walk

#7

On my list of things to fight the winter blues.

Take a walk.

Blessed with a day that is not considered, “Dangerous conditions?” Then you should take advantage of it.

If the sun is shining just bundle up and walk. Grab a friend. Discover things you would never find driving in a car. Make new acquaintances. Appreciate nature. Stroll around town. Visit the shops. Or a local park. Read the historical plaques.

I live in the Northeast. Basically, that means a person never really knows what tomorrow’s weather might bring. Have to enjoy the good days when you can!

This was yesterday.

But the rest of the photos were taken the day before yesterday. Or sometime during the previous week.

Our Thumper. Loving life. Every single minute.

Mussel heaven.

Barrington.

Swans on thin ice in Warren, Rhode Island.

The swans started bickering with each other. This one had enough and hightailed it out of  there. It’s like seeing a giraffe fly. Never gets old.

Dinosaur bones. Okay, found these a couple of months ago. Not last week. Poppasquash, Bristol.

 

Tankers and ships are a common sight on Narragansett Bay as they head into the Port of Providence.

Donkey and sheep in Bristol.

Bristol Yacht Club.

Clam digging.

New England scene.

Last week I saw sheep, clam diggers, tankers, swans, mussels, a donkey and so much more. In the middle of winter.

Share your discoveries!

Happy walking!

 

 

 

 

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Swallowed Whole

Had the oddest dream the other night.

I was in a store but it was sort of like a warehouse. Not exactly Costco but more like the back garden section of Wal-Mart when they have empty shelves. In between seasons.

For some reason, Thumper (my Jack Russell) was with me.

There was a guy there. Tall and lanky. Think of a younger Sam Elliott with dark hair. But a bit scruffier. If that’s possible.

Anyway, he’s leaning against one of the shelves. Above him, on the top shelf, I spy an animal looking down at us. It looks like a small ferret but it’s black like a weasel.

I ask, “Is it yours?”

He replies, “Yes.”

I continue, “What is it???? Is it a ferret???”

His shrug is noncommittal.

I’m like, “It’s yours? And you don’t know??? Is it a mix of ferret and something else? What is it???”

I don’t get an answer.

The ferret or whatever it was suddenly jumps down to the floor. Opens his mouth and begins to swallow Thumper. Brought to mind one of those nature programs where the snake swallows something so much larger than itself-like a deer or a refrigerator.

I’m horrified. He’s got half of Thump in his mouth!

The guy says, “He’ll never be able to swallow all of him.”

No sooner were the words out of his mouth when the ferret gulped down my Thumper.

Swallowed him whole. All of him!

I’m sickened and rooted to the spot.

Then, all of a sudden, the ferret opens its mouth and spews out Thumper. Like a cannon ball shot into the air!  Couldn’t hold him in apparently.

Whew!

Next morning I’m telling my husband.

Asking, “What do you think that dream was all about? What on earth??? Is it the world being swallowed up? Is it me? Is it you? Nothing can hold Thumper down? What????”

He laughed and said, “I just don’t know, Mary.”

Do dreams have to mean anything?

I can only vividly remember two other dreams in my fifty two years of living.

One was when I was a little kid and the dream was about a strange man giving me a heart shaped box of candy. But I didn’t know he was a stranger because he was wearing a mask. Of my grandfather’s face! I think we can all safely assume a “Stranger Danger or Don’t Take Candy from Strangers” campaign might have planted that seed. It was absolutely horrifying. I thought I was totally safe because I was following the rules and not taking candy from a stranger. Shivers.

The other one was when I was teenager. I was driving a car on one of those highway bridges and suddenly the road just ended. Nothing. Just a cliff like scenario. I plummeted. The good news is that I never actually hit the ground because I woke up just before I did. With the bed sheet over my face. But the trip down was downright terrifying. Not sure what the genesis of that dream was but I suppose teen angst could have played a role.

Anyway, nary a clue as to the back story behind Thumper being gobbled up by a ferret. Just glad it was only a dream.

Do you remember your dreams or nightmares? Crazy as mine?

 

 

 

 

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Smile and Pause

Just thought I would share some photos that made me smile. Or pause. All taken in Malaysia. I hope you enjoy them.

 

Just wondering if it’s the real thing?

I see these all the time. Always think it’s some type of obscene gesture.

Maybe the kids will eat their peas if we make them into cookies.

This guy washed up on an uninhabited island in Langkawi.

Repurposing taken to another level. A couple of my chums live on this street so I see this piece of art on a regular basis.

This is not my dog, Thumper. Rusty is a Thumper look-alike who belongs to a friend but I just love this photo. Because of Rusty, his shadow and the view of Kuala Lumpur.

It’s not a crime but it sort of is.

Fabulous mural but not sure about that gaping hole.

True confession time. I hit up McDonald’s once in awhile when I’m jonesing for a Big Mac. I was quite surprised to see that the Taro Pies had sold out so quickly.

Is the tailor a fat man? Or just his customers?

This is my Thumper. Always finds a sunbeam to soak up the sun. No matter the location.

Watching workmen and their safety practices across the way is enough to cause anyone anxiety. What I don’t understand is why the three ladders? No key to the house? Notice the first one-barely touching the landing.

This little lady was spotted by my friend while we were sitting at a lovely beach side restaurant in Langkawi. In the middle of the photo- not even a quarter of the way down. Mona Lisa? Jesus’ mom? Orphan from Les Miserables? Hey, is that Frankenstein about half way down to the right?

Have a wonderful week! I hope it’s filled with many smiles and a few pauses.

 

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Robert and Mento

I received a text from Annie, my daughter, the other day. She was at school.

“Mom, can you please feed Robert?”

I sighed and immediately texted back, “How much?”

As in, “How much ya gonna give me if I do? What’s in it for me?”

She interpreted it (texts can be so very ambiguous) differently and typed, “Two pinches.”

Robert is her goldfish. A friend gave it to her as a gift. Very thoughtful.

In true Amelia Bedelia fashion I tried to pinch him twice but he is a slippery little sucker.

He arrived at our home with nothing but the clear plastic bag on his back.

And we had nothing. Our goldfish days had long passed.

A glass vase (quickly emptied and the coffee pods tossed onto the counter) sufficed until I could borrow a neighbor’s tank. A friend had leftover food.

I didn’t sign up for Robert and yet….here I am.

I also put off having a dog for years. Didn’t want to sign up for that either.

But I do have to say that Thumper, the manic Jack Russell, keeps me fit. In a fit of laughter.

This morning, on the ride to school, he was in the back. Quiet as a mouse. Until there was a bit of noise.

Annie says, “Thumper! What are you eating?”

Apparently someone left a package of Mentos in the back seat.

I thought it was funny. She didn’t and sort of looked at me disapprovingly. Like I’m rewarding his bad behavior with a few chuckles.

I kept at it. “Hey, new nickname! He’s totally mad! He’s Mento!”

She didn’t think that was funny either.

Also didn’t think it was amusing when I grabbed the nearly full package of Mentos. He only had just the one when he got busted.

She said, with a horrified look on her face, “You’re not going to eat that, are you??? After he’s been at it?”

Ummm, I guess not.

Today, I hope you find some joy and laughter in your pets. Whether you signed up for them or not.

Have a lovely week!

 

 

 

 

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On The Edge

I think that the instinct for survival is amazing. Look at the cockroaches. They could teach a lesson or two about avoiding the whole extinction thingy. But I’m not talking about procreating at the speed of sound. That’s just a numbers game.

I am referring to survival of the individual.

My dog is the scrappiest mutt I know and I still have doubts about his ability to “make the right decisions.” He’s part terrier with some beagle so that boy has got himself a sense that relies heavily on his sniffer. But shouldn’t the instinct to survive be strongest?  Instead of wildly chasing a cat that you are not going to eat? Because you just had your “healthy choice” meal. And you are not hungry. And deep down inside you might even be a little afraid of that feline you are chasing.

Will he jump?

Every time “Thumper” joins us on the balcony with his nose sniffin’ the air my heart pounds. I grab his collar. My husband says, “Leave him alone, Mary. He’s not going to jump from the third floor.”

I say, “Really? He broke his hind leg when he was a puppy trying to jump on the counter where his treats were. The ensuing arguments (after getting vet bill) almost caused our divorce!”

And I continue, “And this same scent hound slammed his body into a corrugated steel fence by the soccer field three weeks ago while chasing a cat!”

Why should I believe he won’t jump? Even though he really is smarter than all get out. But one of his instincts tends to “outstinct” another.

Would he run across the busy street filled with racing cars to catch the cat without a second thought? I think so.

Instinct does not reason. Or allow for a second thought.

I just find it interesting. And I really started thinking about it when I saw ants that had gathered in our coffee cups left on the patio this past weekend in Bali. Nothing too deep to get me thinking.

They were all just enjoying the sweet stuff. Like employees at the water cooler sharing plans for the upcoming weekend.

On the edge

Like wild animals at the local watering hole. Standing on the edge, sipping away but not daring to wade in.

Why do the ants not drown? Take the plunge thinking it might be sweeter in deeper waters? Why do they stay on the edge? Do they think it’s cold? Are they having second thoughts? Are they arguing?

“No, you go in first.”

“No, you!”

Are they just trying to survive? Is it their itty bitty instinct?

I’m just curious.

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