* Nostalgic Sunday * (With Pets)

It's Time for Another Nostalgic Sunday!

Lately I've been thinking about my age, (I just can't be that old!) and the wedding anniversary coming up for The Ronald and me in February. (Can it really be 30 years?!) And during all these years of marriage, we've had three dogs (not all at the same time!) who quickly became part of our family.

First, there was Rocky. (1983) We got him when he was just a pup, a mixed-breed. As I wrote in a story about him, I said he was "part Gordon Setter and part some kind of big dog."

Rocky, and my oldest son Scott, and a much younger, thinner me!

Rocky lived to be about 14 years old and I was so sad when we had to say good-bye to him. I didn't even want to think about getting another dog for at least six months,

but a month later we brought Tiger (Gal) home from the Humane Society. She was 6 months old and we fell in love with her, partly because she resembled Rocky so much.

(Tiger: January 2009)

Tiger was such a sweet companion. I worked from home most of those years and was even more attached to her than I had been to Rocky. When we had to say good-bye to her a couple of weeks before Christmas in 2010, I was devastated. I couldn't even think about getting another dog, yet I knew we would someday because our home was empty without a beloved pet. 

          On March 12, 2011 we brought home our newest family member: Vern!

Vern is a Lab Mix and is the sweetest, smartest dog. He has a real personality & we get such a kick out of him. (As you can see, I've always preferred larger mixed-breeds, bi-colors, and with long noses!) And we've always been so fortunate to have good, healthy, well behaved dogs, who lived long lives. We adopted Vern from the Humane Society when he was almost 10 years old, and we obviously hope he has many more good years ahead. 

“You can say any fool thing to a dog and the dog will just give you this look that says, 'My GOSH, you're RIGHT! I NEVER would've thought of that!” -- Dave Barry 

“Petting, scratching, and cuddling a dog could be as soothing to the mind and heart as deep meditation and almost as good for the soul as prayer.” -- Dean Koontz, False Memory

** I Could've Fallen Down the Steps! **

* This is my post for The Deja Vu Blogfest. It was originally posted in June 2010. Whether you've seen it before or not, I hope it makes you laugh! *

Yesterday was one of those (rare) days when I had a lot of energy. I did some laundry, whipped up some homemade (from a box) brownies, picked up clutter around the house, worked on my homemade birthday cards, stopped at the library to pick up a book, stopped at the post office to mail a package and got some stamps, etc..etc..!!  I LOVE those kinds of days, because they usually are few and far between. I just do not have a high energy level...never have, and never will....I guess.

Anyway....I told you all about that, so I can tell you all about this.

 Because of my super energy yesterday, I was still in high gear after my husband had gone upstairs to bed. I made several trips up and down the stairs, returning things to where they belonged, etc. One of those times, as I walked up the steps, I carried a couple of folded t-shirts and was talking to our dog, Tiger, who faithfully followed me. Thinking my husband was probably still awake and watching TV in the bedroom, I was in my own little world...that is until I reached the first landing and saw something out of the corner of my eye. He was standing there, resting with his elbows on the railing, just waiting for me to look up and see him......and when I did..... he scared the absolute *%#$? out of me!!! I was SO mad at him... (because he scares me so many times by quietly coming up behind me, etc.)....I think I danced in place for a second or two, screamed, threw the t-shirts at him, and cussed like a sailor! Besides being scared within an inch of my life, what makes me the angriest is that he always acts so innocent!! He always says, "What? What did I do? I was just_______!  Just fill in the blanks...."Standing there, walking into the room, waiting for you", etc.

I would've loved to have seen the look on my face. Every time I think about it now, I start cracking up, which aggravated me at first....but still...in afterthought, it WAS hilarious! It makes me think of the scene below....... Ron's lucky I didn't react the way Ferris' sister did when the high school principal surprised her in the kitchen! I think it is THE funniest scene in the entire movie.

Please leave a comment and let me know if it made you laugh out loud, too!
AND, do you have friends or family members that enjoy scaring the heck out of you?? Or are YOU the one who does it?

“The person who knows how to laugh at himself will never cease to be amused.” -- Shirly MacLaine

* Nostalgic Sundays *

Thoughts about Nostalgic Sunday:

When I was a young girl, Sundays meant going to Mass. Sometimes my mom made homemade donuts after we got home. That was a special treat. Other times, we had bacon and eggs, or pancakes. No plain old cold cereal on a Sunday. (We never went out to eat for breakfast! Whoever heard of such a thing?! In fact when I was really young, I'm pretty sure the only times we ate out was when we were on summer vacations, and stopped at those roadside restaurants. That, too, was special.)

Sundays meant the "funny papers" or just the "funnies." Even when I was too young to read, I still loved to lie on the floor and look at all the colorful drawings, trying to figure out what each little story was about.

Sunday evenings also meant certain TV shows: The Ed Sullivan Show. The Wonderful World of Disney. Lassie. I wasn't very old when I'd already figured out that Lassie lived with a bunch of not-too-smart humans. (Whenever our previous dog, Tiger-Gal, would bark at us because she obviously wanted something, The Ronald and I would say to her, "What is it girl? Is it Timmy? What?? He fell down the well?! OMG!")

And that brings me to the submission I sent Friday evening to Chicken Soup for the Soul. It's the humorous story about our first dog, Rocky, and his encounter with a houseplant. ☺

(I Can't Believe My Dog Did That!)

"Now, Andy, before you go traipsing around the country on any manhunt, you come along home and have dinner first." -- Aunt Bee        

** Happy Birthday To Our Beloved Dog! **

A few years ago, we got our beloved dog, Tiger, at a local animal shelter. It had only been about a month since we had said good bye to our first and only dog, Rocky. He had lived to be fourteen, I missed him terribly, and said I did not want another dog for at least six months. Well, that all changed when my husband told me about a dog he'd seen at the shelter and that I should come see her, too. You've guessed the outcome: We fell in love with the puppy and took her home. We let our youngest son, Mark, name her, and he chose Tiger. His reasoning was because of the movie: Rocky and something about the name of a song in the movie was "Eye of the Tiger". (although "Tigress" would've been more appropriate!)

Since Tiger's exact age was unknown, the vet estimated her age to be six months. It was summertime and so we chose her birthday to be January 1st. Over the years, none of us have really thought about her birthday or having any kind of celebration for her. I had even lost track of her age, but knew she was getting pretty old, so I looked on one of the past vet bills.....we have plenty of them!....and saw that she was born in 1997!!....And so, Happy 13th Birthday, Tiger!!

I will continue to spoil her, enjoy her, and love her every single day, as I have for the past 12 years.

(P.S. I finally got my photo program to work correctly, and this picture is brand new and current....taken during the evening of Tiger's 13th birthday)

"Happiness is a warm puppy." -- Charles M. Schulz