Yesterday, I got a call from the Petco store.  They reminded me that we hadn’t bought Josie in to be groomed in quite a while and wondered if we would be interested in a complete shampoo, trimming. etc. for $29.95. 

It’s obvious that the young lady that made the offer didn’t realize that Josie is a Great Pyrenees and that this is usually at least a $100 job.  (That’s the main reason we don’t bring her in as often.)  The Pyrenean Mountain Dog has what is called a double coat to protect them from the cold and as armor when protecting their flocks and fighting off predators.

This is not the easiest dog to wash.  When Josie was younger, and smaller, (She’s now 29 inches at the shoulder and 125 pounds!) I used to bathe her in the shower with the door closed so she couldn’t escape.  She is extremely gentle with people, but she’s very strong, doesn’t enjoy being bathed, and I was exhausted (and soaking wet) by the time I was finished. 

I’m not a little guy, I’m well over 200 pounds, but I left her to be washed by this little girl who couldn’t have weighed much over 90 pounds.  I did stay and help her trim the nails, then left.  When I came back two and a half hours later, another young lady was finishing her up.  I guess the first one was worn out and had to call in reinforcements.

To soothe my conscience, I gave them each a big tip and took my big white fluffy, sweet smelling dog home.

Our grandson, Mike Anderson kicked for his high school football team, the Lyons Township Lions.  On September 17, 2007 in a game against York, it was 4th and 25 on the one yard line.  He had to kick out of the endzone with his back against the endline.  The ball rolled to the 19 yardline before it was picked up.

He almost beat the ball downfield.  You can see that he was one of the first defenders to make contact.  He was trying to strip the ball from the runner, but just missed.

Since my retirement, the demands for my time performing jobs around the house has increased.  In order to find a little time for myself and escape from my new relentless boss, I’ve had to be creative. This is how to dress when the wife has a list of household chores she wants done and you need a little nap.

Do you recognize these famous people?
This is how they looked when they were younger.
Hold the mouse button down and roll over the
blue line under the picture.

         Angelina Jolie         

                Bjork                 

             Britney Spears   

            Bruce Willis         

                Cher                 

        Chistina Aguilera         

       Courtney Love            

          Demi Moore             

       Drew Barrymore        

       Elton John         

                Eminem                    

       George Clooney        

                Hally Barry                   

       Helen Hunt        

       Janet Jackson   

           Jennifer Aniston     

      Jennifer Lopez      

           Jimi Hendrix     

           Julia Roberts   

      Keanu Reeves     

     Leonardo Di Caprio   

              Madonna             

        Mariah Carey      

     Marilyn Manson   

           Meg Ryan           

      Michael Jackson         

        Michael Jordan        

              Mick Jaggar                 

        Nicole Kidman     

     Pamela Anderson    

     Patrick Swayze      

   Paul McCartney  

         Ricky Martin           

             Ringo Starr           

            Robert Di Niro            

 Sarah Jessica Parker

  Sarah Michelle Gellar    

       Tina Turner            

         Tom Cruise        

 
           Tom Hanks              

Every fall we buy pumpkins to decorate our yard.  This year we moved them to our patio in the rear of the house, just outside our patio door.  When I picked one up by the stalk, it came out. Thinking nothing of it, I stuck it back in and left it on the patio.

Usually the patio or the porch is occupied by Josie, our Pyrenees.

The next day, I noticed the stalk was gone and something had made a meal of the seeds and pulp.  That afternoon, I spotted the culprit squirrels. These pictures were taken through the door.

I try to live my life according to simple tenets that were taught by some of the world’s greatest thinkers. 

“To be is to do.” – Immanuel Kant

“To do is to be.” – Napoleon Bonaparte

“Do be do be do.” – Francis Albert Sinatra

Everybody, even dads will appreciate this!  The next time you hear the William Tell Overture will you think of the Lone Ranger or will you think of Anita Renfroe?

Music by Gioachino Rossini and lyrics by Anita Renfroe.

Last week, a bird I had never seen before was in our backyard pine trees just about ten feet away from me.  Very small, I’d say about 3-1/2 inches long, at first I thought it was a wren, a small finch, or a chickadee.  She was quick like a chickadee and always moving.  She flitted from branch to branch as if looking for insects, hanging upside down occasionally and fluttered her wings almost constantly.

Her most distinctive marking was a bright yellow stripe on top of the head.  I spotted a second one just before they flew out of the yard. My bird books identified it as a female Golden-Crowned Kinglet.  I don’t know if they were passing through or if they’ll be back.  I’ll keep an eye out for them.

They were gone before I could get my camera, but here’s a picture I found on line.

Our grandson Mike just played his last football game for Lyons Township and unless he plays football at West Point, it probably is his last game ever.  The Chicago Tribune printed this picture of him in their Saturday edition.

Is pride one of the seven deadly sins?  If it is, I guess I’ll never get to heaven!