Tales of the Ordinary Days

Rakha, Benny, Grant, Cookie and Larry On the 8th day of Christmas, my true love sent to me... A peaceful existence. A blessing better than the most expensive gift. And the stockings were hung at the chimney with care... We are hanging in the living room. Garrett had a meeting tonight, so a late dinner was planned. A bacon wrapped pork loin is in the oven. Steamed fresh vegetables will be prepared shortly. Larry and I are sipping on wine with some basketball on the TV. He did flip to Barbara Walters interviewing Donald Trump. Interesting. The socked foot below is that of my father-in-law, Larry. Grant has been meandering around the house, waiting for big brother, Ben, to arrive home from Lincoln. Both anxious to begin their Christmas breaks from school. They are also anxious to spend time together and with their family. In true Ben form, his arrival day had mysteriously moved from Monday night to Wednesday night. When asked by my husband on the reason for the move, I ...

My assisted selfie of camera-shy Cookie I have a confession. I've never really understood the dog-lover thing. A friend once told me there are three types of animal people in the world; those with a capital "A", those with a lower case "a", and those with no "a". I thought I clearly fell in the lower case category. My dog was second behind my kids, but I still loved him. Over the years, I have known many capital "A's" and many with no "a". I was a lower case. When Harry died, I was very sad. He was a sweet little dog and we missed him dearly. Although Harry did love me back, he equally loved the other people in his life. Harry was everyone's dog and he was happy with that position. And lower case "a", me, was happy with that too. And then came Cookie. Cookie is my step-dog. She moved to Omaha a month ago. Those who have spent time with Cookie and Garrett know that there is a huge affection between owner and...

Watching a Husker win with my furry friends I really like my seats at Memorial Stadium. We sit on the east side between the band and team parents. About sixteen seats up, the boys like the great view to the field. Although I enjoy this as well, I also like to watch the players on the sideline and all the hoopla that happens near the field. Late in the week we chose to sell our tickets and watch from home. Between Grant's morning football game and Ben's homecoming, it felt like a good decision. But there is always some reservation about missing out in the live venue of Memorial Stadium. Watching Kenny Bell's one-handed catch was an after-the-fact reminder of this. But all is good. No regrets. Based on the picture above, you can conclude that the comforts of my home were enjoyed by all. Kenny Bell looked just as good on my big screen. And nap time between the great plays was divine. My furry friends were happy and the Husker win; just as good. We started our day wit...

Cookie is beat. She is calling it a night. And Cookie doesn't sleep in a doggy bed, she sleeps in the human bed. A dog's life. A princess, this shih tzu likes a cushy life. Dry dog food always has added cold meat. A walk? Of course.Whenever she's ready. Her favorite spot in the world is on her owner's lap. And her favorite extracurricular activity; sticking her head out an open car window. One thing Cookie doesn't like is getting her picture taken. She will give me the cutest, most enthusiastic puppy-eyed look. And then as I inconspicuously pick up my phone to snap a photo, she purposely looks away. Those naysayers who say it can't be purposeful, she's a dog; you are wrong. Cookie doesn't appreciate being photographed, so she chooses not to. That simple. I have taken no less than 50 shots of this dog over the past four years to only capture her tail or the side of her head. Today I held Cookie in my arms and rubbed her tummy; determined to...