It's A Dog's Life

Some people really like dogs. Some people really love dogs. I don't.

Some people can't live with out dogs. I can. 

  I can tolerate dogs that leave me alone. There's a story that when I was very young, walking, but too early to remember the incident, that I was knocked down by a fair sized dog.  I was terrified of dogs for years, scared of them by a few more, and now I just prefer to stay out of their way.  I don't like the way they have of putting their cold noses in the back of my knees.

 I don't like being licked or jumped on, either.

Other people in my family don't have my opinions on dogs, and Lorene's family is the proud owner of a new one, a mini Aussie-doodle.  They love it.  I'm also pleased to announce that their other dog, a huge mastiff/rottweiler/Australian shepherd mix has settled down and 

doesn't jump at me the minute he sees me.   

We had a dog when the kids were growing up.  I was NOT in favor of the idea, but I gave in after saying I wouldn't have anything to do with it, no matter what.  Jim was just as eager for the dog as the kids who vehemently averred that they would take care of the dog.  They didn't, but Jim enjoyed good ol' Charlie for years before he died this summer.

Zane is 12.  He has changed this year from a little boy to a big boy.  I don't remember that change being so definitive with my own kids.  I'm a little sad.  He's growing up.  He's taller than I am, an achievement he's been striving for for the last two years.

I like reading non-fiction books best.  I read in the paper, last year I think, about this man who had given so much blood and saved so many babies in Australia.

It's a history of figuring out how the Rh factor works and what could be done about it to save babies. I didn't know much about it, but I learned that without giving the shot which is plasma with the Rh antibodies to women with negative blood before they give birth the first time, all the rest of their babies won't survive.  I enjoy reading about the years of scientific research and testing. 

I also read a book about WWII that was done either for or with Smithsonian involvement.  It was an easy read because they told the story in small bites, frequent recaps, pictures and maps.  I wish I would have taken a picture of that one.  I took pictures of these pages because they made me "feel."