H. G. Wells’ and 1976’s Food of the Gods: giant wasps, earthworms, chickens, and rats! What more could one want?!

H. G. Wells’ and 1976’s Food of the Gods: giant wasps, earthworms, chickens, and rats! What more could one want?!

Here’s a description of my new volunteer job. I would’ve never thought there was such a thing as this!

Puppy Washers

Overview: We want our pups to be squeaky clean before being presented to the public for an adoption day. Puppy washers help to achieve this.

More Detail: After spending 72 hours in state-mandated isolation, the puppies are often stinky. This isolation does not allow them to be outside of their cage or even in the outside runs at all. We wash each puppy before taking them to participate in adoption days.

Wash, dry, and kiss stinky puppies!

“Making a Difference”

One day a man was walking along the seashore. He noticed that during the night many seashells and starfish had washed up on the shore. Thoroughly enjoying the morning sun and cool sea air, the man strolled for miles along the sand.

Far off in the distance, he saw a small figure dancing. The man was joyous that someone was celebrating life in such a grand and uninhibited manner. As he drew closer, however, it became apparent that perhaps the figure was not dancing but was repeatedly performing some ritual.

Approaching the small figure, the man noticed that it was a child. The girl was methodically picking up starfish from the shore and tossing them back into the surf. The man paused for a moment, puzzled, then asked, “Why are you throwing those starfish?”

“If I leave these starfish on the beach,” she replied, “the sun will dry them, and they will die. So I’m throwing them back into the ocean because I want them to live.”

The man was silent for a moment, impressed with the child’s thoughtfulness. Then he motioned up and down the miles and miles of beach and said, “There must be millions of starfish along here! How can you possibly expect to make a difference?”

The young girl pondered the man’s words for a moment, then she slowly leaned over, reached down, and carefully picked up another starfish from the sand. Pulling back, she arched the starfish gently into the surf.

She turned to the man and smiled. “You may be right,” she said, “but I made a difference for that one!”

The picture of us children is from around 1973 or so, though I’m not sure. Mary’s got us all beat on cuteness here, I think!

L to R: Fred, Jamie, Mary, Carroll

My nephew Cameron borrowed his mother’s car today and pulled out of the driveway to see my girl (in fact, Mary’s cat) Trixie lying dead in the road…I suppose from having been hit by a car…I always knew that something bad would happen because of that close, busy road in front of Mary’s house. I’m really sad about Trixie, and especially will be when I go back to Biloxi to visit. Trixie was my girl, enough so that I gave her her own personal rap name, “T-Rix.” but moreso :’-(

Any time I went over to my sister’s house, the first (and last) thing I did was track Trixie down, which could be difficult, given that she liked to lie in weeds, flowers, bushes, the clothes dryer, etc. And she was the only cat I knew who could meow without making a sound, or, at most, no more than a squeak. Trixie had a little head on a lumpy squishy body, just like me, so maybe that’s why I liked her so much!

My father apparently has a piece of rusted metal in his eye (?!). Since it’s rusted, the metal piece can’t just be pulled out. So my mother said they were going to “burnish it out.” I thought she said that they were going to “burn that shit out.” She laughed and laughed.

I suppose “burnishing” is a lot less traumatic than what I thought was going to happen!

Here’s a description of my new volunteer job. I would’ve never thought there was such a thing as this!

Puppy Washers

Overview: We want our pups to be squeaky clean before being presented to the public for an adoption day. Puppy washers help to achieve this.

More Detail: After spending 72 hours in state-mandated isolation, the puppies are often stinky. This isolation does not allow them to be outside of their cage or even in the outside runs at all. We wash each puppy before taking them to participate in adoption days.

Wash, dry, and kiss stinky puppies!

“Making a Difference”

One day a man was walking along the seashore. He noticed that during the night many seashells and starfish had washed up on the shore. Thoroughly enjoying the morning sun and cool sea air, the man strolled for miles along the sand.

Far off in the distance, he saw a small figure dancing. The man was joyous that someone was celebrating life in such a grand and uninhibited manner. As he drew closer, however, it became apparent that perhaps the figure was not dancing but was repeatedly performing some ritual.

Approaching the small figure, the man noticed that it was a child. The girl was methodically picking up starfish from the shore and tossing them back into the surf. The man paused for a moment, puzzled, then asked, “Why are you throwing those starfish?”

“If I leave these starfish on the beach,” she replied, “the sun will dry them, and they will die. So I’m throwing them back into the ocean because I want them to live.”

The man was silent for a moment, impressed with the child’s thoughtfulness. Then he motioned up and down the miles and miles of beach and said, “There must be millions of starfish along here! How can you possibly expect to make a difference?”

The young girl pondered the man’s words for a moment, then she slowly leaned over, reached down, and carefully picked up another starfish from the sand. Pulling back, she arched the starfish gently into the surf.

She turned to the man and smiled. “You may be right,” she said, “but I made a difference for that one!”

The picture of us children is from around 1973 or so, though I’m not sure. Mary’s got us all beat on cuteness here, I think!

L to R: Fred, Jamie, Mary, Carroll