Some Days Are Diamonds

 There was a song by John Denver that was popular when I was a kid, "Some Days Are Diamonds, Some Days Are Stones". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEL-ucOsbgA If you have heard of it then you know what it means and can relate. (It also means that you are getting on in years, like myself!) If you haven't heard of it, then allow me to explain. Basically it means that you have some good days and some days that just plain suck.
 The fact that I haven't been on here for almost a week should let you know that some of the past days have been stones.
 However, as with most things, there have been moments that have shone through the bad times. Not quite like a diamond (maybe more like Cubic Zirconia). Mostly it is the antics of our new puppy that has kept my humor up. There is nothing like watching a baby animal of any kind, especially a new pet in the house, to bring a smile to your face when it explores it's environment and the inhabitants it discovers.
 The funniest thing she does is when she greets the cat and our other dog. She just loves them to death and, unfortunately, that is what the cat thinks is about to occur when the pup comes running up to him and slobbers a welcome all over him. Winky (our cat) will not defend himself against the puppy but, instead, makes these weird sounds like he is in pain and angry at the same time. Winky will tolerate the puppy (Missy) for a short period of time and then he'll find some place to hide. We won't see him again until he is ready to go out or gets hungry.
 I have made several videos and umpteen photos of our two dogs and cat. Like the pictures we all take of our children and grandchildren, most are for our own delight and strangers would only feign interest. And so, we tend to keep these items for our own enjoyment. That's okay because I will enjoy them and not be bothered by anyone else's opinion. These are the children that inhabit my home now and are the source of both frustration and delight. (Much like my two sons in earlier times.)
 These babies, however, are providing a whole new set of challenges. Whenever my kids did a bad job (as it was called in our family), it would mean a diaper change. Now, I have to worry about stepping in it, like I did the other day while looking for a book. Eeeeww! Not a "diamond" moment for sure!
 Teething with my children meant teething rings that we kept in the freezer. Now, I have to worry about anything I leave in the floor becoming a shredded mess. The other day, I was separating clothes to wash and found my underwear in the living room under the coffee table. Not good. At least I found them while they were still wearable. My book marker was a different story. The tassel was just bits of colored thread and the top half of the paper book marker was just gone.
 That's okay because Missy is so small that she is practically at our mercy. We can sling her around like a stuffed toy and usually we do. I'll just be glad when she gets past the stage where she has to chew everything. She has a hundred tiny and viciously sharp piranha teeth and she doesn't mind using them!
 I hope you enjoy today's line up...

JOKE OF THE DAY

Monkeys, Dogs and Leopards
Due to his owner's negligence, a dog became lost in the deepest jungles of Africa.
Wandering around, the poor dog notices a leopard heading rapidly in his direction with the intention of having lunch.
Just then, the dog noticed some bones laying on the ground close by.
The dog immediately settles down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching leopard.
Just as the jungle cat is about to leap, the dog loudly says, "My, that was one delicious leopard!
I wonder if there are any more around here?"
Hearing this, the leopard slinks away.
"That was too close," thought the leopard, "that dog nearly had me."
Meanwhile, a mischievous monkey had observed the entire scene, and decided to cause trouble for the dog, while getting on the good side of the leopard as well.
The monkey dashed off after the leopard, to tell him what truly happened.
The dog saw the monkey dash off, and suspiciously tailed him from behind.
He overhears the monkey spilling the beans, and quickly decides on a course of action, racing back to the pile of bones.
At the same time, the leopard has decided to take care of the dog once and for all.
The monkey hops on the leopard's back, to watch the demise of the doomed dog.
As the leopard approaches, he can hear the dog talking to himself:
"Where's that lazy monkey? I sent him off half an hour ago for another leopard, and he's still not back!"

QUOTE OF THE DAY

To love a person is to learn the song that is in their heart,
and to sing it to them when they have forgotten.
   -Author unknown

TIP OF THE DAY

A piece of duct tape, rolled around your hand backwards, makes an excellent substitute lint roller. It works great for animal hair and all the little bits of lint that escape many cheap lint rollers.

TRIVIA OF THE DAY

Born today in 1980
Krzysztof Czerwinski - Polish conductor and organist
Nils-Eric Johansson - Swedish footballer
Akira Kaji - Japanese footballer
Michael Rupp - American ice hockey player

LINK OF THE DAY
If you haven't already tried Pandora, you should. It is a interactive radio station that YOU create. YOU pick the music that YOU want to listen to and Pandora picks songs that are similar. You have options to adjust your station from there. Also, you can have multiple stations. It is another site that can be added as an app to your smart phone. https://www.pandora.com/