Why Penny and Reba Stayed Home

It’s national Take Your Dog to Work Day. Ha, ha, ha, ha.

I have two dogs, the always-ready-to-do-anything Penny, a miniature pinscher or min-pin, and Reba, otherwise known as Reba Nell McIntyre, the mixed black lab and Darling Daughter’s latest rescue project, who came to my house cause DD (Darling Daughter) thinks I need an outside dog. I don’t.

Back to Penny, the irascible mini-pin. When I adopted Penny, people in the know kept saying, “You don’t want a min-pin, really. You really, really don’t want a min-pin.”

“But she’s so cute,” I responded, and I took her on anyway. And I really, really do want her. I just don’t want that min-pin personality. Well, OK. I do. I mean, you got to adopt the whole package, and min-pins, as tiny as they are, are a really, really big package. Penny has an opinion about everything, which she announces often. She barks incessantly when it’s time to eat and I’m a bit late delivering. She doesn’t like loud thunder storms. She doesn’t like cats, even though she has to live with two. She will destroy the home in an attempt to escape. And, she’s allergic to fleas, which results in large vet bills.

So, if I brought her to work, how would that go? She would bring fleas with her. No amount of flea pills or meds seem to help. Someone would have to guard the office door constantly, because mini Penny can duck out a door faster than lightning. If she doesn’t get what she thinks she needs – water or a bowl full of food – she will stare you in the eye and bark, and bark, and bark, and . . . good grief. She will not cuddle up, unless it’s storming. Her favorite game is run and chase. She does the running. I do the chasing. The whole office crew would more than likely be chasing Penny all over town. It took the animal control officer and an armed police officer to catch the little runaway before I adopted her in the first place. And she will not lay down to take a nap. Min-pin personalities mean they are always on the move, and must investigate everything. You don’t get to cuddle and pet. You just sit there and watch them zoom zoom from room to room. It’s amazing.

Penny has min-pin personality plus, and she has two tricks that tickle everyone who knows her. If she likes you, she will give you a high five, over and over and over. Everybody thinks that is so cute, until they have to do it over and over and over, because that’s what Penny does when she wants to be petted. Petted? That’s extraordinary too. This is how it’s done. Penny must be picked up, laid out on her back in your arms like a human infant, and her tummy must be rubbed incessantly. This will cause Penny to swoon and go to sleep instantly. But don’t stop, or the min-pin wakes up and the chase is on.

Now Reba, the black lab mix, is a different matter. She’s old and sleepy. If I brought her to work, she would first look for the nearest water, take a drink and try to get into the water container. If she doesn’t fit, she will look for a cool spot and sleep the rest of the day. I almost brought Reba to work on Take Your Dog to Work Day, not because she’s old and sleepy, and little trouble. It’s because her newest choice for the best place to sleep on a hot day is in my new strawberry bed! No Reba! And yelling “No Reba!” doesn’t seem to help at all. My newest weekend chore is to find Reba-safe fence to install around the few strawberries I have left, and to find some new strawberry plants. Oh no Reba.

A quick search of why we should bring our dogs to work reveals that studies show dogs may help ease depression and emotional disorders. Well, only if you don’t like strawberries and love fleas and chase-your-dog games. Otherwise, you may development some emotional disorders.

Others say it’s good to bring your dog to work because it encourages your co-workers to adopt a canine from the local animal shelter. Uh, after experiencing my two dogs, my co-workers would probably insist upon a cat. Which is OK too.

So no, I did not bring either one of my two to the office on Take our Dog to Work Day. I figured my co-workers would enjoy the peace of a dog-free work day. I know I do.

Go Away Rain!

Good grief. Enough rain. The only good news I heard Thursday was young men announcing they didn’t have to mow the family lawn. However, they did comment that they will have to borrow more money from the parents. Oops.

And I won’t be mowing my lawn either. I could ask son to bring his boat over and we’ll see if the motor blade will mow under water, cause that’s the only way my grass is gonna get cut. The whole yard is under water.

The family went on vacation to Myrtle Beach, as those who visit here may remember. That’s where we ran into tropical storm Anna. Or rather she ran into us. She limited our time on the beach. We were a little grumpy about that. Now tropical storm Bill has come to call. Excuse me? I live in Oklahoma! I’m not supposed to deal with tropical storms. Go away Bill. I like a pretty yard, with a clipped lawn and colorful flowers. What I have right now is a lake, with drowned dead flowers, and mud. And I know what to expect next. It’s the weeds! The weeds will go into a frenzy as soon as the sun comes out but the lawn doesn’t dry out. Those weed dudes will be knee high before I can get the lawn mower started.

A large number of other topics were on my mind to write about lately. But the rain got in the way. I wanted to write about “Take Your Dog to Work Day” on June 26. Sorry. My dog is too wet to bring to work. Any most everyone knows how a wet dog smells. Oh UGH! Good thing there’s not a “Take Your Cat to Work Day.” Cats hate rain, and, as some may recall, the last time I took my cat out, it took three vet techs just to give him a flea pill, after he ate the flea pill delivery device.

Then a new bird showed up at my bird feeder this week. That bird would have made a good tale, but the birds seem to be hiding out lately, and not even trying to visit for a quick lunch.Then there’s the bees, and the fact that there are no bees visiting flowers and vegetables. That sort of limits production. I have a friend who has set out beehives so her garden will grow. That’s awesome. But I’m not gonna go get my camera and I wet trying to take photos of bees in a downpour. The bees are more than likely smarter than me and still in the hive.

And there are other things I’d like to do, like plant new flowers to replace the dead drowned ones. So I happened upon a sale, bought bunches and bunches, and my tiny little garden is under water again. Stop it! I want flowers. Maybe I should plant rice?

And KXMX has two new interns to be introduced – Josh Hawkins and Brayson Laney – who are delightful young men, but I’m too wet, mildewed and fed up to write a nice blog about anything.

So tonight I’m going home, laying down on the couch for a nap, or maybe finding a heat lamp to turn on so I can dry out. Or help friends build that arc they are talking about. Or grow gills. Or plan my move to the desert. Or sing that nursery rhyme, “Rain, rain, go away. . . .” Everybody! Sing!

Flag Day? Don’t Forget It!

While floundering around this week looking for a blog subject, it occurred to me that we must be close to another holiday, and, since it’s June, it must be Father’s Day. So I got ahead of myself, as usual, and floundered around some more thinking about how to write about Dad.

While floundering I happened to think it might be good to check on a calendar, and that’s when I found I was a week ahead of myself. Flag Day is the next holiday up, on Sunday, June 14. Then it occurred to me that maybe others have forgotten Flag Day too, and just exactly what is the meaning of Flag Day anyway? We know we are supposed to fly the flag on Flag Day, to demonstrate our patriotism, and many fly the flag all the time now. That’s a good thing. But just where and why did Flag Day originate? A trip around the internet revealed the following, thanks to The Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

“June 14th marks more than just the middle of June.  On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress approved the design of a national flag.  They ‘resolved, that the Flag of the thirteen United States shall be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the Union be thirteen stars, white on a blue field, representing a new constellation.’  This is the flag that was reportedly sewn by Betsy Ross in Philadelphia.  The well-known naval lieutenant John Paul Jones was the first to display the new American flag overseas in France in 1778.

“However Flag Day didn’t become a holiday overnight. It took well over one hundred years before Flag Day was formally recognized.

“In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation establishing Flag Day on June 14.  (This same year Wilson also declared, by executive order that the Star Spangled Banner be played at military and other official ceremonies.)  But it wasn't until 1949 that Congressional legislation designating a national Flag Day was passed and was recognized by President Harry Truman.

“Bernard J. Cigrand, a Wisconsin grade school teacher, is often credited with the first Flag Day celebration in 1885.  William T. Kerr of Pittsburg formed an American Flag Day Association of Western Pennsylvania in 1888, and was a leader in establishing the National American Flag Day Association in 1898.  Kerr served as president of the association for more than fifty years and he participated in the August 3, 1949, ceremony with President Truman.

“So as you're enjoying your summer vacation, or waiting impatiently for it to start, take a moment on the 14th to remember the flag.  It has changed as over the years, but its symbolism and importance remain the same.”

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Wow, I must confess I did not know all that, which is probably something I was taught in grade school and don’t remember. Still, it is good to see our flag unfurled and whipping in our Oklahoma wind, not just on June 14, but every day.

Grass Grows, Snakes Suffer Due to Rain

Never heard so many lawn mowers roaring at the same time this week. My neighbors and I have been frantically mowing our yards before the next rain. There is a possibility of a rainy weekend. UGH!

So, five hours on a lawnmower Wednesday and I got my knee-high jungle cut down to ankle height anyway. Still, there is that area of my lawn I call the swamp that has been under water ever since the beginning of May, and still shows no sign of drying out completely. That swamp grass will just have to stay knee high for a bit longer.

We’ve about got this 20-plus inches of rain situation under control, except for one little problem that scares me a lot. That would be the herptiles. Herptiles? Yes. The critters who crawl out of the weeds on rainy days and scare me. That would be snakes. Tortoises also crawl out of the weeds on rainy days, but be warned, I stop to save them. That is move them out of the way of oncoming traffic, and my lawnmower.

I do not stop to save snakes. Well, I won’t try to run over one of them either. There is a limit to my response to fear. Hey, if a poisonous snake is trying to get in my house, and if a have a choice, that snake will die. But if it’s a non-poisonous snake minding its own business out in my yard, we leave it be.

So I was a bit distressed to find two of the little fellers, those who promise not to poison me, dead in my lane recently. Darling Daughter found another as she whacked weeds last weekend. What’s happening? Has it rained so much that our good snakes (a good snake is one that eats bad snakes) are trying to crawl to higher ground, and run into obstacles? Like floods? Protective dogs? Can snakes drown? I worried I might have run over that little green snake, that does nothing harmful, just eats those bugs that are bugging me. Darling Daughter was downright indignant when she found that rat snake all curled up and dead. 

“They are the ones who eat the poisonous ones, and the rats,” she declared. And, a recent trip along roads bordering the Arkansas River revealed numerous snakes dead on the road.

So what’s up? A quick check of the Internet news found stories that report yes, our recent flooding is causing the snakes to seek higher ground, some in our homes with us (EEK!), and some on roads where they get smashed, and yes they can drown if trapped underwater and unable to breathe. But that doesn’t explain the demise of the snakes in my lane and yard. Maybe they just got too waterlogged, like me.

And I will confess that I have stopped to remove two tortoises from roads, where they crawled to get away from the damp, and one from in front of my pickup truck. But that’s normal in Oklahoma. It does appear our rainy weather is as disastrous for our herptiles as it is for us. So when it came time to mow, I worried. But it was OK. No tortoises, no snakes, I don’t think. Of course lawnmowers can make mincemeat of about anything and I might not have noticed, and thus I apologize to anything I might have minced.

My Two Thunder Chickens. . .er. . .Dogs

Storms. Rain. What else is there to talk about? Even my dogs have a lot to say about our weather lately.

I have two dogs. One little one – Penny. One big one – Reba. Penny lives inside. Reba lives outside, sorta. Penny and Reba have one thing in common. They are terrified of lightning storms.

I know why Penny is terrified. Several years ago, when I was not at home, lightning struck the house, and Penny got traumatized, big time. Who could blame her? I would have been traumatized too. And ever since, if the slightest bit of thunder can be heard, perhaps even as far away as Oklahoma City, Penny freaks. Her first avenue of retreat is my lap. If the thunder continues, she jumps off my lap (apparently I am not sufficient protection against thunder), and hides under the end table. If thunder continues, Penny just whines. And whines. And whines. It’s maddening. But if I’m up and moving about, as I was Thursday morning getting ready to proceed into the real world, Penny follows me, everywhere. She follows so close, she sometimes trips me up. Or I kick her across the room, unintentionally of course. It doesn’t matter. If I am upright and on my feet, and thunder sounds, Penny wants between my feet. The dog logic behind this is, and will most likely remain, a mystery.

Consequently, on Thursday morning as thunder rumbled, and I tried to leave house, Penny was close behind seeking solace between my feet. I tried to fend her off, and convince her to stay in the house, with the umbrella. This must have resembled me having a sword fight with my little bitty dog. If you can imagine tiny Penny darting and dodging at my feet while I tried to get door open, purse in one hand and umbrella in other, and at the same time waving umbrella at tiny dog and yelling “No,” you get the picture. It wasn’t pretty. I wasn’t really trying to skewer my dog. It was for her own good, to keep her safe in the house. It was a relief finally to get that door slammed in my poor dog’s face. I wish I could convince her she will be fine without my feet.

Reba is another matter. Reba is an old, old dog, who was rescued by Darling Daughter. Darling Daughter rescues everything. She’s forbidden to bring rescues to me, but for some reason Reba and I bonded, and nobody better mess with my Reba now. Not even the thunder. It became clear not long after Reba arrived that she too had thunder issues. We could tell by the way she tore the screen door off the porch trying to gain house entry during a thunder storm. Reba is the outside dog. She gets outdoor privileges. But outdoors is not where Reba wants to be when thunder sounds in the distance. She wants her family room privileges then.

Consequently, when I walked out to my pickup truck on Thursday morning, just after fending off Penny, I was accompanied the whole way by Reba, who remained right by my side. I opened truck door and prepared to enter, but now having to fend off Reba. She seemed to think she should get in truck and go with me. What? “No,” I told her. Then she gave me that great-big, brown-eyed, sad-dog look. Oh dear. I am such a sucker.

“That means you are scared of the thunder and want to go in the house, right?” I inquired. I swear she nodded. I climbed back out of truck and headed back to the house. The old, old Reba nearly beat me there. The elderly Reba does not run often. She ran this time, and beat me to the back door. She barely paused while I got the door to the family room open so that she could enter, and, somehow or other, be safe from the thunder. Reba and Penny should talk. Inside the house may not be as safe as Reba might think. Penny could tell her all about it.

Or, come to think of it, maybe I shouldn’t let them talk. I may not survive a thunder conspiracy between my two dogs. And two dogs between my feet is two too many.

How Much Do We Know About this Holiday?

Memorial Day Trivia

1. What was the first state, which officially celebrated Memorial Day?

2. Originally, Memorial Day was first known as what, the hint is the day begins with the letter d.

3. Why do we celebrate Memorial Day?

4. Who is General John Alexander Logan and what role does his memory play in our Memorial Day celebrations?

5. On this special day of remembrance, should the American Flag be half raised all-day or fly in all her glory at full mast?

6. What is the nationally recognized flower of Memorial Day?

7. What day of the week is Memorial Day held on?

Memorial Day Facts

Memorial Day was declared a federal holiday in 1971, and was designated to be held on the last Monday in May. We now designate this day to remember loved ones who have passed on, as well as remembering our service men and women who died while in service. Flowers and flags are placed on graves in remembrance of them. Parades and dedications of memorials usually are part of the day's activities. The day is sometimes known as Decoration Day.  The U.S. National Park Service attributes the beginning of Memorial Day to the ladies of Columbus, Ga., who honored Confederates soldiers killed in battle

Waterloo, N.Y., is considered the birthplace of the holiday because the people of Waterloo were the first people to proclaim a day on May 5, 1866, to honor the soldiers who died in the Civil War. They closed their businesses and placed flowers and flags on the graves of their soldiers. Flags were flown at half-mast.

Major General John A. Logan declared May 30, 1868, as a special day for honoring Union soldiers killed in battle. He was Commander in Chief of an organization of Union Civil War Veterans called the Grand Army of the Republic. They took charge of Memorial Day celebrations in the Northern States. The American Legion took over these duties after World War I.

The Southern States of Alabama and Mississippi observe the last Monday in April as Confederate Memorial Day. Georgia observes April 26, North and South Carolina observe May 10, Virginia observes the last day of May. Louisiana and Tennessee observe June 3 and Texas celebrates Confederate Heroes Day, January 19th.

The poppy emblem was chosen because of the poppies that bloomed across some of the worst battlefields of Flanders in World War I, their red color an appropriate symbol for the bloodshed of trench warfare.

“The patriot's blood is the seed of Freedom's tree.”

Thomas Campbell

Vacation Summation on New Destination

Vacations are wonderful things. You get to get away and think about nothing except what great restaurant to eat out at, or what fabulous and expensive site or activity you are going to undertake on that particular day.

To be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect at this new vacation destination we were invited to by son and daughter-in-law. It was to be 10 days at a condo on the South Carolina shore at Myrtle Beach. “A condo?,” I asked. “Does that mean I have to cook?” I don’t cook on vacations. Darling Daughter promised to do the cooking, the driving, and everything else. So off we went.

Our usual vacation destination for the past 22 years has been The Mouse House and other theme parks in Orlando, Fla., a vacation I am particularly fond of, which others may guess at since we’ve done it for 22 years! But I will now confess I fell in love with North Myrtle Beach. I fell in love with the Atlantic Ocean. I fell in love with that condo, and no, I didn’t cook, thank goodness. Darling Daughter did. And she cooked really well.

There were a few drawbacks. I do not like sitting in a rental vehicle for 22 hours just trying to get to and from my vacation. I much prefer an aircraft. But we had so many going on the trip, the expense was prohibitive. So we looked at that long trip as an adventure, and it was. On one leg of that long trip out we stopped at a wide spot in the road labeled Saluda, N.C., where I found Atkins Orchard. If you are ever near there, stop, shop, buy and eat. Atkins Orchard offered me every kind of soft cider (notice soft, not hard) imaginable. I didn’t know there were such things. I bought a quart of peach cider, and drank every drop myself. And I bought strawberries and strawberry poppy seed salad dressing, and would have bought more if there had been room in our vehicle. But we were packed to the gills. (Four women, give me a break!) I’ve got to go back to North Carolina just for Atkins Orchard. And then there were the Appalachian arts and crafts, and Smokey Mountains, and homemade food diners. Wow!

And then there was the Atlantic Ocean. Darling Daughter and I both decided what we wanted was to lay on the beach all day and do nothing. We tried really hard to do that. I tried to just lay there and get a tan but I couldn’t take my eyes off the ocean and the waves. They mesmerized me. I was enchanted. I want to live there.

But here came what Carolinians called a subtropical storm. Then they took the sub off. Then they decided that another increase in the storm’s wind speed would designate it as a baby hurricane. It’s really hard to lay on the beach for a tan during a storm or baby hurricane. Oh we didn’t mind getting wet. It was the wind-blown sea spray and sand that ran us off.

Then, here came Oklahoma’s weather in the news. It’s a bit disconcerting when The Weather Channel has a split screen, one side showing where you live and plan to return to, and one side showing where you are living at the moment. Tornado? Baby hurricane? Take your choice. We watched The Weather Channel a lot. But hey, this was my vacation! I had a good book, a lovely balcony and comfortable chairs where I could sit, read, and take notice, or not, of whatever storm was going on at the moment. Even in the wind and rain, it was relaxing. And if I got bored, there was an outlet mall just down the street for mega shopping. It was wonderful!

It was so wonderful, I was back on the internet just this a.m. trying to figure out how to get back to Myrtle Beach. Oh yes, I would most certainly go back. The hustle and bustle of the Orlando theme parks are fun, and can generate excitement and laughter. But I found lying on the beach with absolutely nothing to do but watch ocean waves is great too. I will confess I did have to put my camera away at one point, telling myself it is nearly impossible to take a photo of every wave in the Atlantic Ocean. But I did get up close and personal with a sea gull who seemed to think I should feed him. Next time I’ll take him a few leftovers, and I may fly in myself. But then, if I did, I would miss the Atkins Orchard, and that may not be something I want to do on . . .for sure, the next time.