We Love Lucy

Even as a puppy Lucy never cared much for toys.  She loved playing with Ellie.  And she still loves playing with the blue tug.  And she likes tennis balls, although not nearly as much as Ellie did.  Ellie frequently carried two tennis balls in her mouth at once.  Try as she might, Lucy could never achieve that feat.  And try she did.  Interestingly enough, after Ellie died Lucy stopped trying to pick up two tennis balls.

We have several "puzzle" toys in which we put treats.  When Ellie was here, Lucy would follow behind as Ellie got the snacks out.  Lucy was prepared and would spring and snatch the treat.  And that would continue with Ellie getting perhaps a fifth of the treats while doing all the work.  Lucy does not want to  try to get the treats herself.  She is a very smart dog and could easily get the treats herself but she is not interested.

She loves to try to catch tennis balls.  I emphasize the word "try" because she rarely catches one.  Her timing is way off and she goes up into the air opening her mouth the instant we throw the ball.  She is landing when the ball gets there so she hardly ever catches one.  She does not think the "retriever" part of Golden Retriever applies to her.  So we have a dozen or so balls to toss since she doesn't bring them back.

She gathers a few balls when she is tired of the game.  She puts them around her and lies down among them.

Don't even think of throwing me another ball.

I've played with you long enough.

Like millions of others across the country, we did not win the huge Powerball lottery although we did indeed have a ticket.  Strange that we never buy a ticket, even when the jackpot is  millions of dollars.  But somehow I warmed to the dream of being a billionaire, setting up a foundation and giving the money away to causes we deem worthy.

Had we won I would not have given one cent to any of the Presidential candidates on either side.  Even if I had the billion.  This is the first election year in which I have not given money or volunteered even one hour for any candidate seeking any office.  Yes, I will vote.  I have often voted for candidates who lost but I have always voted.  I recall the 1980 election.  Our daughter was seven and becoming interested in government and politics.  Her class held a mock election.  She asked me who I voted for.  I told her I voted for John Anderson.  She laughed when I said that and replied, "That was silly.  He did not get a single vote in the whole second grade."  It was a good teachable moment.

Today's quotes are on the lighter side if you don't think too deeply about them.  The first is by author George Eliot:

"An election is coming.

Universal peace is declared,

And the foxes have a sincere interest in prolonging the lives of the poultry."

The author of the second quote is unknown:

"There are always too many Democratic congressmen,

Too many Republican congressmen,

And never enough U.S. congressmen." 

HAVE A MOST WONDERFUL WEEKEND, EVERYONE AND A GREAT WEEK AHEAD