“If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and man.” ~ Mark Twain

I am not completely sure why but this week has pretty much passed quickly, almost like listening to an old vinyl record being played on the fast speed. It is Friday, June 12, 2020, and I do send out greetings to one and all. Mr. Bentley and I just came in from sitting out in the yard. He, in my lap, while I drank my first cup of Community for the day. At 65 degrees, it's not a bad start to the day. I am on one of the Shi Tzu breed Facebook pages where folks share photos and information about their pups. The group has around 10,500 members from all over the world. There are some remarkable Shi Tzu's out there, and, Mr. Bentley is one of them. This will sound like a parental kind of brag but it's not intended to be that at all. It's nothing more than a statement of fact. Mr. Bentley is a hit on that page. Big time. Folks love him. Photos like the one above always generate a huge response including many comments. I typically share one photo a week with a caption where Mr. Bentley is doing the talking. This is the caption that was on the above photo: Mr. Bentley, "Would you please tell that lady that walks by, my name is not Frisky and I am not her precious baby. I don't even know where she lives." The way I see it, I might as well share him because he pretty much consumes a good portion of my waking hours. This gives me the opportunity to say again, I didn't have a clue and still don't but I do know he has been a wonderful intrusion into our lives.

Thirteen years ago I wrote nine, count them, paragraphs on my experiences as a supervisor and manager in dealing with people making excuses for why they couldn't come to work. When I read stuff like that I am taken aback by the level of detail I went into. I was new to blogging and it took me a couple of years to figure out the best format. For me and for my readers. Here is one of my several concluding paragraphs shared on June 11, 2007. ~ You Better Have A Good Excuse! After a good long run, I left the big company having missed very few days during my sojourn there. A major reason for that was the fact that I had been super blessed with good health. Some were not that fortunate and had no choice but to deal with serious health issues. But for the most part, we all understood what it meant to take our jobs seriously. While leadership models are all over the page today, I preferred doing what I did by example. People knew where I stood and I reinforced where I stood the best I knew how in the way in which I demonstrated it every single day. ~

For those who may be wondering, I do not see a new career for me in writing dialogue for dogs. I thought I might need to make that clear. I was talking to my eldest son about some things that I am finally beginning to begin to realize. I am a retiree now. I did my best to not wear that title for as long as I could but there's no denying it now. I remember the wife and I had to chuckle at some of the things we observed when we visited with mom and dad. I am fast becoming the stereotypical joke myself. The clothes I wear look like those of a retiree. The fact that I no longer keep up with my days is another good sign. I also hear this from the wife, "Are you wearing that to Church?" I mentioned the wobbling the other day. For years and years, I did the Tim Conway-old man walk as a joke. I do it now without trying. I'm beginning to have as much hair in my ears as I do on the top of my head. I can't even remember the last thing I forgot but I do know it was very recently. The wife dozes off and when she awakes she demands who the killer was. That is met with a troubled long pause. Some of the things I hear myself saying, don't even go there! Oh well, it is life as we know it. In the midst of it all, no need to worry, I read where a fellow, aged 102, had a book he had written accepted and published. It was only 10 pages. That's a joke. I made it up. Just the part about the 10 pages the other part was true. Thanks for hanging in there with me this week. May God bless. Sunday is our designated meeting day at the place where we gather to worship. Lord willing, that's where we will be. Take care. See you next time. Amen. .....More later.