Booming Banter

It’s clear as crystal and written in black and white that we are not billionaires. The winning ticket was bought in Michigan just one state away.

We’d been waiting for the results to decide where herself would go to get some new boots. It won’t be Saks for Jimmy Choo’s!

The current boots were new at the start of the season but in just three months we’ve walked holes into the soles and heals of both of them. Now they are leaking something shocking so herself has wet tootsies on a regular basis.

We went to Walmart and she got a pair of Wellies. She says they are so shiny you could pass them off as Jimmy’s.

They smell rough though, just like rubber.

That’s yet another great thing about my kind we don’t need all that fancy footwear. We come fully equipped for all weathers!

Blessing # 986 – Monochrome

The weekend got off to a super sniffing start. I just love a wee trip to the forest.

It’s not just the doggy calling cards you get to sniff. There is cayote, deer, fox, raccoon, essence of skunk, squirrel and my favorite possum.

After we did the trails we went to the Amish store to get the bro some ham and cheese for his dorm. He moved his things in this morning but is moving in only next week. He has to have a reserve Ma says. I said I’d have some too as that smell of ham and cheese is heaven.

Once home herself started getting more springy thingies ready for her booth.

Now here is a puzzling thing. She has all these flowers falling out of watering cans and baskets and there is not even a tiny tingle that they transmit to my nostrils.

Maybe that’s why her sales stink!

Blessing # 985 – Aromatherapy

I might have to consult experts as this is getting beyond a joke.

We had to get the big car serviced today as every imaginable light was coming on. Check this thing, check that thing, check the other thing if you don’t act immediately this thing is going to STOP!

So we dropped it off first thing this morning and then we were stuck at home waiting.

Now this time could have been used to walk or snooze or eat or a combination of the same. No way!

Herself brought the garage horde inside and started sorting.

There wasn’t room to move and it went on for SIX and One Half Hours!!!! During which herself was binge watching some hateful program call the Borgias.

The bro even pretended I was being prepared for sale!

I felt like running for the hills. It was incredibly boring.

At the end of the day, that would be episode five of the dreaded medieval monsters the sofa was once again my own.

The car was fixed, all instruments calibrated and $500 paid out. Of course you know who got it, the bro and Ma and me got landed with the banger as usual.

Blessing # 984 – Resets

It’s as well I slept well last night as it’s been hectic here.

First up, Ma had to sort out a problem at the project about a blocked toilet of all things. Quite disgusting!

After that we had to go to get her an annual check up on a matter only girls talk about.

Still, this meant I got a good ride in the car which made up for the sprint of a walk earlier.

The ride home was at breakneck speed so she’d see every bit of President Biden and Vice President Harris’s inauguration.

Tears were tripping her as she watched the first ever woman VP sworn in.

The ceremony was beautiful. Lady Gaga, JLo and Garth Brooks were all brilliant and that young poet Amanda Gorman was amazing.

It was the President though who won the day with his speech. Some said up there with Lincoln’s. Let’s pray his words come true.

Blessing # 983 – New Day

This special was prepared for our Tuesday Morning Group series on World Religions that is currently running by zoom so I can participate.

We volunteered to do this because Zoroastrianism is a religion we’d heard of but didn’t know much about. So here goes friends.

Zoroastrians believe there is one universal all good creator called Ahura Mazda or the Wise Lord.

The religion is one of the oldest and was founded in Persia, today’s Iran, about 3500 years ago by Zoroaster.

Zoroaster originally followed a Hindu style religion. One day he had a vision of a supreme being and began teaching followers to worship only this single God.

The religion spread throughout Asia via the trade route known as the Silk Road

The key tenants of the faith are truth and righteousness, heaven and hell, freedom of choice between good and evil and a day of judgement. All this is believed to have shaped the major Abrahamic religions.

In a nutshell God is Good but he is opposed by an evil one that we would call Satan.

Six good heavenly beings know as the Amesha Spentas work on behalf of God. They are like our archangels. There is also a very special soul the Spenia Mainyu who is like the Angel of God or our Holy Spirit.

Currently we are all living in a period known as the Gumezishn when the forces of good and evil both exist. When we die our good deeds and evil deeds are weighed but hope is on the way!

One day though the Saoshyant or Messiah will come, or come back, and rescue all of us and we will live in harmony and peace for ever more.

The Jewish community living in Babylonia may have been some of the first to encounter Zoroastrians when the Persian King Cyrus a devotee of the religion freed them. Many returned to Jerusalem and the Hebrew Bible took form which, some argue, had strong Zoroastrian influence.

The religion remained the primary one in Persia up until the Muslim conquest when those practicing the faith were forced to flee.

Today there are only about 200000 practicing Zoroastrians remaining mostly living in India, Iran and North America.

Their place of worship is called a Fire Temple where an alter with an eternal flame composed of 16 elements is burned. The fire is not worshiped it is merely a point of focus on God’s immortality.

Fire and water are seen as symbols of purity and the evergreen cypress tree as a symbol of eternal.

Traditionally a sky burial was practiced where the dead were placed on a pillar until it was entirely eaten by vultures. The bones were then placed in an ossuary.

The text that forms the basis of the faith is like a series of poems in several volumes.

[and here’s the bit that makes me super happy it features dogs and prickly dogs aka hedgehogs]

Today many Zoroastrians are known as Parsis and are great philanthropists

There are many famous Zoroastrians and it has inspired a number of epic dramas. Can you name any.

We enjoyed this little learning experience and have now even greater appreciation of how in each religion there are so many similarities. It all comes down to being loving.

Blessing # 982 – Study

I’m terribly late with my daily news because my secretary has been very busy. Well that’s her story!

It started with ice and freezing rain and has ended with snow and zoom.

We met Auntie Denise as always but didn’t get far as we were slip sliding away. We went just far enough for Ma to dumpster dive.

She found a carpet in the neighbor’s trash and poor Auntie Denise had to go get her truck to get it to our house. Denise is a saint!

I am a mortified one. Beyond embarrassing this woman!

As soon as she got it home she started trimming it to get rid if all the straggly ends. Just as long as she doesn’t take those shears to me I’m OK with that!

That effort was no sooner over, and I was getting good and comfortable, than she took off to the antique mall. The car was full of her treasures including the magic carpet!

She’s been waking up early and that means trouble when she has nothing to do. So today’s plan was to reinvent her booth. Finding the carpet was like divine intervention endorsing today as the day!

She returned, wolfed down two chicken burgers and vanished into zoom. So now she has resurfaced we’re banging this out before she passes out.

While the before wasn’t bad since she’d jiggled it around several times before

the after is definitely better and doesn’t that carpet look swell!

Blessing # 981– Job Done

Sometimes you need to make compromises.

Ma was working this afternoon and was meant to be home by four to take me for a good trot.

She didn’t arrive till five.

She’d made a detour to the thrift store to look for a carpet for her booth to make it look more welcoming.

She didn’t find a carpet but got distracted treasure hunting.

She found the bro an old Manchester United vs Juventus program for his dorm room but nothing for me! Ah well who wants a used bone anyway.

So when she makes it home she asks will I thaw something and we’ll go for a good walk or make the roast dinner. We all yell roast that chicken girlfriend.

So of course you can’t have roast chick without roast spuds. So I had to hang on and then got the four hundred yard compromise walk.

Who cares when you can smack the lips around a good bit of meat.

One of her finds of the Day may object but he’ll forgive us for sure.

Blessing #980 – Bird Lovers

This week we watched a great movie called The Two Popes. If you haven’t seen it try to catch it.

It’s about two men who are as different as chalk and cheese. Pope Benedict and Pope Francis.

Francis is an extrovert who is friends with everyone and likes to dance tango while Benedict is an introvert who had a life devoid of personal friends and plays piano.

Yet over their transition time, as the extrovert prepared to succeed the introvert, they grew very close.

They learned from each other and to love each other.

Something similar happened here some years ago when President Clinton succeeded President Bush with Clinton becoming like a son to the elder statesman.

I never did get to meet my predecessor but I know he was very different from me. He was a pure bred, I’m a rescue. He barked at dogs when out walking while I bark at bikes. He shredded his cuddly toys while I take mine to bed at night. He was so handsome and looked great in black and white while I need full technicolor to look my best.

We share one big thing in common though we both love our humans unconditionally.

There is a big transition underway in the USA. Once again the individuals are very different. There’s no handover happening though so no opportunity for getting to know each other.

Instead the beautiful capital is becoming a fortress.

Soon though there will be one of my kind back in the White House and a very noble looking guy he is too. This can only mean one thing better days lie ahead after all who could do that job without a best friend by their side.

Blessing # 979 – Major Improvement

It’s a bad hair day and it’s only just started. I’m all shook up!

It’s pouring outside so I only got a nip to the end of the street but to make things worse there are even more upending matters at the project. The new heater has thrown a wobbler and sprung a leak!

If mother’s nerves hadn’t already been shattered by previous events they’d have broken now. This whole adventure really keeps us on the edge of our seats. Just as well she white in the head already.

Poor Dad is not exempt from problems either. In the midst of doing all the bills he forgot that today is the last day to submit the prepayment of taxes so he’s rushing to get that ready for Ma to post before she goes to work!

As some clever dude said it never rains but it pours.

There are a few ups to the downs though.

No one got hurt

The leak didn’t do any damage apart from wrecking some coil in the heater.

Since it’s raining it’s too warm for pipes to freeze even if the heat is off.

Even if I don’t get a good walk I’ll get a ride in the car to the post office!

My hair dries fast and I always look better coiffed after a rub down which bus essential for an outing in public.

It’s FRIDAY so any problem is easier to handle when pizza and bubbles are in the fridge and forecast for this evening.

Blessing # 978 – Silver Lining

Still no winner for the big draw. Maybe we’ll try again at the weekend. Maybe not! Her Saturday night fever may have passed by then and sure what would you do with 1.5 Billion?

I thought I’d avert another whirlwind today by sucking up to her and telling a few doggie jokes to lift her mood!

We can’t take credit for any of these.

Some friends shared them with us on Facebook.

In this time of change, when we are all locked up and very stressed, the best thing we can do is give each other a virtual tickle

The bro thought I was really funny so he raised me up too!

Blessing # 977 – Elevations