Before I brought home our first Saint Bernard puppy I did a lot of research about Saint Bernards and giant breed dogs in general. Because I’ve always lived with dogs, I wasn’t interested in learning more about general dog care, but rather, the types of things I needed to consider before bringing home a puppy that would eventually be the size of a full-grown man. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Daily Prompt
Playing Possum
Our female Saint Bernard, Neva, was a runner. For the first two years of her life, I could only take her outside on a leash because whenever the opportunity to go for a run through the neighborhood arose, Neva took off. I chased her through fields, through the woods, even through a neighbor’s open garage; she went in through the overhead door and out the open man-door that lead to their (thankfully) fenced in back yard. Continue reading
A Letter from My Dead Father
My father’s death was not expected; he was only thirty-nine years old, healthy and vigorous when he went to work one day and did not come back. He died from Coronary Thrombosis, the same silent killer that later killed newsman Tim Russert. In addition to my mother, he left behind three children, me at age 19 and my brothers ages 17 and 6. Since his death in 1979, I cannot count the number of times my family and I would’ve given anything to hear from him again. And then one day, we did. Continue reading
Hey MLB! Bring Day Games Back to The World Series
A game for the ages was played on Wednesday night, the type of game baseball fans live for. Game seven of the 2016 World Series had everything die-hard baseball fans love, two franchises that haven’t taken home the title in forever, home runs, comebacks and extra innings. As a fan of the game I know that those who were lucky enough to see the whole thing will probably remember it forever. I wasn’t lucky enough to see the whole game. Oh, I tried to see the whole game, but I couldn’t stay awake. Continue reading
Lucy and Ginger
My husband Steve and I have had at least one Saint Bernard at any given time for the past 16 years. To accommodate them, we have a kennel, that is actually a 12 foot by 20 foot building that is insulated and fully equipped with water and electricity. Surrounding the dog kennel is a large fenced in area that allows our dogs to run and play all day without direct supervision. This has worked out well for us and for the Saints. Saint Bernards, which were originally bred in the Swiss Alps, love being outside and they love the cold and snow . Although their kennel is insulated, and although we have wall heaters for it….we’ve never had to turn on the heat; the dogs have a very natural ability to keep themselves warm. Continue reading
The Flea Circus
When I was a little girl I desperately wanted to see a flea circus. Having seen them on various television shows and in the cartoons in the Sunday papers, I couldn’t wait to see one in person. When I asked my mother where we could find a flea circus, she told me that she didn’t know but that she didn’t think someone could really train fleas to do tricks. She said she thought the whole idea of a flea circus was itself a trick. I didn’t really understand what she meant, I just knew I wanted to go to a flea circus.
A few weeks ago my husband Steve and I, along with some friends, went to the Sherman’s Valley Heritage Days in Blaine, Pennsylvania. This annual event features old farm equipment, steam-powered engines, people in period costumes, home-made baked goods, arts and crafts and this year… ta-da…Marty’s Flea Circus! It took me fifty years, but I finally found one.
Marty, flea wrangler extraordinaire, told the audience, which was mostly children, the names of the fleas and from where they came, including one that he got from Evel Knievel. The trained fleas did all kinds of tricks, from moving steel balls to being shot out of cannons and jumping into cans. Unfortunately, now that I’m in my fifties, my eyesight isn’t as good as it once was and I had trouble seeing the tiny fleas. But the children, whose eyesight is not yet aged, saw them clearly. 
Daily Prompt: Tiny
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Hobo the Wonder Kitty
It was May 2nd, 2012 and I was in the kitchen when I heard my husband Steve call to me from outside, “Lorrie, come here, you’ve got to see this.” Continue reading
Apple Cider Memories
My son Aaron has always loved apple cider so I was not surprised when he purchased a 125 year-old cider press several years ago. The cider press, still in its original condition, is both beautiful and practical. Although Aaron bought it to make himself hard cider, which is similar to an apple wine, my daughter-in-law, Renee, saw the potential for a new family tradition, and so the Annual Deck Family Apple Festival was born. Continue reading
Find a Penny…
Find a penny, pick it up and all the day you’ll have good luck.
My great-grandmother taught me that saying. I asked her why bother to pick up a penny and she said, “A penny saved is a penny earned. Pick up pennies and save them until you have enough to buy yourself some candy.” Continue reading
Splendippity 