Cats, dogs, rain, roofs and bicycles

Speaking of animals, it's raining cats and dogs around here. I ran across an explanation for that phrase quite some time ago. Not having the time to verify it I'll accept it as a believable theory for now. It seems that a few centuries back when people built homes out of whatever they could find, the roofs were made from straw or long grass or even clods of sod on a wooden frame. When bad weather came around many of the animals were brought into the home for protection. But, for some reason the cats and dogs were kept in small coveys in the roof. When the rain came down in torrents it washed away part of the roofing and down would come the cats and dogs. Sounds believable to me I guess. I just wonder why the dogs and cats were banished to the roof while pigs and cattle, sheep and mules came inside?

I suppose we all have our unexplainable little quirks don't we? One of my favorite things to do is to walk in the rain. The more rain the better. Riding a bicycle is great too. However, one day I was riding a bicycle on the sidewalk after about 3 inches of rain came down within an hour. I was on the sidewalk because I felt the car drivers had enough to watch out for what with all the puddles and fallen tree branches without dodging a bicycle too. As I looked up from the sidewalk I noticed a truck driver coming in the opposite direction on the road. His eyes were huge and his mouth was open as if to yell something. In another second I found out what it was that caused his discomfort. Bwoosch! Although he tried to avoid it, his tires hit a deep mud puddle in the road as he went by and the wave he created came over me like a Tsunami, splashing me and knocking me over sideways onto the soaked and muddy grass on the side of the road. No injuries but cause for a good laugh I guess. I must have looked like some sort of primeval earth creature. I didn't find any cats or dogs though.

So, there we have it. Cats, dogs, mud puddles and not too aware bicycle riders. One of the greatest gifts of civilization is written history so we may learn from it. That way we don't have to chase our tails looking to break the boredom. And then again, you could just say that I'm all wet!..............Joe

Dogs, mutts and names

When it comes to man's best friend what used to be a mutt is now some kind of "special, limited edition, designer" breed. I'd much prefer a good old mutt but I guess being a mutt is much too ordinary. Nobody wants to own an ordinary dog anymore. There are no longer any "accidents" that mess up long established blood lines, only "Oh my gosh" moments when a new, never before heard about breed is established. "Shephounds, Bullnauzers, Kerry Blue Danes, Pooschus, Malaweiners, Beagoundlands, JackRusselhuahas, etc, etc. are so commonplace nothing is a surprise anymore. Of course all these new breeds come with a hefty price tag too whereas a mutt was either free or very cheap. Another reason to lean towards a mutt.

Real dogs have enough strange names: Barbet, Klee Kat, Elo, Dandi Dinmont, Hawaiian Poi, Aidi, Bully Kutta, Kishu, Hovawart, Anglo-Francais de petite Venerte, Porcelaine, McNab, Beauceron, Akbash, Blackmouth Cur, Cesky Fouser, Tatra and Chippiparai are examples. I personally think there are enough strange Monika's placed on dogs without dreaming up all these other crazy handles.

A dog is a dog no matter what you call it. I've had breeds with magnificent blood lines and mutts with such messed up blood lines you weren't quite sure if they were a dog or some long believed extinct prehistoric marsupial. For that reason I'll not soon be acquiring a multi named, super snobby, heretofore unheard of animal. Just thought I'd mention that in case you were the slightest bit interested. .........................Joe

Writing lesson

Technically, I'm still taking a break from writing anything meaningful but this is a perfect time to sharpen my skills. I happened across a little pamphlet type of book published around the turn of the century, 1903 to be exact. Yellowed, frayed and faded, with several pages missing, this little treasure has obviously had some use over time. Scribbling on every page is in some sort of short hand I think, with symbols, numbers and lines making up the most of it. The pamphlet lays down the basics of writing short stories and articles. It suggests several exercises to hone one's writing abilities. I spent a few minutes dabbling with some of the ideas. At first I felt it was all about old methods probably no longer used in modern society. I found however, that the short, concentrated lessons were timeless actually. Each step highlighted certain components of an interesting story. How to present, describe, create and maintain interest, all that sort of thing. All in a book small enough to fit in my back pocket. Looking forward to putting the lessons into practice later in the day, I did just that, put it in my back pocket while I drove to and from different stores running weekly errands. When I was finished with the errands I learned another valuable lesson from that old writing pamphlet. Old, faded, yellowed, frayed books have another quality, they are very brittle and if they are put in your back pocket and sat upon they will turn into a million little bits of confetti.

Some lessons are timeless. One of the first lessons In the book was to do your research and pay attention to details or the entire story will fall apart. Kind of prophetic isn't it? It reminds me of an old proverb dating back eons, "You just can't fix stupid!" That's the way I felt while I emptied all the paper out my pocket.........................Joe