To be posted VERY LOW on the refrigerator door at nose height.

Dear Dogs and Cats,

The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it, becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help, because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king-sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other, stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years - canine or feline attendance is not required.

The proper order is kiss me first, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough!!


To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our front door:

To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About Our Pets:
1. They live here. You don't.
2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. (That's why they call it "fur"niture.)
3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
4. To you, it's an animal. To me s/he is an adopted son/daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn't speak clearly.

Remember: in many ways, dogs and cats are better than kids because they:

1. Eat less
2. Don't ask for money all the time
3. Are easier to train
4. Normally come when they are called
5. Never ask to drive the car
6. Don't hang out with drug-using friends
7. Don't smoke or drink
8. Don't have to buy the latest fashions
9. Don't want to wear your clothes
10. Don't need a "gazillion" dollars for college

And finally,

11. If they get pregnant, you can sell their children.

I have a very dear friend of mine that lost his mother last night to cancer. He, his grandmother, & aunts & uncles were at the hospital by her side when she passed. She was such a sweet woman! He loved her so much & always took great care of her & her mother. His mother & grandmother live just 2 doors up from him so he could watch over them & be there. The were very close.

He has four children who were also very close to their grandmother. The older two know, but the younger two haven't been told yet. They were with their mother all weekend & had to stay again last night. He's going to pick them up this afternoon/evening. The youngest two will be told then.

Please send up prayers for Jim, his four children, his grandmother (her daughter is the one who passed), & the rest of the family. They're dealing with a lot at this time.

Now I'm afraid Easter will have a different meaning to them. I only hope they will remember that He is risen - & that she has passed on to a much better life with Him.

Good Friday is tomorrow & Easter is Sunday. I might not be able to post this later, so I'm sending early wishes your way.





Have a great weekend!

I got a new ride yesterday. It's a 2005 Chrysler Pacifica:





Mine is silver...

SUV or minivan? The 2005 Chrysler Pacifica FWD is betting that you can't decide. You want the comfort and convenience of a minivan, but you want the macho ambiance of an SUV. Trying to do it all in one package, the 2005 Chrysler Pacifica FWD is full of promises and compromises.

From the outside, Chrysler seems to have hit upon something unique. The Pacifica's elegant lines give a sense of movement and sleekness. There's a hint of art deco streamlining in the design, which works well with the Chrysler logo and corporate grill. The Pacifica's dual projector headlight housings are arched and expressive, a little like the new BMW designs. In fact, the overall design bears some similarity to the BMW X5.

The Pacifica is a substantial vehicle, yet its proportions are human. At just over 66", the roofline is not particularly high, and at 5.9" ground clearance is automobile-like. The decidedly un-fussy exterior of the Pacifica displays excellent fit and finish, with nice paint quality and uniform gaps. I drove a Pacifica with "Linen Gold Metallic Pearl" paint (a $150 option), which looked fine. As I spotted other Pacificas in my neighborhood, I noticed that the vehicle looks even better in black or white. Which all begs the question: What is this thing?

As far as I can tell, the Pacifica is best defined by describing what it is not. It's too big to be a station wagon, too small to be an SUV. It's not a van, mini or otherwise. Is it a whole new category of vehicle? If so, I'm not quite sure what that category is.

I LOVE my new ride!

Have you ever watched kids

On a merry-go-round?


Or listened to the rain


Slapping on the ground?


Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?


Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?


You better slow down.


Don't dance so fast.


Time is short.


The music won't last.


Do you run through each day


On the fly?


When you ask How are you?


Do you hear the reply?


When the day is done


Do you lie in your bed


With the next hundred chores


Running through your head?


You'd better slow down


Don't dance so fast.


Time is short.


The music won't last.


Ever told your child,


We'll do it tomorrow?


And in your haste,


Not see his


sorrow?


Ever lost touch,


Let a good friendship die


Cause you never had time


To call and say,"Hi"


You'd better slow down.


Don't dance so fast.


Time is short.


The music won't last.


When you run so fast to get somewhere


You miss half the fun of getting there.


When you worry and hurry through your day,


It is like an unopened gift....


Thrown away.


Life is not a race.

Do take it slower


Hear the music


Before the song is over.

.

** This poem was written by a terminally ill young girl in a New York Hospital **

I think it's beautiful!