George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Chuck Norris?

A few years ago, I gave up my party affiliation out of disgust for the way that Democrats and Republicans act towards each other and the people they are meant to serve. I think I may have just regained some hope for the American political process...



"When in the course of human events..."
"Four score and seven years ago..."
"Old soldiers never die..."
"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall..."
"CHUCK NORRIS APPROVED..."

Yes, it certainly does have a certain je ne sais quoi about it.

You think dogs will not be in heaven? I tell you, they will be there long before any of us. ~Robert Louis Stevenson

I can't help but notice the irony in starting a blog that is intended to be full of good news and then filling it up with sad. Today has easily been one of the worst days of my life. This morning I had to rush to the vet where I found out that my sweet friend Cujo had suffered a heart attack and was not expected to make it. He was in a horrible state and I had to be the one to help him through his last minutes. If there is anything to be grateful from this situation, I am glad that he didn't go alone. I am so thankful that I could be with him and tell him that I love him while he went to sleep. The staff was very kind and let me take him into a private room where I could hold him for about an hour. I know it sounds oversentimental, but Cujo has been around for half of my life and he has been my buddy since the moment I saw him. I have spent the rest of the day in bed crying. I know there are some of you who have been through this, so any advice you might have would be appreciated. In the meantime, thank you Cujo for being the friend to me that you have been for the past 15 years, for your warm cuddles, for your non-judgemental ways. for you friendliness to everyone, and for the way you have made our family laugh over the years. We will miss you so much, shortstack.

To my friend

Sometimes there are simply no words. Sometimes you know that anything you might say would sound as weightless as air. Sometimes you feel so unable to do or be anything that would make a difference, though you would do whatever you could if you only knew how. Sometimes you wish that your friend could climb inside your heart to feel how much you love her and how her pain is yours - not because you can comprehend the depth of her sorrow yourself, but simply because she must feel it and you can not relieve it. Sometimes all you can say is I am here. I love you. I have all the time in the world for you. I will be who you need me to be right now.

"Thy friends do stand by thee..."

What in the wide, wide world of sports is going on?

What does the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, the Titanic, and Bethany Jones have in common? When they crash, it is spectacular.

Last night, after watching our beloved Phoenix Suns trash the Bobcats, I felt inspired to tag along to Nathan and Simon's regular one-on-one basketball game. They have asked me to go a few times in the past, but as the last time I played was a Young Women's match in 1992 I had always passed it up. It was a lovely night, though, and I felt like getting some exercise so I decided to go.

BIG MISTAKE!

We got to the court and I tried about five shots. After only getting one in, I jokingly said to Nathan, "Oh I know the problem! I forgot to do my warm-ups...". I put the ball down and started doing some Michael Scott inspired warm-ups as a joke. This involved me jogging in place while bringing up my knees and slapping them. I did this about three times, completely forgetting the ball right in front of me. It was on the fourth step that I put my foot down right on the ball which (go figure!) rolled out from under me causing me to slip and fall on my butt with a mighty thump. In the process, I felt all the muscles in my left foot scream "We don't go that way!" If I hadn't been laughing so hard I probably would have cried from the pain, but it was so ridiculous that I had to! I bet I am the only person to ever have to be carried off a basketball court after 20 seconds of warm-ups. My foot is still in a lot of pain but I can hobble around on it alright. It just kills me, though, to see my NBA career snuffed out so early!

Old dog... new trick?

I have the world's oldest dog. He is a little over 15 years old in dog years, 73 in human years. He smells like a cess pool, has two viable teeth in his head, and I routinely hold a mirror under his nose to see if he is still breathing. And I adore him. This morning I thought I was going to have a battle on my hands. He had an appointment with the groomer and I was going to have to take him by myself. Why would that be a battle, you ask. Well, taking Cujo (it's not just a name, it's an attitude) anywhere in the car starts like this. He sees the leash and the quasi-spastic fit begins. He loses all control of his backside as he grabs the leash with his two teeth and drags me to the door. Once in the car, the real fun begins. There is whining, pouting, leaping from seat to seat. On the turns, Cujo flies across the car and almost breaks his foot by stepping in a cupholder and then tries to stand on my lap while tripping over the gear shift. Truly an adventure. And yes, we have tried the crate. It literally ended in the use of tranquilizers. He will not be contained!

Today, though, Cujo was a champion. I don't know if he was feeling particularly good, if he sensed where he was going, or if he is old and has given up fighting the inevitable. Regardless, he was a dream and the results are obvious...

I especially love his jaunty kerchief. It seems to say "Hello world! I am love!"

When last we left the Joneses...

Well folks, we are back up and running. As I said in our other blog, I can't promise the zaniness of our blog on life in India but I think I can dig up enough interesting things to keep it exciting. So keep checking in here and as they say in television...

Tune in next week for another exciting episode!