Boxer Burglar

I’m a little too young to have taken part in panty raids, which were a popular pastime during the 1950s and early ’60s when young men, usually college students, would descend on female students’ dormitories to steal their underwear. Like other youthful pranks such as swallowing goldfish or stuffing as many people as possible into a telephone booth or a Volkswagen, it was all harmless fun. Well, I guess it was unless you were a young lady who was just stepping out of the shower when your dormitory got raided.

As I said, I never took part in a panty raid, though I admit that I probably would have given, the opportunity. But since I never lived on a college campus, the only place that had groups of young women living together when I was that age was the WAC barracks at West Point. And I sure wasn’t going to mess with those girls. They all knew how to shoot! I know because I trained them. 😊

With that being said, I was the victim of a boxer burglar the other night. My German shepherd, Alli, always feels she has to stay by the bathroom door and protect me while I’m taking my shower. Then she wants to grab the towel away from me as I’m trying to dry off. But apparently, she’s found a new way to entertain herself because when I got out of the shower Monday night, I realized that while I was in the shower, she had stolen the boxers I had thrown into the laundry hamper. I don’t know how she did it, but she actually managed to get her head through the waistband and out one of the legs. She looks like she’s trying to tell me, “Yes I did it, and I’ll do it again.” There’s never a dull minute around our place.

I’ve been averaging five writing days in a seven-day week, and about 4,000 words a day in my new Big Lake book. I am now well past the halfway mark in this project. A while back, a friend asked me if my production has slowed down because I’m getting old. Yes, it has slowed down a bit. I usually have three books under my belt by now in a year, and this is only my second one. I don’t know that it’s so much that I’m getting old as that I am just busy here on the property and am enjoying doing something besides writing 8 to 10 hours a day, seven days a week.

It was pretty hot during the day yesterday, but It had started to cool off by the time I finished writing in the afternoon, so I fired up the Kubota tractor and mowed most of the pasture. Alli loves to run alongside the tractor, and it gives her a good workout, but I have to be careful because every once in a while she gets right in front of me like she’s trying to lead the way. I keep trying to explain to her that it won’t stop on a dime and try to use my arms to direct her to the sides.

At one point she got pretty hot and was going over to her chain link kennel, where we have a child’s swimming pool full of water for her. But the gate was closed, so Terry had to come out and open it for her so she could cool off.

Terry made delicious chicken parmesan for dinner, and after she had done the dishes, we sat in our recliners watching television and playing with the kittens and the dog. Alli loves the kittens, and even though she’s so much bigger than them she is gentle. It’s funny to see her put out her paw and hold one down so she can lick its face, and the cat jumping away shaking its head furiously like, “What the hell was that all about?” But it must not bother them too much because before long one of the other is teasing her to get her attention.

And finally, here’s a chuckle to start your day from the collection of funny signs we see in our travels and that our readers share with us.

Thought For The Day – Warning: Do not give Rice Krispies to young children. I ate them when I was a kid, and now when I stand up I snap, crackle, and pop.