"TO LOVE…..AND BE LOVED…"

 

Photo by Kindell Brinay Moore

kindellbrinaydesign.com

My job on earth, I think, is to be Man's Best Friend....

To sleep on the foot of your bed on "one dog nights..."
    and keep your feet warm....

To go to parks, with nice green lawns...and chase
    sticks, balls, fake ducks, old leather gloves,
          and---oh boy! Frisbeerrrs!

All the while, randomly checking out the most
    tremendous smells, in the whole world!

To watch and protect the little toddlers, keep
    them safe, cuddle and doze with them
         and let them pull my ears...

Have you ever noticed, I'm ready to go on a
    walk with you...anytime...

You need to know that I much prefer people-
    food, so please give me a morsel,
         now and then....

Better not leave birthday cakes, Christmas 
    cakes, with luscious thick icings---
         pies, and stuff like that, down 
             low anywhere...you don't 
                  realize how that taxes
                      my willpower.

And do open the back window of the pickup
    when we ride---I love the fresh breezes---
          they feel good to my ears...

I may embarrass you...my head hanging out
    the window, and all,  but we all have 
         our quirky habits, don't we?

This BIG WORLD  is a strange and frightening
    place....I am a bit puzzled by my very 
         existence---sometimes I wonder
              in my dog's mind---why
                    am I here?

I know: I LIKE TO LOVE....AND BE LOVED.

That's why I'm glad we met and I'm your dog!
     We seem to hit it off!

I reckon...I'm proud TO BE ON YOUR LEASH!

********30*******
BY MIL
01-20-15

A TRIBUTE TO BOB….ON HIS BIRTHDAY!

I reckon Bob is one of my oldest friends.

I first met him in 1940 when we moved to the corner 
at 1100 Reid and he and Art lived on the corner, a 
block away, at 1020 Thornton. I already knew Art 
from first grade La Casita School in 1939.

They say all little boys deserve a "good boyhood." 
I think we got our "money's worth!"

We played every kind of ball---kicked footballs in 
the street on Reid, played baseball on vacant lots, 
and Bob, later on, had a wooden basketball goal on
the alley--that chalky, dusty, rock and nail-filled alley, 
which was murder on basketballs!

We did marbles in the shade of the elms...played 
"keeps"....Bob was murder at marbles---he has most 
of mine today---just ask to see his marbles---and I'll 
show you my two dozen!  LOL.

We did mud houses with our putty knives in the shade, 
on those hot Clovis summer days. We had little 
hammers, and fifteen cents worth of single nails, and 
anything that needed nailing, we'd do it, good and 
proper.

We acted out Gene Autry and Tarzan movies, read the
Clovis News Journal funnies, when the paper came
at 3:30 p.m.---all about Joe Palooka and Jerry Leemy
fighting the Nazis in France...and they carried those
magnificent .45's!

Yes, we fought WWII all over the CTO (Clovis Theater
of Operations), in alleys, on vacant lots, and down at the
old lake bed at the end of 14th, 

(We also cleaned plenty of old tires and scrap out of
that old dry lake, to help win the war.)

We climbed trees, we did "Jap Zeroes, Down in Flames"
with water hoses, on my front lawn. We fished for 
"TRANSLERS" on vacant lots, with bubble gum on a 
string.

Bob knows and loves Clovis history, better than just
about anybody. He has been a great booster and helper
for MIL'S PlACE, which has been devoted, to a large
extent, to remembering our town, our CHS classmates, 
and old times.

In later years, he has written pieces about his hobbies--
fishing and "Junque." He has sent good Clovis photos, 
often.

We collaborated on "Dragging Main', with photos, the
summer of 2014, and I don't know who enjoyed doing 
the story the most--me or Bob! 

MIL'S PLACE owes much to Bob and his many CHS '53
friends!

Bob has a great gift---he is much-loved by his many 
friends!

So here we are today, Bob, to say:

A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AND MANY MORE!

******BY MIL*****
01/22/15

THE CATTAILS AT WILD PEACH

Photo by W.L.M

THE CATTAILS AT WILD PEACH

Whenever my heart is sore, with the things
      of life that bore...
There is one thing that boosts me
     for sure,
In peace and in thought, I find myself
    drifting off to Wild Peach
and THE POND!

(O I have seen it and become a part of it,
    from many images...)

I hear the coy-o-tees howling far off,
    I feel a gentle breath as a breeze
from the ocean...a cow is mooing
    somewhere,

Winter or summer, there is always a
    Breath of Spring, at this place...

The green-wing teal is showing off,
    at seventy miles an hour,
zooming...

The bass are jumpin' right in front
    of the cattails, where I am  sitting,
on an ancient lawn chair...

and all is good--I am at peace.

Whether I'm there...or not.

*******30*****
BY MIL

"O COLD LITTLE BIRD…..IN JANUARY"

O cold little bird,
    I reckon it's tough on you
         this time a' year...
              in the snow
                   and all....

Why it went to eleven degrees
    last night!
Where were you?
    Is your nest
        toasty?

You and your friends hang out
    right outside my writing
        window, five feet away...

Just gobbling away on our grain-
    feeder like a bunch of
        little pigs---with wings!

You look pretty spry to me...
     cold as it is---okay, maybe
          a bit stiff, in this weather...
              but you're getting by!

You do have those quick jerky bird
     motions, with your head, as
         birds seem to have...

It's built in from the egg, so to speak!
    A bit of oil, in the right place,
          might smooth out bird
               movements a mite.

Your feathers on your little breast
    look thicker than usual this
         January---- the Creator
              takes care of his
                   creatures.

I marvel at you, sitting there on the
    cold, snowy bush, planning
         your eight-inch flight to
              the grain!

Deep questions occur to bird viewers...
     Who ponder the little creatures'...
           .MYSTERIES...

If "HIS eye is on the sparrow," then
    HIS eye is on everything,
        all around the globe,
             day amd might...

He is NOT as the songs say:
    "The Man upstairs..." or
         "From a distance, our
              God is watching us..."

HE IS THE GREAT ALL-WISE, ALL-
     KNOWING CREATOR---
THE GREAT LOVING ENABLER,
      AND ENVELOPER,
IN WHOM WE HAVE OUR BEING.

HE'S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD
     IN HIS HAMD...

This I've learned from the
    cold birds...
          in January.

******30*****
BY MIL
01-02-15

THE ANIMALS ARE COMIN' ONE BY ONE….

THE ANIMALS AT MIL'S PLACE

****************************************

"Dere's animals an' animals an' animals
    an' animals an' animals an' animals
                       Yes, Lord."

"De animals a comin', one by one
    De old cow chewin' on a caraway bun
De animals a comin', two by two
    De elephant and de kangaroo
De animals a comin', three by three
    De bear and de bug and de bumble bee

Oh de animals a comin', four by four
    De old hippopotamus stuck in de door
          De animals a comin', five by five
Thus the animals did arrive
    Hallelu, Hallelu, hallelujah to the Lamb."

"O de animals a comin', six by six
     De hyena laughing at the monkey's tricks
De animals a comin', seven by seven
     De old fat pig says: "Who's dat shovin' ?"

De animals a comin', eight by eight
     Noah hollered out: 'Hey somebody!
         Shut that gate!'
Oh, de animals a comin, nine by nine
     Noah hollered out: "Cut dat line!"

Oh, de animals a comin', ten by ten
    De old ark blew it's whistle then
An' nobody knew where they was at
    'Til de old ark bumped on Ararat

HALLELU, HALLELU, HALLELU
        HALLELU, HALLELU
  HALLELUJAH TO THE LAMB.

-----Traditional African-American
        Gospel Hymn, author unknown...
      (as sung by Hardin-Simmons 
              male quartets)
-------------------------

The animals are comin' to MIL'S PLACE,
also, have been since May 24, 2014.

That was, in a way, a fateful day and the
beginning of my menagerie, according to
my Lett's of London diary, like TR used.

On that date I finished one of my favorite
books ever---"Walking the Gobi," the story
of a 900 mile trek by 63 year old Helen 
Thayer and her husband, across the arid 
and dangerous Gobi Desert, accompanied 
by two rented camels, Tom and Jerry.

I kinda fell in love with those two pesky and
difficult camels (who'd spit at you) but when 
the book was over, I announced: "I'm going
to head out and BUY MYSELF A CAMEL FOR
MY BOOKSHELF, HERE WHERE I WRITE!"

Next thing thing I knew, Beloved Editor came
walking in with a big 13 inch camel she had 
stashed, a gift from our son, Christmas of 1998!

Since then, the animals have been comin',
one by one from family, friends, readers,
to MIL'S PLACE.

The smallest one, a little bitty fish, smaller 
than a nickel, came from our English
house-helper, and she being a hobby
dumpster-diver, has brought several nice
pieces, including a carved duck, about nine
inches long.

Larry, a retired writer and cousin-in-law sent
a great piece---an ebony frog, fixing to 
exercise, with one leg stretched straight up.
(I fear he robbed his own collection for that
kind gift.)

There's a rattlesnake from son Brian's eighth
grade ceramics class...there's a cute Scotty
dog from Gina...

Other animals comin' to MIL'S are a pair
of deer, a squirrel, a pintail, a mallard,
a giraffe, a turtle, two little elephants, a
howlin' jackal...two big bronze 13 inch
pieces---a buffalo and a moose. I bought
those.

SNOOPY oversees it all as well---and
I mustn't forget my 16 inch piggie "GUS,"
named after one of my favorite stars in
Breaking Bad! In my mind--an honor.

GUS holds sign in front:
"MIL'S PLACE."

The kids were out searching for a little
skunk as a Christmas present, but the
skunks were all sold out.

So that's the story of the animals...all
six feet of them, along the tops of my
bookshelves...they're my companions
and each one has a history.

I often winder if mankind, in its awful
rush to whatever...and wherever...
pauses to consider the importance
of animals in the great cosmic scheme
of things.

******30*****
BY MIL
01/03/15 

A CHRISTMAS VICISSITUDE

The Christmas Eve church service was over,
and everyone was back home.

All had delighted on this cold winter night to
have a  bowl of good old thick, hot, red-chili
POSOLE waiting for them, on their return.

As the hostess exited the kitchen, she quietly
and surreptitiously, brought the evening's piece 
de resistance in out of the cold garage---a
beautiful thick-iced Berry Chantilly Cake
from Whole Foods---their pride-and-joy---
a thirty dollar cake.

It was the "dessert surprise" of all surprises
with a cake icing almost an inch thick---for 
later after the packages were opened.

In the den, a roaring fire was going in the
fireplace.

"Slider," the beautiful eight-year-old golden
retriever had his Christmas rawhide bone, 
which someone had brought; he had made his 
obligatory canine "social circles" and twirls 
around the room, and was cozily settled over
in the corner, happily gnawing.

The Christmas carols had been sung with the
guitar accompanying (Joy To The World three 
times to please the basses).

The two grandkids had shared the reading 
of the Christmas story, in Luke 2 , out of
the family Bible.

Now everyone was rapt and intently engaged 
in getting the presents unwrapped. While all were
OO-ing and AH-ing over the gifts, a totally
unexpected disaster was in the making.

For there in the kitchen, as yet unseen by the
guests, on a low serving table (and not the high
cabinet) sat---THE CAKE---maybe one of the most
beautiful and delicious-looking ever made!

A wonderful Thirty Dollar Christmas Surpise!

But alas, what about the busily-gnawing and 
seemingly totally-engrossed golden lab retriever 
over there in the corner...?

We must remember that we depend on our 
intelligent and perceptive dogs to notice things...and 
keep us safe...they will hear often---a squirrel, a cat, 
another dog, or a person approaching the front door...

They can smell an incredibly long way.

Can a busy retriever in a den smell a buttery, sweet
delicious cake...off in the kitchen?

What about "Slider," the well-behaved and well-trained
retriever, eight years old--as to the difference between
"people food" and "dog food?" He knows the difference.

But the Bible has said: "All we like sheep, have gone
astray.." Maybe that applies to dogs also.

For Slider had finished his rawhide bone, become
bored, and headed off into the kitchen, unnoticed.
The ramifications of this jaunt were huge!

I was in the midst of opening a big box, when I heard
alarming shrieks, and "OH NO'S" from the women.

Looking up in a bit if alarm, I saw The RETRIEVER entering 
the den from the kitchen---looking amazingly like a white-
bearded DOG SANTA CLAUS of some kind...a very
guilty and sheepish one---to boot. He HAD RETRIEVED
THE CHANTILLY BERRY CAKE!

As we all watched him. we realized that half our thirty-
dollar cake was IN Slider, and the other half was on his 
FACE.

As guilty as he was, he was doing the dog-thing, enjoying
his sin to the max---he was chomping and licking---
looking guilty---comping and licking.

Everyone, being full of the spirit of the season, were amazed,
chagrined, and eventually amused by the whole thing.

Chagrined...when they saw the magnitude of the loss of
the dessert they'd never eat.

Slider was admonished and "BAD DOGGED" by his master
and several others...but he got off light...with a warning.

Later he appeared in the kitchen, as the hostess was 
cleaning up the floor and the cake platter, nudging her
and chomping and licking...as if he wanted more.

It must have been a good cake!

In the den, someone said: "Well, it could have been 
worse. Merry Christmas...and GOD BLESS US,
EVERY ONE."

******30*****
BY MIL
12/25/14