How do I describe this blog?
A line from "Old School" with a minor tweak.
"My friends, this is a safe place. A place where we can feel free sharing our feelings. Think of my blog as a nest in a tree of trust and understanding. We can say anything here."
Not everyone likes babies. I was checking out at Target and Baby Shife had himself a few snacks while we were shopping. I gave the lady behind the counter the wrappers and boxes that were molested by my son, and she looked at me like I was handing her the AIDS virus. Maybe she was a germaphobe but she did a few other things while were paying that led me to believe she isn't a big fan of little ones. Either that or someone with Harry Potter skills put a douche bag spell on her.
I heard that one thing men from Arkansas can't do to help them fall asleep is count sheep because they get boners.
I watched the Real L Word on Showtime and discovered who is a pant and who is a pump.
Someone needs to write this to our dear friends in Nigeria, "Dear Nigeria. You have won the World Cup! To collect your trophy, please kindly submit your bank account number …"
Speaking of The World Cup, I hope you are enjoying it. I know a lot of people find it boring and are turned off by the flopping, but if you watched the US game against Algeria then you know why people like myself enjoy watching soccer. If you were like me, you were on pins and needles, chance after chance thwarted, all hope seemed lost, and then in the final moments an amazing goal to win the game and send the US on to the next round. It is called the beautiful game for a reason.
I really, really should consider retiring from softball. Here is a picture of my latest boo-boo. Not quite as nasty as this one, but still quite pretty if you ask me.
Finally here is a picture of the little man who is in training for competitive eating. Right now he can polish off 1 hot dog in about 10 minutes.
Howdy everyone. I appreciate all of your kind words and sentiments for me and my family over the loss of Quincy dog. It has been more than two weeks now since we had to put the fat basset down and we are doing OK. It has been tough, and every day gets a little easier but we still miss Captain Furry pants a lot.
One of the hardest parts has been being home because we are so use to his presence when we are at the house. The clickity-clack of his nails coming down the hallway, the thwack of the doggie door as he goes outside to take care of business, the beautiful basset face waiting for you at the front door after you got back from running errands, the howling when the phone rings, and the buddy who will snuggle with you on the couch when you are ready for a nap.
Our home and lifestyle has always had the basset in mind so we see him everywhere. So that is why it might not surprise you that we will be getting another basset hound in a few weeks. We had a basset hound owner stop by the house recently to see how we would react, and it surprised Mrs. Shife and myself how nice it was to see a basset in the home again. And Baby Shife got so excited seeing the pooch as he followed Harvey around saying "Dog!!!" over and over again. We are dog people, and the rescue we are going to visit, the Utah basset hound rescue, has 50 dogs that need a home and we feel like we can open our home to another basset. At first I was worried that I was being disloyal to Quincy dog by already thinking about another dog, but I know he would be happy that we are bringing another soon-to-be fat basset to Casa de Shifley.
We will go down and meet a few bassets to see which one is right for us. Feel free to click on the link and let me know if you have any favorites. Quincy will always have a special place in my heart, and my love for him will be unique. However, I know that my heart is big enough to welcome another dog into the household and it will be good for all of us.
Do you have a suggestion for a name? Right now Dexter and Bosworth are the leading contenders but we would love to hear your ideas.
Hope you have a great weekend and thanks for thinking of me.
First I just want to say thank you for your kind words and encouragement about Baby Shife. Mrs. Shife and I appreciate it very much. And it turns out everything is OK with the little man, he is just going to grow to be a little man. Unfortunately life interrupted our happy moment as Quincy dog had to be put down tonight. Captain Furry Pants was no longer able to walk because of neurological deterioration on his spine. It is really hard to give more details because it is really, really difficult just knowing he is no longer with us. It was for the best because he was in a lot of pain but it still didn't make the decision any easier. I loved the hell out of that fat little basset and he was a great dog and friend to my family. Rest in peace Quincy dog. We love you and will always miss him.
"Dogs Don't Have Souls, Do They?"
I remember bringing you home. You were so small and cuddly with your tiny paws and soft fur.
You bounced around the room with eyes flashing and ears flopping. Once in awhile, you'd let out a little yelp just to let me know that this was your territory.
Making a mess of the house and chewing on everything in sight became a passion, and when I scolded you, you just put your head down and looked up at me with those innocent eyes, as if to say, "I'm sorry, but I'll do it again as soon as you're not watching."
As you got older, you protected me by looking out the window and barking at everyone who walked by. When I had a tough day at work, you would be waiting for me with your tail wagging, just to say, "Welcome home. I missed you." You never had a bad day and I could always count on you to be there for me.
When I sat down to read the paper and watch TV, you would hop on my lap, looking for attention. You never asked for anything more than to have me pat your head so you could go to sleep with your head over my leg.
As you got older, you moved around more slowly. Then, one day, old age finally took its toll and you couldn't stand on those wobbly legs anymore. I knelt down and patted you lying there, trying to make you young again. You just looked up at me as if to say that you were old and tired and that after all these years of not asking for anything, you had to ask me for one favor.
With tears in my eyes, I drove you one last time to the vet. One last time you were lying next to me. For some strange reason, you were able to stand up in the animal hospital; perhaps it was your sense of pride.
As the vet led you away, you stopped for an instant, turned your head and looked at me as if to say, "Thank you for taking care of me."
I thought, "No.... thank you for taking care of me."
