A FUNNY THING HAPPENED When I Asked My Dad to Walk My Dogs...

  

     For those of you new to my blog, I'd like to share a little bit about myself, I write light-hearted mysteries that usually have a coastal setting and sometimes include animals. I figure it’s best to keep with that tradition while blogging here, so my first post is the true tale of the one (and only) time I let my dad walk my dogs. 

     My military husband had deployed for six months. I was left home with a toddler and two BIG dogs (combined weight 175 pounds! They weren’t supposed to be that big, but that’s another story for another day.) My dad, a 60-something apple-shaped man who never met a piece of pie he didn’t devour, traveled 400 miles to help me out for a few weeks. His “help” consisted of letting me cook for him and clean up after him while he sat and watched Golden Girls reruns. But, to his credit, having another adult to talk to during the day saved my sanity. One afternoon the toddler was being a toddler (cutting teeth, if memory serves), so given the choice of staying home with the cranky child or taking the dogs for a walk to burn off some canine energy, Dad chose the dogs. Off he went, leashed up to the usually well-behaved beasts for an anticipated 15-minute trot around the block. 

Beach Tale: “Then I’ll Do It Myself,” said the Little Red Hen

          You remember the children’s story, The Little Red Hen?  The one where the little red hen asks for assistance but the other barnyard animals don’t want to help?  And what does the hen reply when they refuse?  Come on, I know you know it.  Let’s say it together on three.  One, two, three…

          “’Then I’ll do it myself,’ said the little red hen.” 

          We recently took that mantra to heart.

          With the purchase of our new beach cottage came a two-story detached garage.  The upstairs had the walls framed out and one lone light bulb hanging from the rafters.  The income potential is there, the separate-space-for-the-boomerang-child potential is there, the “man-cave” potential is totally there (plenty of room for leather sectional group, large screen TV,  a pool table or a foosball table, all with access to a full kitchen for cold beer and nacho/chicken wing preparation, and full bathroom in the event a shower is needed…I’m talking man-cave on steroids here!)…we just needed to turn it into habitable condition.