A few years back, I had a dream.  It was one of those sleep-dream-states that seemed incredibly real.  You know the kind.

At any rate, this one in particular was about my perfect dog.  I was playing with him, and we were just romping around, like a girl and her dog would……  on any given Wednesday afternoon.  In the dream, the dog’s name was Henry.  I still have a very clear picture of the little scruffy canine in my head.  Little Mutt.  Cute.  He looked a teensy bit like Ollie.

Anyway, I just couldn’t figure where the name Henry came from, but I’ll tell you, it is the best name for a boy dog.  In my estimation, at least.

Tonight then, I learned about a guy named Henry Bergh.

I’d never heard his name before.  As it turns out, this guy was really something.  You see, on this date, April 10th… way, way back in the year of 1866, Old Henry founded the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in New York City.  Now how about THAT?

He was incensed by the cruelty that was happening to animals, in things like slaughterhouses, and within sport, such as cock fighting.

Then…. on April 19th, the first anti-cruelty law was passed as a result. At that time, there were three staff members at the ASPCA.  Three.

In 1867, ASPCA operated its first ambulance for injured horses and advocated alternatives for inhumane actions toward animals such as horses, live pigeons, cats and dogs.  When I think of 1867, I don’t think of people being concerned for the well-being of animals.  But apparently, some folks were.  And I am glad for that.  They led the way.

Happy Birthday kind  Henry.  You are one of my heroes.  Good dog Henry.  Good dog.

“Nothing that I can do will change the structure of the universe. But maybe, by raising my voice I can help the greatest of all causes – goodwill among men and peace on earth.” – Albert Einstein

“Woof.  Wooooooof.” – Maxine Virginia Swift

Let’s just say, for the sake of argument that there is a jolly big, plumply pleasant, Fairy Godmother.  With wings and all.  And one day, she floats down from Venus, or somewhere, and touches down among us mortals here on earth.

Quite lovely, she is.  Yes.  The Grand and Honorable Fairy Godmother looks a lot like Russell Crowe in drag.  Cutie little wings, and a Lavender Satin Dress.  Little purple MaryJane shoes, with her ankles spilling over the tops.

(Personal shout out  TO ED:  Should the dress be Satin or Silk?)

Okay, back to the story.

The Fairy Godmother, (Beatrice is her given name), comes down, and…. unexpectedly for you….  lands smack dab in your living room.  She sprinkles about her sparkly dust, and waves her wand.. and says….

“You!  You there, in the recliner, watching  Dancing With The Stars...  Today, the humans must change. From this point on, you will be animals. In the next 3 minutes… you must decide.  Which animal will you be?

Well?
What would you be?

At first, I thought it might be fun to be a bird.  The flying part of it, and all.  But then.  No.  Not for me.  The thought of a steady diet of worms… or seeds.  And the housing isn’t that great either. Nope.

And then of course, monkey came to mind.  You all know I love a good Sock Monkey.   AND, I am crazy about bananas.  And climbing trees.  Yes, I think this would be in the running for me.  But I don’t like the thought of other monkeys picking through my fur and such.

Hmmmm.  Hey.

Dolphin.  I love to swim.  I love fish.  I could still be a mammal.  A swimming mammal.  With a perpetual grin on my face.  Yeah.  I might ask for Dolphin.

Of course, by this time, my three minutes have been up eight minutes ago, and the Fairy Godmother has lost her patience.  And, by this point, she has already turned me into a weasel or something.  Unexpectedly.

Weasel.

I guess that’s not so bad.   I’d be the star of a popular child’s song… and I could eat all the chicken eggs I wanted.

Yep.  I do SO enjoy a good chicken egg, I’ll tell you.  Over easy.  I like a lot of things….. over easy.

If there were a Fairy Godmother, that is.

“The best things in life are unexpected – because there were no expectations.” – Eli Khamarov

Certain people in life… really find their niche.  You know.
They grab the bull by the horns.  They lasso the moon.  They find their groove.  They reach for the stars.

But me?  I’m still looking for it.  You see, sometimes I am a  bit of of a mental midget.  I have been told such to my face, on occasion.

I think I’m asking for it, really.  There are times when …  I am inclined to say things like….  “Sure.  I can see your butt… do you want to know who the first guy was to see Uranus.?”

Yes.  That is how I am.   But seriously, the first guy to really SEE Uranus, was ONE incredible man.  His name was David Rittenhouse.  Dave, old boy.  Davey Ritt.

He  lived from April 8, 1732 to June 26, 1796.  Yep.  Today is his birthday.  He was a renowned American astronomer, inventor, clockmaker, mathematician, surveyor, scientific instrument craftsman and public official.

Quite the guy, I’ll tell you.   From a very young age, he was like some kind of genius.  When his uncle died, Rittenhouse inherited his uncle’s set of carpentry tools and instructional books.  And, while most kids would leave them out in the rain or something, Davey Boy, using his uncle’s tools…..  began a career as an inventor.

He showed a high level of intelligence by creating a working scale model of his grandfather’s paper mill.  The kid was self-taught  for crying out loud.   He knew math and science… like crazy.  When Rittenhouse was 13 years of age, he had mastered Isaac Newton’s laws of motion and gravity.

The kid never went to school.

Rittenhouse was one of the first to build a telescope in the United States. His telescope, which utilized natural spider silk to form the reticle, was used to observe and record part of the transit of Venus across the sun on June 3, 1769, as well as the planet’s atmosphere.  Now.  How is THAT for thinking things through?

In 1781 Rittenhouse became the first American to sight Uranus.  See?  I told you.
It goes on and on.  His skills varied far and wide.

He was treasurer of Pennsylvania from 1777 to 1789, and with these skills and the help of George Washington, he became the first director of the United States Mint.

On April 2, 1792, the United States Mint opened its doors, but would not produce coins for almost four months.   Here is the deal.  Rittenhouse believed that the design of the coin made the coin a piece of artwork. The first coins were made from flatware that was provided by Washington himself on the morning of July 30, 1792.   Really something I’ll tell you.

I mean, the guy ran with Benny Frank, and Tommy Jeff.

So yes.  I think he found his Mojo.  From early, early on.

Now me?  I don’t know that I will ever find my niche.  My thing.  That person I want to be when I grow up.  Disappointing, I know.  I’d love to find my Mojo.

Maybe someday. Some how.

Just perhaps…..  I will be able to see something like Uranus.

“The greatest discoveries have come from people who have looked at a standard situation and seen it differently.” – Ira Erwin

My today was probably a lot different than yours.  That is how it goes, really.  We each have our own little todays, in our own little lives, in our own little worlds.

Just for the record.

Today…. mine was filled with….

Chicken Eggs.
Circuitry.
Caffeine.
Funky Texts.
Nature Walks.
Carcasses.
Ant Hills.
Busy Work.
Phone Calls.
Laundry.
Other Chores.
Sunshine.
Drives in the Country.
Time with Friends.
Salmon Tacos topped with Cucumber Sauce.
Lentil Soup with Avocados.
Talk of Teacup Pigs.
Tricky Carpet.
Laughs in the Car.
Basketball.
Dogs.
People.
Person.
Love.

Yep.  All of our todays appear to be different.  It is much like each person has their own individual bubble.   It bobs about from here to there.  But the thing of it is… all our bubbles came from the same pool of water.  And we are really floating around ALL together.  Bumping in to one another.  Sometimes in a good way.  And sometimes…. not so much.

I should always remember, that my bubble and your bubble….. while very unique and singular…. are….  at the same time…. very much alike.  And very much connected.

And that is how the big pond works.  At least…. on the surface.

“Tug on anything at all and you’ll find it connected to everything else in the universe.”- john Muir

Ted loved the way life felt when he got on his bike… and could RIDE.

On Tuesday, when he went out for a spin…. Ted felt larger than life.  The wind in his bolts.  Yes.  He was moving on down the highway.  A robot without a care in the world.

Yet, in the back of his circuits.. . he knew the weight of the world was large.  Very large indeed.

And suddenly, Ted realized just how small he really was.  Oh.  Just a little bit of wire, and sprockets, and metal… and of course…. a whole lot of nuts.

Most certainly.  A whole lot of nuts.

Yet.  In the bigger picture, he felt very infinitesimal.

“Whatever you do may seem insignificant, but it is most important that you do it” – Mahatma Gandhi

I have a pretty good sized family.  We are all over the place now.  Literally, we live from sea to shining sea.  This was a few of us at Easter.

Yep.  Me, a brother, a sister.  One sister-in-law and a nephew.  And Mom.

At our Easter gathering…  there were no chocolate bunnies.  Or peeps…  or pastel Hershey Kisses.  There seldom are.

Isn’t it funny how families develop certain traditions and ways of doing things.  We become familiar with each other, and with these ways.  Like being true to Hellmann’s mayonnaise.  Or banning double-dipping.  Perhaps it is using Crest toothpaste, or going bowling on Sundays after church.  Or the toilet paper on the roll over the top.

But back to this Easter photo.  We DID eat a bunch of hard boiled eggs and beets.  All pickled up.  Then we did the Chicken Dance to celebrate.

It is what families do.  Well.  Maybe not ALL families.  But….. our family.

Yep.  We get together and eat puce colored eggs.   And smile for cameras.

And then.  We wrap up the day with the Hokey Pokey.  Because.  That’s what it’s all about.

 “Share our similarities.  Celebrate our differences.”  – M. Scott Peck

The King and Bob, decided to go for a canoe ride.

The creek was lovely this time of year.  Lovely.   So off they went.  The ride was fine.  Fine indeed.

Both of them grew hungry.  So.  They stopped on the east bank to enjoy their packed lunch.

They ate marshmallow-fluff sandwiches, easy-cheese on saltines, and Tang.  Oh what a day.

And after a long talk, they decided to be on their way.
The King thought Bob had the paddle.
Bob figured the King picked it up.

Alas… they were up that creek in the canoe.  Yet, the paddle was on the shore.

“Don’t stand up, for crying out loud.”  Bob said.
But the King stood anyway.

The little boat rocked back and forth rather forcefully.

They both fell in to the creek … and the canoe drifted out of sight.

It was a good thing the city bus would be by any minute now.
Yes.  They could catch the bus.

And those wheels on that bus go round and round.

Press on. Obstacles are seldom the same size tomorrow as they are today.
-R. Schuller

Ahhhh.  The Good Old Days.

I long for the days of old in a lot of ways.

TV, for instance.  Every time I flip on the television, and I see some other version of Dancing with the Bachelor in American Idol Swap….  I long for The Carol Burnett Show, or Mary Tyler Moore.  I want to watch All In The Family or M*A*S*H.  I would love to see an episode of Bewitched, or even The Muensters.  Lucille Ball… where the heck are you?

Yes, that is just one way I miss the yesteryear.

I want the good old fashioned peanut butter and jelly sandwich on Wonder Bread, all smooshed up in a little baggie… because you crammed the lunch bag into your school desk, under your math book… along with your little stash of animal crackers… or Fritos.  Yep.

Ohhhhh…..  Typewriters.  Gas Station Attendants.   Mailboxes on street corners.  The pink slime on McDonald’s Hamburgers.

Telephone cords that stretched all the way across the entire kitchen.

Elmer’s Glue…. for everything.

And then there were the old computers… the kind where you had to summon two of your co-workers when the thing froze up.  The three of you had to simultaneously stand on the Control + Alt + Delete keys to get it going again.

Yesssirrrreeee.  Those were the days, my friend.  Those were the days.

But.   As they say.  The past is behind us.   Like it, or not.  There’s no turning back the hands of time.  And here we are.  Right here.  Right now.

I think it is better to like it…. than to not.

“What you need to know about the past is that no matter what has happened, it has all worked together to bring you to this very moment. And this is the moment you can choose to make everything new. Right now.” – Author Unknown

They could not agree on much of anything.

But of course.

They were comparing Apples and Oranges.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.” – Audre Lorde

“If we cannot now end our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity.” – John F. Kennedy

Sometimes, in life… hitting the bullseye isn’t really all that important.  Sometimes…. all that really matters… is that you aimed for the tree.

And with that.  An old story for you.

~~~~~~~—–~~~~~~~~~

A duke was hunting in the forest with his men-at-arms and servants.

He came across a tree. Upon it, archery targets were painted and smack in the middle of each was an arrow.

‘Who is this incredibly fine archer?’ cried the duke.’I must find him!’

After continuing through the forest for a few miles he came across a small boy carrying a bow and arrow. Eventually the boy admitted that it was he who shot the arrows plumb in the center of all the targets.

‘You didn’t just walk up to the targets and hammer the arrows into the middle, did you?’ asked the duke worriedly. ‘No my lord. I shot them from a hundred paces. I swear it by all that I hold holy.’

‘That is truly astonishing,’ said the duke. ‘I hereby admit you into my service.’ The boy thanked him profusely. ‘But I must ask one favor in return,’ the duke continued. ‘You must tell me how you came to be such an outstanding shot.’

‘Well,’ said the boy, ‘first I fire the arrow at the tree, and then I paint the target around it.’