Not Really Dead

I do respite care, which means I watch over and take care of, a boy with autism. Since he loves playing in water, it makes sense that he plays in the ditch in front of my house. If I have to go inside for something, I'll sometimes watch him from my window for a minute. Once I returned something to my next-door-neighbor, but stood at the door so I could check on him.

He doesn't just dabble the water with his fingers. He'll sit in the shallow water, and sometimes lay his head in it to let the cooling water flow through his hair.

Twice I've had people stop their cars to check on him, thinking he might be dead. I quickly assure them that he's having fun.

I understand how they feel, though, because I have the same reaction when I see our 17-year-old cat.

What would you do if you saw this on your front lawn?

"Our" vs. "Are"

What the hey? I've seen words like "their," "there," and "they're" mixed up, and I only recently discovered how to use "whom," but this sign made me stop and read it again... and again... and then take an incredulous picture!

It should read, "Our tanning beds are out of order. Sorry."

Do misspelled signs make you stop to read them twice? Or do you just skip over them and go your merry way?

The Lady Who Saved My Son's Life

Happy birthday yesterday, Michael!

When this strapping young man (what does "strapping" mean, anyway?) was three years old, I took him with me to an evening Cub Scout meeting at the church house. When he got restless, I asked his older brothers to watch him while I finished my meeting. Afterward, I found my older sons playing in the gym, but didn't see Michael.

When his brothers told me they didn't know where he was, we split up to search the building and church grounds. I became so frantic that I was headed to the phone to call the police when I heard Janice Ray ask, "Is he yours?"

I turned around to see her holding Michael by the hand.

I ran to pick up Michael. Hugging him, I tearfully asked, "Where was he?"

"At my house," Janice said. "I heard the doorbell, and when I opened the door, I couldn't see anyone at first. Then I looked down, and there he was."

Janice lives on Main Street, more than half a block from the church.

Michael remembers walking along the sidewalk, trying to go home, when he saw a house with a "ding-dong bell." Wanting to push the button, he went up onto the porch and pressed it several  times.

Janice had the presence of mind to walk him back to the church to see if he belonged to anyone there.

He certainly did.

To this day, they have a special connection. Whenever Michael sees Janice, he says, "There's the lady who saved my life."

Have you ever lost someone, or been lost yourself? What did you do?

Cats Suffocating Babies Tale?

Have you ever heard of cats getting into cribs and smothering babies? Have you wondered if it's an Old Wives' Tale?

IT IS!

Here is proof positive that cats smother teenagers, not babies!

(By the way, Michael loves his cat, and his cat is just giving him a hug...on his face...but Michael doesn't care.)

My sister doesn't like cats because she can't stand them rubbing against her legs. My current family likes cats.

How about you? Do you like them or not? If not, I wonder why? Is it learned? Or did you have some anti-cat experience in your life?