Never Underestimate the Talents of Mr. Growly
I never thought Friday could be the protective type. After all, that’s why people who buy dogs for protection buy German Shepherds and Pit Bills, not their shorter, stockier brother the Basset Hound. He growls alright and puts on a good show when provoked, which would make a stranger think that he has every capability of sinking his canines into someone’s leg, but we know him better. His barks are loud with an air of tried intimidation and the growl is high and playful.
The other morning I woke early, when it was still dark outside. Before my shower, I went downstairs to get a glass of water and admire the grand accumulation of snow that stressed the pine trees outside our windows. While sitting in the dark, I heard Friday saunter out of the bedroom and take his usual post on the second-to-top stair, watching over the apartment. I assumed that he saw me sitting there or at least was aware of my presence, but looking back I realize that I was just perfectly hidden behind the large lamp shade that overhangs the sofa. I leaned forward a bit, looking closely at something outside and then I heard it. Like the long, low, earthy growl you hear from a dog in a Stephen King movie, a preliminary warning erupted from Friday’s throat. Ironically, it was enough to paralyze me a bit at first, wondering if my dog would come bounding down the steps in Cujo-like fashion. And my silence provoked another warning, just as low and brewed from the depths of his gut and I was certain that had I turned around, I might have seen a toothy grin in the dark. Until finally, I raised my voice to a non-offensive, sing-song tone and assured him that it was just me that was in his space and that all was okay, after which I heard the familiar thunk-thunk of his tail hitting the step. It seems that Mr. Growly might be capable of defending his territory after all.

posted by paula 9:50 AM

Saturday unveiled another event that is added to our list of ‘Where were you whens' that mark our lives and serve as significant moments in our timelines. Our history, both as a nation and as a world, defines ourselves according to these events and although more often than not they are tragic and destructive, they serve as progress and evolution for humankind. They are wars and peace. They are death and life. They are the building of bridges and the collapse of walls. They are icons and idols, serving as testaments to our times.

Although we as people believe in many different ideologies, many different religions and many different theories, the awe and wonder that is our heavenly skies is one of the singular threads that ties us all together. We are different, but we are one, all living under the same stars; the same sun and moon. Regardless of our religious orientation, we all look to space and contemplate our size and place in this universe and whether something greater than us is responsible for creating the enormity and beauty that is our heavens. To have lived and seen the stars and planets -- including our own -- from a view that the rest of us only get to see from our televisions and computers seems unimaginable and surreal. To have lived a dream that we have dreamt since we were young is to know that we have perhaps reached a fulfillment that others will continue to strive for. To have died exploring that space and sky, in some cases not once but twice, puts us at a great peace knowing that those on the space shuttle Columbia may have understood a greater purpose than some of us will ever know.

posted by paula 8:57 AM

Wow. Amazing how upset some people get. What's ironic is that most people found this auction by looking for wreckage from the space shuttle Columbia.

posted by paula 12:27 PM