Playing It Safe

Blogging Friends: Well, it is that time again, a rare day that only comes around every now and then. When superstitious people literally believe in bad luck. It is Friday the 13th!! Yep!! As someone who is oddly fascinated by superstition, yet does not believe in any of that nonsense, I love Friday the 13th!! I look forward to it!! I embrace and celebrate Friday the 13th!! I know, I know.... I'm weird!! Anyway, happy Friday the 13th, Blogging Friends!!

In light of this rare opportunity I, of course, have an appropriate story--about Rose--to write!! My girl is a seemingly cautious canine. She's afraid of long stick-like objects. The vacuum cleaner cord terrifies her. She is absolutely opposed to toy guns.... Especially our dart-shooting Nerf weapons!! Rose grows visibly uneasy around those!! I have even jokingly referred to her as my "pacifist", like she's a human being who strongly dislikes war!! When, in reality, Rose is just worried about being shot at!! Poor girl.... Also, she would make an unfit flyball dog, due to a fear of tennis balls being thrown in her direction!! Not that I mind, or anything!! There is apparently zero traces of Retriever within my Mystery Dog's DNA!! I accepted that fact gladly a long time ago!! She does not even play with balls!! Nope!! She ignores them. Honestly!! Whenever my youngest brother--Uncle Michael to Rose--and I partake in our own version of baseball together, she flees. Seriously. Flees!! Usually toward our patio, because it is well out of the way from hitting range!! Safe. For the most part!! Not that I blame Rose. When Uncle Michael hits my pitches, he aims either high or hard!! I mean it. Hard!! I have been bruised by Uncle Michael's hits. On my shin. Chest. Abdomen. Head. Pretty much wherever the ball can soar, going at least 100 miles-per-hour, like bullets from an Army tank, I have been hit!! Farfetched? I do not think so!! It is just a good thing that we use tennis balls, rather than what real Major League players hurl/hit with!! Obviously, they are softer!! Rose's "plan" once reaching our patio, is to sneak back inside. That would be ideal!! So Rose stands at our sliding glass door, her front paws propped upon a little step, as if willing it to open!! The other day, she was in luck. We were enjoying ourselves a nice sunshine-touched Spring afternoon. So the sliding glass door was open to allow some welcoming fresh air inside!! Once Uncle Michael and I began our baseball "game", as usual, Rose fled. Initially, she walked toward the patio. Then, through our wide-open sliding glass doors Rose stepped. Inside. Toward safety. Toward freedom from dangerous flying tennis balls!! Where only good luck awaited her....