The Gadfly's Personal Notes
By Mike McCarville

Ties That Bind: Grandson Mike and his fiancee, the lovely Brandi, tie the knot today. Nothing fancy. Family, with Brandi's grandfather, a minister, officiating. The house they are building in eastern Oklahoma County on five acres will be done in  60 days or so. Both are gainfully employed. Mike is filing to adopt Brandi's 6-year-old daughter, with whom he has established a solid relationship. Funny how spending time together on the banks of a fishing pond and taking in a movie now and then builds trust and love. We've gained a granddaughter-in-law and our first great grandchild. Life is good.

Pinky: This photo shows a female who claims to be my oldest daughter with Jack True, senior deacon of her church, doing her best to sell a program for ladies. Where "Pinky" came from, I have no idea, but Shelli does a right fine impersonation of that Southern Belle (and dare I add "wearing trailer trash hair" to that?).

Tough Bug: The pneumonia I was fighting two weeks ago vanished under assault from an antibiotic. Or so we thought. Five days after coming off the antibiotic, it was back with a vengeance. Yet another trip to the doctor. Back on the antibiotic. The pneumonia vaccine (had my injection last fall) does not, Good Doctor says, prevent "CAP," or "community acquired pneumonia." That means I came in contact with a bug somewhere and, being susceptible (this is my third go-around with double pneumonia) to respiratory infections, I fell prey. Let me light up again while I ponder the significance of 55 years of smoking.

Trained: Resident Papijack Shadow has now been a member of the family for five or six weeks, and is making great progress. He can catch his little animal, "Porky," in mid-air and loves to play catch and fetch with it. He will give me a nose-to-nose "kiss" on command and, best of all, does his outdoors business on command. As he's settled in, he's become a bit more aggressive (a far cry from the cowed dog you see here on his first trip to the vet); for three weeks, he barked not once. Not so anymore, but it's not become a sore point. The more I watch this animal, the more Jack Russell Terrier I see in him. The Papillion half of him is kicked back, loves being scratched and patted. The JRT part of him goes after the mole in the backyard, chases birds and squirrels, loves to drag items out of the bedrooms into the living room and deposit them at my feet, tends to get underfoot and turns into a hyper whirlwind when someone comes to visit. We're working on that behavior. Ann says I have spoiled the dog; not so. It is pure happenstance that I hit PetSmart twice a week now.

Share |