We Need To Pay Attention, For Their Sake

In the last week, I have heard several horrible stories about people letting animals suffer. One person watched a chihuahua die because it was in a small, backyard area with no shade and no water. Another person has started feeding the 3 cats who were abandoned by people who moved due to foreclosure. Walt and I are doing the same...we now have "Scruffy" (pictured in this blog), who comes around nightly with a beautiful, lyrical meow and has trained us quickly to come running with dinner. Scruffy even has a shaded mat and water bowl, but won't let us pet him yet. One final story with a better ending, a teacher friend of mine saw an old dog whimpering in an animal shelter, and a day away from euthanasia. She adopted the dog on the spot, took it home for pets and walks and comfort, and the dog lived four more happy, loved months.

Here is my soapbox speech - we need to be on alert and watch out for the animals in our neighborhood or the ones we see each day on our drive to work. And, if we see something suspicious, or signs of neglect, we need to call. Hey, you wouldn't let children get treated that way, so why let animals. The tough economy means that people might not be able to care for their pets, but they shouldn't have to suffer. Join me in a "neighborhood watch" for animals. If you can help even more by spaying or neutering, that is even better.

Sounds a bit crazy, but I truly believe animals are people too!! Feel free to email photos of your beautiful animals. Thanks for taking care of them, and thanks for listening.

Pet Peeves

I am home for the second day with a fever, headache, and cough - probably not swine flu, but it feels just as bad. Having said that, I find myself pondering things that tick me off. I see these errors daily from a lot of people. Here is the first in my series of SHEILA'S PET PEEVES:

1. Quit writing "alot". That is not a word. It is two words and should always be written "a lot". Put the space in and do it right!

2. Quit putting an apostrophe and an s at the end of plural words. There is no such thing and "Cup's are five cents extra" or "I have two dog's". An apostrophe does not serve to warn someone that an "s" is approaching. It is to signify that a letter has been removed, such as "It's going to be fine". If you want to write a possessive pronoun like "I want to see its picture" then you don't need an apostrophe.

3. Despite my use of quotation marks above, they are to signify when someone is talking, and not to emphasize words. I am sick of seeing ads on sides of trucks that say, "We bring the "service" to you". Service in not a quote. If you want to emphasize a word, write it in a bolder or an italicized font.

4. Learn the difference between loose and lose. Those are always being misused. You lose your keys and lose weight, and if you lose enough weight, your pants will be loose.

5. Finally, please learn from the Dan Quayle days. Tomato does not have an e at the end until you write about more than one tomato - tomatoes. Also, potato does not have an e at the end either, unless pluralized - potatoes.

Thank you for listening as I complain about grammar errors. It drives me crazy on a daily basis. I promise the next post will be kinder, and keep watching for more recipes of the week!