Dogmatic

   Really? I read where it is now illegal to leave your dog in a cold car, as well as a hot one, where they could most surely die. But how cold would it have to be for a dog to freeze to death if left in an unheated vehicle.  Well sure, if for an extended time period, like overnight or for days and days. But most dogs are very capable of coping with cold weather, and many enjoy and prefer it. Our dogs, all 3 consecutive collies, delighted in the snow. They were long-haired of course, and bred to be outdoor animals, so common sense should prevail.
   My high school science teacher often declared that the term common sense should be replaced by simple sense. There is nothing common about it.You can predict that on any chilly day, some good-intentioned person, lacking sense of either the common or simple variety, will break a car window to rescue a dog who is in danger of being subjected to the cold.
    Perhaps there should be a law mandating that  dogs unsuited to climate variations be kept in their native lands. Keep those Chihuahuas in Mexico, or wherever they originated.  As for dog clothes, dogs do not like wearing clothes, or booties either. That's why, unlike humans, they're covered with fur, and are able to lick their feet.
   It seems, kind of like the last days of Rome, our society is deteriorating to the point of a lack of distinction between humans and animals, particularly dogs. Though there was the recent case of a man, probably in Florida, having regular sex with his pony. That's against the law, I gather, though who knows what the pony would say.  It is now usual and accepted for people to take their dogs to bed, and it would be rare to confirm the crime of bestiality. Let sleeping dogs lie.  But people regularly, and publicly, kiss their dogs on the mouth, and allow dogs to put their mouths on the mouths of their babies and children. Dogs have no more germs than humans, they say. But dogs will willingly eat birdpoop, and even worse, catpoop. And did you ever see the ecstatic expression on the face of a dog who's rolling on his back over a dead and decaying animal carcass.  Almost any dog would remove his doggie sweater for that fetid opportunity.
 

Neti-pot

I'm sorry to hear of the neti-pot related death, but it should come as no surprise. When Dr. Oz demonstrated its use several years ago, I almost died of disgust.

Gas-shopper

   I've wondered why there are  frequently cars lined up at Stewart's to fuel their vehicles when the station down the street has lower prices and seemingly fewer customers. Now I read, on the reliable source of Facebook, that the station further down the street has had cars damaged with water-contaminated gasoline, which they won't reimburse for. What to believe. What to do...

Thruway Authority

   I just read that a tollbooth worker in Herkimer was arrested for stealing funds from the Thruway Authority. It triggered a memory of my driving home from Herkimer, one of many times from our meetings over 15 years.
    This particular day, I was alone entering the thruway booths, and because the booth there, and then, was rather isolated and far to the left of the lane  I was driving in, I assumed there'd be another closer to me before I got on the Thruway. But no, there was only the one booth, and I'd already passed it. Too late.
     All during my drive home, I was recalling horror stories of what became of drivers who skipped getting their ticket. Some say you have to pay the entire length of the Thruway, rumors said it was a criminal act, etc. Whenever a trooper car showed up in my rearview mirror, I foresaw being pulled over and charged with who-knows-what. Could they track cars who'd sneaked on and who didn't have a ticket. I worried all the way.
    I would normally have exited in Albany, but I decided to lessen my penalties by getting off at the Amsterdam exit. I knew it was not as busy as Albany, and figured my situation might not be as traumatic.
   I pulled up to the booth and told the attendant I didn't have my ticket. "Where did you get on?" was his question. I said Herkimer, and he said that would be $2.50. I paid him and that was that.

Fuel for Afterthought

   Today I received a bill for fuel oil delivery, $210.65 for 48 gallons of #2 heating oil at $4.29 per gallon.  I had called when the fuel was delivered on Nov. 28 because I'd cancelled deliveries back in March, saying their price was too high. When I called, the rep said she didn't know how to handle the issue, so she would check and someone would call me back.
    Of course, no call came,  and I received the bill for the full amount today. I called again, explained, and the rep said she would have to contact a supervisor and get back in touch with me.  I said that  would be fine, told her I could come up with an equitable solution, but would gladly wait to hear. She asked me what my suggestion would be. I said I'd pay what I'd arranged to pay with my new supplier. She, seemingly somewhat relieved,  said that sounded like a good solution, and she'll send me a revised statement. She added that they didn't want to lose a customer and that they  have a variety of payment options for the future.
  Who knows what happens next.

The Fugitive

   One August morning in 1967, I drove to Dave's apartment on Massachusetts Avenue in Colonie, and we set off for a day trip to Niagara Falls. I've been there several times since then, but this was my first trip there and the most enjoyable. We were young and totally unencumbered and spent a glorious day there.
    We left Niagara Falls at the end of the day, later than we'd anticipated. It was dark by then and it suddenly came to us that  we may not get back to a television set in time to watch my favorite TV show, The Fugitive.  The show aired at 10:00 p,m., and it was to be the season finale, the wrap-up with Detective Girard ending his search.
   Dave never minded driving fast and we were in my 8-cylinder Chevrolet SuperSport convertible, making good time.  We were flying when  Dave, observing in his rear-view mirror said, "There's a cop following us."  He wasn't stupid enough to try to outrun the cop, but he cut his speed, and changed lanes, maybe more than once. Somehow, exiting the Northway onto Central Avenue, the cop either lost sight of us or gave up the pursuit. Either way, he'd never used his siren.  Maybe he too wanted to watch the conclusion of The Fugitive,
   We pulled into the driveway exactly at 10 o'clock, and raced up the stairs to Dave's apartment just in time to see the entire episode.
   The one-armed man had been brought to justice, and the Fugitive was a free man. So much fun.
 

Of Yore

  In the faculty room, the seasoned teacher of English was frustrated by students' misuse of the words "affect" and "effect." 
   "It's simple," he declared.  "While the word effect can be both a noun and a verb, the word affect is always a verb."
    I ventured to say that the word affect can also be a noun.  He disagreed, rather vehemently, and strode to the bookshelf in the corner of the room, took down the Webster's, and looked up the uses.  The conversation came to a sudden end with his comment of a single word-----"G*#@DAMMIT!"
 
  The high school Social Studies teacher, who didn't teach spelling, noticed that for several years many of her tenth grade students were consistently misspelling the word Australia, inserting an extra i before the l. 
   The reason came to light when my son, who knew how to spell when he was in third grade, told me his teacher gave the class a hint as to how to spell Australia. She told them:"Remember, there's a TRAIL in Australia."
    As testament to the teacher's effectiveness, many of her students used her spelling mnemonics tip at least seven years later, and probably to this day.
   The good old days.