Category: Interesting

Yep. It was Wednesday, August 5^th. I got home about 7 PM, grabbed the mailbox key, hooked the leash to my friend, and proceeded to walk to the mailbox. I’ve done this evolution virtually every day for three and a half years.

Last night there was nothing in the mailbox, so we headed home.  We passed two children with sticks. OK, they were more like small branches, that they were hitting on the asphalt. Bobby, my friend, didn’t like the noise so he avoided the children. Then we passed two ladies talking in the middle of the street. As was my habit, I was video chatting with my girlfriend during the walk.

My girl had just handed the phone to her three-year-old niece when I saw him. A pit bull passed me on the left side, almost brushing against my leg, and grabbed my dog by the head and neck. He then shifted to biting my dog’s right rear leg. The pit bull lifted my dog, all 16 pounds, right off the ground. I screamed “Let go” and tried to grab the pit bull on the side of the mouth. No way was I putting my hand inside his mouth; not that there was room.

Someone tried to get the dog to release mine, but it would not. After about four tries, the pit bull released my dog’s leg. As the pit bull let go of my dog I heard someone say, “this is the third time he’s done that.”

I knew the instant that I saw the injury and heard his cries of pain that he wouldn’t make it… but you hope anyway.

I needed to get him to a doctor. I carefully picked the dog up, being sure not to put any pressure on his mangled leg. I made the comment that “I am probably going to have to put him down.”

The dog’s owner said, “I probably will have to do that too.”

I noticed that there was blood across Bobby’s stomach from the teeth puncturing his belly. We started walking home. A man that I never turned to look at, offered me a ride home. I declined and kept walking. 

As we had left the house earlier, I noticed that my neighbors were in the yard. As we started to pass their property on the way home, I called out as loud as I could “Will.” No response. I went a bit further and called again. No response. As I rounded the corner and headed for the driveway I called again. “Will! I need help.” At that point, he came out of his house. As I got closer to him, I said, “Bobby just got attacked by a pit bull. I need help.”

Will and his wife came out to help. His wife got a towel and they had me sit in the passenger seat of their car. The towel was placed in my lap, and then I lowered Bobby gently onto my lap. I was careful not to put any pressure on his leg. Will got his cell phone and I got mine. We tried desperately to find a veterinarian to help—remember all these places are closed after 5 PM. Both local vets were out of town and too far away to help.

As this was going on, Will said that there was a green pickup at my house. I told him that it must be the owner of the other dog. Will spoke with him briefly but I don’t know what was said. Will came back to his house, and we continued dialing for help.

After about 20 minutes of futility, Will found a 24-hour emergency pet clinic. The bad news was that it was an hour and a half driver away. With no other alternatives, we headed to the clinic in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

As he got in the car, Will tried to pet Bobby on the head. Bobby yelped. This was where he was first bitten and it hurt him. There was saliva from the other dog on various parts of his head and neck. As we began our journey, I removed his walking harness. Yes, my dog was on a leash and within two or three feet of me when attacked. We were on the opposite side of the street from where the other dog lived.

I found a place to scratch him just behind his front leg. Will had made a comment that Bobby was in shock, and I think he was right. About halfway to our destination, Bobby began panting and his respiration changed. It was subtle but noticeable. After a while his panting stopped. Every once in a while, I had to adjust Bobby because of speed changes and some turns cause his weight to shift slightly. The entire trip he never made a sound; not even a whimper.

And yes, Bobby was always this quiet. Never once in the ten years that we had him as a pet, did he ever bark at another animal that barked at him first. Only once did he ever respond in a defensive manner to any human. The guy that triggered his ire was a smelly, drug addicted, homeless man that jumped out of the bushes and headed towards my wife and I one day back in Elk Grove. Bobby didn’t like that guy, and we felt that his response was justified. Other than the homeless guy, Bobby only wanted to make friends and get tummy scratches. He knew no fear or to be afraid.

Will finally got us to the vet hospital. It was near the Toyota dealer where I had traded Sheryl’s Jeep last year after nobody could fix the vehicle’s death rattle. He let me off at the front door and then went to get a parking place.

I couldn’t open the door enough to get inside. A lady came from behind the counter and opened the door for me. My first surprise was how busy this place was. The majority of seats in the waiting area were filled with other people and their pets. I told the lady that my dog was attacked by a pit bull.

A man came out of the back room to get Bobby. He wasn’t paying attention to Bobby’s injury, and I refused to hand the dog to him. I explained, no, you can’t hold him like that because his leg was injured. It took two tries but finally the guy was willing to hold Bobby in such a way that he didn’t touch the injured leg. I was told they would check his vitals and report back. A short time later I heard him yelp.

Then a long period of time lapsed. Finally, I was asked if I would allow them to give Bobby some pain meds and I agreed. A short time later, they also mentioned x-rays and wanted authorization. I was thinking to myself, it’s about time.

I knew when the x-rays were happening. The sickening and very long yelps from Bobby were unmistakable cries of pain and anguish. Three times he cried out. I was heartbroken. Remember, this was after they gave him pain medicine.

I had kept Will with me most of my time there. I wanted him around for support and also as a witness. He had let me know that this was not his first rodeo when it came to the dogs in his care. He had just had to deal with euthanizing one of his dogs about six weeks ago.

Another long period elapsed. Finally, the verdict was in. The doctor met Will and I in an examination room. He explained Bobby’s situation like this: his leg was not broken, but the hip joint in the pelvic region was a mess. Unlike humans with a ball and socket joint, the dog’s leg is attached by connective tissues, ligaments, muscles, etc. This joint was destroyed. If he set the leg, it would not be enough. It would be easy to come out again. Bobby would need surgery right away with no guarantee of success. If he had the surgery, he would have limited use of the leg and be in pain for the rest of his days. Walking, going up steps, getting into and out of my bed, which were things that happened many times each day, would all be painful and hazardous for him. In short, Bobby would never be the same again.

Oh, the leg setting would be about $2,000 and the surgery would be as much as $6,000. I imagine that there would be other costs as well, but they weren’t discussed. Folks, injuries like this are a financial rabbit hole that most mortals just can’t afford to go down.

In addition, they never checked Bobby for other injuries, but I suspect they could have found them had they checked.

A few months ago, some people in my church discussed this very subject. They ran up a bill for their pet in excess of $11,000 and the pet died despite the extraordinary treatment. Imagine you did all that for your pet, it dies, and you still get to pay the medical bills. Is that the reminder of your Fluffy that you want? I doubt it.

So, I knew what was coming but not the particulars. That was the thing I noticed about my wife’s death as well. You knew the final outcome but the path to get there was unexpected. Life is not the simple, linear progression that you see in movies and popular novels.

After explaining that Bobby’s quality of life would be crap and that I couldn’t really afford to help him, the decision was obvious. But it was mine to make.

My wife made her own decision to end it all when she quit using oxygen and stopped eating. Either would kill her, but both made it a matter of days until her end. At that point it was just a matter of running out the clock. However, this decision about Bobby was on me.

I spoke with Will and then I asked how it would be done. I was told there were two injections and it was quick. I then asked to be with Bobby when it happened. They asked if I needed time with him? I responded just a minute.

Bobby was given an IV setup and then brought into the examination room. The lady had two syringes with her. I petted him on the neck and nose. I told him that I love him. I thanked him for being my friend. I told him that I would miss him. I prayed that God would somehow let Bobby be with Sheryl. He was a blessing to both of us. I noticed that his eyes were very dilated. I was told it was from the previously administered pain killers.

After a quick goodbye, I told the lady that she could give him the injection. Within ten seconds or so, his head went slowly to the table. He went limp. 20 seconds after the injection, Bobby was dead.

She checked him with a stethoscope and confirmed that he was gone. She wrapped Bobby in a clean blanket and brought him to us at the rear entrance to the clinic. It’s not good public relations to see dead animals leaving out the front door of your veterinary clinic, so we couldn’t be seen going that way to get in the car.

I could have had him cremated but I don’t believe in that for people so why do it to my puppy friend? No, I don’t confuse animals with people, but I wanted to honor him for the joy that he brought both of us and especially me after Sheryl died.

Will took Bobby from the lady and carried him to the hatch of his car. Bobby was placed on a soft blanket or something like that. The hatch was closed and we made the hour and one-half trek back to Bonners Ferry. The time was about 11:30 PM.

We arrived just after 1 AM. Will had indicated that he wanted to bury Bobby right then. He said don’t worry, the ground is easy to shovel. As he made the hole, I couldn’t help but think of all the old horror movies where one guy did the digging and the other holding a lantern, watched the fog for movement.

Once the hole was dug, I opened the blanket to get Bobby’s collar. It was easy to tell which end was his head. The body was still warm when I touched it. I closed the blanket back up and then lowered him in the hole about 5 feet from the only tree in my yard. It is an old gnarly apple tree. I silently said a few words over him including thanking God for the gift he had given us in this little dog. I took the shovel and covered the body of my friend. Will tidied up the grave and went home to bed.

I went inside and took a shower. I smelled musky like the excretions of Bobby’s anal glands.  At 2 AM I got into bed. I woke up at 5 AM. I was up for the day.

I could go on, but this is probably a good stopping point for documenting Bobby’s death.

Epilogue

I cried that night and often since because Bobby was the last part of my wife that I had left in my life.

My best friend, my puppy friend, was gone. The last part of my wife was ended. Sheryl is truly and completely gone now. My house is truly empty for the very first time ever. Bobby was the embodiment of all my happy memories with my wife Sheryl stuffed into a loving, furry body with four very short legs. Bobby was my reminder of the happy times in my marriage and also of my son when he was living at home; before he made stupid life choices. Bobby was my companion for the better part of ten years. He went almost everywhere with me except overseas. As the guy behind the camera, there are few, if any, photos of us together.

The vet told me to file a police report about the attack. Being this is rural Idaho; I have no idea if anything results from my complaint but there is a case number logged as a result of the attack. My dad suggested that I contact a lawyer and see if they can get me some compensation for the other guy’s homeowner’s insurance. I don’t know what that is supposed to be, but I did it. I made an appointment yesterday. When you are experiencing the trauma like this and have had only three hours of sleep, you follow what makes sense at the time.

Oh, Will paid the vet bill for me, and I must pay him back. Attorney Mario already picked my pocket this month, so I didn’t have the funds to pay the vet.

I think I told my tale accurately. I’m still suffering from a lack of sleep and the trauma of a most unexpected curveball thrown into my life.

Bobby’s beds, carrier, and toys have been washed. I will be donating most of his stuff somewhere or another in the next couple of days.

I really miss my bed buddy. It is really weird to get the whole mattress to myself. His reputation for hogging the blankets is legendary. He earned the name “chastity dog” because he kept my wife and I on opposite sides of the bed for many years.

Bobby was part of our family from his adoption at the rescue shelter on December 31, 2016, until his murder on August 5, 2026. I love you, my little friend. Well done. Thank you for being part of my life, and that of my family.

In preparation for some future activities, I have started a diet. I have a bunch of clothing in my closet that simply didn’t fit anymore. As stated in previous post, I lost 13 lbs. in July. As August begins, I am continuing to lose more weight. I am finally able to get back into large sizes as opposed to only extra-large. To celebrate I decided to move much of my clothing—the stuff that is way too large—to the closet in the spare room.

As my dog watched on, I emptied all my clothing from one dresser and a few drawers in the other onto the bed for sorting. Except for a small drawer of ties in the first dresser—most from Rush Limbaugh—that dresser is empty.

I am five pounds from the lowest weight that I ever had while being married. I hope to be back to that weight in about two more weeks. Oh, and yes, I plan to keep going even lower. Once I get back to the weight range that I was in while serving in the Navy, I will stop the diet and try to stabilize my calory intake.

Yes, I know that occasionally I take the big risk of telling my readers what has really been going on in my life. Most of my family just read posts like this to find excuses to get mad at me or offer unsolicited criticism. I write this stuff anyway because this is a personal blog and a way for me to record my experiences and feelings.

The following are not in order of priority or chronological order, just stuff that has happened recently.

My best Man from my wedding in 2003, had a heart attack about two weeks ago, and if not for someone present that was medically trained, he probably wouldn’t be on the planet any longer. He had a heart attack on Friday and a quadruple bypass about Tuesday of the following week. He is recovering. A lousy way to celebrate his birthday, but at least he lived to see another year.

One of my other good friends has a father that is approaching the end of his cancer journey, what a euphemism for saying that his dad’s expiration date is coming soon. My friend has a cascading number of difficulties from this and other things happening in his life. My brother, I love you and pray for you frequently. Call if you wanna talk.

My biological son has gone radio silent on me during the last few months. It’s nothing that I did. The woke mind virus has led him to a new religion that can’t tolerate Truth or the idea that God doesn’t make mistakes. He doesn’t answer my phone calls or text messages. His stepbrother says that he is still on the planet and walking upright. I guess Discord counts as proof of life in some circles.

My father-in-law’s girlfriend died a couple months ago. I text him a few times each week and we call about once a week. Sadly, there is little info that I can relay to him about his grandsons. He is keeping busy and adjusting to finding new things to do in life since his GF is gone. He is a likeable guy but is reluctant to yield his life to Christ.

This next one will cause people’s heads to explode. I offered yesterday to adopt a three-year-old child. Yep, really. Father is a gangbanger and mom is stuck as the sole supporter of both the husband and her child. Any money he gets reportedly goes to support his activities with friends including his use of illegal narcotics. (No word whether he likes spending her money on pepperoni pizza for his friends.) Yep, I’m leaving out lots of details but I’m offering mom and child both a new start in life. Understandably, she is reluctant to give up the child but it’s one of the few ways to deny her husband a claim on the child at any time in the future.

I have plans to use my passport later this year to see my girlfriend. Just be aware that my Facebook status is a lagging indicator of where things are in our relationship. ICE will be delivered but I need to pick up the pace in accumulating the 13 coins required to move things along. Oh, special note to Greg, it will take more than a basket of papayas to resolve the situation on this trip. I may need to trade her dad a cow.  (-: Yep, there is a backstory for these comments.

A few weeks ago, I almost got put on alert for evacuation due to a nearby fire. I was having flashbacks to the Paradise fire due to the wind and smoke that was hitting my area. I had half of the suitcase packed and a mental list of stuff to load in the car on the way out of town. The combination of wind and smoke drove the visibility to under a mile. I did plan to leave room in case I needed to get someone else across the bridge and away from the fire. The evacuation zone was three miles from my house. The size and amount of ash on the ground the following day was memorable. Only one structure, a barn, was reported lost. Lots of folks were evacuated to the fairgrounds right across the river from me.

My leak in the water filtration system is back again. It’s a cheap Chinese part that is used for air draws during the self-cleaning cycle that is run each day. The leak rate is steady at one drop every six seconds. Said leak is manageable, but I have no idea if it will get worse over time. I lack funds for repair until mid-August. It’s at least a three hour round trip for the service guy to drive here and back.

I applied for an absentee ballot for the November election. Ballots will be mailed on September 18. Plenty of time to do my civic duty.

I also made some changes to my will. Yep, exciting stuff. New executor and a new beneficiary, recipient, or whatever added. What’s that line from Star Wars about, “I am altering the deal. Pray I don’t alter it any further.” I will look again at revisions in 2027. The Trust will probably get a huge rewrite to reflect life choices.

Also, I am enjoying the wonders of another diet. Depending on what I use as a baseline, I can claim to have lost 13 pounds thus far in July. I’m five pounds away from tying my lowest weight in the last 30 years. I plan to keep going for a few months and see where I end up.

Oh, I am retiring my wife’s cell phone next week. It requires charging every four to six hours of use. The internal app claims the battery is fine, but it is not working as it should. I’m getting my first foldable phone. I hope I like it. I also got the new watch to go with it. I really like my Garmin, but it can’t tell when I’m awake or asleep. If I watch a movie before bedtime, it counts it as sleep time. If I’m awake at night it still counts it as sleep. Texting, chatting, and any other use of the phone in the middle of the night counts as sleep time. When I wake up in the morning and check my cell phone, it counts as sleep time until I literally remove the Garmin watch from my wrist.

Lastly, Bob, the love dog, is getting older and a bit slower. We still do two walks a day. Some mornings we go outside for bonus time in the yard. I don’t have a fence around the property, so I have to keep an eye on him or he wonders off.

Anyway, that gives you an idea of my summer thus far.

Oh, one last story. A random kid (about 20 years old) dropped by the church on a Thursday afternoon a few weeks ago. Thursday night I attend a Bible Study at the church. The guy leading the study is on staff at the church. The young man attended the Bible study. Following it’s conclusion, the leader announced that the kid needed a place to stay. It was one of those times when I knew it was my turn to do something, so I stepped up. I put the kid up in a hotel room.  At the time I was grumbling to God about the cost but did it anyway. The following Thursday, I learned the rest of the story.

The next week, the kid was at the Bible study with his wife and young child (about 7 months old). This is what happened as a result of me putting him in the hotel.

The Thursday night that I put him up in the hotel was literally the first night for the new managers of the hotel. As a result of me ponying up some money for one night at a hotel, the kid got a job working at the hotel. They even provided him with a place to live. Now he has his wife and son living with him. He is attending our church, and as an added bonus, the owners of the hotel are also attending our church. Wow.

When God tells you to do stuff outside of the box, go for it or miss a blessing that you can’t foresee.

This is another wild blog to write.  You likely read my blog about dating in 2026, well this puts a whole new spin on the relationship world these days.  Full disclosure: I am not married nor ever have been. 

This story starts with a very good friend of mine in a volunteer group. We were talking about relationships at an evert and my friend told me I need to put myself out more.  Likely out of concern but also that the older you get the more, uh let’s say baggage, appears in the dating scene.  His wife agreed. While their suggestion was for me to get a puppy which probably could work, except that I am gone from the house for about 12-14 hours a day, making that a nightmare scenario for fido.  So, their next suggestion was that I wear his wedding band when I’m out and about.  I at first thought the suggestion was kind of gay in nature, like would a girl let another girl wear their lingerie, seems odd?  But I said I would do it, somewhat regrettably.  Disclosure: my friend and his wife are not swingers they are married with 2 very young children.

So, heeding their advice, I wore my buddy’s wedding band to my gym at my next work out.  Boy was I reluctant but did it anyway.

Wow!

The results were unworldly.  I had two women openly hit on me while I was on the treadmill.  Oh, and I don’t consider a girl smiling or saying “hi” hitting on me by the way.  A third women gave me her phone number while I was at the squat rack.  While outside at the pool area doing farmer carries, two other women openly were hitting on me.  While laying out at the pool after working out, a “cougar” (I put her at around age 55) actually was openly propositioning me asking if I wanted some action.  I don’t know her motives, but I think the outside family bathroom (thanks Gavin!) locks from the inside, and we could have smashed there. 

Contrast this to my normal workouts, I have never, in 20 plus years of going there for my workouts, been hit on, at all. 

This was a wild ride that day. (OK “ride” might not be the best choice of words but anyway) for 1.5 hours I felt like an N’Sync or Backstreet Boys singer (I’m dating myself here. I know another sketchy word choice).  But to be honest, the women hitting on me made it clear that they weren’t wanting or desiring to be girlfriend material. 

This was during my work hours from 3:00-4:15 PM, so I believe this group to be stay-at-home mom/wife types.  These women were looking for a hook up, or maybe sex on the regular because they aren’t getting much or any from their husband.  All of these women expressing interest were definitely very attractive. I guess these babes were from a group that felt that “he is a married man and maybe I was looking for action on the side with a no tell agreement.”  I have no idea.  I will add cougar lady was very attractive and I did think she was going to, at one point, pull her bikini bottom to the side and offer to get it on in the cabana I was sitting in.

Oh, I didn’t wear the ring the following week…. Nothing but silence from the coeds.

The Chief

What a time to be alive.  Women at gyms or beaches in thong bikinis.  Women wearing leggings for every occasion.  Women basically not even covering their top anymore. Women often look like refugees from rap videos dressing like they just can’t wait to be exploited again. It’s wild.

Getting said modern women to go on a date with you, on the other hand, is no fun chore.

I will lay out several instances of mine (and one of my friend’s) to illustrate the issues in the dating pool.  William is/was not wrong with his description.

Servpro Chick: this attractive vendor came by my office every other month.  She would shoot the breeze with me and was, according to my office partner, “very flirtatious.”  I asked her out; yep, went on 3 dates with her.  If you’re wondering, I thought after that many dates we would end the evening in the bedroom, but on the verge of “scoring” she confessed to me that she was married and had 2 kids.  Yep.  Maybe she was trying to see if she “still had it” but wow, what a way to treat your household.

Chick from one office down the hall: We actually met at the gym, on the treadmills.  We spoke for about an hour.  Quite literally two days later, there was a mixer for all employees in the building where we work.  I saw her and went to speak to her; she acted like she didn’t know me.  Previously we had a normal conversation, and then she brushes me off. This struck me as odd, but in essence why waste each other’s time pursuing further.

Spartan race chick:  This one is truly bizarre.  We volunteered several times to prepare racecourses for various venues. It happened that we worked together for hours at a time on multiple occasions in the past 2 years.  She reached out to me in January and asked for my cell number.  Oh yeah, after some texting with her, suddenly she said I just want to be friends.  Again odd.  Who asks for someone’s number to be friends only?

Dating app guy: This is actually from a coworker of mine.  She matched with a guy on Hinge (dating app) and they had been texting each other.  A date was supposed to happen Friday night, it was subsequently rescheduled to Sunday due to his “work commitments.”  On Sunday, he ghosted her.  Monday morning she told me he “unadded” her or something on that dating app.  He then sent 3 messages to her saying she is “so beautiful and wanted a chance to make things up to her.”  Of course she refused, she also declared she would be deleting the app. 

There is a reason I do not do dating apps.  It seems like that universe is filled with people just wanting a hook up, weirdos, whackos like the guy above, and people who don’t look like their profile picture.  I’ve heard this enough that I believe this is the rule not the exception.  I would rather just sit out that whole exploitation routine.  As you can see, the dating pool is limited and not much hope anymore.  But boy is the scenery great at my fitness club!

The Chief

Editor’s Note: then there is the issue of whether said dating prospect has all factor equipment or aftermarket modifications. Yuck! Puts a whole new spin on trust but verify. Just sayin’.

Tomorrow marks one year since my bride died. She took her last breath about eight feet from where I’m sitting right now. I am reminded of her in random ways: smells, sounds, sights, and seasons.

One thing to know about my wife was that music was important to her. She liked the old Roger’s and Hammerstein musicals, opera, and classical compositions. Heck, her major in college was voice or vocal training if you prefer. She often sang at community events before I came along. She continued to sing during our marriage but got invited less frequently as the years went on. In later years, she sang at many funerals.

She and her children sang a song for me at our wedding.

It was a surprise that they sprung on me after the ceremony. As it was recounted to me, she and the children would practice singing it on the way to school in the morning. The song was, “If You Could See What I See” by Geoff Moore. The song became her ringtone for the entirety of our marriage. We’re not the only people to use the song during a wedding but it was special to me.

Oh, eventually my generic ringtone was “Holly Jolly Christmas” by Burl Ives. Each of the children earned their own ringtones too. Child #1 got “When the Saints Go Marching In” which was due in part to this child being a band nerd. Child #2 earned “Now that We’re Men” from the first Sponge Bob movie.

As good as my ringtones were, when each child was born, their mother assigned each a song. The song was mostly a bedtime thing. I don’t recall what the songs were. If I guessed, “Baby Mine” from Dumbo went to child #2. Child #3 was assigned a church hymn like “Amazing Grace” or something like that. Child #1, no clue what song it was although the wife was partial to classic Disney stuff.

I have a special place in my heart for the three songs listed below.

“The Warrior is a Child” by Twila Paris

“Touch of the Master’s Hand” by Wayne Watson

“Tell Me Again” by Geoff Moore

During my wife’s cancer and beyond, I frequently listened to “Stand by Me” by Darrell Mansfield.

Darrell has six or seven versions of the song that I have accumulated over the years. My favorite is from his album “People Get Ready” from 2009. It is a slightly edited version of “Stand by Me” from his live concert video released in 2008. Darrell Mansfield owns this song. He reclaimed it as the church hymn that it once was but stays with the tune made famous by Sam Cook. The video version of the concert is worth it just to watch this song and “Tell the Truth”.

One other song that deserves an honorable mention that has some musical hooks and lyrics that get my attention is “Things Left Unsaid” by Disciple. Many lines really sting when I listen to it, but a few don’t/didn’t apply to our relationship.

Here’s most of the lyrics presented in order.

It’s just a matter of time a few days ago
I saw you, you were fine
Remembering what you said
About the book you read
The one I got you
The Beginning of the End
Oh how we’d talk
For hours upon end
What I give
Just to do it again
But you’re lying there
In this hospital bed
Won’t you open you eyes
And let’s talk once again

If you fly away tonight
I want to tell you that I love you
I hope that you can hear me
I hope that you can feel me

Well I’ve been here all night
And I’m watching you
Breathe in and breathe out
Is it really you
Or just a machine
That’s giving you life
And it’s making it seem
That there could be hope
I could say to your face
If it weren’t for you
That there would be no grace
That’s covered my life
You took the time
To speak into my mind
And my heart
Words of life

If you fly away tonight
I want to tell you that I love you
I hope that you can hear me
I hope that you can feel me

So goodbye for now
And I’ll see you again
Some way, somehow
When it’s my time to go
To the other side
I’ll hold you again
And melt at your smile
Now all I have
Are the ones that I’m with
And you taught me not
To take for granted
The time that we have
To show that we care
Speak into their minds
And their hearts
While they’re here
And say I love you

If you fly away tonight
I want to tell you that I love you
I hope that you can hear me
I hope that you can feel me

I’m gonna call this post a wrap. I’m feeling spent just thinking about her last few hours of life. Disciple’s lyrics hit close to home and emotionally strike a chord with me as well. I’m sure you can find all the songs listed on YouTube or Amazon Music.

On my recent visit to the once golden state, I saw a behavior that I haven’t noticed before. The older folks purposely decided not to raise certain issues just to keep peace in the family. I think this was for their well-being and not mine.

My folks don’t talk about my girlfriend. My mom says she doesn’t want to hear about it but keeps bringing it up anyway. I took the hint and don’t tell her that we will get hitched in a few months. On this visit she kept asking me about my future plans. I gave her an evasive answer since she kept saying she didn’t want to hear about my friend. It was kind of weird.

She also kept talking about women that were previously married not wanting to do it again. No shit Sherlock. I learned that lesson on my trip to Ireland last summer. Somehow, she ignores it when I told her that during my last visit with them, but when she learns it from her friends, more recently, somehow its now true. Keep up with the group mom.

I’m past caring what my parents think about me getting married again. I don’t get why they suddenly care. They wanted me to divorce my previous wife because she was, in their opinion, a “bad mother.”

Essentially, my mom wants me to find a white girl with a bunch of baggage, personal and financial, and somehow that will lead to happiness. Sorry, I don’t want to marry someone that looks like my grandmother—or at least my memory of her. I also don’t want a babe that is Dave Ramsey’s worst financial nightmare.

I know a good deal when I see it. My girlfriend is someone worth pursuing. As I have said before, she checks all the boxes in what I say I want in my next wife.

My other quiet encounter concerns my father-in-law. It was understood that any discussion of a certain baby was verboten. When others brought the subject up, I just deflected. We both avoided the issue which was fine with me. I’m not a biological relation to the child or its parents so that was easy to take a pass on discussing.

So, there you have it, avoid certain topics and you can peacefully coexist, even when visiting family. The key is not to be totally honest and learn which things need to be withheld. They don’t want to know what’s really going on in my life. Check the things that promote drama at the door. Nobody knows everything I really did on my recent visit to California.

Lastly, unless someone ends up in the hospital or the morgue, I don’t plan another trip to the Left Coast this year.

By Chief, Johnnie Does, Jake the Snake, and Troll

In a very rare once in a lifetime situation, we had an emergency meeting of the blog staff sans William.  We met at a local pizza joint and are looking forward to Johnnie Does reviewing it.

We blog because we love it.

Look at the talent we have here at Reallyright.com

The Chief is our political blogger. He goes after both parties even calling out Donald Trump when he sees fit.  Chief even went after Aaron Park and rumor has it that Park couldn’t sit for a week due to the beating Chief put on him!  One thing is for sure; he takes zero prisoners! 

Real simple, do not tell me Jeb Bush is a squish and then sit front row at a fundraiser event in Reno. 

Johnnie Does is a wild man.  His food reviews have actually shut a couple of businesses down.  He actually got an Afghani place to quit using Frank’s Red Hot as a substitute for actual hot sauce.  The owner of Side Burn BBQ got into the comment section and tried to refute him, the place closed down in about a week.  Dickey’s BBQ has shut twice, one thing is for sure, if you like average BBQ go own or eat at a Dickey’s.  Iif Johnnie Does has the cannon aimed at you, pray for rain or mercy because it will not be good.

Jake the Snake is our resident “Catholic” we use air quotes because his blogging makes us wonder if he puts money in the collection basket or takes it out when the offering basket goes around.  He has never met a Pope he actually likes.  He is for sure not scared at all of calling out the Church for its misguided ways.  Jake will be spending a long time in Purgatory, look it up you heathens!  Transgender parents? No thanks.

Troll cannot be taken seriously.  Literally during this get together, he was reading a Playboy and smoking a joint.  He doesn’t take things seriously and we don’t take him seriously.  He has a love for Jennifer Aniston, Hope Hicks, Lolo Jones, and Angel Reese.  He does know smoking hot women, at least from afar.  We have a sneaky suspicion he has a thing for Lauren Bobert as well, to be continued. Troll loves nothing more than mocking folks, but he has not blogged recently.  He and Johnnie Does are going to be on a milk carton soon if they do not shape up.

Let us take a gander at what we have accomplished here on the blog.

As mentioned earlier, Johnnie Does has shut down a couple restaurants, he has talent.

The best thing this blog has covered was “Grapist” Dominic Foppoli. 

Folks the blogs went viral, we had record traffic on the blog.  We had an attorney threaten a lawsuit while naming his client in the comment section.  Full disclosure, we only named his first name, the attorney put his full name in the comment section, are you retarded?  Sure, he was not charged with a crime, but my reporting got the attention of the attorney representing the survivors, and a journalist at the local paper.  I was interviewed by both; my stories are credible.  William gave me a platform; we got a ton of views!  I make no apologies for my reporting or talents.

Thank you for your attention to this matter!

Blog Staff

Editor’s Note: we also used to have a contributor named Mr. X: the man with no name.

Mr. X went dark once the CRA faded away. I guess he ran out of windmills to tilt at or something. Maybe Mr. X, got mad when Twitter stole his online persona and claimed it as their own.