Casey's Just Sayin'

hug your puppy for me That first afternoon, a warm valley day Into the heat of the Haven Humane The scent of desperation in the air The kids were bright and hoping she'd be there From a litter of four or five, we picked Girl who stuck snout through prison bars and licked Little brown ball lifted into the air And we brought home our sweetie Hanna Bear Hard to believe that was fifteen years past So unfair that our companions don't last She brought laughter, love and life to the air Impossible that once she wasn't there We watched her grow before our very eyes Our affection seemed to swell with her size Like a deer she could spring into the air Whether chasing squirrels or leaping at hares Too soon body began to let her down Never forgot the time she almost drown Now with her gone there's stillness in the air Though, I swear, I still feel our Hannah Bear Thanks for reading. I don't think I'll write anymore tonight. Cheers, Casey

sometimes there is no direction to avoid disaster Some days are different than others. It's possible that, in 24 short hours, the following can occur: the wheels are coming off this thing My Love's car breaks down out of town. (Found a great mechanic to fix it thanks to a kindness from the tow guy. If it had broken down when my love and daughter were traveling north to Ashland on Saturday, they would have missed their play and likely been stranded in the middle of nowhere.) our Hannah Bear Our pet of fifteen years passes away. (She is no longer in any pain. We have fifteen years of wonderful memories.) ouch Got a short-story rejection. (An opportunity to send this publication another story and submit the one they turned down to someone else.) freakin' freaky Mud Daubers found in the garage. (There's no lemonade here.) All of these things can and did occur, all at once. And if I didn't have my love and my kids I don't know how I would have survived it. Thanks for...