[Dailydrool] Thanks, and a long post from a bored old dude.

[Alan Folsom]

It's been about a year since I first started reading the drool, and 
eleven months exactly since Ginger came to live with us.  (her gotcha 
day is March 2nd, and is in the calendar for that day).

I want to thank all of you for the wisdom, wit, and family you've given 
me.    I can't count the valuable information I've gotten, or the laughs 
I've had from Nigel, Lewis, Elwood, Clara and all the gangs.  My wife, 
who thinks I'm nuts about all this, asks about the latest adventure of 
the Brudder and all his friends two or three times a week.   I have to 
admit there have been times when I've stopped reading the Drool for a 
few days because I couldn't keep back the tears for everyone's losses, 
but eventually I'm back.

Two weeks ago I performed an unplanned ballet (not a prety sight when 
you envision a 6'7" 300lb 55 yo bearded dude) on the ice outside of 
where I  was working, and now face at least six more weeks of not being 
able to put weight on a badly broken ankle.   Since then Ginger has been 
unwilling to leave me, sleeping on the sofa with me, or across my lap 
when watching TV.  She knows I'm hurting, and is helping as best she 
can.  The cutest is when she sits in front of the couch and plays a VERY 
gentle game of Alligator-Mouth  with me, knowing I can't run and play 
any more strenuously than that.  I hear a lot on the Drool about the 
OEBE, but not much about the BABES.  Despite Ginger's taste for yellow 
pencils, I think she is deserving - she's been a very caring nurse.

If anyone can spare some drool, I'd appreciate it if you could sling it 
towards my sister, in Sulfur Kentucky.   She lives on a small farm about 
a mile up a narrow dirt road.  She also can't resist taking in and 
adopting any stray or injured animal she comes across.  Since the storms 
first started she has been off her farm once - when she managed to get 
out and get animal food!  That  time she couldn't make it back up the 
driveway, and ended up hauling the food the last half mile or so b y 
herself, over several trips.  Among all the other animals she has, there 
is a litter  of 7 week old puppies, who want nothing more than to play 
constantly and poop all over her house.  She's going stir-crazy, and 
it's snowing again  today.

On the subject of animals mourning, our six year old beagle mix, Alfie, 
went into a total funk when we had to send Pepper, our 17 year old 
huskey cross, to the bridge about a year ago.  She was blind, deaf, 
incontinent, and couldn't have been much fun, but he missed her.  He 
acted like an old man.  This lasted until Ginger came into our lives, 
about a month and a half later.  At first he was suspicious, but the 
next thing I knew he was learning the basset 500, laying  on his back 
tossing toys into the air, and generally acting like a puppy again.

Thanks again all.

Al, Ginger, Alfie, and Pepper ATB.