but wuh-wait until after youmakeoutwithher aaan-and take pictures for us, to tell her!

Yet another PPV Cellar fundraiser!

But look out... the ex's middle sister was relationship-free, AND played women's softball... but miraculously took up with a guy at age 50 and now they are hitched.

1) When I was a little kid I stole 6 cents from my sister. That was the only stealing I ever recall. A kid slipped me a stolen ice-cream bar at school once. I snuck the money into the till when no-one was looking.
2) I remember crying and talking to my dog when I was in middle school as he was the only being who understood me.
3) I gave the same dog the Heimlich when he was choking on a bone... and again when he retrieved it.
4) I was very afraid of girls.
5) I once ran a 5:15 mile... I was much thinner then.
6) I understand kids, adults not so much.

This is the kind of thing that makes me doubt my stance on dogs. I worry that maybe one or both of my kids will be the kind of kid who needs a dog. I grew up with two dogs (serial monogamy,) plus a rotating cast of cats, and never felt a deep emotional connection to any of them. I mean yeah, I cared in the sense that I certainly wouldn't want to see them hurt, but mostly we just cohabited. I'd hate to deny something important to my future angsty-middle-schoolers though...

One of my students got a cat last week. He needs to connect with some living thing as he has dealt with a lot of loss. I am a little worried for the animal but so far so good.

I probably couldn't care less about horses, but my wife grew up with them.
She claims that girls develop very special bonds with horses, and I do believe her.

And, for me, boys and dogs develop those kind of bonds too.
Maybe it connected them for their role of hunters in our past, I don't know.

As for cats...

I don't really buy into cats either.

On the dog thing, it's important to remember that man has bred dogs since forever so if you take your time you should be able to match your kids with a breed that has whatever qualities you think will help foster a connection. Some dogs will pester, some will be aloof, others will stay nearby waiting patiently for any scrap of contact.

If you're lucky, a cat will abuse you regularly rather than killing you outright.

1) I played the viola in school 1st chair
2) I love to look (sometimes buy) ugly [different] antique ceramics/porcelain
3) I love tools and working on mechanical things
4) When I was 15 I ran away to Florida for a week with a girlfriend.
5) My experience and views on dog breeding and exhibiting have been published in several books and in several languages.
6) My grandfather spent time in a German concentration camp for buying groceries to feed the Jewish families that lived on his street.

...and a C G D A to you too !

People who are into horses develop special bonds with their horse. I have known one or two lads who were mental about horses.

People who are into dogs develop special bonds with their dog. I am a dog person, I have been obsessed with dogs since I was knee high to a very small grasshopper. As a young lass, I was at my happiest when it was just me and my dogs. And that hasn't changed.

On the other hand I've never been all that drawn to horses.

But Dana, all Dwellars know you are the exception to many rules ;)

ha! True enough.

I think we have a romantic image sometimes around certain pairings: a girl with her horse/pony, a boy and his dog, etc.

The special bond is between a human and an animal. I don't think there's any real gender difference in how we relate, or what animals we relate to. I just think there's a cultural leaning towards seeing a difference

Dana is exceptional but she is not the exception... I have loved dogs since I knew how to say the word. I grew up with horses but they are meh to me. I do love cows too.