Your dog swallowed a what?

Sis and I are just back from our late afternoon stroll.  We ran into one gal with her dog who told us when her dog was 4 months old, she (the dog) swallowed a ping pong ball and had to have it surgically removed but that's not even the best part.  She saved the ping pong ball and said it still good as new.  Whoa.  Plus, she told us her dog's stomach is now permanently weird and the dog barfs on every walk.  Gee, lady...thanks for sharing.

Despite the barfing part, I did like her dog.  She looked pretty much like a mixey matchy  pound/hound dog with a pinch of yellow lab in there--you could tell by her head.  She was pulling to come meet Sis but her mom wouldn't let her and if she'd already made quick work of a ping pong ball, I hated to think what she might do to Sis.  Or vice versa.  Sis might act like a lady (quit laughing), but I have a hunch she could mix it up pretty good if she had to.  That, or she'd totally wiener out and get mauled. 

All of the other late afternoon dog walkers and joggers are out squeezing in that last bit of sunlight since it gets dark so early now.  I like it to get dark early.  It sure beats getting up in the dark.  I did that for way too many years, though I do actually miss seeing the sun come up.  I used to get to the hospital about 6:20 AM, grab my coffee, flip on my computer, and look out my window as the world changed colors.  It was quiet and so peaceful....until change of shift.... and then my phone and everyone else's would start ringing.

Today I treasure my peace and quiet at home, and my own coffee.  That hospital grade stuff was pig swill until we started ordering Starbucks and charging it to my department.  My department became the local slush fund and as long as the coffee was good, I didn't care what was charged to my cost center.  I wasn't supposed to know that when other departments of her's didn't make budget, our Director dipped into mine, but I knew.   She finally figured out I knew when I couldn't smother a smile at a meeting, as two grown women fought over the remains of my cost center, to cover their butts.  Ahhh...the good old days.