Sophie's Story

  In about ten hours 2016 will be over and 2017 will begin. I think we can all agree that it has been a tough year. In my case, it's been a very tough year.   Since many of us feel bruised and battered by the last 12 months, I think it's time we try something different. Something novel. Something almost radical.   Let's be nice to each other. I'm not talking about on the surface politeness, although I would settle for that if it's all I can get. I'm talking about real, genuine old fashioned kindness towards others. Let's try and understand that there are people out there who are scared. They worry about the safety of themselves and their families. They worry that laws that protect our environment from pollution may go unenforced. They worry about discrimination.   Instead of mocking these people, treat them with respect. Show them that you are not one of the ones they need to be afraid of. Don't write them off as left or right wing lunatics. Liste

  Hi This is Scamp. Colby and I are writing the column today.    I was surfing the internet a few weeks ago and found something called a "Sit and Spin". I thought it might have something to do with spinning yarn, so I showed it to Sophie. When she saw it she laughed. It turns out that a Sit and Spin was a popular toy when she was younger. It doesn't have anything to do with yarn. Instead you sit on it and move the handle in the middle and spin around and around.   It made me realize just how strange humans are. Only a human would find spinning around fun.   We've written about this before. I'm still amazed at how you humans like to carry strange shaped water dishes everywhere you go. Not only that, but you humans put some strange things in those dishes. Some of it smells good, but some of it is really weird. Sophie was on the couch drinking some white stuff out of her portable water dish. I sniffed at it and asked her what it was. She told me it was eggnog. I

   Yesterday a man wished my staff and me a Merry Christmas. Then he hung his head a little and apologized for doing so. Earlier in the day he had wished another person Merry Christmas and received in return a short lecture on how he was being offensive and insensitive. I felt bad for him. He was not trying to be either. In fact he was trying to spread a little good will, something in very short supply these days. I cheerfully responded by saying, "Merry Christmas to you too" with a smile.   I'm all for being more sensitive to those of other cultures faiths etc. I think sometimes we take this just a little too far.   For the record, I do wish my customers Happy Holidays. I do this because my customers are a diverse group of people. I have no way of knowing what holiday any given customer may be celebrating at this time of year. It is not because I'm ashamed of being a Christian. I don't believe that by saying "Happy Holidays", I am participating in

   Last Sunday the temperature was not supposed to get above zero. In fact, I think that high was supposed to be -5. This prompted a friend of mine to post on Facebook that she would be wearing pants to church. This resulted in a short Facebook exchange regarding the wearing of pants to church.   A little background is in order here. Female members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints tend to wear dresses or skirts to Sunday meetings. As far as I know there is no specific suggestion or commandment that governs this. The only "rule" for lack of a better term is that women and men are to dress modestly, neatly and be well groomed. Those who will participate in passing the Sacrament are strongly encouraged to wear white shirts and ties.   I was already planning on wearing pants to church. When the temps get below zero, skirts and dresses are simply not practical especially if there is any chance that you might get stuck in your car. I responded that I would a

   A few weeks ago C flew to South Carolina to attend the funeral of his beloved Aunt Midge. It was a time of mixed emotions. It was sad to know that there was only one aunt left alive, but it was a good time to see his cousins. Some of them he hadn't seen in 20-30 years. It was good to get caught up. He also got a chance to drive around the countryside. Winter in South Carolina is much different than it is here. There were leaves on the trees and it was beautiful, more like late October.   The day that he left, C packed his bag and checked out of his hotel. He was planning to go to a regional breakfast place that we like to go to when we are visiting there. There was a line of people waiting to be seated. One of those waiting was a Baptist preacher and his wife. C ,being the friendly guy that he is, started talking to them. They were from the area. They had a good time talking while they waited to be seated.   Eventually the couple's name was called. They ended the convers

     The first winter storm is happening this weekend. It's supposed to snow off and on all weekend. The temperatures are supposed to drop to well below zero. I love these weekends in the winter. It means we have to stay home.    I'm all right with this. I have plans for this weekend. I'm going to bake cookies.    Baking is something I love to do. I don't get to do it as much as I'd like because C and I just don't need the calories. I also work a lot these days.   I am ready to do this. Yesterday, I had the night off so we were able to go grocery shopping. I bought flour, sugar, molasses and peanut butter. I got some Ritz crackers and some chocolate almond bark. I got some chopped dates and also raisins. Even thought I have no plan to make chocolate chip cookies I bought some anyway. They were on sale and who knows, they might be needed.   Now I have to decide what to bake. One thing I always make is chocolate covered peanut butter sandwiches. Those are ma

   The phone call came at supper on Sunday. We had been expecting it for the last few days. C's beloved Aunt Midge had passed away. We knew this was coming as she had gone into hospice right before Thanksgiving. Cancer, liver failure and a fall had finally taken it's toll.   Midge was the youngest of the twelve children in C's father's family. She was tall, red haired and known to be lively and free spirited. During World War II, she was living with her family in San Bernardino, California. While living there she sang with her sisters Donna and Lorraine. They sang in three part harmony on the radio similar to the Mcguire sisters. At some point, their mother decided that it was best for all of them to move back to their home in South Carolina.   Midge was C's favourite aunt. She always dressed well, had a nice car and a nice home. Her daughter, Katie, was C's close friend. They liked to play together. She also had open welcoming arms and food in her fridge. T

  Our last stop when we ran errands today was Target. St. Nicholas Day is coming up and I have a shoe to fill. Normally when I go to Target I know what I'm going to get. I get it and get out. Spending too much time there tends to result in buying things that we don't strictly need.   C went to look at some cards and I headed for the seasonal section. I was hoping to find most of what I wanted there. The challenge is that I have to walk past the sleepwear section in order to get there.   A word of explanation is in order here. Most women have something they like to shop for. It can be shoes, purses, tops, books, jewelry or any one of a number of items. I like to shop for pajamas. Walking past the sleepwear section in any store is a risky proposition because I will always want to see if there are any cute PJs that I can buy.   I have a lot of pajamas. I have winter ones and summer ones. I even have transition pajamas. Those are the ones that you wear when it is too warm for

     One of my favourite TV shows is "A Football Life" which is broadcast on the NFL network. It is an hour long show that is a biography about a coach, player or some other person that was influential in the sport.  There was an episode on former quarterback Steve Young. I watched it with interest. The show was based on the new book that Young had written about his life called "QB: My Life Behind the Spiral". It was an interesting show, but it felt like an hour long commercial for the book. I didn't delete the episode from the DVR after I'd finished watching it though. Maybe I'd want to see it again.   It wasn't the first time I'd heard of the book. There were some excerpts from it published in the LDS Living magazine. I read them and found them interesting as well. I know that male members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have certain expectations. Young had not gone on a two year mission as young LDS men are strongly enco

   In his book, 'This Just In', reporter Bob Schieffer writes about something that took place on Thanksgiving. He had recently been hired by CBS to anchor the Morning Show. This was a show that would be broadcast on weekday mornings and would originate from New York. This meant that he and his family would have to move from Washington DC to New York. He broke this news to his daughters over Thanksgiving dinner. I will quote in his own words the reaction of one of them.   "Susan let out a blood-curdling scream, jumped up from the table, ran into the front yard and began rolling around on the wet grass. 'Why would you tell us on Thanksgiving?' she shouted. 'This is nothing to be thankful for.'"   This is pretty much how I feel about this nearly past year.  I'm not minded to jump up from my computer desk and go outside to roll around on the grass. (It's 35 degrees outside and there is a little snow on the ground.) Her response of, "This

  It started with a washcloth. A cute knitted cotton dishcloth that was given to me by a customer. I loved the hand knitted dishcloths that Mrs. Mac would sometimes bring the pharmacy staff. They were far better than the ones that you can buy in the store.   Mrs. Mac eventually became too ill to knit and a while later she passed away. No more dishcloths. I remember looking at the dishcloth and thinking that I could learn how to knit one. Then I would have an ample supply. Even better I could make dishcloths for others and show them how much better they are.   I didn't think I would ever be able to learn. I didn't know any body that knitted and I just didn't have time to go to a yarn shop and take classes. They probably would not be able to teach me anyway because I'm left handed. I didn't think anything of it.   I did mention my wish to learn how to knit to my friend Dana. At the time I didn't know what was going to happen. That harmless little dishcloth wa

  Hi This is Scamp and Colby. Sophie has been working a lot lately so we decided that we'd better write the column for her.   We've been surfing the internet the last week or so. We know that Sophie doesn't like us to surf the internet unless she is there to supervise. We do it anyway because we'll never find out what's going on in the world if we don't.   Quite frankly, we are shocked at some of the things we are seeing. One of the things that we are seeing is humans being mean to each other. I mean really, really mean. I saw a picture of a message about black lives don't matter spray painted on a wall. We saw pictures of strange looking crosses that look like spiders spray painted on walls as well. I asked Sophie what those were and she told me they were called swastikas and that it was a symbol of Nazi Germany. The she explained to me what that meant. It made me sad. Colby read reports of people who were being harassed and threatened by other people

   My friend, Dana,is in Hawaii. She and her sisters are visiting their brother who lives out there. I'm sure they are having a wonderful time seeing the sights. I think her brother might be a scuba diving instructor so they may be doing a little of that too.   I'm happy for her. She works hard and should enjoy a little R and R with her sisters.   Hawaii is lovely. It looks beautiful and warm. There are beaches and amazing flowers. There is fresh tropical fruit and exotic foods. There are volcanoes. The people are friendly. It has a rich history and a musical sounding native language. Who wouldn't want to hop the first plane out there? Especially in the winter and early spring.    Me, that's who.   For some reason I have no desire to visit our 50th state.   Why is that? There it nothing wrong with spending a little or a lot of time in a place like Hawaii.    I remember a Garrison Keillor monologue "News From Lake Wobegone" when he took the show to Hawa

   I am not a fan of the Minnesota Vikings.  Despite the fact that I live in Minnesota and have for many years I've never cheered for what would be the home team. Part of the reason for this is that my parents were both raised in Wisconsin by Green Bay Packer fans.    I will say that I do have respect for the team. They've had very good seasons. Up until the last few weeks they were an undefeated team despite the fact that they lost their quarterback and their best best running back. I do have a serious reason for disliking the Vikings. One reason is the new stadium. I had heard that Hennepin County gave the owner of the Vikings a lot of tax breaks and other incentives. This really bothered me. I know that one argument for the stadium is that it will create jobs. It would create some jobs, but those jobs would be low paying and seasonal. I also feel that the money the county was spending on the new stadium would be better  spent improving school in the county and other thi

   The last few months I've had some experiences with people that that have bothered me. I've been pondering these experiences wondering why I feel the way I do about them. Besides the fact that they happened within the past few months what do they have in common?   I finally came to the realization that one thing the incidents had in common is that both the people involved are people I know don't like me. What bothered me was that I felt they were being blatant about it.   It lead me to thinking that we sometimes don't know how to deal with those we dislike. Technology is allowing us to narrow our circles so many of us don't have to deal with people we dislike.   As children we are taught to be kind and accepting of others. We are taught to share and to get along. If you happen to be of a Christian faith you are also taught that everyone is your brother or sister and that you have to love them as such.   What do you do when you run into someone you just can&

 Hi This is Scamp.   When C and Sophie got on a trip we have a cat sitter that takes care of us. Her name is Judy. I used to get very upset with C and Sophie when they would go away. I would rather that they stay home and spend more time with me and Colby. I would get very upset when I would see the suitcases come out.   Judy comes once a day in the morning. She feeds us breakfast and sets up dinner trays for us. She cleans our catboxes too. I really like that she does this every day. Sometimes C and Sophie don't clean them for a few days.   When she first started coming I would be mean to her. I would hiss and growl. Sometimes I would pee on things so C and Sophie would know I was upset. Sometimes she would bring us small toys that I would ignore. I always made sure to watch her to make sure she did things like she was supposed to. The past few years I stopped growling and hiss only once in awhile. She does feed us after all.   Last spring I decided that I was going to be a

   As we left Door County yesterday, we stopped to do a few things we had not had time to do during the week. One of those things was to stop at a shop where they make and sell maple syrup. We've stopped there every year to buy syrup. Usually we have to ring a bell and an elderly woman comes out to sell us what we want and chat a little bit. This year the store was open and we saw two people near the door. One of them was an elderly man who was probably the woman's husband and the owner of the farm. The other was a younger woman  probably his daughter.   The younger woman led us into the small shop and took her place behind the counter.We were correct in that that this was the daughter of the couple who own and still run the farm. We asked after her mother and were told that she was suffering with dementia. C had suspected something was up last year and mentioned it,but I wasn't prepared for what the woman said next. She said that her mother would still sometimes go to t

     The innkeeper left a note in our room for us. It started out "welcome home". I had to smile. In a way we are at our second home. We've come to this same place longer than any other place we have ever been. It's the 13th time that we've carried our suitcases up the staircase to this room. It's become a routine. After we carry our bags in, C starts hanging things up. I unpack my Ipod and I pad and put them on the bedside table. I take out the paperback books that I brought and put them by the tub. I put the pillow I brought on the bed. (Yes, I bring a pillow. I tend to have trouble sleeping in beds other than my own. Using my own pillow sometimes helps.)   On Sunday we went to church. We were welcomed by people who remember us from past years when we have attended Sacrament Meeting there. It was good to see that they were able to build an addition to the chapel. It gives the branch some much needed room. In Relief Society, the teacher said that it was go

  After a frustrating few months at work, I believe a public service announcement is in order. There are a few things that you should keep in mind when you go to a pharmacy to have a prescription filled. Keeping these things in mind will make the experience easier and better for you and for us.   1.Unless your insurance has not changed within the last three months, bring your current insurance card with you. If you are going to a pharmacy that you have never been to before make sure you have your insurance information with you. Contrary to popular belief, I can't just get your information "off the computer". I am also unable to figure your new insurance from your old card. I may be able to call you insurance and get what I need to bill your prescription, but I may be on hold for quite awhile. Asking me to bill your insurance without giving me the billing information is like telling me to charge your purchase without knowing your credit card number.   2. I do not deter

   One of the things that I like about working in a community pharmacy (as opposed to hospital or mail order pharmacy) is the diverse customers that I meet and sometimes get to know better. I've met a man who fought in World War II, a woman who came over from Germany with her husband and a woman who came from Great Britain either before or just after World War II (I can't remember exactly.)   I like listening to the stories that some of my customers tell me about themselves. One of my customers is a woman a little bit older than me. I ask after her children and family. We sometimes talk about other things too. Occasionally  we talk a little about our respective faiths. She is Jewish and I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  She came in recently and I mentioned that I thought she had finished celebrating a holiday. I had heard from the internet that Rosh Hashanah, which is known as the Jewish new year celebration was earlier in the month. She confirmed

  I cannot think of a single thing to write about this week.  I've had this problem before. Many times I get lucky and something happens or I see something that inspires me to write. I'm dry this week. I literally have nothing.   The challenge is that I also don't have the option of saying "I think I'll skip this week." I made a commitment a long time ago to write something every week and I've kept it. Sometimes it means I have to take a laptop with me on vacation so I can write while I'm travelling. Once it meant writing the column ahead of time and sending it to a friend to send for me.   There have been a few ideas that have floated in and out over the past few days. One of the was the debate that happened last week. I tried hard not to watch it. I really didn't see the point in doing so. It wasn't going to be a debate as much as an insult fest. Who can get in the best sound bite. I wound up listening to a little of it as C had it turned

   I was watching CBS Sunday Morning when they played the radio announcement of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. For a minute I stopped sniffling into tissue number three. (It was Charles Osgood's last show.) The voice making the announcement sounded familiar. I knew that voice. It was John Charles Daly who worked as a reporter for CBS at the time that was broadcast. I knew him as the genial and urbane panel moderator of the game show "What's My Line"   A quick foray into You Tube proved that I was correct. I patted myself on the back for the next few hours.   For some reason my mind gloms onto strange things. For instance, I remember voices much better than faces. A few months ago when the pharmacy was robbed, I had a lot of trouble remembering what the thief looked like. I didn't know what the colour of his clothing except that it was dark, I didn't know if he wore gloves or boots. I didn't know if he had a hat on or a hoodie. I could tell you that he ha

   The only TV show I watch on a regular basis anymore is CBS Sunday Morning. I used to like watching TV, but once they cancelled "The Education of Max Bickford" in order to make room for the new show "Survivor", I quit watching so much TV. I sometimes watch football games and a few episodes of "A Football Life" I'm able to record.  I can't remember when I started watching Sunday Morning. I know Charles Kuralt was the host at that time. I would come to visit my parents and help them take care of my grandfather who was living with them. On those weekends when I wasn't visiting, I would watch the show alone.  On Saturday I would go to a local bakery and buy some pasty, donuts or muffins to eat while I watched. I would brew a pot of tea and set it on my coffee table. I had a couple of tea warmers to use so my pot would not get cold.   That show was an hour and a half of downtime for me. I would not do anything except watch the show and enjoy

  For several months C and I had been seeing  posts on Facebook and hearing from others about how good mashed cauliflower is. We both like cauliflower raw and lightly steamed. We were also looking for an alternative to potatoes, not because we are believe that potatoes are a dangerous vegetable that should never be consumed, but because we wanted a little variety. We finally had it last night. To be fair we did add two Russet potatoes into the mix. The result was pretty good. There were lumps, but that was all right with me. I prefer a bit of texture to my food.   It got me thinking about other strange foods that I like to eat.   I like tuna, but when I make it I use cottage cheese and a little mayonnaise. I don't like mayo. It's too slimy for me. I put in a little onion and garlic power as well. The original recipe came from a cookbook I like. My favourite way to eat it is with Triscuits. When I do this the cats tend to like spending time around me trying to get at my lunc

  A few weeks ago I read an article about a high school student who is deaf. The article talked about how his backpack was stolen and his possessions were dumped into a toilet. He had been bullied all his life because of his hearing impairment. This was the final straw. He and his mother decided that it was best that he transfer out of that school as he did not feel safe there.   A Go Fund Me page raised enough money to buy supplies to replace those that had been damaged. There have been a lot of people that have written letters of support to him.   I can understand where he coming from. I was bullied from fourth grade through high school. I was in special education classes which to many made me "a retard" and fair game. Below is the letter of support I would have written.   Dear Alex,    I read about what happened to you and wanted to write. I'm glad that you were able to transfer to a school where you feel you would be safe.   I was also bullied in school and wan

  Hi This is Scamp. Sophie has been working a lot this week so I thought I'd give her a break and write for her today.   There is lots of information out there about how to choose the perfect companion animal. (I find the word "pet" to be demeaning. I am a working cat.) There is no information, at least that I could find, about how to choose a human. Maybe that's because most companion animals are not internet savvy and many shelters do not have internet access.   I would like to tell you how Colby and I chose our humans.   My mother was a cat to Carrie's boyfriend. (They broke up a long time ago.) I lived very happily with my mother and siblings on a porch. I enjoyed tussling with my siblings, but knew the time would come when I would have to leave home and live with other humans. I thought long and hard about what I wanted. I knew I did not want to be an only cat. I like having someone to play with and to admire my outrageous good looks. It had to be someon

   It is well known that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have many customs that differ from other Christian faiths. The LDS have Home teachers and Visiting teachers.   Men in the ward (congregation) are home teachers. They are assigned two or three families in the ward that they are to visit once a month. It is the job of the home teacher to watch over the families he is assigned to. He teaches the family, encourages them and also helps them when needed or helps them to find needed resources. This isn't a complete job description I know, any LDS out there who wishes to correct me on this are welcome to do so.   Women are not left out of this. Women are assigned to visit other women once a month. The job is the same to help, teach, encourage and to assist in finding resources if a woman seems to be struggling.   I've always liked this custom. I was heavily influenced by my mother's family of Italian heritage. The family members take care of each other. A