Jeanne Robertson Is Really Hilarious and I Need a Good Laugh These Days

I don't know about you, but the daily news is getting downright overwhelmingly depressing for me these days.

And it's not like reporting really bad news is a trend.  I remember those daily Vietnam War casualty reports given by Walter Cronkite, and my mother crying over them.  And all those assassinations: JFK, RFK, MLK Jr. ....

My 8th grade health teacher, Mrs. Barnes, was famous around our middle school because she had an official Bomb Shelter in her house, in case of the Big One.  And she was serious about it.  She and her family were ready.

And I bet you remember where you were when the Space Shuttle Columbia exploded in mid-air, against a bright blue sky, killing all 7 crew members.  Such a sad day.

So, no, horrible and heart-wrenching news stories are not some recent development -- but it sure seems different to me today.

I feel bombarded by badness, like evil is having a Heyday.  I wonder if you feel it too. 

Right now, I limit myself to checking online news once or twice a day -- but that's because I need to keep my work schedule and not get sidetracked surfing the web.  When I visit my preferred news sites, I leave them weary and worn-out.  You?

Recently, I began thinking about having a No News Weekend -- just avoid any news stories for 48 hours.  Because I really could use a breather.

Maybe I'll do that.  Maybe I won't ... it seems wrong somehow, irresponsible.

I Have Discovered Jeanne Robertson

But there is one thing that I am doing to help me feel better in these dark and depressing days, and that is finding ways to have a good laugh.

And thanks to You Tube, I have discovered Jeanne Robertson.

She's hilarious!  Added bonus: you'd feel safe having your grandmother or your baby granddaughter listening with you as watch her stuff.

Truly gifted.  Why don't more people know about her?  Why isn't she setting on talk show couches?  I dunno.

But I'm very thankful she's got lots of YouTube videos available for me to watch.  Because I need a good laugh, and Jeanne Robertson knows how to be funny.

Watch this one as an example:

I Have a Very Old Dog and I Don't Know How Long We Have Left.

I have a very old dog.  His paws are solid white now, along with his neck and jaw.  The rest of him remains black.

He's frail.  He has arthritis.  It's a slow walk now, not a fast run.

We play catch the ball in the yard now, not fetch.  Well, sometimes we do a little bit of fetch, so he will walk a bit.  But it's far from the young days, where he was speedy and quick.  I wonder if he remembers being that way, if he dreams about it still.

If you have an old dog, you'll understand.  This is such a bittersweet time.

Because I know what's coming.  I've been through this before.

It's my job now to be strong and sturdy and solid for him, because this keeps him feeling safe.  All day long, he wants to be near me.  On his bed at night, he will periodically look around, just to make sure I'm there.

For so many years, I know that he has thought of his job as being my protector.  And now, it's my turn to protect him and keep him feeling safe.

There's not room in his world for me to be sad or scared or fretful.  So I can't be any of those things.

I must be strong and confident.  I must be fun and happy.

We had a bad episode recently.  There were a series of thunderstorms that came through here.  Bad ones, lots of thunder and lightning.  When he was young, this didn't bother him.

About a year ago, he started to be scared of storms.  Terrified of the sound of thunder.

So, he was facing night after night of the terrors, and then the roof leaked and a strange man had to come by to fix it.  The back door became so swollen that it wouldn't shut fully and lock; another strange repairman had to come into his world.  Stranger Scents in the house, on the back porch, in his yard.

Two strange dogs got loose in all these storms and kept running up and down the alley, causing my old boy no end of distress.

And then I went off to the grocery store.  I wasn't gone that long, maybe an hour, but I could hear him howling as the garage door rose.  Now, my boy never makes a sound.  The only time I've heard him howl was the night after we had to put his baby sister to sleep last year.

So I knew he thought I was gone, like his sister.

And for the past two weeks, he's been recuperating from that stress.  At first, it was hard for him to get to his feet.  He barely ate that first night.  He slept a lot.

Today, things are better.  He's bounced back but not all the way.

And here's the thing I want to share with you, Dear. Reader.  Not the sadness or the grieving or the tears that I am fighting against.

It's the beauty of all this.  The lessons that he's teaching me in all this.

Things like:

This is how you live life to be happy.  You take the day.  You take the morning.  You take the afternoon.

And you look for the beauty in it.  The face of a smiling dog.  The sun on the leaves of a tree. The heat of the sun on your face, or the smell of freshly brewed coffee.

You must relish life.  A bite at a time.

I thank God for the blessing of being entrusted with the spirit that lives in this dog's body.  I am honored.

Ricky's for Dog Arthritis: Ricky Litchfield Dog Anti-Inflammatories Are Almost a Miracle

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This past Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, was a cold, wet, and rainy day here in San Antonio.  

My old boy was hurting -- and hurting badly.

I had resorted to giving him baby aspirin, which I hate to do because it's so bad on his digestion.  It didn't help much.  The natural pain pills (Aches & Pains) did less.

My Arthritic Dog Was In Lots of Pain 

He had trouble getting up.  Standing, his tail curled under his butt and you could tell he was in pain.  He huddled near me wherever I went.  No smiley faces.

He would venture out only as far as necessary to do his business in the yard, and then scoot back inside.  To lay near me, wherever I was.

He ate little.  He turned down treats.  He stood or he laid down.  No sitting.  Toys? Forget it.

I was so upset, I thought I might be losing him.  He was one month away from his 13th birthday.

So, I went online to see what I could find.  And I prayed a bit (a lot!) while I was at it.

And I found Ricky Litchfield pills online, at Amazon.com.  The customer reviews were so encouraging!  The ingredients seemed to make sense.  (They are Buchu Oil and Salmon Oil - go check them out.)

And they had a vet who was there to answer your questions via e-mail.  A vet.  A real, live vet.  Wo Nellie.

So I ordered Ricky's on a rush delivery and that next day, Saturday, my beloved boy got his first dose of Ricky's.

It's January 11th now, so it's been around six weeks.  I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW BIG A DIFFERENCE THESE PILLS HAVE MADE FOR MY DOG.

Results From Six Weeks on Ricky's Arthritis Pills Have Been Amazing

These have truly been a life saver.  Today, my pup and I played fetch outside in the yard.  We're back to doing this all the time!

• He has a better appetite that he's had in years.  
• His fur is thick and smooth and glossy.  
• He smiles all the time.
• He's waking me up, not to go outside to pee or poop, but because he's ready to play and start the day.  
• He's gone and found a green ball that he hid Lord Knows When (or Where) and now we're playing with it, as well as his stuffed squeaky toy.  
• He rolls in the grass.  
• He chases squirrels.  
• He jumps into the back seat of the car again -- and we're bouncing along the path at the park now.  (We're walking at the park again!) 

Part of a Plan -- But a True Answered Prayer

Now, this isn't the only thing that my boy gets.  He gets really good food that I cook for him.  No grains.  He gets a probiotic daily.  He gets vitamins and he gets Osteo pills with gluco, perna, etc.  

But I am thanking God every day for these Ricky's pills.  They are a God Send.  

I share this with you Dear Reader, in case you are investigating how to help your arthritic pup, too.  I lost a beloved pup at 10 years to Rimadyl-produced liver cancer -- I won't go near Rimadyl.