I never thought that I would be cooking rice for my grandson's finches in my golden years. I am also feeding parakeets, cat, fish and hamsters while the family is on vacation.

The market was out of the item that I specifically went to get and needed for a recipe so I bought some items that I didn't need and three chocolate bars that I did need. Apparently I stepped on some gum in the store parking lot which I didn't discover until I got home. I left my shoe on the front porch and went inside to get a scraper. When I got back, the neighbor dog was running off with my shoe. I then tried to clean the gum off of the porch and ended up with gum on my sock. Gave up and ate the chocolate bars.

Painted new numbers on the house. I didn't realize the paint didn't wash off with water. I'm sure that it will wear off of my hands eventually. Probably about the time the gum wears off the porch or the dog brings back my shoe.

Did I raise lazy children? Did I spoil them? To be nice, once, I took my son's stinky dog to be shampooed and have his nails trimmed. I was embarrassed when the grooming people commented, "This poor dog's nails are way too long. Didn't you notice him walking funny?"

I meekly answered, "The dog is twenty years old and has arthritis. He always walks funny." After paying to be made to feel guilty of dog neglect, I took His Majesty home.

I told my son the grooming people said this kind of dog has fast growing nails and needs more attention. Did I get a thank you? Nope. "Why did you wait so long?"

Marge is the library director in a small town in the Northwest, has been writing all her life and just published her first book at age 61.