Bill W

Woman, thy name is fickle.

A compelling yet sad story about a James Dean like figure named Carver, who seemed to have been born with everything - looks, brains, and talent. He also knew he could always count on his childhood friend, even when he was at his lowest point. Their friendship lasted throughout Carver's short and tragic life and I'd recommend "Forever Young" to anyone who was looking for a touching, yet sad, story.

Yep, definitely a cat lady.

I love puppy parades!

Here you go, Chris. Have two more.

9 cats with 9 lives each, that's 81 cats.

Are they all the same sex or have you had them spayed or neutered?

I grew up with several dogs and even more cats. When my children were younger, we had both while they were growing up. The girls were closer with the cats, while the boys were active with the dogs. For the most part, I had to interact with both to make sure they kids were feeding and taking care of them. Now, I have neither, because I can't afford the pet food and vet care required.

In real life, Carlos wasn't afraid to fight, if he thought it was necessary, but he would have preferred to just walk away. There's nothing to be gained by arguing of fighting with ignorance and bad manners. As I like to say, don't waste your time arguing or fighting with someone whose age is greater than his IQ.

Thank you for the kind words and I'm glad this touched you. As I grew older, I began to look back at my life and this was just a synopsis of what I saw.

Congratulations, @chris191070 and @BentedWreath. I hope this was a collaboration or someone was copying someone else's entry!

An interesting and macabre suggestion.

I actually despised Dolores Umbridge more than any other villian because of herphony sweetness, insideous cruelty, and sense of superiority.

I think Barry is just being a nice, friendly guy, but it doesn't mean the boys should let down their guard. That is true with Ralph as well, so let's hope these don't become potential problems.

Yes, the boys appear to be off to a great start. Running into Barry and Anna was nice, and allowed them to touch base and get reacquainted again, so let's hope things continue going well. As far as Ralph is concerned, I guess you'll just have to wait and see while keeping your fingers crossed. 🤞

Thanks for pointing that out to weinerdog. Since he walks so low to the ground and might be able to get from the garage to the house without being noticed himself, he might not be able to appreciate the perspective from Bear's vantage point.

Barry is observant, but I think he's just being a nice guy. The boys helped him out when solving the case of the rapes on campus and I think he just enjoys their company, so maybe its best not to read too much into his friendliness, although it doesn't hurt to remain alert. As far as your second question, check my response to Paladin, and don't confused him with drp.

Yes, in some cases avoiding neighbors, especially those like Louella, can make for fewer problems. And do you really think she would go that far to monitor the boys? Yeah, you're right and I'm shocked! hehehe

You guys are pretty sharp this morning. I might have to start hiding clues less obviously, if that's the case.

See my response to your son - Paladin, drp. lol

Yes, it's always good for the academic year starts on such a positive note. Do you think Devin is being sneaky and has an ulterior motive for doing this? I guess you'll have to wait and see. As far as the swapping drivers on the way back from the dog park, I believe it's because Mac is trying to avoid any problems with pulling the SUV into the garage. Since it was probably built years ago, when pre-WWII cars were as large, I think Mac is trying to avoid a problem. If someone has a slight accident pulling the SUV into the garage, I believe he prefers it would be Devin, not him, to avoid a potentially tense and heated aftermath.

Yes, it usually a good sign with the academic year gets off to a decent start, although some troubling situations might still arise, such as with the guy at the dog park and Louella. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

Absolutely. Louella is not only a busybody, but she's also a self-perceived semi-important bureaucrat who imagines she has more power than she actually has, but she also may have a few helpful connections, so it's best to give her a wide berth. Yes, the guy at the dog park was taking a chance, but since he's pretty sure that Mac is older than 18, he obviously feels that it's safe to get Mac to consent to something. It could effect his business, though, so I'm sure he will consider those options, if he attempts to pursue this. Barry is proving to be a really nice guy, and who knows how close they may all become as friends. And it looks like a smooth start to their third year in college.

Yes, each year seems to be easier for the boys, at least while they're moving into the house and checking in at the college. And seeing they're more comfortable with handling the toy drive, they're getting that started earlier as well, since they probably won't have as much time during the semester to work on it, now that their course load is getting more difficult. As far as the guy that hit on Mac at the dog park, there's no telling what he may try to do, but Mac and Devin may have some options. Mac could always transition into another body, one that won't be as appealing to the guy, and Devin could transition into a different breed of dog. However, that might prove to be a problem if Preston and Bailey are there, but that's a situation for the future, if the guy adjusts his schedule so he can go to the dog park earlier. Yes, Louella is someone to be avoided as much as possible, but is she the type who will avoid making trouble for the boys?

Chapter 29 – Checking in With Old Friends After Devin and I woke up, we made a quick trip to get something to eat before going to the upperclassman sign in area. We had to do this every year so the college administrators would know we were there for the fall semester. It was also when we got our class schedules and had our photos taken for this year’s student IDs. After those things had been taken care of, Devin suggested we go over to where a guy was set up to take orders for class rin