Bill W

Thank you, Chris, and a Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones as well. And that goes for everyone else too, since I didn't always mention that in my response to otheres.

Thank you for stating that so concisely. It's what I was alluding to when I talked about the 'Golden Rule' in my response to weinerdog.

Thank you, and I feel CEO pay should still be talked about, as well as the inequity in the pay for jobs lower down on the organizational charts. You couldn't run the businesses without them, yet they don't want to pay them accordingly. CEOs and Board members should be reminded about the 'Golden Rule'. Are they truly treating these workers as they would wish to be treated, if they were in those jobs? Yes, the Salvation Army kettle is still a thing. I see it every year at this time in front of our local Walmart. Nothing like hitting up the people that probably are most in need of help themselves. And I'll be interested in your reaction when you learn more about Dominick the Donkey. Thank you for your kind words and I'll do my best to remind people about the true meaning of Christmas.

Thank you, and I'm glad you read this story with an open mind. I was afraid that some readers would feel they were sitting in a church pew and I was preaching at them. Some still may, but I'm glad you didn't take it that way. And a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and your loved ones as well.

I was out for my daily walk in the park on a crisp winter’s day when I passed an old man that was sitting on a park bench. He looked sad and appeared down in the dumps, so I thought a seasonal greeting might help to perk him up. “Merry Christmas, my friend,” I offered cheerfully. “What’s there to be merry about,” he mumbled in response, and his comment made me pull up abruptly. I wanted to explore the reason for his unusual reply. “Is something wrong?” I inquired. He didn’

Carl Waite goes out for his morning walk in the park, and along the way he passes an old man sitting on a park bench. Since the man looks sad and appears down in the dumps, Carl wishes him Merry Christmas. The old man, who we later learn is Bob Swartz, responds, “What is there to be merry about?” Carl immediately stops so he can find out why the man reacted this way.

The idea of a werewolf was first mentioned in the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh jilted a potential because she'd turned a former lover into a wolf. Werewolves are Lycanthropes, because they can only turn into the form of a wolf during a full moon, where Lycans can transform into the form of wolves either during the day or night.

Lupine groups have a highly organized social structure with designated leaders, alphas and betas. Since dogs are related to or descended from wolves, they often display a similar social structure when living in groups.

Lupine is derived from the Latin words lupus (wolf) and lupinus (wolfish).

@wildone Steve, I have the answer to your question. Two-percent of $0 is a pink slip or a chained space in a dungeon, whichever @Myr chooses for you.

If only it all ended so well, with just a huge stink-bomb. However, during World War 1 they used a different type of stink-bomb, mustard gas, and that killed a lot of people.

The words mewl and mule are not to be confused, although they sound similar.

Mewl first appeared in a 1530 document in Scotland. The spelling was apparently based on a Shakespearean usage and myay have derived from late Middle English word mewen, meaning to whimper.

I'd rather hear a bunch of mewling kikttens than a group of yowling or fighting cats.

They're great for making banana bread. I guess that's what @raven1 was referring to when he mentioned banana cakes.

I know, and now you're using the same tactic on me that I use on people that are reading Secrets. 😜 🙃 👍

That's right. I forgot to mention Janice. She reminds me of some of my elderly women neighbors when I was growing up. They weren't mean, but when they said something you'd better listen or they'd make sure you regretted ignoring them. That's the same feeling I get when reading about Janice.

I had a feeling Michael and Charlie would stay with Harry while he was recuperating, possibly even longer. And I can't wait to see what Stacy has planned for Charlie's birthday. As as many of us suspected, Charlie will also be able to work on the Mini Cooper, so there is a lot to look forward to. We all knew that Michael could sing, and now we know he plays the guitar as well. Fortunately, Harry's son Michael also played the guitar, so Michael inherited that at Gramps request. Now, we also have to look forward to the big Christmas show as well, and I just wonder what part Jason, Danny, and Liam will play in the show. Thanks for another great chapter, Mancunian.

And refer truck haul perishables from the farms to the various markets where they'll be sold.

From Latin, perare (to pass away, perish) The Greek word for perish, apollum, was used when writing the bible and means 'to be destroyed' or 'to turn to ruin'.

The earliest know use of the word perishable was in a 1484 writing by Johannis de Caritate.

I don't know if you've heard this one, it's called Let's Duet, but they sing it like it's Let's Do it, and there's a lot of clever phrasing like that in the song. Let's Duet from the movie Walk Hard: the Dewey Cox story (2007) It would be a lot of fun and just this side of raunchy for Stacy and Michael to perform. It would really get the audience laughing at their antics.

Maybe you could consider having Stacy and Michael sing "I've Had the Time of My Life" from Dirty Dancing.

Possibly from Latin: mactare (slaughter for sacrifice) to Spanish macho (sledgehammer) to machete (broad, heavy knife)