Beware of gifts

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Once upon a time there were 2 kids whose Daddy moved away. Daddy wanted to give his kids something special and fun so he gave them a frog hatchery kit when he visited one day. Mommy didn't think it was too dangerous, might even be interesting. So while Dad skedaddled to the other side of town, Mom mailed the coupon for the tadpoles.

When the tadpoles arrived the kids filled up the small plastic aquarium, treated the water, read all the instructions to make sure everything was just so - and then released the tadpoles from their airmail water pouch into their new home.

If Mom recalls, they were tiny little things, and the sea monkeys they came with (to feed them) were tinier even. But the kids watched them get bigger and more frog-like, or float up to the top and die or they found one poor soul flattened and dry on the floor where he had leaped to his death. They grew legs and their tales got shorter and shorter until they were gone. There were 4 limbs a piece, no tales left, when it was decided that Daddy should take a few of the froglettes to his house to live. The 2 left at Mommy's house were named Marge and Homer and mostly forgotten by the kids.

Daddy build an "ecosystem" for the frogs on his patio, inside a giant wooden half-barrel. Very picturesque but not designed to necessarily contain live hoppy frogs. One by one they went missing and Dad thew up his hands "Oh well. They must have wanted to be free!"

Mommy was not so smart. Her 2 frogs got bigger so she got them a 10 gallon aquarium and put filters and stones and some little caves in it. The frogs seemed to like their new home and only had a few escape attempts. One of them still has a mark on his (her?) belly from where he was found stuck to the floor under the hot water heater once. After that Mom rigged up a cover for the aquarium and there they stayed.

Year after year

after year

after year ...

And I bet Daddy doesn't know that Mommy still has the freaking frogs, 16 years later! Mommy stopped cleaning the filters very often, she only feeds the frogs maybe once a week. She uses plain old tap water when she adds or replaces water in the tank and does not go one inch out of her way to keep them alive.
BUT THEY LIVE!!!!




Moral of the story - beware of ex-husbands bearing gifts for the kids. Nobody expects a frog, much less 2 - to live to 16 AND BEYOND!!!
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Maxine Monday

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I was just a lurker but ...

Please forgive me for not knowing what I'm talking about. But I wanted to share a family with you that I have been reading about and frequently crying and laughing with from one post to the next.

The blog is Hope4Peyton, started when the Mayhew's daughter Peyton, had cancer. I did not know this family existed then. I'm sure Peyton's struggle was hard for the whole family but apparently it had a good outcome and Anissa (Peyton's Mom) decided to shut down Peyton's blog and move on. Recently the blog has been put to good use again by Pete, Peyton's Dad and Anissa's husband as well as father to Rachel and Nathanial. Right now he is more than a husband and a father, he is a partner, an advocate, a fighter, a believer and a cheerleader. He is doing everything possible to keep his family running while the shining star of it - Anissa - is away.

Anissa was only 35 years old on November 17th when she had a stroke. Her 2nd stroke for goodness sakes. Since then her husband, her kids, Anissa's determination and wicked sense of humor have helped keep them moving forward. And now it's almost time for this strong woman to come home.

I do not know this family. I have never even commented on the blog. I think I did see some pictures of Anissa somewhere - taken at BlogHer I'm pretty sure. I recognized her face but didn't know her name or her story. But coming across their story I was so touched, I added Hope4Peyton to my reader and it got to be the first blog I read if there was a post, even when I wasn't reading any other blogs at all. And now that Anissa is so close to coming home the bills are really mounting. I have added a badge to my sidebar if anyone would like to contribute and help the Mayhews take the best care of Anissa possible while she gets her strength back and goes through physical therapy and whatever other therapy someone goes through after a stroke.

And if you are unable to donate anything, this is a a family of great faith. Please remember them in your prayers. I think the worst is over now - but it's an uphill climb to get back to the top. I have no doubt they'll make the climb as a family and I suspect that Anissa will be right out front in no time. I hear she's pretty fierce!

Meet Anissa in her own words, here.

I don't need it.

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Is there a reason Tiger Woods owes me an apology?

Tomorrow the golf star is supposed to be coming out publicly for the first time since he humiliated his wife, brought his sponsors to their knees financially, and single-handedly sent the sport of golf back to the retired-people sport it used to be. Why?

He totally owes an apology to his wife, his family, the women he was involved with, his sponsors, the golfers he played with, but does he really owe anyone else his apologies? Doesn't make sense to me.

I am aware that he was held up as this clean-cut all-American athlete who brought golf more attention and to a much wider audience than anyone else ever has. But apparently it was pretty well known he was a womanizer, I mean really - just look at the numbers - plenty of people knew.

So it comes out in all it's gory detail, with one woman after the next ready to get on TV and say she slept with Tiger Woods. Woo hoo! What a claim to fame! The media counted the women, speculated about the SUV and Tiger's wife chasing him with a golf club, and stood in a puddle of drool waiting for the next revelation.

I don't feel sorry for Tiger. I don't feel sorry for the women, except for his wife. I think it's a horrible tragedy for his children. People make their own beds and Tiger knew his reputation and knew he was a public figure. He has hurt all of the people closest to him. And you know what? It's not my business.

A public apology? That's meaningless. Don't need it, don't want it, don't care.
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Maxine Monday

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