Our loyal hound, Baxter, turned 2 yesterday. We celebrated about as much as could be expected for a dog’s birthday by giving him a piece of bacon with breakfast, taking him along to Home Depot, and letting him run around the Bartholics’ backyard at night when we went over to visit.

What better way to celebrate a birthday than a swim in filthy murky pond water?
What better way to celebrate a birthday than a swim in filthy murky pond water?

Also this week, Karaoke League #3 came to a merciful end. Our team was horrible this time, finishing in last place. I guess it didn’t help that the girl on our team dropped out after two weeks and we inherited a castoff from another team. Nevertheless, we had fun, as is the goal. In our team’s finale, teammate James decided to spice things up while we sang Nazareth’s “Love Hurts” by passing out dog shock collars for us to wear, allowing the crowd to shock us with remotes. Once I realized the shock was so small I could barely feel it, I agreed to participate and we just overacted. But the crowd bought it and thought it was hilarious.

Karaoke teammate Geoff sings while wearing a sailor hat.
Karaoke teammate Geoff sings while wearing a sailor hat.

Lastly, happy Mother’s Day to my mother, Marcie Ann Glanzer, who received a special decadent treat in the mail from me and Lauren. Here’s an old photo of Mom I dug up while at home recently.

A young Marcie Bell, with brother Stuart... probably sometime in the mid 70s.
A young Marcie Bell, with brother Stuart… probably sometime in the mid 70s.