Reinhardt
By some trick of doggie geneaology, I missed being born a Dalmation, the breed who rides on a proper fire truck. I’ve got a different gig. When that man with the sunglasses yells “Atten-hut”, I half-sit half-stand on my mixed breed hind legs.
When my tongue lolled out, my mother used to say that now my face was going to stay like that for the rest of my life. But I’ve just run clear across the parade grounds to sneak into this photo opportunity, so naturally, I’m panting. This is the the United States Air Force, you know, and these are my guys. They just finished washing the bivouac, the tires shine like their newly polished shoes.
Hixon, Hershey, Cyril and Donald keep the trucks running on this base. The Corps doesn’t pay much, but they earn enough to buy me a decent collar and to keep food in my bowl. They found me covered with mud in a ditch. And they don’t never mind that I speak German.
Mary L. Barnard
3-3-18
Editor’s Note: Leave it to Mary to write from the point of view of the dog! Her love of dogs rules (she owns 2 rescue angels herself) as well as her sense of humor. What seals the deal for the reader is the title. His German name makes perfect sense when you read the last line of the story. Such a little touch results in a big payoff for the reader. Woof-woof!
1000 Words
Now 
Knowing we had limited time yesterday for a visit to Reader’s Corner in Raleigh, our favorite used bookstore, we struck a deal. “I’ll stay out of the airplane section,” said Johnpaul. “And I’ll stay out of the cookbooks,” I promised, right before we parted ways by Poetry.
Where else but Reader’s Corner can you find an entire section on castles? Where else has such a marvelous display of literary knickknacks, such as those little notes left behind by previous owners? And where else can you find an overflow of Charles Dickens in the rest room?
In spite of wintry weather, these lovely branches of “breath o’spring” are flowering. We brought these into our house when they were fat with buds, but they may be blooming in the wild very soon as well. I wish you could smell them. In my poetry, I’ve described the scent as “lemon and vanilla riding on the breeze that blows through a pine forest after rain” but my words fall far short of the real thing…..
Imagine my surprise when discovering that our broccoli plants had survived the six inches of snow that covered them for several days. After the thaw, I peeled away the dead, soggy leaves and lo and behold, check out this bright green head.
My mother gave me a lovely box many years ago. It’s covered with inspirational writing in a lovely gold script, and it’s become my nesting box for those little snippets of inspiration — favorite new words, quotes, articles, even bits of random conversation I happen to overhear. It also includes old postcards and pictures, like the daguerreotype of a young married couple, circa 1840….
to surround yourself with your own creature comforts. In her case, it’s a nest of cushy autumn leaves. Can you find her?
“write” tools, and the support of loving friends, you too, can easily triumph over the obstacles of life.
Ashley Harris 