This is for Linda.

     Over the years, my body has taken great punishment from our bull terriers.  Cement block noggins to nose or face are common.  Heads rammed into shins and other tender places too.

     One time Malcolm stepped directly in front of me at the top of the back porch steps while I was carrying a tray of hot dogs outside to put on the grill.  I didn’t see it coming, he never crossed in front of me like that before.  Need I say the hot dogs never made it to the grill?  I fell over my knee-high road block, flew far enough forward to land half on the lawn and half on the concrete sidewalk without knocking myself unconscious.

     My hip slammed into the concrete so hard that I had a hip to knee sized blackened bruise the likes I’d never seen before and hope I never see again.

     The Curmudgeon was on the second floor roof and didn’t hear my cries for help.  Malcolm did, but he was too busy snarfing down hot dogs to care.  Thank goodness my next door neighbor heard me and came to my rescue and helped me to my feet while I took inventory to see what body parts sustained damages.  As luck would have it, I didn’t break anything.

The culprit.