Thursday – A Little Personal – Twiggy’s Ball

~ John W. Howell

“Let’s go outside and play while it’s still cool Little One.”

“I gotta find my ball.”

“So you have your ball. Let’s play.”

“Yeah, but something’s different.”

“What do you mean?”

“It smells different.”

“I don’t know, kiddo. it looks the same to me.”

“Yeah, it does look the same but trust me, something’s off.”

“How does it smell?”

“My ball always smells like bacon. This one smells like old feet.”

“Old feet? How can that be?”

“I think I know the reason. I must have grabbed the old ball.”

“The old ball? How many do you have?”

“Just two. After a while, the bacon smell disappears, and I whine until mom gets me a new one.”

“So you grabbed the old one. Can’t you make it work?”

“You don’t understand, Lucy. This one is a stranger to me.”

“I detect an element of spoiled here.”

“Not spoiled. Discerning.”

“Sure. There are underprivileged dogs who would love to have that ball.”

“I know, and I would love to give it to them too.”

88 thoughts on “Thursday – A Little Personal – Twiggy’s Ball”

  1. Twiggy’s parting shot reminds me of (frequent) conversations with my mother when I was very much younger than I am today. She’d say that I should eat all my food because there are starving children in Africa who would give anything for that food (usually fatty meat which, to this day, I detest); my reply was always that she should send it to them, as I didn’t want it. Went down as well as … [insert your own comparator here]

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    1. Ha ha ha. I remember the same sort of thing. My mom always told the story of me hiding my uneaten broccoli inside a baked potato skin. I can imagine how well your retort went down. Thanks, Keith.

      Liked by 3 people

  7. As Keith says, that conversation takes me back to traumatic childhood meal disputes! 🤣 I once tried to sneak some meat off my plate to the dog. She chewed it, gave me a ‘look’, and spat it out. I reckon the dog thought it smelled like that old ball. That day did not end well, lmao. 💕🙂

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      1. I can understand it though. If a toy has a specific smell as a selling point, it loses its appeal when it goes stale. Kind of like how the Scratch N Sniff books would get tossed if they stopped smelling.

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  12. Twiggy is right, dear John. A ball makes sense. 🙂 🙂 🙂 That’s good that she does not pay attention to the difference between a tennis ball & a soccer one…yet…😎

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    1. She has a tennis ball the size of a soccer ball but she has lost interest in that one as well. She loved pushing it all around the house but lately has paid no attention to it. Have a super day, Maria.

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  15. Ha! Ha! Not spoiled, discerning. I hope my grandchildren never learn that word. And the old line about the poor starving children who would happily eat the green peas never works. Looks like it doesn’t work with Twiggy either. 🙂

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  16. That was great ! Dogs know for sure. You have a smart one.
    My son had an English Mastiff. He had what I’d called a “horse ball”. It had to be 3 feet in diameter. He loved pushing, carrying it chasing it around the yard. Funny to watch
    Yes horses did use them too
    No bacon smell, but drewel for sure. Enjoy your little ones 😀

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  18. Spoiled vs. discerning is an interesting thought that slides into contemplation. Bacon vs. old feet is a no-brainer, though. 🙂 Thanks for sharing, John, and bringing a smile to this tired old face.

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        4. I completely ignore it because I have looked back and been guilty a time or two! So… Don’t worry your pretty little head about it 😉

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  21. I keep on hand a sack for Monkey’s old, tattered throw-away toys … and the ones he never warmed up to. One day, I hope to donate it to the animal shelter (they’re always grateful for donations). One dog’s trash is another dog’s treasure!

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  24. This made me laugh. I’m pretty sure I’ve had a similar conversation with one of my grandkids down to getting the item to those ones without.

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  30. Love it…discerning. Go, Twiggy. I remember the poor starving children line and I, like Keith, suggested a parcel was sent. My cheek didn’t go down well… 😉 Much love to you and your girls, John. ❤ xXx

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