I’ve got a grab bag of juicy YouTube Shorts for you this Friday, my friends. It’s a bit of something for everyone: a cute dog, some weird ceramics, and a coffee grinder:
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I’ve got a grab bag of juicy YouTube Shorts for you this Friday, my friends. It’s a bit of something for everyone: a cute dog, some weird ceramics, and a coffee grinder:
Read More »
Well, I’ve been married for a whopping eleven-ish days—and I love it! Specifically, I love my wife.
Naturally, a good chunk of those days were spent living the sweet life aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise. We went down to Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic and to Royal Caribbean’s private island, Coco Cay. It was my first cruise and I loved spending all of that quiet, relaxing, unstructured time with Dr. Wife.
Now, it’s back to Reality for both of us. Dr. Wife is finishing up her residency in North Carolina and I’m still at my school in South Carolina, so we’re living apart during the weeks until she wraps up residency next summer. That means we’re delaying the usual first-year-of-marriage stuff, like adjusting to living together full-time.
After years of misspent youth, during which time I considered animals little more than fleshy, occasionally cute, robots, yours portly has learned the error of his ways and become an animal lover.
Don’t get wrong—I love to eat animals as much as I enjoy keeping them as pets, and I possess a realistic view of animals: they exist to serve us, not the other way around. I love Murphy, and I’ll make sure she is fed, watered, and (when appropriate) medicated. But the day that the vet says, “we can keep her alive another two weeks with this $4000 experimental canine chemotherapy,” it’ll be time to give the old girl a heartfelt goodbye. By comparison, I’d sell my left kidney to the gay mafia if it’d add one day to the life of one of my family members or Dr. Fiancée.
All that said, I now very much see animals as a gift from God. Every child in Sunday School knows that the first job of the first man was to name the animals; God Spared the animals along with humanity when He Commanded Noah to build an ark. Clearly, our relationship with animals is meant to be a fruitful and productive one.
Further, anyone who has ever owned a dog (or even a cat) knows that these creatures have personalities. Sure, I imagine jellyfish don’t lead rich inner lives, but it’s wild and amusing to me how dogs can possess such a range of personalities. Murphy is aloof and anxious, but very much the queen of her domain. Dr. Fiancée’s three-legged mutt is sweet and loving, but has her sassy moments like Murph. My parents’ two rat terriers are cousins and/or half-brothers of some kind (I think they share a grandparent), but despite their genetic similarity, their personalities are nearly opposite (much like human siblings at times).
Do I think dogs have souls? Perhaps not in the way that humans do. But there is a life and intelligence behind the eyes of a dog. Even the most forlorn, neglected mutt possesses something of a shimmer behind his sad eyes. The fact that the eyes can even express emotions suggests there is something deeper there.
Of course, the evolutionist wags will snarkily remark, “we just bred them to reflect qualities we like.” Perhaps. Nevertheless, I’m struck by how human dogs can be, while also being something quite different—in some ways, something even better.
All points worthy of speculation, idle or otherwise. What do you think, dear readers?
With that, here is 12 September 2024’s “TBT: Remarkable Animals“:
About four years ago this week I got Murphy, my chunky bull terrier. She was eight at the time, and is twelve now.
Quite a bit has happened in the intervening years, but good old Murph has always been there. And now she’s getting a mom in Dr. Fiancée and a canine sister (about whom she is probably less enthusiastic).
The life expectancy for bull terriers is between eleven and thirteen years, but Murphy seems to be doing well. She spends her days relaxing and enjoying treats, and she still baffles me with her love of sunning herself in 100-degree weather. Murphy is enjoying her golden years in relative luxury and comfort—at least, the meager kinds of luxury and comfort I can provide her.
With that, here is 11 July 2024’s “TBT^4: Big News: TPP is Going to the Dogs“:
In a continuing celebration of my chunky dog Murphy’s twelfth birthday, I’ve got some more Murphy videos for your enjoyment. These videos are feature Murphy doing what she does best (besides eating): lounging like a French duchess.
My old bull terrier, Murphy, turns twelve this Sunday, 15 June 2025. I adopted Murphy when she was eight, so we’ve been together for nearly four years.
After a bit of a hiatus, I have some fun new Murphy videos. She is doing very well for her age, but the old girl is slowing down a bit. She can handle stairs fine, but sometimes she has to do them at her pace.
So, settle in for a couple of videos of Murphy in her battle against steps (and canine aging):
Yours portly was a bit late getting Halloween decorations up this year, but with the Spooktacular looming (it’s tomorrow night!), I had to get things done!
Naturally, that meant partaking in one of my favorite October activities: pumpkin carving! Today, I’m going to share a couple of videos of my pumpkin—and Murphy!
The older I get, the more I appreciate animals. My parents have just taken in two precious kittens—a brother and a sister—and watching their cantering and playing is adorable. It’s also a good reminder of the playfulness of youth, in both humans and animals, and how enjoying that playfulness keeps us young, even if we’re not as spry as we used to be.
God Created some amazing stuff. The sheer biodiversity of our world is awe-inspiring, and demonstrates that our God Is Awesome. We serve an amazing Lord.
With that, here is 15 September 2023’s “Remarkable Animals“:
It’s back to school tomorrow, and as a music teacher, I’m in a musical mood. So here some posts that feature me singing bad cover songs to my dog:
Happy Sunday!
—TPP
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Other Lazy Sunday Installments:
Well, I’m back to the grind. Who knows what fresh miseries I am currently enduring?
Fortunately, dear readers, you get to watch videos of my fat bull terrier, Murphy!
This week I’ve got Murphy attempting to eat peanut butter and giving potentially lethal kisses: