I admit to being a sensitive soul, especially when it comes to animals.  About 14 years ago, my mother recommended a movie to me. It was called Marley and me.

Mom told me that it was funny, but I spent the last 45 minutes of the movie crying my eyes out. Since I had a massive stroke exactly 10 years and 6 days ago, my emotions are MUCH closer to the surface, and I actively avoid movies that might cause them to overwhelm me. So I watch things like mystery movies or biographies . Nothing that pulls on my heart strings too much. Last night, my husband and I watched another movie that my mom recommended.  It should be noted that my mother grew up in Germany, and her father was chef to a German Count just after WW2.  Whereas I grew up in Canada and never knew that meat didn’t originate in the supermarket until my dad came home from a hunting trip with a bear carcass. He was so excited to show his trophy to the family. I was horrified to see the dead bear and didn’t want to look, but my dad took me by the hand and made me pet it. I became a vegetarian shortly thereafter. I was young a pre-teen. I remained a vegetarian for a few years,but it was difficult in the 1970s, in small town Canada.

These days, mom and I mostly watch movies on Netflix, and she watched a movie a few nights ago that she loved. She recommended it to me and my husband. The movie is called

The art of racing in the rain.

Hubby and I watched it last night, and I was ugly, snotty crying through the whole 2 hours.   Even my husband shed a tear or two.

Don’t get me wrong, the movie is good, but maybe it’s just not for people who have had two pets die during the past year, or people, who, like me, can’t handle seeing animals suffer for even a moment.

If the character of the dog was the guy’s son, I could have watched it with dry eyes. 

I’m a ridiculously strong woman except when it comes to animals dying. I simply can’t take it.

Suffice it to say that I won’t be taking mom’s movie recommendations again without a litany of questions like, do any animals die?

It seems like we’ve forgotten the whole reason to protest is to make companies treat us like they want to be treated and when they get too big for their britches and forget the golden rule, it’s our responsibility to remind them, by hitting where it hurts. You know, like we’re currently doing to the USA. In the following video, Tod Mafin reminds us of just how easy it is to break up a monopoly.

Athena was the first one to explore it, and she’s still exploring it with the aid of some cat nip.

Just today, Thursday, August 28th,Khonsu found his new comfy nap spot that cradles his big body purrfectly, much to Athena’s chagrin.

There’s a relatively new trend on YouTube where classic sitcoms, both American and British, are replacing the actors with babies. Even judge Judy episodes. But my favorite is when they do it with the news. Somehow, it makes Trump more palatable. Watch the video below for a giggle.

And Canada, via the Alberta succession movement.  Maybe Canada should start an Alaska succession movement.

It’s been Trumped up, pun entirely intended.

Canada has had a military peacekeeping presence in Latvia for a decade now, and it’s going to continue.