We will go to our first 2019 book review this morning.

Day 81, "Every picture has a story"

Benny was his name and he was, in my mind, a good dog.  I have NO idea why Dad, and some neighbors, bought into the idea that it was a good idea to have a St. Benard dog but they did and Benny became a great companion.  He seemed to understand me and I him.  He was lovable and a great pet BUT he and his brother/sisters got into the habit of carousing at night and that was NOT a good thing.  In the end, as I have stated in the past, he went hunting with Dad and only Dad and a pheasant came back.  I was so sad. There could be long stories of pets on the farm.  Tiny, maybe our favorite dog.  The puppy that Dave and I dropped a pipe on and Dad had to put it away.  The calves that I would make a pen for and allow them to be outside rather than in the pen in the barn.  The chickens that pooped ALL over the yard, the turkeys that Mom liked but they chased us, the cows that Dave and I tried to ride and the list is almost endless.  Perhaps Benny is remembered so much because he was HUGE but whatever the reason he was my kind of dog,"for sure"!

Terry and I will take in our third book review this morning.  The last one included the author and that was OK but I will enjoy this morning more as Ms. Newton talks for 90 minutes non stop and without notes will end up within a minute or two of her time!  She always brings out so many things in the books that I, as a reader, never came up with.  It will be fun.  

No tennis today as I usually do not play on the weekends.  I was asked to play this morning at 9:00 but declined because of the book.  Tennis 5 days a week is actually enough.  I have a guy on the team who is in his late 60s and was diagnosed last summer with early dementia.  As we play with him the early may refer to his age but not his condition.  I and another guy are putting him in to play several times a week.  I am getting thoughts about having him play when league starts but will call his wife to see what she thinks.  Someone told me it is so nice of us to include him in our play but I KNOW pretty much anyone who plays tennis would want the same done for them IF they were in his situation.  It is so difficult to see a friend decline in mental health when their physical strengths are still with them.  

The FP is gone.