[whitebird]

After having been gone from home all day Christmas, we returned home. I let our dog Nikki outside and she started barking. We do not like our dogs to bark, so all dressed up from Christmas, I went out on the patio to scold her. She wouldn't stop, so I walked up the stairs leading to our back yard. Just as I reached the top step, I slipped on a patch of ice. Flying backward, I landed three feet down onto the concrete patio. As I lay there, I could see the stars, and I thought how pretty they were, anything to take my mind off the pain. Suddenly darkness overcame me. I didn't pass out from the fall, if that's what you were thinking. Nikki the black lab. was on top of me!! Springs seemed to be attached to her feet, as she jumped up and down on "Mom". Kisses, raining down, as she tried in her own doggie way to get me up. I couldn't get up, she weighs 75 lbs. all dignity gone, I crawled out from under the onslaught. As I limped into the house, hair wild, dog slobber on my face, and snowflakes sparkling on my clothes, my husband said "What happened to you?".

You know, I try hard to be dignified, but sometimes the world just takes me down, jumps on top of me, and spits in my face.