Hi Charlene, Welcome home from your "trip"! Great story! I bet that honeymoon suite hasn't seen too many couples there with their kids! LOL And glad you're safely back home. I feel so sorry for all the people that are still at DIA---and probably will be for days yet! I'm a flight attendant and had been getting really down because I've been stuck down here on the ground for over a month now because I had surgery on my elbow, but when the blizzard started for real, I was so happy to be "stuck down here on the ground!" It's WAY better than having gotten stuck at the airport and winding up sleeping on the floor up in the domicile---which happened to a whole lot of people (not me) during the March blizzard of '03! Here's my Thornton blizzard story! Since I'm off I didn't need to worry about going out in it, so on Wednesday I just watched the people at DIA on TV all day. Then late afternoon I went out to try to shovel the 12" of snow off my sidewalk thinking (mistakenly) that it would make it easier to shovel the next day. Since I'm not supposed to be lifting anymore than 1 lb. with my left hand, I shoveled it 95% using just my right hand. Never knew you could do that, but you can! Except---one time when I got the shovel full and bent over to pick it up to empty it, I got too much "twist" in it and did something BAD to my back, so I decided to go in the house for a little bit to rest, but when I tried to take a step it hurt too much so I just stood there till it felt a little bit better--and I could move again--and started shoveling again. On Thursday I discovered that blizzards are no respecters of shoveled sidewalks, and when the snow finally stopped around noon, there was 14-16" of snow on my "shoveled" sidewalk, so I put on my eskimo suit and went back out to do it again. My back and the muscles in my right arm were so sore from the day before, that I decided whether I was supposed to or not, I was going to have to use my left arm. The city requires that walks be shoveled within 24 hours, so I was planning to shovel a one shovel wide path down the walk---and that was all. Right after I started, the neighbor across the street who was shoveling his drive started talking to me, and I mentioned that I had had surgery and wasn't supposed to be using my arm---and he went in and got his BIG 15 year old son out and told him to shovel the walk for me. He had it finished in less than 10 minutes---it would have taken me at least an hour like it had the day before! The neighbor asked if I needed the (hip deep) snow on the driveway shoveled, and I told him I didn't--that I didn't need to leave for a week and was just going to wait for the sun to melt it off---this is Denver, after all, and my driveway faces south! Then, early this afternoon I was at my kitchen window--which faces the front of the house--when I noticed that the snow on top of my roses didn't look "smooth" anymore. I can't see my drive very well from inside the house, but I went in the living room where I can see part of it, and the whole drive had been shoveled! I couldn't believe it--and started to cry! I waited until I was sure they were home this evening and went over to verify that it was them---they have two BIG teen boys--and to thank them--and started to cry again! It was so-o nice of them, and was the nicest Christmas present anyone could have given me. It means so much when someone does you a random act of kindness! This summer I'm going to take them some perennials and some produce from my garden. I can hardly wait! I'm sorry you didn't get to Mazatlan, but it's great that you were able to have a fun time anyway. I hope you are able to get your trip refunded--I know United is offering full refunds to anyone who had their flite cancelled. Merry Christmas, Skybird/Dee

It was the meatloaf.......traditionally baked in a loaf-shape, that our then nine year-old declared he would eat never again. I fooled him -- changed the shape to large meatballs next time! He ate the meatballs without question for the next three or four years, then suddenly asked, "is this what I think it is?" After we agreed that it indeed was meatloaf, he eats it no matter what shape, and complains no more. A young visitor found an Italian green bean in a pasta sauce and was about to throw one of her royal fits. I had to think fast to save the day, and told her how lucky she was to have found the special bean. We held it high and announced that this was her lucky day, and that anyone finding the lucky beans would also share in the luck. It worked!! The first day I kept the two neighbor boys after school, I sliced apples, and bananas on a plate for their after school snack. The six year old took one look and announced, "we don't like fruit, and we won't eat it!" The 10 year old told me they usually have potato chips and soda at grandma's house. Those are the two things I don't keep in my house. We've found a few healthy snacks to replace their regular junk. And I've got the younger one to eat Elvis' grilled peanut butter and banana sandwich now and then. Jan

mscsippy's cat story reminded me of a RAOK I did 4-5 years ago. A local elementary school had closed due to budgets and attendance -- the school was a couple miles out of town, so the school was consolidated with the larger one in town. In August/September that year, I was at the school to vote on something since it is used as an election precinct. Upon walking around the school (very nice, new construction, such a shame it was closed), I came upon a very hungry semi-feral cat. Nearby empty cat food cans were evidence that someone was coming by every now and then to feed it, but not very often. I started coming by at least every other day to leave a can and a bowl of dry food in a somewhat protected area. In time, I worked up a schedule on a calendar so that other visitors would know when the cat had been fed. Custodial workers removed the signs several times, but I persisted. At times the cat would come towards me, but never close enough to pet. In time it seemed content to hang out at the end of an 8 foot bench, with me at the other end. In November, while feeding the cat, I ran across a mother and daughter -- the mother, Katy, told me about the cat -- she had been the school mascot and she was named "Banshee", and until the school closed she had been taken care of by the school custodian, who of course no longer worked there. Winter was upon us by this time, so, since Banshee had once been a sociable cat, Katy and I decided to try and capture her and find her a home. It was quite an endeavor, with two tries over two days no luck at all. We had luck on the third try, with some subterfuge in getting Banshee into the cat carrier, but we did it. We took her to a vet and paid for vaccinations and Feline Leukemia test/vaccination. Thank goodness she had already been spayed. After spending $100 or so on getting her up to snuff, which neither of us could really afford at the time (she a single mother, me unemployed), I took her home, tried to bath her (no go), and sequestered her in a bathroom since my two cats would NOT have been happy to make her aquaintance. They were VERY curious though. I put an ad in craigslist seeking adoption of this wonderful cat who would require some long needed TLC. After a couple of inquiries, I found the right couple who would give her the time needed to completely socialize her again. I know I can do more for my fellow human, but somehow helpless animals need our attention too.

nycefarm I have a little bird dog puppy, I took her to the vet and one of the vets in the practice (who I never liked) was coming towards me and pup, so I quickly tightened the lease and said don't bite! The guy jumped about 10 feet and plastered himself against the wall... As if this little sweet dog could ever be vicious. Funniest thing ever! Sorry, not a pitbull story, but just goes to show you not all fear is reasonable. As if this little sweet dog could ever be vicious. A small size does not mean a dog is sweet. Because a dog is cute does not make it sweet. Funniest thing ever! Gangbangers on street corners holding the leashes of spike collared growly dogs think the discomfort of passersby is funny too. Does the fact that your dog in your judgment might not actually harm someone else make the vet's apprehension acceptable? People sometimes make these same sorts of judgment errors when meeting an unknown-to-them person for the first time, assuming that person is harmless because of the way he/she appears. You can't always judge a book by its cover. We need to fight fear the smart way and being derisive of the fearful not the smartest way to fight it I agree.