Do You Talk to Your Pet?

The big dog sat on the covered front porch of the two-story cabin. Body alert, eyes bright. When she got out of the car, she signaled release. 

He bounded to her, all hundred and thirty pounds of him wriggling in joy. 

“There’s my good boy. Best dog in the world. So smart. Just so smart.” 

She gave him a brisk rub before retrieving her market bag. 

“You wouldn’t believe the morning I had.” 

She took out her keys as they walked to the house together on the narrow stone path. 

“Minding my own business, buying supplies, and the chief of police comes into the market to interrogate me. What do you think of that?”

The Witness 

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PhotKing ♛ from Cambridge , UK, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Why We Should Talk to Our Dogs More

... and why many would rather confide in dogs than people.

Psychology Today

"Anyway, We're Married Now"

 

“Yeah, Emma mentioned it. You’re here stag?”

“Yeah.” Del smiled slowly. “You never know, do you? Check out the blonde in the blue dress. Those are some nice pins she’s got.”

“Yeah. I always thought Laurel had great legs.”

Del choked on his beer. “That’s not … Oh,” he managed when she turned, laughed, and he got a better look. “Not used to seeing her in a dress, I guess.”

Bed of Roses

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Rachel Samanyi from Seattle.WA, USA, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

People Are Sharing The Exact Moment Their Friend Accidentally Turned Them On, And What Happened Next

BuzzFeed via YAHOO!

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Earlier Jack and I were standing around, and I was scoping the crowd, the way you do.”

“The way you do.”

“Okay. I spot this blue dress with a great pair of legs and …” He made a vague gesture that gave her a clear picture of the and. “I thought, nice, very nice indeed, and made some mention of same to Jack. He pointed out that the legs and the rest I happened to be scoping were yours. It gave me a hell of a jolt, I admit.” He gauged her reaction, judged surprise led the way. “In the interest of full disclosure, I also admit it wasn’t the first time. So whether or not it was the right thing to say, it was accurate.”

Savor the Moment

This was private, fun and different 💍

 

"Fine. Here and now, then." He picked up his pants, dug the jeweler's box out of the pocket. He held it out to her, flipped up the lid with his thumb.

"Oh, my Jesus Christ," she said and sat down heavily on the lid of the toilet.

"Yeah, that's romance."

Key of Knowledge

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Juliescribbles, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Jodie Kidd has divulged that she was in the bath when her fiancé Joseph Bates popped the question in Paris. 

 The former model, 43, revealed details of last November's proposal and described it as 'private, fun and different.' 

DAILYMAIL

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She grabbed Dana's hand again to admire the ruby. "It's gorgeous. So perfect for you."

"So's he. Wait until I tell you how he asked me."

“I can top it," Malory claimed.

"Were you naked?"

"No."

Dana licked a finger, swiped it down an imaginary Scoreboard. "I win."

Key of Knowledge

Does Your Dog Put His Paw on You?

 

Eli studied the dog; the dog studied Eli. Then she lifted a paw in invitation. Only a heartless man would have refused to take the offered paw in his for a shake. “It looks like I’ve got a dog named Barbie. For a couple days.”

When he started out, Barbie fell in at his heel, tail wagging enthusiastically. “I guess you’re coming with me.”

She followed him up, into his office. When he sat she moved up to sniff at his keyboard. Then she wandered off, her toenails clicking lightly on the hardwood.

Whiskey Beach

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Bruce from San Francisco, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Most dog owners have likely experienced your dog pawing at your legs. While you may brush off this act as a mere annoyance, it’s actually your pup’s way of trying to communicate with you. And it can mean something really sweet.

 

If your dog puts his paw on you, it can be his way of saying “I love you.”

SOUTHERN LIVING

How to Support Your Friend Through Their Divorce

When the doors opened, she closed her fingers around the ring, willed the tears to wait.

"Pilar." Helen took one look. Her lips tightened. "Okay, let's forget the coffee section of today's entertainment."

At home, she crossed to a painted cabinet, opened it and selected a decanter of brandy. 

She poured two snifters, then walked over to sit on the footstool in front of Pilar's chair.

The Villa

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By Cynthia Magana cynthmag - https://unsplash.com/photos/GMLNhaBkCiEarchive copyImage, CC0,

 https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61715079

And if you're watching a loved one cycle through the typical emotions associated with this trying chapter—grief, fear, anger, and frustration—not to mention lengthy legal proceedings, it's easy to feel helpless or concerned that you'll say the wrong thing.

YAHOO!

__________________

"Maybe, maybe. I can't see clearly now. I can't see through the next hour much less the next year. God, I didn't even make him pay. Didn't have the guts to make him pay."

"Don't worry, she will." Helen leaned over, kissed the top of Pilar's head. No man like Tony should slip through life without paying, she thought.

"And if you want to scald him a bit, I'll help you outline a divorce settlement that will leave him with permanent scars and one shriveled testicle."

Pilar smiled a little. She could always count on Helen. 

"As entertaining as that might be, it'd just drag things out, and make it more difficult for Sophie. Helen, what the hell am I going to do with the new life that's been dumped in my lap?"

"We'll think of something."

The Villa

How to Make Friends

"Oh, I had friends. Somewhere along the line I'd learned 

that if you didn't try so hard, if you just

relaxed and acted naturally, that there were 

a lot of people who'd like you for what you were."

Convincing Alex

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By Aman dsc - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=76911587

It takes effort, but it's not impossible.

REAL SIMPLE

Can Love Last a Lifetime?

He remembered the

clever child, the coltish adolescent, 

the irresistible bloom of the young woman. 

The bloom had blossomed 

seductively. 

And he could feel the pull that had always

 been between them.

Honest Illusions

_________________

By Gardenermd - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=76491765

From Infatuation to a Lifelong Symphony

Can romantic love last or, by its very nature, does it have a best before date?

Psychology Today

This Is What Playfulness Does To Your Relationship

"You can work eight, twelve hours a day," Parks continued. 

"You can enjoy your job, be terrific at what you do, 

but you still need to throw a Frisbee now and again."

"Frisbee?" This brought on a baffled laugh that pleased him. 

The hands on his shoulders relaxed. "What are you talking about?"

''Fun, Brooke. A sense of the ridiculous, laziness, riding Ferris wheels. 

All those things that make working worthwhile."

She had the uncomfortable feeling she was being expertly 

led away from the subject at hand.

 "What does riding a Ferris wheel have to do with you and me making love?"

Rules Of The Game

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Peter Drier [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]

I’ll be the first to admit, well, maybe not the first, but I’m admitting it anyway: 

it’s not that easy to be playful.

Even when I know that playfulness and fun bring more harmony, 

delight, surprises and loving kindness in my relationship. 

Even science confirm that playfulness makes the relationship more strong.

Jolanda Herc

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"Throw a few Frisbees with me, Brooke. Ride a

few waves. Let's see where it takes us."

Looking at him, she could feel her resistance melting. 

Before she could prevent it, her hand had lifted

from his shoulder to brush at the hair that fell over his forehead. 

"You make it sound so simple,"

she murmured.

"Not simple." He took her other hand and pressed his lips to the palm. 

"Even fun isn't always simple."

Rules Of The Game

Rekindled romances are so intense

He wasn't the young man who had once loved her. Nor was she the same

woman. They were more patient now. They didn't tumble onto the bed,

but lowered slowly, knowing each moment was precious when so many had

been lost.

And yet, though they had changed, their bodies moved easily together.

When she reached for him the years seemed to vanish.

Public Secrets 

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By Виктория Злых - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=76837594

The psychology of why rekindled romances are so intense

Last month, the New York Times’ Modern Love column told the tale of two romantic relationships that ended and were then rekindled many years later. The author’s romance first ended when her boyfriend lost the piece of paper with her address and had no other way of contacting her. When they saw each other again after 20 years, she writes, “Our long-lost love was still there.”

QUARTZ

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It was a very subdued Rogan who left his grandmother's parlor and

swung by the gallery just past closing. He didn't want to believe he'd

seen what he knew he'd seen. Just as Maggie had once said, when a

couple is intimate, they throw off signals.

His grandmother, for God's sake, was flirting with Maggie's

moon-faced uncle from Galway.

Born in Fire

Ways your parents' behaviors shaped who you are today

When she'd run out of steam, Stella rubbed her hands over her face. "Goddamn it."

"That's a lot of bitching, whining, and venom to pack into a quarter of an hour. 

She sounds like a very talented woman."

It took Stella a minute—a minute where she let her hands slide into her lap 

so she could stare into Roz's face. Then she let her own head fall back 

with a peal of laughter.

"Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, she's loaded with talent. Thanks."

"No problem. My mama spent most of her time—at least the time 

we were on earth together—sighing wistfully over her health. Not 

that she meant to complain, so she said. I very nearly put that on her 

tombstone. 'Not That I Mean to Complain.'"

"I could put 'I Don't Ask for Much' on my mother's."

"There you go. Mine made such an impression on me that I went 

hell-bent in the opposite direction. I could probably cut off a limb, 

and you wouldn't hear a whimper out of me."

"God, I guess I've done the same with mine. 

I'll have to think about that later." 

Blue Dahlia

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By Humyra khandoker - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=76617469

Whether your parents were your best friends or you barely knew them, 

your relationship with Mom and Dad had an impact on who you are today.

MSN

Living in Limbo

"Do you have something profound to say?" she asked Doug.

He walked over, sat down, leaning forward with his hands dangling between his knees. 

His gaze was sharp on her face. "All my life, as long as I can remember, you've been the ghost

 in the house. Doesn't matter which house, you were always there, just by not being there. 

Every holiday, every event, even ordinary days, the shadow of you darkened the edges. There were times, plenty of times, I hated you for that."

"Pretty inconsiderate of me to get myself snatched that way."

"If it weren't for you, everything would've been normal. My parents would still be together."

"Oh Christ." She said it on a sigh.

"If it weren't for you, everything I did growing up 

wouldn't have had that shadow at the edges. I wouldn't have seen the panic in my mother's

 eyes every time I was five minutes late getting home. I wouldn't have heard her 

crying at night, or wandering around the house like she was looking for 

something that wasn't there."

Birthright 

________________

By Sheba_Also 43,000 photos - 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/shebalso/20984381884/, CC BY-SA 2.0, 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72977824

What it really feels like when a loved one goes missing

The majority of missing people return fairly quickly, but around 1% don’t. Their cases remain open for a year of more – and some for much longer. In the meantime, their friends and relatives must live with the uncertainty and hope of finding what happended to their loved ones, sometimes for many years.

The Conversation

________________

The fabric of their lives woven over the past twenty-five years had been torn. 

Their routines of home and work and family shattered.

Their world became the hospital, the being there, 

the going to and from, the constant juggling on snatches of 

sleep and rushed meals between. The demands of work, the people 

and animals depending on them, the low simmer of worry for Cora.

If Alice’s return created such tears and breakage, Bodine thought, 

how much had her careless departure caused so long ago?

Come Sundown

Guaranteeing a second date while on a first date

“This is all ammunition, Cart. All ammo. You want to be able to order a nice bottle of wine. 

Oh, and after dinner, if she says how she doesn’t want dessert, you suggest 

she pick one and you’ll split it. Women love that. Sharing dessert’s sexy.”

Vision in White

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By Morgan - originally posted to Flickr as Cheesecake, CC BY 2.0, 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10226856

Couples on Channel 4's First Dates were analysed, with some interesting findings

Mirror

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She smiled. “Look how cute you are in your smarty-pants. Now why don’t you order dessert, 

so I can pretend to be self-righteous and not—then eat half of yours?”

They lingered. She’d forgotten what it was like to have a meal with a man she could have

long, twisty conversation with. One who listened, who paid attention—whether or not 

he was thinking about the possible bonus round at the end of the evening.

He made her think, she realized. And entertained her. 

Vision in White

Can people be saved from a terrible childhood?

"But answer this last question.
Do you think that bright, troubled child should be denied a full and
normal life as an adult because he had the bad luck to be conceived by a
heartless, perhaps even evil woman?"
"No." His breath shuddered out. "No, that's not what I think."
"No buts this time? No qualifications? Then I'll tell you that in my
professional opinion, I couldn't agree with you more. He deserves
everything he can grab, everything he can make, and everything we can
give him to show him that he's his own person and not the damaged
product of one vile woman."


Rising Tides

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By Mohamed Haddi [CC BY-SA 3.0  

(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons

US researchers have found early intervention can help prevent
negative experiences in infancy turning into long-term health risks

At bottom there is a revolutionary idea. It’s about moving 
from ‘what’s wrong with you?’ to ‘what happened to you?’

The Guardian

____________________

"He knew them—better than I did. When he died, I figured they'd ship me off,
or I'd have to run off.
I never figured they'd keep me around.
They didn't know me, so what did they care? But they kept their promise to Ray. They changed their lives around for him,  and for me. They made a home—
pretty wild one at first with Cam running it."
For the first time since he'd begun, some of the misery lifted.  Humor slid into his voice.
"He was always blowing something up in the microwave or flooding
the kitchen. Guy didn't have a clue. I pushed at them, gave them—Cam mostly—as much grief as I could dish out. And I could dish out plenty. I kept waiting for them to kick me out, or smack me senseless.
But they stuck with me. They stood up for me, and when Gloria tried to hose them like she'd done with Ray,  they fought for me.
Even before we found out I was Ray's grandson, they'd made me one of them."


Chesapeake Blue

Happy in marriage?

“I’m telling you this so you understand my basic genetic makeup. My mother,

while satisfied with me on the whole, never loved me or wished to. She never

accepted I might have my own goals or desires or plans. Hers, for me, were

again very specific and detailed. For a very long time I thought she didn’t love

me because I was lacking in some area, but I came to understand she simply

didn’t love. She has no capacity or aptitude for love, and no skills at displaying

affection. Factoring genetics and environment, I also lack the capacity. I may not

have the skills for relationships, but I understand emotions and affection are

primary needs in developing and maintaining them.”

Brooks thought, What a load of crap. But he structured his response more

carefully. “Let me get this straight. Because your mother’s cold, selfish and

appears to have all the finer feelings of a sand flea, you’re genetically

predestined to be the same.”

The Witness

_________________

PEAK99 [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]

People fall in love for many reasons — similar interests, physical attraction, and shared values among them. But if they marry and stay together, their long-term happiness may depend on their individual genes or those of their spouse, says a new study led by Yale School of Public Health researchers. 

YaleNews

_________________

“Is he still married?”

“Yes.”

“So he can develop and maintain a relationship. You’ve got his genes, too.”

For a moment, a long moment, she watched the flight of the hummingbird—

that sapphire blur—until it whizzed out of sight.

“Why would you want to be with someone whose skills and aptitude for

personal connections are stunted?”

“Maybe I like the idea of watching them grow, and being part of it.”

The Witness

It's not all hearts and flowers

"I didn't forget you either."

"Didn't you?"

"Nope." He opened a drawer. "I didn't leave it out because I wasn't sure 
what the maid might make of it."

Lana stared as he pulled out a can of Boston baked beans. 
When he dropped it into her hand, grinned at her, her heart not only tripped, 
it fell with a splat.

"That just tears it. I'm done in by a can of beans." 
She pressed it against her heart and began to weep.

"Oh Jesus, Lana, don't cry. It was a joke."

Birthright 

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Gaelle Marcel gaellemm [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons

Women reveal the seemingly unromantic gestures that REALLY say 'I love you' - from cleaning up sick to practical presents

DailyMail

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"Then we will go down and face the chicken together."

"Really? You'd do that?"

"I'll also face the crab dip and the pasta salad with you. Such is the depth of my love, even at six o'clock in the morning."

Spock rose, yawned, stretched. 

"And apparently his. If we poison people, Cilla, we'll do it together."

"I feel better. I know when I'm being a maniac."

She walked to him, leaned down and kissed his sleepy mouth. 

"And I know when I'm lucky to have someone who'll stick with me through it, right down to the crab dip."

Tribute

Want to live longer? Have a blazing row

“And I'll remind you of the night you asked me to marry you, when you gave me

flowers and candlelight, then shouted at me and raged up and down the room,

making me love you even more.”

“If that's all it takes, you'll be delirious about me by the time I'm sixty.”

Suzanna's Surrender

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Brocken Inaglory [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) 

or CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]

Couples who argue have a lower risk of ill health and dying prematurely, study finds

It might not seem like it at the time, but having a blazing row with your partner could be good for you.

Those who argue with one another have a lower risk of ill health and dying prematurely, scientists have found.

DailyMail




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She glanced around. "God! There must be something to throw."
"Don’t think about it," he advised. "Just grab the first thing and let it fly."
She snatched up her hairbrush, heaved it. It cracked solidly against the jewel-toned
shade of her bedside lamp. "Damn it! Damn it, that was Tiffany. Can’t I even have a
successful temper tantrum?"
"You should have thrown it at me." He grabbed her arms before she could go clean
up the mess she’d made.
"Just let me go."
"I’m not going to do that."
"I’m stupid." The fight went out of her. "All I’ve done is embarrass myself and break
a beautiful lamp shade. I should’ve taken a Xanax."
"Well, you didn’t, and I prefer fighting with a woman who’s not hazy on some
tranquilizer. These are real feelings, Tia, and you’ll have to deal with them. Whether
you want mine or not, you’ll have to deal with them."


Three Fates