Happy Herman's Hideaway

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Mashed potatoes are so much better than mashed dreams

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  • Happy Herman's Hideaway
    Happy Herman's Hideaway
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Hello, my San Saba loves, and how have you been since last we spoke? As I typed that I realized it sounded as if you speak to me when I write my column, and I suppose in my dachshund head, you do. I always try to consider your feelings, your sensibilities, your hearts when I write, and so you do speak to me. I have been thinking so much about common courtesy, kindness, gentleness, consideration, respect and humanity lately. I truly believe mankind has gotten a bit off track on those qualities of late. And dachshunds may act spoiled, but they never waiver on loyalty or the ability to be loving, selfless beings.

Would it be rude for me to say I am sick and tired of winter? I am so over the cold temperatures and ready for mild and even warm weather. I have to wait until mid-morning for my walks because dad doesn’t want to go out when it is freezing, and you know what, I don’t blame him. I like to stop and sniff everything, and the poor man looks as if he is going to freeze to death waiting in the street for me to find out who visited the night before! The truth is he doesn’t care if a raccoon peed in a ditch or an opossum happened by or a skunk ran across our road! Nope, doesn’t interest him in the least, but it drives me crazy! The poor man starts tugging on my leash with fingers so cold they feel as if they might fall off. I am tugging in the opposite direction, and poor dad has ice crystals forming on his eyelids! Yeah, it needs to be spring pretty soon, or I will find myself learning how to walk on mom’s treadmill!

I need to tell you guys…I have fallen in love. Yep, I am head over heels in love with mashed potatoes! Oh come on, don’t act surprised! Of course I fell in love with some kind of food! I am a dachshund, for goodness sake! Mashed potatoes are like perfect, satisfying, and yet so incredibly tasty, too! I told mom they are like eating clouds of creamy goodness, and she smiled and told me if I eat too many I will be a cloud of dachshund fatness. I do not know why she always has to ruin a good thing!

Amidst all the chaos in our world, my sweet friends, I have been thinking much about what is important, what is dear and precious. Humans think education ends when they cease going to school, but life itself is a continuous classroom. Lessons, growing, learning, expanding one’s knowledge is how we get from one day to another, from one heart beat to the next. Strength is not so much muscle and brawn as it is the ability to be humane in an inhumane world, show respect when you are disrespected and to love when you are hated. Yep, strength is not succumbing to the lowest level life but rising above the fray. I love you, my San Saba sweethearts, and as ever, I thank you for being.