Pet of the Day

My neighbor has a goat.

Well, not my neighbor neighbor. Not anyone who lives in my actual neighborhood.

No, I'm talking the guy who lives in one of the older homes outside my neighborhood and just a bit up the road. I'm guessing they're on acre lots.

Yet instead of walking his goat around his acre lot, he walks the goat up and down the winding road that divides the six or seven neighborhoods between Nuckles Road and whatever that street next to Car Max is called. Hey, I have five kids. I can't be expected to pay attention to street signs.

So he's walking his goat, and I say to my son as we pass, "He's walking his pet goat." (BTW, we were in the car. I was driving.)

My son Matthew14 says, "Pet goat?"

"Yeah. Like pet dog, pet cat, pet pig."

"Pet pig?"

"Son, where have you been all your life? Yes, people have pet pigs."

"Then why doesn't that guy have a pet pig instead of a pet goat? No normal person has a goat for a pet."

"But having a pig means you're normal?"

"Mom, shouldn't you watch where you're driving?"

At this point, I had to focus on the road. No more time to think of goats and pigs. We had to get to the library to pick up a couple books on hold, then go to Wal-mart to get medicine and pet food (we got chocolate too), and finally stop at Four Eyes to have a screw put back in said son's glasses. And we had only an hour before "American Idol" came on.

Okay, I can understand owning a goat. But taking it for a walk?

That's just too weird for me.

But then again, I'm sure if I had a goat and it needed a walk....

So after our errand trip and some good and bad singing on "American Idol" (poor Jason, he's going home tonight), I figured I ought to check my e-mail because it'd been a few hours and some really imporatant e-mail might have arrived.

In my mailbox was another thank you note from one of my Genesis entries. I'm three for five on getting TYs back. Either the other two entrants didn't care for my comments or they're slow at letting their judges know they're appreciated or they hated the comments or they're just not polite enough to say thanks.

Anyhooo....

Wanna know what the entrant said? Of course you do.

Dear Judge RSJ12,
Thank you for taking the time to judge my contest entry. I was truly amazed at all the in-depth feedback. Wow! :-) You really made me think, and I'm STILL thinking about the best way to work some of your ideas in. I really can't thank you enough for the wisdom you shared. I really appreciate all the effort you put into it. I know it will make my story much stronger. God bless.
ENTRANT NAME HERE
P.S. I wasn't trying to be sneaky with the lack of a synopsis. LOL. It's called last-minute entry by an SOTP author. :-) I do have a better idea what's going to happen now, so if you can't sleep at night wondering how it ends... :-)
ENTRANT WEBSITE HERE

I'm thinking about contacting her, except that I'm a coward at heart. Then again, I'd love to see how she incorporated my suggestions.

I freely admit I like TYs from contest entrants. Over the years, the number I receive have increased, which is likely becuase I've become a better, more tactful, more encouraging judge.

Oddly, I suck at sending Christmas and other time gift thanks.

Hmm.

Guess that makes me a hypocrite.

Great.

Goats, pigs, and hypocrites....I'd better shut up and let you go.