I heard a sermon two weeks ago, and the opening question was, "What's up with all these tattoos?" Anyone 17-35 it's more of an exception if they don't have one than if they do, and often it's not just one but several. The earthy guy on the paint crew at our house this past week had his earlobe tattooed and that had to hurt! I'm not sure he was completely here and with it, but possibly a bit two sheets to the wind when it was applied.... Actually I'm not sure he was here and with it while he was painting our house!

All that said, I think I'm the type that could have had a tattoo twenty five or more years ago. Something buried deep down inside me kind of likes the look of a little tattoo applied on the ankle or somewhere not too noticeable. I don't think I would have been a candidate for those wing-type things applied above and across one's backside.... even back in the days when my backside was about two inches higher up than it is now.

There are two reasons, maybe three that I never got one.

#1 The only people getting tattoos when I was in my twentys were sailors or rode Harleys. I was a secretary and a mom.

#2 I don't like pain.

#3 I change my mind all.the.time. I would never be able to choose something I could put up with for the rest of my life, and the removing over and over would not only be expensive but hurt like a son-of-a-gun, and I refer you back to #2.

So no body art for me. I really don't know anything I don't get sick of, on a regular basis, and consider throwing away or giving away or selling other than my immediate family. I even offered my middle daughter my beloved cat of ten years, when we move, but she declined. It used to be her cat so I thought she was the appropriate person to offer Miah to, especially since our grandson is madly in love with her. My daughter asked me, "wouldn't you be sad?" I thought about it awhile and said, 'yes, but I'd get over it.'

Our next door neighbors, who keep a lovely home, have six large dogs. They (the neighbors and the canines) all live indoors. When they open their back door the recently popular phrase, "who let the dogs out, arrgh, arrgh" takes on a whole new meaning. Our neighbor's oldest son moves away to college next Friday and they decided they needed some comfort so they bought another dog..... #7 a female black lab they will be bringing home in two weeks. I told them if they'd yelled across the fence I would have been willing to give them our two for the price of one. I was a little bit serious.

So no body art. And I'm keeping the cat. And the two hairy dogs. But I'm feeling the need for change, and an uncluttered life and calm. Lately I've been coming across some blog templates that feel so soothing, calm, uncluttered. I realized all of them have white backgrounds and little of the extra stuff. So I didn't get a tattoo, and I didn't give the cat away, and I'm keeping all immediate relatives, but I did remove the background to my template. That twirly paisly black and white background that I'd considered for weeks when getting the template designed. I'm a bit weary of it, the busy look of it all. (Actually I'd chosen it with a lack of color, knowing I'd get sick of whatever color I chose.) I did save the codes to pop it back in, just in case I change my mind again. I didn't offer the cat to a perfect stranger, but rather my daughter so I could have her back if I wanted to. And doggone it (love that pun!) the neighbors didn't take the dogs in spite of the darned good offer we made, but it would have been the perfect setup. I could have gone over for a pat and a rub anytime I regretted my decision. If that ever happened.

It's good to know one's quirky, fickle tendencies.

Labels: Lighthearted