Tomorrow will mark my 85th birthday and I thought that a story about life would be most appropriate.

An old Doberman starts chasing rabbits but before long discovers that he’s lost. Wandering about, he notices a young lion heading rapidly in his direction with the intention of having lunch. The old Doberman thinks, “Oh, oh! I’m in deep trouble now! Noticing some bones on the ground close by, he immediately settles down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching cat. Just as the lion is about to leap, the old Doberman exclaims loudly, “Boy, that was one delicious lion! I wonder if there are any more around here?

Hearing this, the young lion halts his attack in mid-stride. A look of terror comes over him and he slinks away into the trees. “Whew!,” says the lion, “That was close! That old Doberman nearly had me!”

Meanwhile, a squirrel who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree, figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the lion. So, off he goes.

The squirrel soon catches up with the lion, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the lion. The young lion is furious at being made a fool of and says, “Here, squirrel, hop on my back and see what’s going to happen to that conniving canine!

Now, the old Doberman sees the lion coming with the squirrel on his back and thinks, “What am I going to do now?” Instead of running, the dog sits down with his back to his attackers, pretending he hasn’t seen them yet. Just when they get close enough to hear, the old Doberman says, “Where’s that squirrel? I sent him off an hour ago to bring me another lion!

Moral of This Story: Don’t mess with us old dogs.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

Happy birthday to me.