Right on the money, Ron. Except with the kitties thing......allergies for this one.<div><br></div><div>WRM</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Sat, Jan 5, 2013 at 10:44 PM, Ron Nossaman <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:rnossaman@cox.net" target="_blank">rnossaman@cox.net</a>></span> wrote:<br> <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><br> If you ever need to know if the people in a household are worth knowing, meet their animals. Dogs barking shrilly enough to curdle milk, utterly ignored by their unconcerned owner with no offer to take the little gargoyles away so I can hear to do my job and not get my ankles chewed up aren't first tier. The dogs that are locked away when I arrive because the owner didn't want to impose them on me, I want to meet unless they eat piano tuners. They know I came to see them, after all, and are almost always total sweethearts. They bring toys and lean against my legs saying hello every ten minutes or so, and are usually deeply happy with an ear scratch until the next pass through the room, with a belly rub when I pack up to go. Too many people have cats and don't know them, which I try to help with too. I've left a spare temperament strip more than once as a "get to know the short kid" kit for the overly slow two legged owners, with instructions and demonstrations on skritchin' kitties. Sometimes the dimmies actually get it and the poor lonesome little mousetraps score an occasional hug afterwards. That's the plan, anyway.<br> <br> Oh yea, and the piano gets serviced too.<br> Ron N<br> </blockquote></div><br><br></div>