Cooking Lesson

HAHAHA, forgive me, hahaha, I'm sorry, haha, just trying to be helpful, HAHAHA, hahaha.

blatantly stolen from my friend Mairead's facebook wall

hahahahaha, how i love simple recipes, hahhahaha

Six Word Saturday

Why can't I just lighten up?

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and please keep praying for Renee, Jacquie, & Sheldon

Thursday 13: Signs of the Times

1. I love words. So it stands to reason I would love signs. I'm always on the lookout for them, and sometimes I'm lucky enough to have my camera with me. This first sign has special meaning for me because I was in New Orleans 3 weeks after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city. I was one of hundreds of Re Cross volunteers, jb and I running a make shift mental health center, and I will never forget how much a third world country the city of New Orleans was at that desperate time.

2. Only in Provincetown would dogs be welcomed inside the local bank. But with certain limits...:)

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3. How I love the art of Aimee at http://www.artsyville.blogspot.com/ . She combines colors and words in a way that leaves me feeling inspired, excited, hopeful. I visit her blog from time to time just to soak in her wonderful way of seeing, and then drawing or photographing, the world around her. She is my not-so-secret role model. Take a look for yourself.
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4. My dear friend lolo (http://www.studiololo.blogspot.com/ ) designed this award for our beloved Renee, who has elevated the word 'fuck' to celebrity status. And frankly I think that's a good thing. I think sex is a good thing too, and I think saying 'fuck' when it's appropriate and talking about and enjoying sex when it's appropriate is a good thing too. So there.
. 5. I buy lobster rolls at this little place up the street from my house in Western Massachusetts: $6.95, fries included. It's one of the blessings of living in a small town: special unpretentious places that you just get in the habit of frequenting...

6. Here's another small town back road kind of place. The sky was just right when I took this shot, which is another way of saying I just pointed on automatic and caught a lucky break.

7. My irreverent daughter Jessica put these buttons the cupcakes for Mr. Ryan's baptism WWJD:"What would Jesus Do?" I hope nobody takes offense, but Jess and her guests, me included, thought this was pretty clever and pretty funny.
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8. Aaaah, what a sign this is! Here's a shot of Provincetown in all its glory. If you look on a USA map, this is the "boot" located at the bottom of the state of Massachusetts. Ptown is located at the very very tip of this peninsula. It's all this beautiful, really...

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9.There are no words to this sign, but writing on the wall is totally clear: this daughter of mine is a wonderful mother and an incredible woman. (Shown here with baby Drew)

10. My friend Jessie got me started in this project: doing one brave thing a day. I hardly manage to pull off one brave thing a month, actually, but I'm willing to say I try. I try to be brave. I try to be kind. I try to be strong, and present, and caring, and real. That last one feels the best of all: I try to be real.
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11. It's just the menu at Cafe Heaven on Commercial Street in Provincetown, so why does it feel like much more than that? Is it because I've sat in this 30 seat restaurant with alone, with friends and family, with my imagination soaring? Yup. Probably.
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12. How's this for a clear, courteous and clever way to tell you not to park your fucking bike here...? :)

13. And here's a night shot for no reason. I just like the mood of it.

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Here's wishing you a good day and good evening. Please visit Blogland Lane if you have the chance: what's happening there is pretty neat. And please: don't stop praying for Renee and her family.

xoxo

kj

Animal Wenesday: Emily in Cape Cod

Hello everyone, it's me again, Emily, this time I am bobbing in the Atlantic Ocean at Cape Coddy and I am having a wonderful time sneaking out at night to play with my friend Gregory Squirrel and splashing at the beach with my friends Muck, Truck, and their cousin F--- Duck, which kj tells me cannot really be anyone's name but I heard F--- Duck being called F--- and that is what I call him so I think kj is just a prude about the word and that's not F---'s problem so I just pretend I like the name and why would anyone even care?

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Anyway, I am relaxed and even kj is relaxed. She is writing her story with her computer on a red couch that is very comfortable and when she is writing you really can't even talk to her because she looks like she's in a trance and she pretends she doesn't hear a word I say, which maybe is true but if I really need the attention I will just whine first just a little but if I have to I will get louder and recently I've learned how to throw frozen peas, one at a time, at a window or somewhere that you can hear the bing! when it hits and that has helped me get attention very fast. It turns out throwing frozen peas at something is also good to do if you are worried or nervous, so I recommend that you try it sometime.

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Once out of desperation I had to throw frozen artichoke hearts because they were bigger and made more noise, but for the most part I'm happy with the peas. kj doesn't like it but I just told her "peas on earth" and she smiled even though she didn't want to. kj has a good sense of humor some of the time even though she tries to be serious and even though she cries when her feelings get hurt, which I am trying to help her not care and instead either forget about it or threaten to punch anyone mean in the nose.

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Anyway I am in Cape Coddy with my purple poka dot bathing suit and I am having a very good time and I have even made some new friends:

These are pictures of my friends Fernando Fish, Camilla Crab, and Benjamin Birdie. Usually I meet them while kj is writing or shopping or eating or talking non stop with jb and her own friends. I do different things with different friends and I thought today I would tell you how to be nice but also how to get good things from friends.


First of all kj is not a good example. Last year she got in fights with someone she loved because kj wanted to see her more often than her friend wanted to see her. Isn't that ridiculous: why would kj want to see someone who didn't want to see her? She knows this now most of the time but it took her three years to figure it out and sometimes she is still sad but I tell her when she gets upset that she should draw pictures with silly or mean faces and she will feel better but instead she prefers ride it out and "love anyway." That's what she says. I think that is very stupid but of course she does not listen to me so it's not my fault when she looks stunned, which she does sometimes when she is sad.
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Anyway, that is not my point. My point is that I get different things from different friends and I think you should be able to see why. For example, I can play in the water with Fernando Fish and Camilla Crab but I have to make an adjustment for Benjamin Birdie, who I met through my friend Gregory Squirrel and who likes to spend most of his time in trees, which I do with him only because he gives me free candy he finds in people's yards. And Fernando Fish and Camilla Crab cannot go anywhere near trees, and they do not roll down hills either.
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That is what I mean by different friends: you have to accept them as they are and then you and they can figure out the rest together. That is my advice for today and I think it will help you sometime to listen to me. Just don't forget to cry loud too when all else fails.
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I am not saying anything about Blogland Lane this week. But maybe I will next week.

Yours Truly,
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Emily Rabbit

P. S. Hello Harry Hare and Mr Snowbrush my mother says absolutely I cannot live with you and kj says to remind everyone to pray for Renee and her family.

The Official Blog of Blogland Lane!

Okay! Thanks to Debra Kay, Blogland Lane

now has a blog of its own:

http://bloglandlane.blogspot.com/

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Here's how it will work:

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1. Send an email to Debra Kay at blogland.lane@sbcglobal.net. Send your email from whatever email account you want to use to access Blogland Lane.

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2. You'll get an email back inviting you to be an author on the Blogland Lane blog, which means you will be able to either make your own posts there, or come in and set up links to your own blog.

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This is step one. Let's see if it allows and encourages us to visit and share the way we hope.

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For the time being, I will be responsible for the header and editing anything that may need editing (doubtful, but since this is a community where kindness rules, I''ll editing anything that obviously offends). I don't know if I am going to officially be the first mayor of Blogland Lane, but I do know that it's initially important for one person, or a few people, to set things up. So I''ll try my best to do that for the time being.

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I am not proficient in setting this all up: thank God for Debra Kay--but maybe announcements and invitations can also be posted on the sidebar?

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Last, I don't like rules, but here are a couple that seem important:

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1. Our posts on our new blog should mostly be about Blogland Lane: connections, parties, events, renovations, support, recognitions, shops and services, silly ideas, etc. Of course, that doesn't mean you shouldn't share something, anything, that you think is worth sharing. But let's try not to clog up our shared blog with posts that probably are better suited for our individual blogs.

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2. We can only handle 100 "authors" on our new blog. That is a system limitation. Still, I'm not crazy about exclusion. Is everybody okay with at least initially limiting the neighborhood to 1oo? (I haven't officially counted, but I don't think we're close to the limit yet). This means we limit the amount of people who can actually post: not the amount of visitors or comments or even residents, for that matter. If this doesn't sit well with you, please say so.

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3. How about reposting a picture of your place on our shared blog? I'll try to write up a list everyone who's moved in (within the next few days) (thank God I'm on vacation and have the time!) but the visual of everyone's house would be nice.

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4. Kindness, courtesy, respect, diversity, fun, creativity, sharing, learning, and double fun ad double kindness. Let this be our constitution.

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Okaaaaayyyyyyyyyy!

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Provincetown: Family

On Wednesday I began an uninterrupted two and a half week vacation in Provincetown. I have been here almost every week for most of the summer, but this time there will be no driving back and forth to my job: just settling in with with JB, my dog Stella, my micron pen, colored pencils, camera, laptop computer, and the time and means to write at least 50 pages (I hope) of novel # 2.

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For the last four days my favorite daughter Jessica, my favorite son-in-law Mike, and my favorite Mr. Ryan and Baby Drew have been here with us. We vacation well together: all of us easily falling into each day as we like, allowing for time together, time alone, time for Jess and Mike to enjoy themselves without the kids, time for JB and I and Mr. Ryan and Stella to take our shoes off before anyone else is up and walk a block to low tide to linger in the sparkling ocean bay.

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All of these photos were taken in the last four days. Forgive me for not arranging them in an order that is either logical or poetic, but blogger is not happy when I try to reshuffle pictures, and today I am just too relaxed to care.

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So here is my family vacation so far. Jess et al left this morning but God willing we'll be recreating memories like this every year from now on. And now it's two weeks ahead of finding whatever rhythm finds me.

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Aimee at Artysville is greatly influencing how often and how well I see a world of color.

I thought of her when I snapped this.

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It was my birthday this weekend. This is from my beloved Jessica.

How glad I am that she know this!

This is Baby Drew

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And please, until further notice, pray for Renee and her family.

Six Word Saturday: WOW Part 2

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Six word Saturday: Artwork by the amazing Tessa Edwards

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You are looking at this fantastic "logo" to be displayed proudly by residents of Blogland Lane. Once your house is set up, it's yours to add to your side bar just as you would a special award.

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Isn't it just beautiful? I asked Tessa if she would design an insignia or logo for Blogland Lane. This is what she lovingly came up with. And isn't she just beautiful? If you haven't visited Tessa's blog and salivated over her photos, poems, travelogues, essays, and her most amazing paintings, you're in for a treat. You can find her at http://aerialarmadillo.blogspot.com/

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Thank you so much, Tessa. It is amazing. I know I've said the word "amazing" three times now, but that's because that's what you are.

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Other news: Debra Kay will be setting up a Blogland Lane blog that will allow multiple authors to post on it. That seems to be a great way for us Blogland Lane neighbors to share and care. Debra Kay said the blog can only accept a mximum of 100 authors, so that got me thinking that perhaps we should limit the neighborhood to 100 of us for now, for this and perhaps some other good reasons, emotional and logistical manageability being two more.

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What you do think of that? in other words, once we hit 100 neighbors, we pause and stop until we collectively figure out what next. (Note: it's not my intention to arbitarily make decisions for the neighborhood, but I figure some decisions are best made, until it becomes clearer how the happy land of Blogland Lane will work. )

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Meanwhile, won't it be just great to visit a blog and see the logo of Blogland Lane proudly visable?

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Happy weekend, everybody.

xoxo

Thursday 13: Summer Mish Mash

1. What a week it's been! An epidemic of sorts has taken hold in the form of Blogland Lane. Many of us bloggers are moving in every day, claiming whatever plot of land we want and designing and sharing our homes and rooms and yards and terrain just the way we want. There has been an infusion of good spirit and neighborly gestures that I would describe as quite touching and authentic. I love seeing old friends visit new friends.

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2. And moving in is just the beginning:

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Deborah is thinking about opening a Mexican restaurant

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Studio Lolo will offer a summer camp for poor children and a card shop for everyone.

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Tessa has suggested opening our homes for week long open studios twice a year

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Owen is already planning Blogland Lane's New Year's Eve Celebration at his castle

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Zappha is bringing her non profit organization called "One Square Mile" to Blogland so we can
share our personal stories of giving

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Pieterbie wants a bookstore and planned music concerts

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Soulbrush is opening a school with all kinds of classes for both children and adults

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Robert's giving out Greek feta and cold water on hot days

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Margaret Pangert suggests we choose different themes like 'poetry' or 'photos' or 'music' or 'nature' and visit each other to see what we've done for that them.

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Snowbrush is wondering if we need a police force or a standing army (he makes me laugh every time)

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Marion and I read tarot cards

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Bimbimbie likes a swap shop where we can swap or trade anything small enough to send in the mail.

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And the ideas keep coming.

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What a blast!

3. And speaking of homes, Ms. Emily Rabbit posted a picture of her family home today and it looked remarkably similar to a Hobbit House. I called Emily's mother and she told me our little Emily is trying to get her family to move to the Hobbit Houses, but really they live in this house:

Mrs. Rabbit could not explain why this picture is so small but she said Emily is not doing a very good job completing her chores especially since she started blogging. She also said it is true that nobody and nobunny cries deep from the stomach as well as Emily.
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4. I went to an outdoor concert this week. Who knows of or remembers Joan Baez? She is a folksinger who started at the same time as Bob Dylan and although she can no longer hit the high notes, forty years later she was pretty damn good.
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5. It was a beautiful night. The concert was held in a park next to my back yard. The venue was surrounded by mature majestic trees and happy relaxed people. I don't go to enough concerts: I always think that when I do go because I almost always end up feeling optimistic afterwards.

. 6. Don't ask me to explain why this street name makes me laugh every single time I see it
HAHAHA

7. JB and I went to a wedding last weekend. The state of Connecticut has legalized gay marriage and two of our friends, together for eight years, beamed at being able to commit to one another before family and friends in a way they never imagined possible.

8. The church was magnificent:


9. The reception was held on a ship that cruised the Connecticut River for four hours. This was some experience: the ship had a stateroom that reminded me of the grandness of the Titanic before it sank, the food was great, and the dance floor--well, it wasn't empty for a second, from start to finish. And surrounding all of it was the river.

10. It's no secret I've had a very difficult year. Someday I'm going to write the story of why someone I loved so much and who I believed also loved me so much would end up describing me as selfish, needy, demanding, dysfunctional, and sometimes even worse than that. But someday will wait until a time when I can grasp what happened and I no longer struggle with loss or shame. I know full well I had a part in a cherished relationship falling apart, but I also know I am generally considered a good friend and a reasonable and decent person. I'll be glad when I can look back and feel that more good than bad came out of it all.

11. My friend Cam took this photo the morning he and I got up to see the sun rise in Provincetown. Cam is 14 years old and has just started his own photo blog. He'd love it if you'd stop by and say hello. http://www.camsphotography.blogspot.com/


12. I'm not spending much time in here this summer, but this is my home office and the room where I write, blog, dream and begin. It's such a luxury to have my own room, complete with books and bookcases and a cozy little wrap around desk.
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13. Tomorrow morning at 8:00 JB and I are heading to Provincetown where I will stay for two and one half weeks. This will be the longest uninterrupted vacation I can remember taking, and I am so psyched I don't know if I'll be able to sleep tonight. I plan to work considerably on writing the first draft of my second book, a novel with some characters I know and some I don't.

Meanwhile, look for the addition of more neighbors, more houses, and more great ideas on Blogland Lane. It's happening.

And, please, pray for Renee.

Animal Wednesday: Emily Rabbit Takes Blogland Lane by Storm

HAHAHA! Hello everyone, it's me Emily. I have had a very good week because first of all I whined and cried and fell on the floor and kicked my feet because everyone was talking about Blogland Lane and nobody mentioned me, but then Sonia drew a picture of me that is very cute and you can see it on kj's blog on the side and can you tell I am a lot of fun because to me it looks that way and most of the time I am, except when I don't get enough attention.

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Also this week it looks like I am going to get all the attention and jelly beans I deserve for as long as I want as long as I don't have to share the attention or jellies with anyone else except myself and maybe every once in a while my best friend Marianne--all this because a rabbit Bimbimbimbimbie knows named Harry Hare gave me a special box that should make me happy and quiet about my jelly beans for a long time, but of course that won't happen because why should I be quiet especially because it is really not fun to be quiet and then you cannot cry deep from your stomach and you might even get ignored, which can hurt your feelings.

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Anyway, here is the poem that my new friend Bimbimbimbimbie wrote and if anybody wants to buy it let me know because I would make a copy and sell it to you but it might be too expensive so don't be surprised. I am going to give Bimbimbimbimbie at least ten cents from the price so she doesn't get mad that I sold her poem and spent the money on chocolate pretzels instead of jelly beans, which I would since I might have all the jelly beans I want from now on. I say 'might' because I really don't know Mr. Harry Hare and I need to make sure he really has the magic to back him up.

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Now that I've shown you Bimbimbimbie's poem (available for sale, don't forget in case kj doesn't pay me again this week), now I will show you where my mother and I live since every body's showing off their houses but this is not on Blogland Lane. My house is the third one from the left and my Uncle Alexander lives in the middle one with his wife Roweena Rabbit and their 37 little rabbits, none of whom are as smart as me and even my mother that is true.

This next picture is where we used to live before we moved to a better place. The problem that made us move what that you had to share the space with squirrels and mice and ants and even chipmunks sometimes and my mother was always upset because especially the mice made a mess with their little pellets all over the place and the squirrels and chipmunks didn't really like each other very much and you could tell because they kept having tree parties but they didn't invite one another. My mother thought that was unnecessary and she wanted them to get along but they didn't want to no matter what my mother said, even if she tried to be nice, which she did except for the one time she heard them fighting while she was trying to sleep and she got so mad she threw an acorn right at them. Afterwards she was glad she missed and hit a catepillar instead, who i think ended up losing a leg but it was not a problem.

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So anyway, I have to come up with some reason to tell my mother why I will be moving to Blogland Lane. I have some friends there who will let me live with them and raid their gardens if kj won't cover for me with my mother, but I hope she will so I can come and maybe even knock on someone's door and pretend I am Emily Sparrow, wouldn't that be funny! Because everyone knows a sparrow can't knock on anybody's door.

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Maybe I will have my own house on Blogland Lane. I'm still thinking about it. My address would be # V. V. Blogland Lane. I can use letters instead of numbers if I want to just because, right?

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Anyway, a lot of new people visited kj's blog last week and she is getting alot of credit for starting Blogland Lane which is ridiculous because first of all it was somebody else's idea a long time ago and second of all why should kj get credit when all the fun is coming from everyone, not just from her? And besides, what is the most important is that maybe some new people will visit me and they will be interested in learning how to cry deep from their stomach and then maybe I could teach them and they would like me and maybe pay me.

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I could also teach them to whine better.

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Sincerely yours,

Emily Rabbit