No Birdbrains Here
I should've known our cockatiel, Sara Lee, was special when we introduced her to our new baby and the bird immediately began speaking in a gentle baby voice rather than her usual booming squawks. In the coming days, Sara Lee would squawk every day in the late afternoon. I checked the door and found no one. Then, five minutes later, I'd hear my daughter stir. After several days of this, whenever Sara Lee squawked, I went to check the baby instead of the door. Sure enough, our bird was letting me know that the baby was beginning to wake up from her nap. I loved getting to be there as my daughter woke up each afternoon. Sara Lee was the best babysitter a mom could ask for.
―SUSAN HEITSCH Palatine, IL
Sticking to the Schedule
Every day at 5 p.m., my Sheltie, Penny, stands in front of my recliner and lets me know it's time for dinner. Not her dinner-mine. She won't even glance at her food until she sees I've eaten mine. Then, at 9 p.m., she gets in my bed and waits for me to come settle down. Once I do, she heads off to her bed in the living room.
-JANIS ENDSLEY Eatonville, WA
Purring Inspection
We call our Siamese cat, Monty, the Inspector. That's because he doesn't let anything from a package to your purse through the door without a proper search. Last summer, I cleaned a bathtub that almost never gets used, then went upstairs. Monty was soon pawing at my elbow. I figured he wanted food, so I followed him downstairs, but was surprised when he turned into the living room instead of the kitchen. There was water everywhere! Apparently, the tub's pipes had cracked from lack of use. Monty came up to get me, then led me down two flights of stairs to show me the problem.
-CATHY BROOKS Huntington Beach, CA
A Measure of Intelligence
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 2024-Ausgabe von Reader's Digest US.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 2024-Ausgabe von Reader's Digest US.
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Do You Kiss Your Dog? - Find out how gross your questionable habits really are, according to health experts
I admit it, when it comes to food, I have some eeew-inducing practices, like skimming mold off old cheddar and feeding the rest to my unsuspecting family. We're still alive, so how bad can it be? Because our gross human habits fall somewhere along the spectrum from mildly cringeworthy to full-on repulsive, I reached out to experts to find out where some common behaviors land on the gross-o-meter.
What's Ailing Our Doctors? - Today's physicians are burned out and battered by spreadsheets. We patients suffer too.
Today’s physicians are burned out and battered by spreadsheets. We patients suffer too. America's doctors are in crisis. Six in 10 physicians say they're burned out, with burnout rates for some specialties, such as primary care, reaching 70%. When polled by the American Medical Association, 40% of doctors said they were considering leaving their practices in the next two years. Another study, conducted by health-care industry publisher Elsevier, revealed concerns about mental health and burnout: 63% of med students in the United States reported that they had no intention of practicing clinical medicine after graduation and will instead work as lab researchers or academics. This is despite a predicted shortage of 124,000 physicians over the next 10 years.
Now Hear This
Losing your hearing suddenly, even if there is no pain, is always urgent
Go for the Gumbo
The soulful stew synonymous with Louisiana is delicious anywhere you eat it
BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE
Pinned by a giant boulder, a hiker had two choices: panic or gut it out. He did both.
Fathers of the Bride
A young woman finds a unique way to honor the many men who helped her survive her childhood
MY SMART PET
These clever critters are some smart C-O-O-K-I-E-S
How Hobbies Help Us
Far from a waste of time, pastimes are good for body, brain and spirit
1+1 = MORE (or LESS)
A math whiz encourages you to play with your numbers
That Kind of Time
A dressing-room encounter made me get real about aging