So, my attempt at ambiance went all astray! “Animals never do what you want them to when you want them to,” said Arnold Horst. He should know – after years of farming and raising every kind of critter.

If you were not at church Sunday morning, I called the kids up front (as I did 6 years ago) and read them a story I had written about “Two Boys in Bethlehem.” To create a little bit of a stable/barn type of feel, I brought in a crate with two chickens and a rooster from my “farm.”

I thought sure that the rooster would give me at least a couple of crows – after all, he does it about every 30 seconds all day long, and even screams through half the night! But, in church, he was as quiet as a church mouse.

My Jack Russell Terrier is an incredible singer – simply amazing. She even seems to be trying to stay on pitch. I’ve thought to put her in our summer picnic talent show, but I know what would happen – she’d get the same stage fright the rooster had and clam up!

Maybe I should give up on the animals completely, but I’m not sure I’ve had a lot of success either with getting people to do what I want them to do when I want them to do it!