Stinkin toxic balls!

(The lethal 'unplanned' stop at the shop - part 2)

As I load my groceries on to the conveyer belt, my eye is drawn to the pack of fluro tennis balls that have found their way into my shopping trolley that happily ride along with the veggies destined for scanning and bagging. OMG! Without even thinking I’ve thrown them in….a good deal, $5 for 4 tennis balls and my dog, like any single gal can never access to, too many balls, right?

Two thoughts arise ‘Are they consumables?’ and ‘ Was I even conscious when they made their own way into the trolley?’

As I think about their necessity, I pick them up and hold them to my face, their cheap toxic chemical smell makes me recoil and I am reminded of how much I hate these stinkin toxic balls, made out of god only knows what. My normal ritual when I purchase these is to take them home and soak them in washing liquid (Biodegradable, phosphate free in recycled P.E.T packaging, of course) for days in an attempt to detoxify them before I allow the dog to wrap her eager chops around them. 


This one is easy, I hand the balls to the checkout chick, saying I no longer want them and my mind is racing, on a scout to find all those balls long since seen, hiding in my backyard, under the seat in the car and the 46 or so that have found themselves in the neighbors backyard, on the end of the over zealous arm of a friends child.

I'm grateful for Ruby dog 

(AKA: Punky, Stinky, the white hair machine), 

for being my teacher, guide and all round awesome being 

who has no real need for material objects, although she 

will never knock back air conditioning, a tennis ball 

and a soft place to lay!