Dog lovers understand

Years ago I had a Boston Terrier, whose name was Fred, who would not give kisses, never, not once in his thirteen years with me.  I had almost despaired of receiving any show of affection from my YoYo, until today, when she startled me by showering me with gentle kisses, an experience slightly marred by her enthusiastic scratching at my face with her front paws. 

Practicing my cumulative syntax skills again.

Writing under supervision

I have been writing under a new form of supervision, which consists of Gracie standing for hours on the wrap-around desk beside me, watching me, and sending mental messages that it is time for her daily walk in the park. 
This note is a practice exercise for me in the use of cumulative syntax, which is lesson six in my Great Courses series on Building Great Sentences, published by The Teaching Company, and taught by Professor Brooks Landon of the University of Iowa, who drives me crazy because he pronounces "sentences", a frequently used word in such a course, as sen-en-ses.  Discussion includes detailed definitions which, it seems to me, in an educated adult should be intuitive.  Still as I write this comment on my experience, I find myself looking more closely at my sentences for clarity on what I wish to convey.  Perhaps I'm learning something in spite of myself.