And for those of you not fluent in brief-speak, TMI stands for "Too Much Information".
But how can one avoid it sometimes?
Case in point are the two dogs up there. One is Shamrock, my daughter's dog, one is Ansa, my dog. They have both enthusiastically greeted the stranger-dog you see in the water who is fetching floating sticks like a maniac and depositing them at my daughter's and granddaughter's feet to be thrown again.
Just prior to this picture being taken they had looked at each other in disbelief at the behaviour of stranger-dog and walked off together. With dignity.
Boy, do they look alike, eh? Everyone who sees them together is enchanted with them.
"Siblings?" they ask, certain of the reply.
"Well, no."
"Oh, mother and daughter then?"
"No, not related at all."
"Oh, come on now, they have to be!" (getting a little irritated at our stubborness).
"Well, they're about 5 years apart in age and were born 3,000km apart in different provinces and only see each other once or twice a year."
"Oh, well then." (sounding a little huffy, eying the dogs with suspicion now).
It gets a little weird. I think here's where a white lie would serve us all well.
"Sisters", we should say, "Same litter!".
TMI can be so exhausting. Not to mention defensive.
It's small talk. I would be making it as small as possible by lying. I guess it all depends on how chatty you want to be.
ReplyDeleteFunny how once someone has a fixed idea in their head, any amount of contrary information won't shift it. They look like siblings ergo they must be! No wonder we sometimes resort to convenient untruths just to wrap it up.
ReplyDeletePeople feel silly for making an assumption that must so obviously true that they feel they've been had by you by denying it. From now on just say they're siblings, oh yes. Anyone can see that!
ReplyDeleteOh my! Every little marking looks to be identical - what a coincidence! I'd probably be asking whether all dogs of this breed are similarly marked, in almost every case...., and if it has something to do with the DNA of that particular breed. I enjoy TMI. But first, I'd bend down and pet them both - a lot.
ReplyDelete;-)
@Debstar:
ReplyDeleteI guess it's the disappointed looks that hurt the most!
@Nick:
I know, it's happened to me too.
@Irene:
I agree, much simpler!
@T:
The thing is they're mutts, total mongrels! Ah, you're the one for the stories alright!
XO
WWW
these dogs do look alike. but i'm astounded when people ask if riley and boscoe are litter mates. it happens all the time.
ReplyDeleteit'd be a pretty strange litter that produced a border collie, and a springer-lab-beagle-coonhound mix.