Help!

Gracie says:

"Help!"

Don't Try To Be Something You Are Not

Here I am.  All cutesy and lovely.  Just like mom aka the nag likes.  

Trouble is.  This is just not me.  

If God wanted me to be a dalmatian puppy he would have made me a dalmatian puppy.  

Agree?

So anyhoooooooo  mom and dad the pack decided a joy ride in the Buick (last night) would be fun.  

I was tricked!  

I'd been to this Animal Prison/Hospital before!  

*Insert shaking back legs here* 

*****Shaking really really really bad!!****

 I was pleasantly surprised to find that not one peep there was interested in sticking anything up my butt or messing with my ears.

  Everyone was laughing and giving stuff away instead. 

 It was something called trick or treat night and all us pups got to visit each and every horrid jail cell examining room and the evil peeps technicians filled up our bags with treats.  

Ahh...  so that's where the treats came in... hence...the words  Trick or Treat.  BOL!

They gave us doggie treats made from peanut butter and cheese, chew treats that were yummy (and I never get at home), cookies, and toys.

I met up with my black cousin Opie and I didn't even try to rip his head off like I usually do.  It was all good. 

And now.  

Let me tell you where the REAL AND MOST AWESOMEST TRICK EVER came in.  The TRICK was on Mom and Dad who thought it cute/funny/awesome for me to pretend to be a dalmatian pup for the night.  

 "Wait!"  I said.  "That's trickery!  There's no way I'm going to pretend that I'm something I'm not!"  

And so.  Right before stepping out of the cold wet night and into the festivities of the hospital place...  I walked right out of the legs of that furry dalmation get up.  Mom had to sit on the wet ground and rescue me as I was trapped inside this 18 month old baby costume turned 11 year old dog costume.  

Geese!!  What an ordeal.  

And so.  We partied hardy at the Animal Hospital last night.  I smelled some butts and came face to face with some pretty scary lookin'  dudes and dudettes.  But I did it with dignity as Dad carried that horrid ball of cutesy costume in his one hand and my goodie bag in the other.  

And now... for the real TRICK!  

It was dark.  It was raining hard.  Dad had to park about a mile away.  He went to get the car and brought it to the door.  "Get in!"  He says.  

And that's when Mom noticed the poop hanging from my butt!!  BOL!!!!

  Have ya ever got so excited about it all that ya just let er rip?

  Well.  You get the picture then.  

Ahhhh, but it was a fun night.  And in the end I got a bag full of goodies and a sock monkey that squeaks.  

Life, it's about as good as it gets.

"Dear Sock Monkey:  You are NOT a monkey!  You are a sock!  Don't try to be something you're not!"

Not Impressed

While grocery shopping with her mama, Summer saw these pretty, colorful flowers and said "I have to get these for Grammy!"  

And so, she did.

I love that she thinks of me when she sees beautiful flowers.

The calendar may say fall is here.  But for me,  Summer is all year round.   Love this girl.

Gracie:  The Puppy Years

"So is this bath stuff something you
people do often?  Not impressed."

Clean Up The Mess

We were honored to have Gary's youngest daughter Athena and her boyfriend Jake here for a visit last week.  The days passed way too quickly, but it was fun.

I always love when Gary's family visits.  I can't imagine living far from my kids but especially my grandkids.  Gary had a list of fun things to do the short time they were here.

It was sad to see them go, but on to business as usual. 

 We are falling into Autumn and that means cleaning gutters, trimming the hydrangea's and collecting fallen leaves for disposal.  Gary worked hard on those tasks....

while I made a huge pot of vegetable soup...

Today I dropped a big jar onto the ceramic tile/kitchen floor and soup along with slivers of glass went everywhere!  It took me a good half hour to clean up the mess.   

Gracie:  The Puppy Years:

"Hey, can ya give us some privacy here?
Scooby and I are having a moment."

Laugh

Found this on Facebook and had to share.  It made me laugh because it is so true!

Miss You Jimmy

My journal tells me that a year ago today my brother called me on the phone to tell me he had coughed up blood the night before. 

"This is it,"  he said.  

Somehow, he knew.

About three months later he was gone.  

I miss you so much, Jim!

She's Nothing But A Faceless Coward!

Something was up but I wasn't sure what it was.  First he grew a mustache, then a goatee.  I heard that changes happen once men meet up with mid-life.

Amazon packages were coming in left and right....  and he was not sharing with me what was inside these packages.

He is retired now, so he has a lot of free time on his hands.

When I caught him with her I was not surprised.

Finally, he came clean.

He admits she possess all the qualities that I fall short in.  She is extremely intelligent and she never nags him.  And he loves her deep, sultry voice...

I set up a web cam and caught them together....

My Poor Gracie

Gracie's lumps and bumps are multiplying and becoming bigger.  I had her to the vet and he said it is nothing to worry about, older dogs get these.

What I am concerned about though, is this:  Randomly, she is peeing in the house.  This, a sign that she may have stones in her bladder again, which would mean surgery.

Please pray for my girl Gracie.  I can tell she is uncomfortable.  I am getting ready to take her to see the vet now.

Thanks!

Dear Diary,

Day before yesterday, I peed on the floor right in front of Mom.  At first she yelled at me but then she held me close to her face and acted like it was a good thing that I peed on the floor.  Last night, I peed on the floor again.  She didn't yell at me this time.  Just hugged me.  She says I'm going back to see Dr. Fox today.  She told me I need to get better by Halloween...  she said she has plans for me.  This cannot be good.  Gracie.

Happy Thirteen

We are back from vacation.

Had a great time. 

Beautiful weather.

Laughed.

Enjoyed nature.

Was in constant awe of God's beautiful design.

Peace.

Exercise.   

 A glass of wine and a nice hot soak in a tub of bubbles...

No worries.

Wonderful Food.

Visiting Friends.

Flea Market Fun.

Pampered.

Observing lifestyles.

 Being Still.  

Feeling God's presence.

 In awe of the breathtaking beauty of His creation.

Enjoying time with my husband of thirteen years.

Happy 13th Anniversary, Gary.  Thanks for the memories.  As always, our time away was awesome!