Tomorrow at 2:30 pm we are all going to the Vet’s office. Molly is due for boosters. Brandy is ready for her second set of puppy shots. Echo my oldest African Grey seems to have a problem that must be checked out. So we are going to put Molly in the carrier crate that Brandy uses as a bedroom. Echo will go in a square portable cage and Brandy will go in Jay’s arms.  The Vet that takes care of my zoo is near Frankenmuth, Michigan so it promises to be an exciting afternoon outing!

Signs that Spring is almost here.

A little water in the basement!
Two Red Wing Blackbird were at the feeder the last couple of days.
The honeybees are on the back deck again.
The frog pond ice has melted.
The lower level of the backyard is a little squishy.
There are buds on the trees and bushes.
The sprouts of the flowers are poking up through dirt in the beds.
Finally Brandy is running the back hillside!

Update::
Me and my big mouth !!! Last night high winds, snow that didn’t stick—today more high winds and it is cold as a witch’s tit out there tonight.  So cancel the happy thoughts and send the Red Wing Blackbird back South for a bit because Michigan is doing what it does best tease you then slam you!!!!

Thank you Skyline for this little gem!

A man and woman had been married for more than 60 years.
They had shared everything.
They had talked about everything.
They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little
old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned
her husband never to open or ask her about.
For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but
one day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would
not recover.
In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box
and took it to his wife’s bedside.
She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box.
When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money
totaling $25,000.
He asked her about the contents. “When we were to be married,”
she said, “my grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to
never argue.
She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet
and crochet a doll.”
The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears.
Only two precious dolls were in the box.
She had only been angry with him two times
in all those years of living and loving.
He almost burst with happiness. “Honey,” he said, “that explains the
dolls, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?”
“Oh,” she said, “that’s the money I made from selling the dolls.”

Women will love this…
A Prayer
Dear Lord,
I pray for Wisdom to understand my man;
to Love him,
to forgive him;
And Patience for his moods;
Because Lord, if I pray for Strength,
I’ll beat him to death.
Amen

Eyes searching everywhere for the furball.

She is busy.  Momma made a toy out of braided flannel and she tugging on that.

Oh oh busted Momma found me hiding in the pantry!

Bath time for the furball means rest time for me!

She is on the loose but I’m up high by Dad and she can’t get me here.

There she is back snoozing on her pillow so I’m safe to roam a little now!  Darn old dog!

  WARNING:  My spell check isn’t working and I’m too tired to haul out the dictionary—so please excuse the writing!!!!
Good Morning!  Thought I’d take a few moments to visit.  Brandy and I have just come back in from watering the great outdoors as is our habit between 3 and 5 am.  Yesterday afternoon was spent at the Doctor’s office after three days of visiting the porcelin throne repeatedly and placing the Maytag on extra heavy duty, working the piss out of it.  Don’t know what bug bit me but Kaopectate and doctor’s assurance that my I wasn’t going to be sucked out through my butt seemed to put me on the road to mending what is broken. 

My brother, bless his heart, is still in the hospital but hoping to go home on Monday to recuperate there.  He is getting very antsy and a little upset with being without his smokes for so long.  If I had gone that long I would be thinking about quitting (if I hadn’t already quit).  But he isn’t ready yet and I know from experience that you can’t tell a smoker anything until he makes it his idea to quit.

Well we still haven’t gotten our haircuts and Jay is looking like John L. Lewis (for you who can remember the labor union boss).  If fact if we wait much longer he will look like Brandy around the eyes! 

The situation between Molly and Brandy has progressed to being in the same room together but Molly certainly doesn’t want to interact with that annoying furball yet.  But the fun is yet to come when we pile both of them into the pickup to visit the Vet in another week.  Ah yes 20 miles of howling Molly and yapping Brandy—you got to love it!

I saw Cindy a week or so back and she said she may be back on line soon.  I sure hope so I miss her adventures in the real world!

I ordered and and received ‘Teacher Man’ by Frank McCourt a couple of days ago but have yet to pick it up.  Mrs. DoF and Silver Fox had both commented on it but it took an excerpt in Reader’s Digest to prompt getting it.  One because I’m not a teacher. Two because the to read shelf has several thing waiting to be persued already.  But hey that’s what retirement is for!  When I finish it my two teachers who don’t teach and a couple of grand daughters can read it. 

Well Brandy is settled back in her bed, the fresh pot of coffee is in the carafe, so this Momma is going to pour her tired old body back in bed also for another couple of hours of shut eye.  I’ll see you later!

Received this message from Darlene that Michael is home.

Hi All
Just a quick note to say Thank you for all your prayers, kind thoughts and good wishes.

Also a BIG thank you to those that called and/or visited him while he was there – it really helped to pass the time.

I received a phone call from Michael tonight (Wed) about 5:45pm saying “COME GET ME!!!  I can come home”    So, I gathered clothes and his shoes and went zipping (hahaha as if traffic would allow that) over to the hospital where I proceeded to sit for 45 minutes while they finished doing release paper work and going over the discharge orders.  Finally he was allowed to WALK out to the elevator and out to the van.

Thank you all again it means alot to have the support of friends and family during these times.

Love ya!!
Dar

Golenlucyd, I think the white Westie would be a wonderful choice.  At one point I had said that I guess adding a puppy to the mix was not a good idea.  But I have to recant that statement now.  True I do have to interrupt whatever I am doing , grab Brandy up, and head outside for a potty break.  But I have found I have no trouble with getting her outside be it 4 am or anytime during the day.  I don’t have time to worry about will the feet or ankles will work and my lungs are delighted with all the fresh air. 
I think you will find renewed strength and a lot of loving companionship when you make your choice.  Also welcome to my little corner!

Jeff, you mentioned a pee pad is that an item that I could purchase?  I have to leave Brandy at home to take Jay to his doctor’s appointments or when we go grocery shopping so with a puppy that small her capacity is limited.  I hope all goes well with making Angel all better!

Maria, I have always clapped my hands and said quick, quick to call Molly and find myself doing the same with Brandy.  I hope that will work in getting her to come back to me.

Diane, Caroline, and Nancy thank you for the kind words.

The last few days have been a bit of a trial emotions wise.

In Michigan my 65 year old brother Gene is in the hospital with a badly infected foot that was complicated by a blockage in the lower heart area . Yesterday the heart problem had been corrected and now doctors must look at attempting to reconstruct the foot.

Jay has a kidney doctor’s appointment today then we will head over to visit Gene again.

In New York our dear friend Michael, Dar’s husband, is in the hospital with a gall stone blockage. Michael is asthmatic and surgery is a problem for him. Dar has asked for prayers and good wishes to be sent his way .

So I am asking you to keep Gene and Michael in your thoughts today. A good wish or a little prayer for their recovery would be greatly appreciated.

Standing on the front porch in the 10 degree air this morning brought back memories of standing outside a Bell building smoking my beloved cigarette for several years. Now neither the Bell building or cigarette are in my life any longer.

Now I stand out here waiting for Brandy to do her job. Be it 10 pm at night, 4 am in the morning, or any time after her naps during the day—makes no difference. It is still a duty that has to be done to teach Brandy what is expected of her. I learned the lesson quickly—she is a little slower catching on. But we are out there shivering together.

What is so funny is when Brandy eats she get food all over her face, neck, and ears. I was told to wash her immediately after she eats so I go running to catch her. When she sees me coming she runs for the travel case which is her place to sleep at night. She hides in the back of the case hoping I won’t find her.  But I win the hide and seek and she squirms while I wash and dry her sweet little face.

They say that dogs look like their owners and even after just a week we are tending that way. Guess I better get a haircut soon!

Things just ain’t been the same since that fur ball came to live with us. I thought I’d go outside for a while this morning but this is what happened over night. I can’t have time with my humans because fur ball wants to play with me. In order to avoid it I hide in the bedroom or up in the loft because it can’t climb stairs—it don’t have long legs!

I sat in the big window today because the woodpecker was knocking on the house. Wish the snow would go away so I could go out and stalk. Momma yells at me if I think about stalking the fur ball. I still don’t know what it is. It looks like a big mouse but it won’t run from me. In fact it tries to chase me and makes this funny yapping noise. I guess it is not a mouse because mice squeak not yap. 

But if the truth be told the fur ball spends more time sleeping than anything. When it wakes Momma grabs it up and takes it out outside for a minute. I don’t know what they do out there but I do know to get out of the way when they start out.

I wish that fur ball would go home because it sleeps by Dad and I can’t get near him. Besides it makes me tired watching it sleep and I end up in on Momma’s bed snoozing!

Nap time is here!