Happy Memorial Day!

I have to learn that the photos I publish need to be done in the opposite order.

Here's Gracie - lookin' cute, as I type.

Next Picture - If this were a video, you'd see Gracie's tail wagging to beat the band. She's watching the little girl (from across the street down a-ways), on her new two-wheeler with training wheels. Her grandma is helping her.

Next picture - our flag - facing East.

Next picture - our flag - facing West.

After Paul read my last posting, he said that I was mistaken. It was hotter up here than in Florida. He checked on the web. Okay. Just kinda emphasises my idea that Florida isn't that hot. Ha.

It's hot today too. We went to Painted Post to see one of the Corning relatives twirl in the band.

In the back of our minds, we both thought of bringing Gracie along, and didn't. It would have been a good "practice" parade, since it consisted of The Band and about 8 fire trucks. There were cub scouts on the fire trucks waving flags. The Band will be in Corning's parade this afternoon which is the MAIN parade of the day obviously. After all, it IS Corning-Painted Post School District. I didn't count, but I think there were 200 kids in it. What a great group to belong to. Corning has its own band also - about the same size. They'll be there this afternoon too.

We turned the temp down on our hottub - to 90. So - it should be refreshing to go in it if it's hot outside. We'll see. (It'll be less than body temperature.) One of the salesmen at one of the places we windowshopped at, told us he did that with his pool at home when it was hot in the summer. I haven't been in ours during the day very often. It's been mostly at night. I always loved a pool around 87 degrees. That was just a wonderful treat! My friend, Ruth's pool was like that and she'd invite me for a swim when it was hot out. That was one of the reasons I thought of her as a Great Friend to know and love.

Spoke to grandson Vincent last night. He's turned four and is becoming quite a conversationalist on the phone. We talked about his trip to the beach yesterday. He said the water was quite warm up close, but out farther it got cold! He said he stayed up close. They were there for all morning long. It was good to talk with him. He's signed up for (If I remember correctly. . .) yoga, tennis lessons and soccer. That should be cute. Nancy says the classes are for 3-5 year olds, so he's exactly the right age - not too young, nor too old!

We're cookin' hamburgers on the grill tonight. It'll be a relaxing evening. Just the two of us.

Could write more, but we need to go out. I'm getting Paul a blu-ray Disc player for Father's Day, and they're on sale today. We're using the cassette tape with Gracie. This morning she was whining less. I was concerned about Florida where we're a lot closer to neighbors. Not sure what we'd do if she kept it up. But she's not.

Heard from Ruth yesterday that she's started reading my blog. This is a different Ruth from the one described above. She's the one who came to Florida with Lue. Good to have you "on board" Ruth!

So - what's happenin' in your neck o' the woods?

We've had two warm days here. . .nothing compared to you Florida people, so please don't smirk. It was in the high 80's and humid. Glad we have a/c. I was about to say that a/c may be the ruin of the human race. We're so used to it. If it stopped, we'd be disabled. Of course, that's silly - there's lots of people in the world that don't have it, and they adapt. A silly thought.

I can remember on Long Island as a child, not having a/c and having a big fan in the bedroom window that would draw in the cooler air.Or watching tv in the cool basement family room. My folks had a window a/cer in their bedroom and they offered for me to sleep in there with them. Mom and Dad worked in Mineola for the County executive and the Court System. In the 1950's the buildings weren't a/ced. So - when it reached 90 or above, the courts would close and they'd come home early. I can remember having supper upstairs in their bedroom. Usually something mom didn't have to cook - a cold plate. We'd go to the a/ced movie houses to cool off in the evenings.
The beaches were HOT, but I can remember going there and finding the ocean was finally warm enough to really enjoy it. Sometimes there weren't even waves, it'd be nice and calm. We'd have balogny sandwiches to eat and would have to wait a half hour after eating to go in the water - even tho - we never went over our heads - so that we wouldn't have cramps and drown! Mom would take us to the beach at least two times during the week, and three if we went on Sunday with Dad. That was every Sunday that the weather was good. There, we'd meet cousins, Alice and Carol and their folks and perhaps two or three other couples with their kids. Of course we'd bring home all kinds of sand in our bathing suits which of course landed on the upstairs rugs before we'd take our baths - and get it in the tub. Onthe way home, sometimes we'd stop at Howard Johnsons for one of their 48 flavor ice cream cones. That was bliss. Before Sunday steak dinner! And corn on the cob picked up on the way home!
It took me a long time to learn how to swim because of the waves. I finally learned in Jones Beach Pool, and mom would take me for swimming lessons there. I was not a brave soul by any means and refused to jump off the diving board into the deep water. To this day, I have never done that.
Well - I guess this was a trip down memory lane for me. I hope you " bared"with me!

Got a nice e-mail from Lue the other day, commenting on my Catharine Trail walk with Gracie. She said that when Greta is older and has all her shots, we can park our cars on either end of the Montour Section and take them both for a walk together. That sounds like such a nice idea! Can't wait for Greta to grow up. She's still too young. (Like Gracie is an oldster!)

It was good to hear from Lue - how are the rest of you faring? That's all the news from the Woods Edge. What's happenin" in your neck o' the woods?

Sun and shade pictures - the umbrella can be adjusted to shade other sections - the picture with Gracie on her cage - shows the deck outside in full sunshine - so you can see how much we needed the umbrella!

A note about weather from a snowbird - I was just thinking that we now are having summer-like weather, and it's not even Memorial Day yet (soon, though). So. . .I guess as I write my stream of consciousness - it's time for warm weather to happen up here. . . but coming from Florida - I get mixed up as to what month it is...are we going into Fall, or are we going into Summer? Will it be time to put up the Christmas Decorations outside - how many months til Christmas? 4? 6? Are we finished with summer, or is it just starting. In my old brain, sometimes I have to. . . . think a minute, since snow is not common for us (except at Christmas). And not working puts a drain on the brain. No vacations to think about, nor weekends to look forward to - every day is the same. ( all good, mind you. . . a reward for being alive)

Gracie and I went on a walk Monday. It was an interesting one. Worth a comment or two. I had to look back to see if I had written about it. Don't see anything.

First, I will give you a little background. Schuyler/Chemung Counties, which touch, decided that it would be a good idea to have a "rail to trail" walking path. A rail to trail area is just what the words describe. Where there was a railroad track, they've taken that out, and made a paved walking trail for people to enjoy - either biking or walking. No cars allowed. The idea is to let people, who have the gumption, and want to, walk or bike from Watkins Glen to Horseheads. Or spots in between.

There are sections that begin at certain spots, and you can get "off" at certain areas. So you don't have to walk the whole thing. Just my speed. The walking trail is called The Catharine (pronounced Cath-a-reen) Trail is named after an Indian Princess who lived in the area, early-on. Queen Catharine.
At the bottom of our hill, across Route 14, is one of the starting-stopping points, at the Post Office parking lot. There's even a sign that designates
car parking for walkers. We're close to Horseheads, by a couple of miles, but the trail isn't finished to there yet. There are men working on it all the time. Monday was a beautiful day, so Gracie and I took the car, parked it, and started to go for a walk north going towards Watkins Glen.

Gracie's getting so much better on her leash, and with the mandatorily required poop bag, off we went. This part of the trail includes a quarter mile walk to a bridge over route 14, and a beautiful wooded area on the other side. Gracie's leash is one of those expandable leashes, so the dog can feel like it is more in control of "her destiny" so to speak. She had a wonderful time just sniffing along at first. Stretching the leash out to its end, coming back, and stretching again. She was very interested in a stream - off to the side of the trail.

Then - she noticed the traffic. That made her nervous. She refused to move, even with coaxing and promise of treats. So I picked her up, and went a little further. She was okay. Then we came to the bridge. She went about half way up the ramp and balked. I picked her up, and carried her up to the top. As we were going across the bridge, she balked again. I picked her up. Then we got to the other side. She walked a bit, but then she turned around and completely refused to go any farther.

Obviously - We got back to the car much quicker than going. (She didn't need to be picked up at all.)

So - what did we learn? We learned that this area of the trail has just too much traffic sights and noise, and bridges aren't the best place for little puppies to walk on - there's another place further on that would be more suitable to our walk and on a cooler day, we'll tackle it. No bridges, no traffic. And we learned: This section was more suitable for a Kindle walk.

Brand New Pictures

Good opportunity for some pictures this afternoon. It was nice and sunny. Paul had to stop shortly after these were taken because it was getting hot. The front of our house faces the north. (so, therefore) Back - the south.
The camera is doing strange things...The siding is really straight, dark green.

Ding ding ding ding. . .

Sunday afternoon - a lazy time of the week. Not much going on.

We did go to church this morning. Lots of people there because it was Confirmation Sunday for the 12-year olds. The ten of them all looked so nice in their new dresses, slacks and jackets. A lot of the congregation wore red because it was Pentecost Sunday also. So. . .it was really a celebratory Sunday. We stopped for breakfast-lunch afterwards and several people from other churches came in wearing red, too.

Got an e-mail from Brother Bob - after he read my blog last time, said he has a break-away collar for his papillon. Gracie, being so young, may need a cat one. Good idea.

We have some friends from the Card Club who are moving away from the area to be nearer to their children down south. They sold their house and they'll be moving out the end of June. One of the C.C.couples had a lot of us for dinner last night.
I used to be someone who disliked changes. You'd think with all the changes in my life, I'd get used to it. As they say, the only thing permanent in life is change. I still kinda squirm at change. And you know. . .I've only known this couple for the length of time I've known Paul which, in the scheme of my life, isn't long. I'll miss them. We'll miss them.

Still planning our flower beds. Such fun. On the way home from church, we window-shopped at several nurseries to consider different plantings.

We used the tape cassette last night when we went out, to check on Gracie's whining.
So. . .We have a fridge that the door doesn't quite close automatically, so it goes ding ding ding ding about 9 times., then it's quiet and then it starts again.
Yes. You get the picture. We snuck quickly out the door, and left the fridge door ajar (a little tiny bit). The whole 90 minute tape was of the door going ding ding ding ding. Of course it was my fault. I take complete blame. But, my observant ear did notice that Gracie wasn't whining as much. We're going to get a radio and put it on. We put the tv on this morning while we were gone. Didn't work as well as the ding ding ding ding. Interesting. We'll have to think a bit about this and maybe use it to our advantage. . . and still keep the food cold.
Maybe it was a fluke.

All legs - no fur

It's getting warmer. Paul is outside preparing the ground for the patio extention he's adding to the existing one. I'm hoping he doesn't stay outside too long.

Our cleaning lady is here today, so I'm trying to keep Gracie out of her way. I have a new pic of Gracie - surrounded by her favorite toys - sleeping - stretched out - where you can see how her legs have lengthened. Her baby fur is coming out in clumps. She's not at the prettiest stage in her puppyhood, but she's still adorable. Took her on a walk with her leash this morning, and was talking with a new neighbor - I wasn't watching Gracie and her collar got caught between her mouth and the back of her neck - it was a real struggle to get it off, and back on. Kathy, the new neighbor, helped me. Gracie didn't make a sound, but she did struggle. Guess we'll have to look in to that. Don't know how we can make the collar any smaller. . .we'll just have to watch her.

Land of Smile

Jil's blog has been keeping us informed about the situation in Bangkok. He wrote about the whole situation with the two sides: yellow shirts and red shirts.

For several years he lived in a town near there called Pattaya, (If I remember correctly - about 30 miles away) and I visited him there for two weeks in 2004, when we traveled around the country. So. . .we didn't spend the whole time in Pattaya, but started in Bangkok, went to Chiang Mai, other parts north and then back to Pattaya. I arrived in Bangkok, at midnight, spending almost 24 hours to get there. It was the trip of a lifetime, for me, other than his 2008 marriage to Epril in the Philippines. Anyway -Some of his friends from Pattaya came to the wedding in Jasaan.

Now, I wonder. . .are they worried about all the fighting that's going on in Bangkok? Sitting here at this computer, I can't help wondering. . . it must be effecting their lives somehow.

When our Philippine exchange student, Nathan, would talk about the fighting in Manila, in 1986, then, he compared it to a weather report: There were some parts of Manila, people just wouldn't go to visit "that day" due to skirmishes. The rest of the city would be safe. Life would go on, as before. They would just avoid that specific area. Of course, Nathan was young. Would he feel the same way now.
We had a chance to meet with Nathan again. Several times during our visit to the wedding. We re-united with him then and there. And when we returned to Manila, he invited us out to dinner at the restaurant he owns. . .where we met his lovely wife, saw pictures of his beautiful children. He's now obviously older, has a family. He has obligations. Does he think differently now about these situations? Or is it the common way of thinking when you're surrounded, so often, by the turmoil in these Asian countries. Does it becomes just a part of living, that you ignore for the better part of the time. Or make do with the situations that come up.
Thailand is noted as The Land of Smile. And it was true - wherever you went, people seemed to be very friendly. Has this all changed? Now, Noi's family is from the Northeast area - quite a distance from Bangkok, and she doesn't seem too concerned. I guess that's still The Land of Smile.

Later: Thursday evening: FYI - Okay. Paul read this blog and said that Greg had said they were burning buildings in Udon-thani, which was originally an American airbase near where Noi's family live. They live in a village nearby. Noi saw her sister and brother on UTube - watching whatever was happening. (It's a small world.) So - I guess that kind of changes what I said above.

Time: His. . .Mine. . .It just takes. . .

Monday - Paul had his scheduled six month check-up by our GP. All seems good. It seems like when we get back here from Florida, a lot of our time is taken up with doctors' visits. Ex. This morning, when at the doctor's, we scheduled a colonoscopy for Paul (lucky him). It's his time. Not mine. And an audiologist appointment for both of us. When I got home - the referral person - scheduled the colonoscopy and audiologist appointment, for the same day! Now, son of a gun - it's kinda hard to be two places at once. Of course, I should've been more on the ball. My pocketbook schedule guide didn't have all the info in it it should have. Some needed to be transferred. So I did.

Had Corning folks here for a cookout last night. Gracie was her charming self. Everyone fell in love with her.

We're having more pavers delivered tomorrow to add on to the patio, so we can put a picnic table and have more room for our fire pit. Right now, the hottub, and gas grill, take up most of the room. Saturday night we had our fire pit going. It was so nice.

Bought a cassette tape recorder to tape Gracie when we're gone. So far - two times, she's been crying the whole tape (90 minutes). Although the second time, it was less frequent. (Or was I just getting used to it?) However, we keep forgetting she's only 4 months old. It's not constant, she's kinda quiet for a while, and then whines a little, then gives a "big dog bark." Saying - "Okay. . . that's enough. I've had it. COME. HOME. NOW! " I know we're gone long, but things come up... like church. Doctors' appointments.
It'll just take time.

Waiting and watching the Fed Ex tracking system for Jil's computer package. It should arrive on the 19th. Let's hope so. According to Fed Ex, it's in the Philippines now and the program says it is on schedule.

Greg seems to be coming along. He's home now, as I mentioned before. It just takes time, I guess.

So. . .that's what's happenin' at the Woods Edge. What's happenin' in your neck o' the woods?

Beautiful day does not necessarily mean the weather

Hey - it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood - even if it's cloudy. . .there's sun in my heart! Good Heavens - that was corny. But well-meant.
The reason for all this foolishness is. . .
Jil's new work computer arrived from Spheris yesterday via UPS! His old one of 8 years gave up the ghost a week ago, and he ordered a new one. There was the chance they wouldn't send it because it needed to go out of the country. Which meant he wouldn't have any income, and the ramifications of that were horrible. But they did send it. We felt so much relief, after Paul and I dropped it (poor selection of words) off at the World Fed Ex office near the airport. It's out of our hands. A pun. Yes. We've done all we can from this end. As I said - much relief is felt. It'll arrive next Wednesday. Now - let's pray that it arrives in one piece. Fed Ex is pretty reliable though. Fingers crossed anyway.

I've joined a Bible Study at our church. I want to meet new people there. They're studying the Prayers of Jesus. How about that being relevant. It includes a DVD, book, discussion time. One of the members is a former minister. She is in the choir also. There are two couples - the wives weren't there. And myself. It's a small group, but we had good discussions. It'll be meeting every other week - from 6:30 to 8:00. It's a 6 week session, and just by chance - they were starting a new book. It was raining cats and dogs when I got out, and it was dark. It's been a while since I've driven at night in the rain. I did fine.

Gracie is doing better and better. She listens intently and is beginning to practice some of the commands we give her. Such as sit, stay. As a 3 1/2 month old pup, she sometimes obeys, sometimes not. She's such a bunch of wiggles that it's important that she understand and do it. Especially when we want to put a leash on her to go out. She liked to run away from us, instead of having her leash put on. I got a small soft pillow and gently threw it at her. It surprised her that I could "reach" her without touching her. That helped her remember the sit command. She's also gotten big enough to jump up on our laps - and the sit command helps there also. She knows "No!" also - almost from the beginning. . .although it's hard for her! We're beginning to leave her home-alone, and so far (fingers crossed again) she's been very good. We've decided not to crate her if we're out, and she has full rein of the house - except for some closed doors - and so far (as I said) she's been very good. She's only gnawed on a pencil or two. . .and that was when we were home. I think she may have mistaken them for chew sticks.

Our hottub was on the fritz for about a week. We had to order a new part, and the repairman came with the owner of the pool-place. It was raining in the morning when they arrived, but another plus for that umbrella is - Paul was able to swing it around so that it was over the hottub when he worked on it, and we could all stand there and talk - out of the rain, while making sure the heater worked right. Sure enough. It did. So. Strange that we would use an umbrella to stay out of the rain and not the sun. (What a ridiculous use of an umbrella. Who ever heard of an umbrella being used to keep from getting wet.) Last night Paul had to swing it back onto the deck, so we could see the stars while we soaked.

So. . .that's what's happening at the Woods Edge. . .what's happenin' in your neck o' the woods?

Ins and Outs

Greg is home - he arrived there last night, and was in his own bed. He claimed the hospital bed was more comfortable, but hey - he's really glad to be home. Now let's pray for a swift rehabilitation. So - he was in the hospital for 5 nights. He said Noi will never let him up on the roof again - sounds like a plan. I don't think he'd like to be up there either. I know I wouldn't want to after this learning experience.

I got a lovely bouquet of flowers from Nancy for Mothers' Day on Sunday. I had sent her one also. We have good news - Nancy is expecting again. The due date is October 6th. We're all so pleased because it was touch and go for a while. The added bonus is that the healthy babe will be a girl. Nancy and Dan now will have the King's Wish. . .a Prince, or heir to the throne. . .followed by a Princess, to also spoil and love, like their little Prince. I wish them all the happiness in the world. Do you think it will be another redhead? Any guesses, anyone?

Another prayer is in order. Things are happening with Jil's Spheris job. Pray for good news regarding this. He's a hard worker - diligent and painstaking. He loves his life and family there in the Philippines.

Gracie is doing well. She was ill on Saturday (same problem as in Fla., we think). We were worried about her, but she bounced back so that Sunday she accompanied us to Sharon and Dave's for a Mothers' Day Dinner. Dave prepared this, and it was wonderful! We had two heaping serving bowls full of beef stroganoff, and we certainly made a BIG dent in it. It's amazing what two teenage boys can eat. It's easy to forget! We had a chance to see Sharon's new kitchen a couple of days before, which is just beautiful! - but Lue hadn't. She didn't want to come to dinner with Jennifer because the pup, Greta, was still adjusting to her home. But - the "three" of them came after dinner, for a short time, so Lue could see the new kitchen. The added bonus was Greta met Gracie. If you remember, Greta is 2 months old (8 weeks. Duh) and Gracie is almost 4 months old. The size doesn't mean anything. Gracie was the more dominant puppy. That will change as Greta gets older. We do think Greta is calmer than Gracie. Good thing, when you think of the size Greta will be.

It was fun to watch the happy puppies frolic. Dave and Sharon are dog-sitting Dave's parents' terrier, Sadie, who is just over a year. She and Gracie got along great, even though she was twice as big as Gracie. I'm sorry I didn't bring my camera along. So - We had 4 dogs there - Dave and Sharon's, brittany spaniel - Gunnar. Plus the others. Gunnar, wanted nothing to do with the little "brats." He is too mature and above it all. It was quite quiet when you think about it.

News...of the unexpected kind.

Noi called us late Wednesday night. Haven't you ever noticed that people don't call late at night? . . . unless it's bad news. It was.

Greg had fallen off the house roof. He slipped on wet leaves. He landed in mulch on his left foot, and fell on his right hip. He heard a pop/crack. Noi called 911 and an ambulance took him to Shand Hospital in Gainesville. X-Rays showed a broken femur. He had surgery (one and a half hours) the next day and now has a rod in his broken femur. He's now recovering, but is still in the hospital today, Saturday. Not sure when he'll be home. But soon: we've heard he's recovering well.

It was a very worrisome time for him, his family, and extended family. Lots of phone calls going back and forth these past couple of days. Brenan kept his mom company in the hospital on Thursday, because it just happened that Brenan was due to go on a fieldtrip that day. We understand he'd been there before, and was able to skip it.

Things seem to be on the mend now, and we're all breathing a sigh of relief.

Pictures

Well - I didn't know I had so many pictures to send to you. . .I'm making up for all the ones I didn't send when I was in Florida. I think I have the captions close to where they should be. I'm sure you can kind of match up the words to the pictures.

1. This was our last day on the trip, along the river in Pennsylvania - before we got to Edna and Mike's for lunch. Paul's red shirt, the blue water, Gracie were good subjects. Sorry. . . Paul's in the shade.

2. Looking for Martini - it's time!

3. Bob, Martini and Gracie. Cuteness abounds. (?) Sorry, Bob. We know you're handsome.

Now you can see how Gracie will look when she's full grown.

4-6 I got it in the right sequence! See it! Got it! Love it!

7-8. We had lunch at Edna and Mike's on the last day of our trip. The vividness of the colors of Mike and Edna's (Paul's sister) azalea bushes and dogwood trees were something to behold. I was glad we could see all the color as we traveled up from Florida last week.

9. Sharon and Ida joined me at the church for their annual Women's Banquet. (Mother, daughter, granddaughter, friend, etc.) Ida is growing up, isn't she. She's 7 now.

10. Meet. . . Greta! Lue's 8 week old puppy that she brought home yesterday. She's a Bernaise Mountain Dog. Lue's daughter, Jennifer, is holding her. Jennifer came "home" to help Lue with her. Yes! Greta is only 8 weeks old. Lue says she's going to weigh about 70+ pounds when she's full grown. She acts just like Gracie acted at 8 weeks. Gracie is now 15 weeks old. Almost twice as old. But many times as small. . .

Of Winds and Sails and Puppy dog tales. . .

We're getting back to a routine. It doesn't seem possible that we've been home for less than a week. It feels like much longer. We're settling in.

The newest news:
We bought a cantilever (which means off-set) umbrella for our deck.
Last year, we noticed that it was terrifically sunny and hot when we wanted to use the deck. Nothing changed. (Didn't expect it to, of course.)
So. . .last year, we began window-shopping on our computers, looking for an awning. We even went to a store to buy one, but the back area of our roof was too steep to use one . The drop would have been 4' at the edge. No one could stand there. Except a midget. And. . . According to the internet , it was very expensive to buy a custom-made one, and we didn't want to spend that much money. So. . .Awnings were out.

Then we thought of an umbrella table. That took up too much room on a 12 X 12 deck.

Then our next thought was an off-set, or cantilever umbrella. Okay. We wanted one that was at least 11.5 X 11.5. The computer price range seemed better, and it was more likely not to take up that much space, if it were on the side, than in the middle of the deck. Okay.

Low and behold. . .there was an add for one in the Target-store circular, 11.5 X 11.5. They had it on display at our local Target in the back of the store (where the Christmas decorations were set up in that season). Unbeknownst to both of us, we both looked at it. It was just what we wanted. It was the right size, a good price, and it had wind-vents towards the top, to prevent it from launching itself up and over the roof. When we both realized we'd seen it and liked it, Paul went to the store, got it and proceeded to put it up. The stand required sand inside it, so that winds wouldn't carry the umbrella away. Paul got two 50-lb. bags. But it wasn't enough to fill it. So I went down to Lowe's while he continued to put it together, and got 3 more bags full. It does look good.

However. . .it takes some getting used to. . .
It reminds me of being in a sailboat when the sails are up. The umbrella turns about 5 degrees (I'm guessing) when it's windy. (They said it would.) But once you get used to it, it's fine. Kinda neat. And it does shade the whole deck. It can be adjusted to keep it shaded when the sun is in any spot. The whole thing is definitely a plus.
Something I'd like to do, is to make use of the base as a garden. The square base is kind of an eye-sore. It does takes up room where it is. It needs to be prettied up. After thinking about it, perhaps we could make that into a "flower garden" by adding some potted plants. . .nice red geraniums, (?) if "we" can make the base level. I'm sure my Hero can do that. He can do anything.

Gracie story: Marian, my brother Bob's friend, made some lovely beautiful portable pen sides, which she loaned us for Gracie in Florida. (She raises papillons.) Then Paul decided to make our own, for up here, so Gracie could be confined to an area. Well, she's learned how to climb over it. I haven't seen it, but Paul did. Guess that's the end of that. Plus. . .We'll need a baby gate on the deck, I guess. She's learning how to climb up and down stairs. There's always something. . . but wouldn't want it any other way. She's bouncing around here with so much energy and health. She's fun to watch as she amuses herself. Or sleeps.

Guess that's all the news from this edge of the woods. . .what's happenin' in your neck o' the woods?

Monday Morning

I have a little shadow
That goes in and out with me.
But what can be the use of her
Is far from me to see.
Well - she gives a lot of love, kisses, and gets mutual adoration.
What to do, however, when we need to leave her home and go, let's say, to church, or stores, or anywhere she's not invited, (hot tub) is a problem. My first thought is - does she cry the whole time we're away - Or will she, like her bladder, be able to hold more tears, as she gets older. Are we expecting too much from a three and a half month old puppy. Can she be convinced that we will return always. Eventually. We'll never let her down (even literally off our laps) to hurt herself. When at all possible. (Never say never. It is possible to drop a bunch of wiggles.)
Beginning solution for our concern: Know if she's continually upset while we're gone. Windowshop for a really really cheap recording device. One we can leave on for the duration we're gone. That'll make us feel better.

We're getting back to a routine, here. The hottub is filled. We used it last night. . .it was a cloudy night, but still we were happy to be in it. Strange thing: Paul filled the tub yesterday, and came back to check on it later, and half of it had drained out. Oh, no. First thought was. . . leak! But the ground around it was dry. Paul seems to think it somehow drained out by the hose that was left in it. That seems as good a reason as any. Luckily, he's really knowledgeable in these matters. It refilled nicely. Good hottub.

Our riding mower quit yesterday, during the second mowing. (The first - was just to get the grass down to a decent level. The second was done to be more "in line" with the length he wanted it to be.) After taking it apart, Paul realized that one of the parts needed to be replaced. He went out this morning to get the part at the John Deere Store. I don't know if he waited because it was Sunday, or that he just didn't feel it necessary to get it replaced right then and there. So, off he went this morning around 8:00. I got a phone call from him on his cell phone. He needed the serial number off of it. Got it. Needed to scrub off the dirt in order to read it to him.

Good friend, Carol O., stopped by yesterday to pick up a package for her sister, Patti, that I picked up for her in Venice. Carol had a cup of coffee and we had a nice long chat.

Today I'm going food shopping at Sam's. We have a lot of meat in the freezer, still, that we've been using each night since we arrived home on Thursday. But the meat was not evenly divided. We have a lot of pork, but not much else. Used up the chicken and tilapia. So I need to go and replenish. At the moment, I don't have much get-up-and-go. I'm sure that will appear soon enough.

I'm off to windowshop on the net for the aforementioned item.

That's what's going on at the Woods Edge. What's happenin' in your neck o' the woods?