Baby, take a chill pill

Oh yes, if you please!  I'm dancing around that old familiar tree once again, but I just can't believe how fast the time goes.  Too darned fast for me!  Spring is all but a memory, already...and summer will begin in a couple of days.  Summer with its' relentless heat, long days and warm nights.  So much to love about this season.  And so much not to love.  Well, I guess just the heat and the excessive busy-ness.  I feel like we've been on a merry-go-round of projects lately.  And I'm tired. 

I dream of a long, lazy weekend at the beach, cool ocean breezes blowing wispy, white linen curtains while I recline in comfort gazing out at the peaceful, blue ocean...can't you just see it?  *sigh*

Back to reality Lorie.  Yes, we've been busy.  We've got our years' supply of hay stored in the barn and almost all the firewood we'll be needing for the cold winter ahead.  Our little garden is growing and producing its' little heart out.  Soon we'll begin the tearing down and re-building of, the horse shelter.  The other horse shelter needs to have all the old dirt and rusting, long-ago buried wire removed and new gravel and sand brought in.  That might take us awhile, but brother Steve is willing to lend a hand. 

We have been on one group camping trip with our riding club at Mt. Adams horse camp.  The weather was perfectly beautiful, the trip up and back was uneventful and we really enjoyed visiting with everyone and just relaxing.  First camp-out in a couple of years for us, and it felt so good.  Our plan is to complete the big tasks of the summer right out of the box, and hopefully leave us a good bit of summer and early fall to just enjoy the weekends.  Camping, hiking with the dogs, day trips, horseback riding and bbq's with friends.  Oh, and of course several trips to the beach!  What kind of a summer doesn't include trips to the beach? 

We've had another baby born in the family.  A little boy, which makes a great-great grandson for my sister.  Wow!  And if I think of that another way, my niece Shelley is now a great grandmother.  Oh my word!!  How can that be?!  That kind of makes my head hurt.  And...our almost 43 year old son Justin is expecting another baby to be born anytime.  In fact, today is Autumn's due date.  So we'll have another baby too.  Life just keeps going, which is exactly how it's supposed to work.  Time marches on and life is continuously changing and evolving.  In my grandmother's words to me as a child - "nothing in life is constant; except change".  Oh how right she was.  And how much I miss that dear, sweet woman who inspired so much wisdom in me as a girl and as a young woman.  If only she could see how the family has changed.  Maybe it's a blessing that she can't see all those changes, for they all certainly aren't for the better.  Life is never dull.

Charlotte's birthday was yesterday.  My sweet dog is now 4 years old and is quite the lady, a true momma's girl.  Just like Annie was my girl.  Charlotte is my girl.  I remember after Annie died I knew in my heart that there was no way I could ever replace her.  So, I didn't even try.  But when the time came to look for another puppy, of course I looked at Labs and Golden Retrievers.  But there were no puppies available anywhere that were affordable to us and I became disheartened.  Maybe I was trying to find another "Annie".  But one day while on our way home from a Costco trip, I whizzed by a "puppies 4 sale" sign.  I drove around the corner and went up to the house to have a look.  I was hopeful, but it was reserved hope.  The young man who lived there told me they were Yellow Labs.  Oh, be still my heart!  I asked him how much the puppies were and he said they were asking $200.00...that was within our budget.  I could hardly contain my excitement at my good fortune!  I followed him through the house and into the back yard where the puppies were contained in a corner of the yard.  There, before my eyes were 8 wriggling, jumping, chewing, playing puppies of every color and combination of colors and markings imaginable.  But, not a Yellow Lab among them.  He introduced me to Princess, momma to the brood of puppies.  And yes, I did notice that among one or two other breeds, there was some yellow lab in her.  Princess looked tired, but in her dark brown eyes, there was kindness and intelligence.  She was a dear, sweet girl and she loved her puppies.  I squatted down and asked her permission to have a look at her beautiful babies, and took the time to stroke her fur and tell her what a wonderful and beautiful girl she was.  She gave me a little lick on my cheek.  Permission granted. 

I then turned my attention to the puppies clamoring at the fence for my attention.  Truly, each puppy was an individual.  From black, to black and white, to all shades of brown, brown and black, brown and white...and a particularly unusual black brindle with the loveliest face.  I was so drawn to that one, and scooped her up and into my arms.  She was quieter than some and gave me the most direct of gazes, and a little kiss like Princess had done.  Ahh, I was hooked, and we left shortly thereafter with that puppy cradled in my arms.  Well, dangling from my arms is a much more appropriate description, because she was all legs, with these humorously huge paws and the most serious little face.  I held her all the way home and she slept with us and she never made a peep.  Nor did she ever whine or cry like she missed her litter mates.  She never had an accident in the house and was the easiest puppy to potty train that I can remember.  Ruby was easy as well, but I remember the occasional accident.  Not so with Charlotte.  I just routinely asked her to step outside to "potty on the grass" and she did.  She has become as deeply devoted to me as my dear, sweet Annie was.  I believe that God chose her just for me.  And as long as she was armed with plenty of toys to destroy, she never chewed anything that didn't belong to her.  Until much later...and that is a story that will remain a secret until a later date and time. 

Suffice it to say that the car I drove at the time was never, ever the same...

Happy Birthday Charlotte!!! 

So, the yellow labs turned out to be mutts.  Princess was a unique mystery of breeds, including some yellow lab and daddy was a pitbull.  Charlotte wasn't anything like what I was looking for, but she turned out to be exactly what I didn't even know I was looking for and just what my heart needed.  :)

Funny how that happens in life, isn't it?

I hope you're all ready for summer, cause ready or not, here it comes!  Enjoy!

Oh, and I almost forgot about Eagle!  We celebrated his 19th birthday on June 3...I've already had him for 8 years.  Again.  Wow!