A Round of Applause!

The past couple of weeks have been a busy and exciting time here, and for a couple of members of the family, it was certainly time to shine!  This post is a chance to recognize Robert and Paisley for their most recent achievements, as well as to mention a really wonderful gift which I received.

Last Tuesday night, Robert and I did something that we haven’t done in years:  We went to a concert!  He surprised me last Christmas with tickets to see Fleetwood Mac – in a section where we wouldn’t even need binoculars!  The funny thing is that Fleetwood Mac was so popular when I was young, and while I thought they were okay, I wasn’t especially taken with them at that time.  It has only been in the last three years or so that their music has actually “spoken” to my soul – especially Stevie Nicks’ music (I’m pretty sure that “Landside” was written just for me).  So not only were there applause on Tuesday night, there was some whistling, shouting, and just general jamming out.  So fun!

The next event that I want to share was for our old coot...It has been a good season for Robert in his career.  For the past few years he has been an engineer for the city in which he works, but he was recently promoted to become The City Engineer.  This is a position that he has wanted very much, and I am so happy that he has the chance to do something that he really wants to do.  It has meant that he has been gone from home much more, and I’m learning to just make him a plate at dinner time for him to heat in the microwave later.  However, he thinks it is worth all the extra time and effort, and since he’s the one that has to get up and go every day, I’m going to help support him in any way possible.

Right on the heels of his promotion came the news that he had won an award at the state level of the American Public Works Association.  It’s always nice to win an award, but I think this had a special significance.  You see, Robert used to work in the private sector – and there is often much more potential to make more money there.  But I guess you’d have to know Robert to understand that he really is more of a public sector guy, a place where “going the extra mile” is appreciated and celebrated.  Last Friday’s festivities really served to drive this point home to me, and I can more fully see that this is where a guy like him belongs.

Here are a couple of pertinent pages from the program:

And here is the happy public servant with his award:

(A special thanks to Mandy, who went with us.  While her mother was too shy to go up and take a picture, Mandy just trotted her little pregnant self right up there and got a couple of shots!)

We all had a wonderful time (and some really great dinner and dessert didn’t hurt, either).  I can’t begin to tell you how proud I am of my husband, and how happy I am that he is so happy in his job!

There was another fantastic event that happened on the 25^th of May:  The World’s Most Beautiful Child had her very first dance recital.  Of course, the whole family had to attend the extravaganza and we had the time of our lives!  Now, maybe other people won’t get too excited about seeing a group of two-year olds strut their stuff on stage, but this old Lolee was excited.  This event had been weeks (or maybe even months) in the making, and I had been getting updates along the way.

The dress rehearsal was serious business, and Paisley had the demeanor to match:

Here are some shots of the performance:

For those who might want to see the actual performance (cute, cute, cute!), you can click here (Paisley is the 4th from the left).  As for the part where Most Beautiful lifts her skirt:  Paisley’s mother explained to me that there was tape on the floor with their “marks” on it.  I guess when one of the other girls was standing so close, our girl knew that something was off, and she was trying to see where her mark was.  Once she found it, she tried frantically to go through the moves to catch up.

Apparently, it is customary for even two-year old dancers to receive bouquets of flowers.  Paisley’s parents -- and both sets of grandparents -- brought bouquets to Most Beautiful.  She was so tickled and absolutely thrilled to receive them.  Mandy combined the various flowers to make this lovely arrangement:

Most Beautiful officially has been bitten by the entertainment bug, for she already has  been asking when she can dance for “everyone” again.  She was quite disappointed when her mother told her that she would have to learn some new dances and that it would be a little while.  Paisley is ready to go again!

A Big, Beautiful (P)Earl

Some of you may remember the story of (P)Earl Chicken, but if you don’t, here’s a refresher:  After our beloved Ruby Chicken died, we were afraid that Opal Chicken would be lonely.  Our friends, Jill and Ricky (who sold us Opal and Ruby) said they had some more young chickens, and if we wanted one we could just come pick one out.  When we went, I found the most beautiful chicken I had ever seen; soon (s)he was on her way home with us and was given the name of “Pearl”.

The only problem was that although we were quite smitten with Pearl Chicken, Opal Chicken made it clear that she did not want another chicken at all.  Opal chased (P)Earl all the time and was so mean to the little chicken that we had to let (P)Earl stay in the chicken tractor instead of bedding down in the coop just to keep (P)Earl safe.  When we were in the yard, (P)Earl was never far away from me (which I actually kind of liked).  However, all of this drama was short-lived when (P)Earl began to crow every morning.  Our city ordinance bans roosters from living within city limits, so (P)Earl  (who was really an “Earl”) went back to live with Jill and Ricky.

Well, Jill just kept telling the cutest stories about (P)Earl, so a couple of Sundays ago Robert and I asked if we could come for a visit.  Jill said, “Come on over,” so we were on our way!  I was absolutely giddy on the drive over to Jill’s house.  I was going to see my sweet (P)Earl Chicken!

I absolutely LOVE Jill and Ricky's place -- it is so fun to go there!  I swear, it seems like Ricky’s yard is at least four times bigger than ours, and even though they live in town, they are pretty much able to live “the country life”.  (Their town ordinances are also less prohibitive than ours.)  Therefore, when we started to the back of the yard, we were greeted by chickens everywhere:

There were some ducks, too!

And they even have a peacock!  This peacock showed up at the house one day, out of nowhere, bloody and pretty beat up.  After finding respite and help there, it just decided to stay!  It walks about freely among the chickens:

Hangs out with the ducks (and even has a tendency to herd them, according to Jill):

And makes itself the “King of the Hill” on top of the chicken coop:

After having some fun watching all of the other critters, we finally caught sight of the true catalyst for our trip:  (P)Earl Chicken!

(P)Earl is so beautiful!  And so-not-the-scrawny-little-chick that we once knew!  I bet Opal Chicken would think twice before bothering (P)Earl now!

(P)Earl has quite the harem:

While we were there, (P)Earl decided to romance his “favorite” girl right there in front of us.  Jill has told me stories of watching him try to get girls by pretending his foot is hurt.  She doesn’t know where he picked that up, but he does it quite often, and it always makes her laugh to watch him.  He hobbles around on his “hurt” foot, and as soon as the concerned females rush to his rescue, BAM!   He’s on it.  He did not show such finesse when we were there – he pretty much just jumped the poor girl.  However, she was later chasing him around, so I guess she likes him, too.  Here is the happy couple:

As fun as it was to watch him, the best part was getting to cuddle him again!  Jill was able to catch him, and Robert and I took turns cuddling our beloved (P)Earl Chicken!  Here’s Robert holding our big guy:

So there you go…(P)Earl Chicken is now loud, proud, and living large!

A Rambling Update

Since my last post about the dogs, I’ve been feeling a little low and had the need to disconnect for awhile.  There were days that I didn’t even turn on my computer at all - no e-mail…no Facebook…no anything.  Although I have not been plugged in, things have been happening around here, so here’s a little update for anyone who might be interested:

Since my previous post, Molly has already moved to a new home.  The Golden Retriever Rescue Alliance did a wonderful job, and I can’t say enough about them.  (To visit their website, click here).  Due to a scheduling conflict, Ashley actually ended up picking her up on a Tuesday and by the next Monday she had been adopted!  Here is the cute little advertisement they had on their site for my big girl:

I don’t know exactly who adopted her, but I was told that she went to a more affluent part of the metroplex in which we live.  Her new parents are older (one of them is retired and one of them works from home), and they usually have three Goldens at any given time.  One of their dogs had passed away a couple of weeks before, so Molly joined the two remaining “kids” for romping and playing.  She is living in a big house, with a big yard and a swimming pool, so I’m pretty sure that I am missing her more than she is missing me.  And I would have it no other way.

 

I couldn’t bear to get rid of her bed right away, so it stayed in our room for several days:

After awhile, I couldn’t take it anymore, so it was gone, leaving me with just my memories.  It seems I was not the only one who was missing her; Nestlé used to sit on Molly every chance she got whenever we were hanging out in the family room together.  With Molly gone, Nestlé has taken to trying to cuddle with Cookie, but it’s not quite the same:

Toffee is still here with me; the Brittany Rescue has not found a home for him yet:

 

However, it’s okay because I will only be at peace if I know that he goes to the perfect home for him, and if that takes some time, then so be it.  Besides, it’s a long walk to the chicken coop from the porch, and what will I do without Toffee to protect me from “who-knows-what” as I go out to tuck in Opal Chicken each night?

The really big news is that my mountain man has gone back to Yellowstone.  I thought that it would get easier the more he comes and goes, but this time actually was the hardest of all.  It was more than just my son leaving home – my friend was leaving!  The only thing that makes it okay is that he seems so happy.  And this time, he actually scored a position as an Assistant Manager of one of the stores.  He won’t be at Old Faithful this year, but he will be in some other part of the park.  He also won’t be living in a regular dorm, but instead will be in a little log cabin with a wood-burning stove.  Before he left, he got to spend some time with his number-one girl:

 

With spring here, I’ve been paying more attention to the yard.  Well, I say spring is here; actually, we’ve been having spring during one part of the week, followed by a quick blast of winter, followed by a little more spring.  The plants and animals aren’t quite sure what to do!  I looked out one windy, chilly afternoon to see two little squirrels snuggled up in the jar in the squirrel feeder:

Despite the crazy weather, the scrawny little rose bush that Alan and I transplanted last year has been doing great:

And remember how we had those tents over the raised garden beds?  Well, the aloe vera and lemon thyme not only survived the winter, they had babies!  I have transplanted the main plants to a bed in the back and put some of the “babies” in little pots to give to friends:

 

I bought this little greenhouse thing at Tractor Supply Store for $20 and have been using it for rootings and seedlings.  It has done a really good job:

In fact, the lavender and the lemon balm are from some cuttings I did a little while back:

 

I also have some parsley growing (at Mom’s request):

 

Since it has been going back and forth on the temperature, it has stayed cool enough that my spinach and lettuce are hanging in there (I think Nestlé has eaten more spinach than anyone):

 

Here’s a look at the overall garden…some things are doing well, and some things are struggling against the surprise freezes we have experienced (as well as my “gan-green” thumb!):

Despite all of my effort, Robert still leaves me in the dust on vegetable gardening.  Before I even had things planted, he was bringing home more monstrosities from his community garden (Ugh!):

 

This year, I’ve added some more stuff to the yard.  I bought three rose bushes (and they have grown from tiny stumps to pretty decent in no time!).  The cute little “bug-eyed” critter in the middle is a little something that my sister bought for me when we were in Pinedale, Wyoming.  A great momento from that trip!

 

I’m always on the prowl for new planting containers.  Here is a party tub that I picked up at Wal-Mart for less than $5.00:

 

I bought three of them; I filled one of them with lemon thyme and another with moss roses.  I put them on the ground with the idea that they belong to Opal Chicken for her snacking pleasure:

Robert loves to go to auctions and brought home this cute little wagon.  It sat in the yard, leaned up against the house on its side, until I snatched it and filled it with some extra plants:

The wagon is truly a blast from someone’s past.  There is an inscription on the bottom that says,

“To Ryan

From Granddad &

Grandmother

1978”

We attend a free gardening education meeting at our local library, and Russell Feed store is one of the sponsors.  There are drawings each meeting and I won this little cloth pot…my squash plant seems to really like it:  

I was really thrilled with this little beauty.  I have come up with a way to make self-watering planters out of 2-liter soda bottles.  Even though it isn’t an issue now, I’m hoping that they help keep my new strawberry plants safe and happy once the blast-furnace that is Texas summer arrives.  I asked Robert to make a box to hold all of them for me, and I must say, he did a really great job!

A friend of mine showed up at the house last week with a really neat thing that she had bought at a craft fair, just for me!  She was excited to give it to me, and I was very excited to get it!  Isn’t it cute?

In addition to planting things, I have been doing a lot of yard clean-up.  It is getting a little aggravating, though.  Just as I get everything perfect, I come out and find small branches everywhere:

The squirrels are making nests, and apparently they like clipping off more than they need.  But, sure enough, the jar in the squirrel feeder has been filled with leaves, making it comfy-cozy:

Nestlé loves the fact that I am in the yard more often.  With better weather and me outside to protect her from hawks and other predators, she gets to spend more time hanging out:

She also gets to run around in the large area (with the make-shift fence) that we call the “big girl” pen when I am outside.  The little pen in the back left area of the picture is her “little girl” pen, and it is covered so she can be out there when I am not in the yard:

One of her favorite things to do is to “taunt” Opal Chicken whenever Opal gets close to the fence.  She darts back and forth, and I swear I can hear Nestlé saying, “You can’t catch me!  You can’t catch me!” in a little sing-song voice:

As for the rest of our little family, Mandy and her crew are doing fine.  Our baby boy will be here in a couple of months, and Paisley is talking more and more about her “baby brudder”.  They recently enjoyed a Texas tradition - bluebonnet pictures:

Well, there is more going on, but I won’t prattle on any more.  There are more posts coming soon, including an update on (P)Earl chicken (yes, I got to see (P)Earl today!).  I’m also going to be catching up on a little blog reading, too!

When Worlds Collide…

On the day after tomorrow, a very sweet lady named Ashley will be coming to our house on behalf of the Golden Retriever Rescue to take Molly.  Another very kind woman by the name of Patti, who works with the Brittany Rescue group, called last week to say that she already has two different families who are interested in Toffee, so he will be leaving some time soon after.  After they are gone, a big part of my heart will be gone, too.  I feel that this is going to be one of those life-changing moments for me, and I am sure that I will never be exactly the same.

I have struggled with this for about a year now, hoping that it could be avoided, but the time has come for me to face reality.  My mother has had asthma for all of her life, although it was cats that had the worst effect on her.  After her last round of pneumonia (her third in less than a year-and-a-half), she has been put on oxygen.

Paisley also has a host of breathing issues (having pneumonia at least three times in the last year-and-a-half, too).  After Paisley suffered anaphylactic shock (peanut butter), some allergy testing was done.  Two of the things to which she is most allergic are peanuts and dogs.  For the longest time, I thought that if I cleaned the house really, really well before she came over, it would be enough.  And it worked…for awhile.  But lately, the time that she can spend at our house before having symptoms has become less and less.  The last time she was here, it took less than an hour before her eyes were red and puffy and her breathing became wheezy.  In an unrelated episode, her parents recently ended up rushing her to the ER because her breathing had totally shut down.  If they had not already had a pharmacy/ER in their own kitchen to start treatment before they left, it would have been pretty bad.

I know that this is the right thing to do…I can’t ask my family to suffer so much just because I have this insane attachment to animals…but it is still one the hardest things I’ve ever had to do (and I’ve had to do some hard things).  I console myself with the fact that rescue groups are the absolute best place to which a dog can go in a case like this.  I am amazed at the work these groups do, and I will be donating funds to them for the rest of my life so that other dogs may go on to benefit from their services.  The Basset Rescue Group helped Mandy and Jeromy find homes for Bacon and Turco a year ago, and we know that they went to wonderful homes, perfectly suited for each one.

This week was spent taking the kids to the vet to make sure their shots were current and to have the blood work and what-not done – it’s important to me that I am not surrendering dogs with some hidden health issues.  Both dogs came back with excellent bills of health (except that Molly needs to lose some weight, that big mama!), and I have heart-worm preventive to send with them. Today, we went shopping and got new beds, dishes, food, and chewies to send with them.  New life, new stuff.

Toffee will turn 7 in just a few days; he was one of Cookie’s puppies, so I am not lying when I tell him, “I loved you before you were even born.”  When Cookie was delivering them, that high-strung dog would just plop them out, then run around the house like a maniac until the next one delivered.  It was up to Robert and me to clean them off, get their circulation going, and tie the cords off.   She also didn’t have the milk, nor the patience, to nurse ten puppies, so we rotated them with bottle feeding and “mama” feeding until they were weaned.   Toffee was a beautiful puppy:

And he is still my beautiful boy:

He is loyal and true.  He used to sleep in Mom’s room before she got sick; his dog bed was on the floor at the end of her bed.  Whenever I would open the door in the morning to let him out, he would not leave the room until he went to her bed to see if she was okay.  “I’m okay, Top-Top,” Mom would say, and only then  would  he come trotting out.  Every night when I go out to tuck Opal Chicken in for the night, he walks the path with me.  He truly is a guardian.

And what can I say about Molly?  I loved her the minute I saw her over the fence in the neighbor’s yard. She is the most care-free, easy-going creature I have ever known.   Not exactly the brightest bulb in the string, mind you, but she delights in the simple things of life.  She is sheer joy and I have loved our three years together:

Cookie will be staying because she is getting old now, and is not the most spry of girls.  She spends a lot of time in our bedroom, just sleeping.  She is also so obnoxious when she is awake that anyone else would beat her to death within the first week.   And I’m pretty sure Robert would divorce me if he had to part with her.   I’m hoping that reducing the dog hair and dander by 2/3 will be enough to make a difference.  The rabbit will be living in our bedroom when the weather dictates and at night, while spending her days outside when it is nice, and I’m hoping that will allow her to stay.  We’ll see how that goes.  It’s just been a terrible year so far all the way around.

It is my prayer that my kids will find wonderful, loving "forever" homes.  I wish that home was mine - but alas, it is not to be.  I will never forget them, and I will love them forever.

Comebacks

As I was coming out of the chicken coop the other morning, I was greeted by this beautiful sight:

Did it just suddenly bloom?  Or did I just suddenly, finally notice it?  I’m not sure which is true, but it certainly lifted my spirits.  I’ve been a little disconnected from things lately.  It seems that for the past several months, someone is always sick or there is a crisis of some sort.  After my recovery from feeling so awful during January, last month Mom spent five days in the hospital with another round of pneumonia.  The only good thing that came of it is that the doctors finally recognized that she needs to be on oxygen as part of her daily routine.  Before she could come home, the “oxygen people” had to come to the house and set up a little rig for her here and also bring  her a little stash of oxygen tanks for any outings we might undertake.  Mom has finally become accustomed to moving about the house while tethered to her oxygen unit.  We are still trying to get the hanging of the portable tanks, as we really haven’t ventured out much since she came home.  While still not her old self, Mom is at least feeling better than she did last month, and the oxygen seems to be helping her breathing a lot.

Poor Paisley is plagued with a variety of illness and issues, but her mother also has had a rough patch lately.  An old foot injury flared up, and poor Mandy has been a little encumbered herself as of late:

We’re hoping that she heals soon, for being pregnant can be physically challenging and being gimpy can be physically challenging, but being both is just miserable!  Speaking of which, my “most beautiful child” quandary has now been solved:

How great is that?

In other news, Alan has “come back” home…well, until mid-April, anyway.  He had a little lull between seasons at Yellowstone so he flew in last Thursday.  He is enjoying watching television and eating at restaurants; he even went to see “Oz the Great and Powerful” with a friend this weekend.  We are enjoying having him home, and Toffee was just over the moon to see him.  He’s still as cute as ever:

In addition to his company, I am enjoying how much help he can be.  I had ordered some bare-root strawberry plants (way more cost-effective) and he helped me get them planted in some containers that I had squirrelled away over the years:

This is not the final stop for these strawberry plants – I have a nifty thing that I am working on, but first I am trying to get as many 2-liter soda bottles as I can (Alan is helping with that, too).  I can’t wait to show you this new project once it is finished…it is just what we need here in the heat and drought that is Texas!

I’m hoping that the arrival of spring will bring renewed energy and good things for all of those I love.  Here’s  to enjoying “comebacks”!