"Every government interference in the economy consists of giving an unearned benefit, extorted by force, to some men at the expense of others." Ayn Rand

Saturday, December 26, 2009

The Christmas I'll Never Forget

I think that lots of people were expecting this Christmas to be a different type of Christmas than they were used to. The economy, especially, was the number one reason. People are cutting back, they just cannot afford to go overboard (and compete with themselves on the number of gifts they gave last year vs. this year). I include this family in that group. Christmas gifts have come all year, in the form of car insurance being paid, cell phone bills being paid, supporting at least three or four full-time employees at Peninsula Auto through our wonderful, person, cash-for-clunkers (that we are still having repaired at regular intervals). If this goes on, Peninsula may be able to afford to open a second location.

Then Tuesday night, five days ago, everything changed. An 11 year old girl, Sarah Foxwell, went missing. An amber alert was issued, there was already a suspect in custody. It was cold and it was dark. It was three days before Christmas. She was wearing a tee shirt and red pajama pants with Christmas trees on them. The fact that her pj's had Christmas trees on them made it even more poignant for me. This was a girl who was thinking about Friday; I remember being 11, and as Christmas approached, I was hard pressed to think of anything else.

Tuesday night turned to Wednesday night. Wednesday night turned to Thursday. Searches all over the county. Rumors were spread, and then discounted. Professionals came from all over to help with the search; the community wanted to help, but Sheriff Lewis asked that we wait, and let the pros do it.

And still it was just so cold at night. I couldn't get the image of the tee shirt and the red pajama pants with the Christmas trees out of my mind.

I spent Thursday getting ready for Friday. Last minute gifts, cooking as much as I could cook to bring dinner over and celebrate with Mom and Dad Demers, and Celine, Steve and Leah, who were coming from New York. Thursday night we went out for a family dinner, all of us that could (missing both Maggie, who was about three blocks away from the restaurant, working, and Katie, who was actually working at the restaurant we ate at). We left the restaurant; Sheriff Lewis gave a press conference. He was calling for volunteers to help search. Whoever could, please show up at Shorebirds Statium at 7 a.m. the next morning, Christmas morning.

I talked about it with Richard and Max; we all wanted to go and help. I spoke with Maggie and Roger, they wanted to come. We all thought that it would be a small number that could turn out; we wanted to do something. I made an executive decision that Richard should stay home; he had taken Anthony for a short walk in the cold, and it really really bothered his hand. We weren't sure what conditions we would be walking in, we weren't sure how long it would take. I know it bothered him to be left behind to "man the house"; it bothered me to leave him alone on Christmas morning, to wake up to an empty house.

We left at 6:40 a.m., stopping to pick up a friend of Max's on the way. I was impressed, because I don't know that I would have done that at 18 years old.

As we came upon Shorebirds Stadium, I felt my chest tighten and the hairs stood up on my arms. There were so many cars there already...so very many people had come to search. We parked the car, and got on line. Maggie and Roger arrived and joined us; as we waited to sign in, we passed boxes and boxes of food, cases of water and soda, the Station 7 restaurant's mobile unit serving hot food to the searchers. So many members of law enforcement, almost all of them looking tired, none of them sitting down. We signed in, and went inside the stadium. Lots of people were there. Sleepy people. Anxious people. Black people and white people. Old people and young people. More men than women, and quite a few young people. Nervous laughter, quiet conversations. We heard from the sheriffs, the troopers and the county attorney. We were going to separate into groups of 10 or so, and would be given our areas to search. Seems simple, right.

The logistics of arranging such a large search with professionals must be daunting. Doing it with all those professionals, and then adding in 3000 untrained volunteers must have seemed an almost impossible task. But it got done in about 2 hours. We stood as patiently as we could and waited; everyone was just so anxious to just do something.

Finally we got our assignment. We were going to search Perdue, the headquarters and the processing plant off of Old Ocean City Road. We loaded into cars and drove over there. It was the four of us, plus about 25 other people. We split up; our group searched the fence line, the woods next to the plant, the railroad tracks. We were told not to touch anything that we found; we were to look for anything that looked like it didn't belong, anything that was out of place. We came upon a drainage ditch that was frozen almost completely over. We stopped and looked at it, and were trying to find the reason for the non-frozen part. There was a steel plate covering an access to the ditch, and I went and lifted it; all the while I'm thinking in my head "my god what if she is under here I don't want to see this". But she wasn't. She wasn't in the dumpsters, or in the brambles. She wasn't on the side of the bypass. We walked and walked, and I was so scared that I would find her or I would miss something that would lead to her. We walked through snow, and mud, and water. We just kept walking and looking; poking and peering. We found nothing. Between the two groups, we searched the whole property. We made it back to the cars and were told that searches were called off for the day. We were to report back to the stadium and check in, and then we could leave.

We got home around 1:30 I think. Went into ninja cooking mode, mashing potatos with one hand, frosting a cake with the other one. All of us just wanted to sleep; we were tired, but I think we just wanted to escape what we had done that morning. The last thing we wanted to do was go anywhere...but it was just what we needed. We brought dinner over, we had shrimp and stuffed mushrooms. Ham and potatoes. Cake and pie and more pie. And wine. A few extra glasses of red wine.

They found her around 4 pm. Max got a text message saying that they had found her. I told him not to believe it until it's confirmed....which it was a few minutes later. It was the ending I expected, but one that I hoped would not come. Someone said that she was found in an abandoned chickenhouse. That was oddly comforting news to me; I thought again of the cold, the rain and the dampness.

Lots has been said about her family; this is not the time for judgment. This is the time for taking care of our child, and taking care of all of our other children. Use your anger and frustration to let your elected officials know what happened here in Salisbury, and let them know that things must be changed so this will never happen again.

I talked with God a lot yesterday morning, as we walked through forest, and briers and mud, through riverbanks,and along the bypass, and everywhere else we could see. He was there with us yesterday. For me, Christmas suddenly stopped being about things; Christmas was the people who came out to look for the little lost girl.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

HOORAY for Baggy Pants

NEW YORK (Dec. 18) -- A career criminal massacred three members of a family in their apartment but fell to his death when he tripped over his own baggy pants.

ALT
David Karp, AP
Workers from the medical examiner's office carry the body of a murder suspect who fell to his death from an apartment building fire escape.

Police said Hector Quinones, 44, shot and killed Carlos Rodriguez Sr., 52, and his 24-year-old son, Carlos Rodriguez Jr., then stabbed to death the younger Rodriguez's grandfather, Fernando Gonzalez, 87, according to reports in the Daily News and the New York Post.

The elder Rodriguez's wife, Gisela Rodriguez, 49, and her daughter, Leyanis, 28, walked in on the carnage. Quinones heard keys in the lock and opened the door for the women, police said.

He shot the mother, who was grazed on the head by a bullet but managed to run from the apartment. The killer was just about the grab the daughter when his low-slung pants fell down and he tripped, the Post said. That gave the young woman the chance to run into a back room, where she found the bodies of her brother and father.

Quinones yanked up his pants and scrambled after Leyanis Rodriguez, who climbed onto a fire escape, screaming for help to construction workers on the roof of a nearby building, the Post said. The attacker followed her onto the fire escape, but once again his drooping pants fell and he tripped, plunging three stories to his death.

Estella Carrino, who manages a street-level bicycle store in the building, said she heard the body hit the ground.

"He had no jacket on and his pants were down. He was very dead," she told the Daily News.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Finky Inky Got the Job

Rockland County Police Department has hired Miss Finky Inky.

She'll be a star at her new job; I'm still digesting it.

Sigh.

Aunt Eleanor's 70th Birthday Party

This weekend Richard and I, Richard's dad Ronnie and Diane all piled into the car, and made the trip to Patterson, NY to Anthony and Kelly's home for a surprise birthday party for Ronnie's sister, Eleanor.

What a wonderful party! So good to see family, to hear stories, to laugh, enjoy good food and good wine.

The best gift? What it was all about? Eleanor's reaction to her brother coming all that way for her birthday. It was priceless. We all cried.

Friday, November 20, 2009

November 20, 2009

I walked a mile with Pleasure.
She chattered all the way,
But left me none the wiser
For all she had to say.

I walked a mile with Sorrow,
And ne’er a word said she;
But oh, the things I learned from her
When Sorrow walked with me.

-Robert Browning Hamilton, "Along the Road"


Today we went to Bethany Beach, DE, to St. Ann's Church, to attend the memorial service of Lisa Cavalluzzo. Lisa was 45 years old, and she lived in Delray Beach, Florida.

I pray she finds now what she had been searching for all her life; I pray her parents, her brother and sister, her family, will be comforted. I pray that we learn from our sorrow.

There was a time in my life that I walked the same roads that Lisa did; I found my way back. I wish that she could have done the same. There but for the grace of God go I. When I found out the terrible news, I called my Mom. I wanted to talk to her, to tell her I was so sorry for the awful decisions I had made in my life at one time. I was sorry for putting them through so much pain and anguish. I was sorry for choosing the easy road, the road that didn't involve personal responsibility. I read the mass card that was given out; on the back was the Serenity Prayer. How many times had I read that? I thought of Lisa, and wished that she could have lived it.

How do you find the right words to say...they don't come. I saw my family, my parents there in Lisa's family today. I saw the sadness enveloping the family. There but for the grace of God go I.

Sometimes we're so busy living day to day that we forget what is important in this short life that we have. Tomorrow is never promised. Live today as if it is indeed your last one. Don't hold grudges. Tell your parents you love them. Tell your children you love them. Kiss your dog on the lips (ok, I know I'm pushing it here).

Lisa, I hope that you rest in peace; Mr. & Mrs. Cavalluzzo, Joe and Regina, my prayers are with you always. I hope that you can all find comfort in the love from your family and friends.

Ink Update

Today should be Ink's last "interview" with the police department that is interested in her. She might be released as early as today. (Can you tell that I'm gunning for her to fail this police test?)

How convenient that we'll be up in Paterson NY tomorrow....a mere 30 minutes away from the kennels.

Hmmmmm.

(Psst. Inky. Today's the day where you want to be a crazy, running around, not listening, stupid, jackass dog. Don't listen to anything anybody tells you. When they tell you to heel, you need to jump on people. Use your nails. When they tell you to down, run away as fast as you can. Bark loudly at people. Scoot your butt along the floor -- that's a good one. )

New Bumper Sticker

Saw a bumper sticker on a car in front of me the other day. It read:
"Pray for Obama. Psalm 109:8".

When I got home, I looked it up (thank goodness for Google). Seems this saying has become popular according to Google stats!

Psalm 109:8
"Let his days be few; and let another take office."

I'd like one of those stickers!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Little Maggie...Not So Little Anymore

I wanted to share my newest pictures of little Magnolia Leigh. Poor child. How awful of me to make her put on wigs and then take pictures. She's going to hate me when she brings a boyfriend home, and her Mom and Dad take out these pictures.

For the record, I had the complete cooperation of her mother.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Time Marching on at an alarming rate....

So much has happened since I've been regularly posting; life moves on while we're busy making other plans.

As of right now...Richard and I had a nice three-day weekend in Florida. Flew into south Florida, where Richard had a small job, and then drove up about three hours to Mount Dora. We got off the plane in Ft. Lauderdale, and walked over to Hertz; they have the car sitting there with the trunk open. I had asked what kind of car we were getting, and was expecting a mid-sized something. We put the bags in the trunk and closed it, and then I saw the Mercedes symbol. I said "holy crap Richard, it's a mercedes!" We were tickled. Very nice car; drove nicely, cool stuff inside. My dad was appropriately impressed; Richard told him that we knew we'd be driving them to dinner that night, and couldn't show up in just any car. :)

We of course, had to take some pictures with it before we took it back.









We got to see Augie, and I was very sad when we left, and shed some tears; it's probably the last time I'll get to see him.

He's old, and he's struggling a bit. That's going to be a terrible day in my parents house. They love that boy so very much. I just hope they both have the strength to do the right thing for Augie when the time comes. This poor sweet boy.






Mr. Anthony comes home tomorrow from Debbie and Christian's house; Debbie told me she's in love, but she's tired! Anthony viewed little Maggie as "his size", so she was fair game; he wanted to play with her like he plays with his brother, and those little puppy teeth are like pins. So restrictions had to be imposed upon the visiting little black puppy...but all in all, Debbie was thrilled with him, and I got lots of positive feedback from her. She's coming to Salisbury tomorrow to drop him off, and I cannot wait to see him.

Spent today looking for the "perfect" gift for Aunt Eleanor's 70th birthday. Finally found a nice frame after about six hours of shopping. Saw Santa in the mall, and asked him why he was there so early. He didn't have a good excuse, just like the stores not having a good excuse as to why the Christmas decorations are put out in the stores before halloween is over!

Participated in a Guiding Eyes conference call this evening from 7:30 until 8:30 pm; looking for new ways to recruit raisers. I think that the economy has hurt GEB (as well as every other charitable organization, probably). Our region is the only one that consistently has new raisers...whatever we're doing, we're doing right.

Trying to get the other raisers to get their pups out and volunteer for the Salvation Army's Red Kettle campaign. Be a good way to get the organization noticed, and very good practice for the pups.

I'm typing this with one eye closed, so I'm ready for bed. Tired tired tired. That damned air they pump into the malls. It'll get you every time.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009


Just fed Ink the last dinner I'm going to feed her. That made me incredibly sad.
Gonna miss her.

But, on the other hand, I can't wait to see what she's going to do for someone else. That's above all, above all.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Friday, September 11, 2009


It's as good a day as any to start writing again. It's gotten to the point where it's like with a friend you haven't been in touch with for awhile, and the longer it goes on, the harder it is to pick up that phone, because you feel baaaddddd, but not bad enough to suck it up and just make the call. Today's a good day to suck it up and start writing again. Much much much has happened over the summer, our lives have gone in different ways. But, for the moment, things are calm and steady, which is a welcome relief.

It's been a very gray, very dreary, rainy day. Perfect weather for this day. Every year, it seems to ebb; the coverage, the documentaries, the ceremonies for 9/11. But I seek them out; about a week before, I start to look at the History Channel, the ID channel, National Geographic channel. I start to watch, and watch everything I can that is related to the attacks. This year I even ordered a documentary from Amazon that's only been broadcast once (in my defense, it's an awesome film, and I've wanted Richard to see it for years). It's not come in the mail yet, but I know I'll sit down and watch it as soon as it gets here.

I don't know why I keep watching these things; maybe I'm just still trying to understand why it happened.

Did you know that you can see pictures of the jumpers after they landed? They are on the internet. Why? What's the purpose of having these pictures available to anybody? To strengthen American resolve? Not likely. It's more like a sick voyeurism that fuels our society. I imagine that you can pretty much find a picture of just about anything on the internet. I've certainly found some unusual ones, but I tend to focus on the funny, not the gruesome.

What led me to look for pictures of the jumpers was that I've been thinking about them for the past few days. I was thinking about how horrific it must have been in those buildings to have come to that decision. Was it that, or was it the last bit of control they had over their own lives? If you look at the pictures, some of them look like they are flailing wildly as they fell, yet some look posed and peaceful. I think about their families. Did they recognize them? Could they tell? Would it be better to have that memory, then to have nothing at all, the way it it was for most of the victims' families.

Thousands and thousands of images from that day; they never cease to move me incredibly. I wish more people looked at them. It is frightening how quickly complacent we've all become.

For me, this will always be a day of memory, and of sadness for all of the victims and the people who lost them.

Thursday, August 06, 2009

GEB Puppies on the Today Show

One of the boys featured in the video is Ink's daddy, Alex.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Five Greatest Sentences That Are Incredibly Relevant Now

1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy
out of prosperity.

2. What one person receives without working for, another
person must work for without receiving.

3. The government cannot give to
anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.

4. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because
the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets
the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get
what they work for, that my dear friend, is the beginning of the end of any
nation.

5. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."

Adrian Rogers, 1931*

Sunday, June 28, 2009

What a Week it's Been for this united states...

In the category of 'celebretard worship', they're dropping like flies. First, it was Ed McMahon, which made me a bit sad, as he and Johnny Carson and he entertained me as a child (when I snuck staying up and watching The Tonight Show on the black and white tv); but he was old, and it was his time to die. He had a long, and mostly good, life.

Then Friday came, and the news that Farrah Fawcett had died. Another death expected, as she had had such a long battle with cancer. It bothered me that she never married Ryan O'Neill in the end; they just ran out of time. And it bothered me that her son was in jail when she died. Ah, what we do to our parents. Ah, what we do to our children.

Friday afternoon came the passing of Michael Jackson, which shocked (and didn't shock) me. To look at him, he look like a time bomb just waiting to go off. Many many accolades, all news stories revolving around him. King of Pop, child-molester, wacko-jacko. He was an incredibly talented individual who was a prime example of what environment can do to a child. His father took his childhood in all ways and shapes, Michael Jackson was determined to be a child when he was older. Was he a pedophile? I don't know. Where there people around him only to use him? Definitely. It is a tragedy that someone that is so brilliant and talented and wealthy would have such an unfulfillable life. It's just sad.

I thought the cycle of three was done.

Then this afternoon, Billy Mays is dead. Holy crap. This starts the count again. Now I'm waiting for two more to go.

I would have thought for sure that Billy Mays would have had something that came from as seen on tv to keep him alive.

Sad. Our pop icons are dying.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Direct from Salisbury, MD via The Colbert Report

Salisbury on the map once again. This is a very very funny video, taken at Mitchells Marshall Arts, regarding a pretty neat program for senior citizens called "cane fu". The Colbert Report, of course, makes it really funny with random statements from the students of cane fu, and compares the "cane fu army" to a sleeper cell.

Good to see something other than the canonization of Michael Jackson.

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Enemy Within - Cane Fu
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full EpisodesPolitical HumorMark Sanford

Monday, June 15, 2009

The Pelosi SmartCar

Ok, it's a bit over the top, but funny/true/funny/true.

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Cop Tasers 72 Year Old Woman

Sounds horrible, right? The video is edited to elicit sympathy for the kindly old great grandmother. I'm going to try and find the uncut version...it comes across quite differently. This shows the power of the media...a story can go one way, or completely another way, depending on the editor.



I hope that when I'm 72, I've lived enough life to know when to shut up and do what the officer tells me to do, and when he says "I'll tase you" I won't respond "Go ahead, I dare you".

Just proves that age does not always bring wisdom. :)

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Life lessons...

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written.

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone...
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first pay cheque.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion, today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Monday, May 25, 2009

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Mother's Day and Demolition

Saturday morning, we went to the rental place, and got ourselves a sixty-pound jackhammer. We didn't know how to use it exactly, but we quickly figured it out. Heavy? You betcha. Efficient? Hell yes.

We worked from about 3:30 until 7:00 pm, Max and I; we made it about three-quarters of the way around. Fortunately (for us) a huge and terrible Maryland thunderstorm come through. It was hot, and the storm brought the promise of cooler temperatures. The physical aches and pains I was expecting didn't really happen; we were really, really tired, but not terribly sore. Sleep came quickly; it was a good kind of tired. So often I feel emotionally tired rather than physically, especially when I'm not feeling very well. I so prefer the physical exhaustion...it makes for a good, honest nights sleep.

Sunday morning brought Mother's Day...a beautiful bouquet of roses from the kids (Maggie, Max and Roger), and a sleep-in, read the paper in bed with tea morning (actually, we do that most Sundays); the aches and pains that I had expected previously had visited sometime over Saturday night, but it still wasn't as bad as I thought. There was no way we could start hammering before ten; I'm sure the neighbors didn't appreciate all the noise, but before ten on a Sunday morning, even I would be complaining.

We only had about one-quarter of the concrete left to do; maybe it was because we knew what we were in for, maybe it was because we were sore...but that small space took us three hours. Granted it was the large area around the stairs (which is twice as wide and twice as thick), but it seemed endless. But we slowly kept at it...and finally, it was done.

Poor Richard didn't get to play with the jackhammer, but we let him try it for a minute. If you look in the picture, the pose he has is almost the same as the pose of the man on his shirt. Funny!

Ta Da!

After a thorough cleanup and rejuvenation (a shower and a caffeine pill) we headed out for our Mother's Day gathering. Diane and Joe were nice enough to host this years fete'....we brought an appetizer (which so needed more spice) and Mom and Dad brought shrimp cocktail....and then we had Chinese food. Yum. It was a really nice, low key dinner with our family, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Joe and Diane have a really big, really gross snake in their birdhouse (I hesitate to think about what happened to the bird!), and we didn't get to see it, but we did see the skin he had shed. It was at least 5 feet long. Ewwwww.

Joe had made dessert (chocolate chip cake YUM)...it was a really nice day capping off a really productive weekend.

Here's more results from the demo:


Tuesday, May 12, 2009

My New Favorite Website

Ok, I've found a really, really good website. Here's a sample:










It's at www.awkwardfamilyphotos.com

Friday, May 08, 2009

Rain, rain and more rain. Wait, there's the sun. Oh, never mind. It's going to rain again tomorrow.

It's been a long and busy week, and filled with grey skies and rain. The sun is out today, and it feels like an old friend has come back.

Wednesday, Richard and I went to pup class, and Debbie met us there. She took Inky back for the long weekend...and we miss her like crazy. Very quiet around here. Mookie is moping a bit. I've only heard from Debbie once, and things are going fine over there. We're really hoping that we can do a dual-raise for the rest of the time that Ink is here.

Thursday I got up really really early (like Richard early), and made my way to Barb and Randy's house, where we met up with their son, daughter in law, grandaughter and Barb's mom; we drove up to New Castle, where Barbara was being honored with a Jefferson Award. It was a fun ride, with much laughter and discussions, and giant cups of coffee.

We got there, and there were five people being honored. The Jefferson Awards were started by Jackie Kennedy to recognize outstanding service to community by individuals. There was Barbara, and then there was a lady who was a breast cancer advocate (she lost her mom to breast cancer, and was also a survivor herself), a lady who worked at Delmarva Power who organized and orchestrated a gift drive for needy children and senior citizens who wouldn't otherwise have had any holiday gifts, a doctor who worked with the terminally ill and their families, and a man, who was very involved in his community (not sure what he did, he was rather shy and did not make a speech). The award itself is beautiful and heavy (I told Barb we needed to put it on a big chain and then she could wear it like Mr. T).
One of the highlights of the whole morning was Maggie, Barbara and Randy's grandaughter. She is just so funny, and several hours in, she had warmed up to me, and was shaking my hand and sharing her bracelets with me. Definitely a heart stealer, for sure.

I must admit to being a bit jealous, as Debbie has called Auntie Barbara for a several hour babysitting job for the littlest Maggie; Debbie doesn't like to inconvenience people, and hesitates to ask anyone. Her email to Barbara said something like "I figured I'd ask you before we asked the neighbors". I can just picture Barbara responding with lightening speed (she herself told me it was in all caps...) that she'd love to babysit.

This is the picture I got this week...she's the world's smallest fencer. "En guarde!"

You know I'm going to get around to putting a tiny little fencing sword in her hand at some point.

Goodness, kids are awesome.


Yesterday was my Maggie's 22nd birthday, and she took the night off from work to come and spend it with us...I was really glad! I did figure that she's got Roger now, and she's young, she would want to go out somewhere...but she opted for hamburgers and hotdogs, homemade potato salad, french fries and cake with her family. Roger got there a bit after dinner from Seaford, and it was a really nice nite. I totally slothed out and got a cake from Food Lion, which was good, but just not homemade. I was writing the message on the cake in blue icing, and it all came out in a glob...it looked awful...but we laughed about it. I made a rather politically incorrect joke about it, and lit many many candles. It was a very nice night; Maggie and Roger are on different schedules than us...11 pm for them is just getting started. I could barely keep my eyes open! It was a good night, and it's truly hard to believe she's 22 years old.

Today I'm going to catch up on all that I didn't get to this week...get ready for the weekend. It is Mother's Day, and we're going to Diane and Joe's for dinner on Sunday. All the women don't have to cook...and that's a good thing. It's going to be a nice, low-key day. Joe even made the cake! (I hope it's chocolate chip cake!)

It's now 10:45 am on Friday...and it's getting cloudy. No more sun until Sunday, but that's ok. It's going to be there for Mother's Day (if it knows what's good for it)....

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Thursday, almost Friday

Today, Ink and I took a ride to Harrington to see Debbie and Christian, and of course, the marvelous Maggie. After the less-than-thrilling response from Ink at the festival last Saturday, Ink greeted Debbie and Christian with much more enthusiasm...which made me feel much better.

It was Ink's first meeting with her new sister, Maggie. I was a bit anxious about it, and had brought the "baby" doll home last night from puppy class. Ink pretty much ignored it, but that really didn't make me think that she'd ignore the baby.

I stopped to pick up Panera (Debbie's favorite), and we made our way north. I was excited about seeing Debbie and Christian, and seeing baby Maggie and how much she's grown.

What a wonderful surprise when I got there...Debbie looked wonderful and Maggie looked bigger and Christian looked tired but happy...and they were so excited to see Ink, and Ink was excited to see them. I was very happy about that. Ink sniffed around for a bit, and pretty much totally ignored the baby. Christian went so far as to bring Maggie down to Ink's level; still nothing. There was a tiny bit of sniffing, and she would look over when the baby would cry or grunt, but Ink too the whole thing completely in stride; she behaved exactly as she should have.

As the minutes wore on, Ink seemed to acclimate herself to the house. She checked out her bed, still right in the same spot that it had always been, and she climbed right in and made herself at home. Christian picked up the tennis balls, and Ink got up and played soccer, and chase me, just like nothing had every changed, that she had never left. I really enjoyed seeing her doing this, and I tremendously enjoyed Debbie and Chris' reaction to Ink being home. They've missed her so much.

I, of course, maximized my opportunity for baby time. Debbie was enjoying herself, as was Christian, so bit the bullet and said I'd hold the baby. Those tiny, tiny fingers. I was telling her to say "Aunt Margo"...she just grunted at me, and that made me laugh. I still swear it sounded like "Aunt Margo". :)
She is a tiny little ray of sunshine. Feeling that tiny little head nestled against yours is almost indescribable.

We went to take a walk before it was time to go, and Debbie took Ink and the stroller too, just to see if she could. It worked out beautifully. Ink walked at about 95% loose leash, and actually walked by "Jack" the miniature collie with hardly a glance.

We talked about Ink coming back home, and about a trial-sit, which we're going to do the weekend after next. That way, we'll be home in case it gets to be too much, and we can come and pick Inky right back up. They are also going to sit when we head down to North Carolina for Marissa's graduation and party. I said we could co-raise, and split the time; or work up to Ink coming back full time slowly. Or we could finish her. It's their call; no matter what happens, we'll all be heartbroken together when it's her turn to go.

I didn't get home until 4:30...it's been a long time since I've just gone "visitin' ". Going to do it next week too...Poor Deb is a bit lonely and needs some company! This flu epidemic makes her wary of going out (and rightly so). It's starting to make me wary.

We've made such great and wonderful friends with this group of people; we've almost become "social". I think I've finally found my "niche".

S**t

We got the news today that my sister-in-law, Jennifer, is battling breast cancer. We don't have any of the details yet.

Talk about feeling totally ineffectual and inadequate. I wish there was something I could say or do.

Prayers please.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Quiet Sunday Morning


Well, here's Richard and Ink with all the beauty queens of Delaware....very sweet ladies, who were so impressed with our dogs.

We went to the Bug and Bud Festival yesterday in Milford to help staff the Guiding Eyes booth. It was so hot, and I was a little bit nervous about how Ink would behave. I'd say the first five minutes were a little difficult, but she hit her stride quickly and behaved like a champion for the rest of our "shift". Mr. Elton and Linda were there, and Elton was extraordinary...he's quite the crowd pleaser as people don't know whether he's a dog or a horse. Lots of children came up to the booth, and it was a lot of fun. We had a 50/50 raffle, and money was flowing in. I spent lots of time handing out information, and telling people how great it is to raise a pup. It was hot as blazes, and we were very grateful for the tent. Delicious festival fare for lunch, sausage and peppers. Fun day.

We were right across from Brutus, a St. Bernard belonging to a lady who did massage. He was big, slobbery and very cool. :)

Our booth at the festival. Thank goodness for the shade!

Debbie came down with Miss Maggie, and my she's grown already! Debbie looked wonderful. Miss Ink didn't give Debbie the greeting I'd hoped she'd give her, but it was probably the worst place for a first meeting...way too many distractions and Ink, by the time Debbie got there, was exhausted. She and I are going to see Debbie and Maggie this week, during the day, when it's quiet, and not in the middle of a crowd of people . I know that Debbie had to be a bit disappointed in the lack of excitement from Ink (I would have been), but I think it'll be different when we go to the house.

The end of the day held the prom for Max and April. She looked beautiful, and he looked handsome...and both looked so grown up. We went to April's house for pictures, and met her whole family, who were great. They were all ribbing Max, and it was taken in great stride.

Of course, we had to have the once-over with the sticky tape to get rid of the dog hair.

Always my babies.

It was a good day.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Bon Voyage, Mr. Kramer

Kramer left yesterday to begin the second leg of his wonderful journey.  We're all going to miss him so much; he was the dog that we all looked to when we began the region here.  We all wanted our pups to be "just like Kramer".


His kennel will be very hard to fill.