Beautiful Bandit....

We gave our female pup a boy's name

but it was with good reason.

It was the only name that fit her.

You see, we had been seeking 

a dog to fill the hole that our Kimmy 

left when she had to be put to 

sleep. Our chihuahua/fox terrier mix,  Chloe,

 was depressed and the 

rest of us missed having a second dog.

We met lots of potential dogs.

Even brought one home.

That didn't work out. 

We returned that huge black 

lab to her former owners.

Finally we met this little spitfire.

She was a rescue from one of the many 

puppy mills that are so prevalent here in 

Lancaster County.

The first time we met she made 

a break for it and ran so quickly from 

the room they had us in.

Then when they caught her and 

brought her back she promptly 

peed on the floor.

And yet, 

there was something about 

this silly pup that just grabbed our

hearts.  

So, after many suggestions for names

the one that kept coming back to us 

was Bandit.

Because she stole our hearts.

It stuck.

Now most people think she is a boy.

But she graciously couldn't care less.

lol

Unfortunately this canine member of 

our family has continued to be a 

challenge with her mischievous ways.

Constantly stealing tissues to shred them

and bottle caps or any other plastic items

that she can get her mouth around.

Tonight it was a tea light container

and a plastic storage container.

Who knows what is missing in her

diet that she feels compelled to chew

plastic and paper.

I tend to think nothing...

she just enjoys them better than the 

bones and toys that are abundant here.

Bandit has a "den" under the living room couch

where she takes her finds.

Every now and then I move the couch 

and remove all of them

and she just starts over.

In any case, 

even with all of her bad 

habits I would rescue her all over 

again.  She truly has stolen my heart.

The only person who doesn't feel that 

way about Bandit is Chelsea.

They are in serious competition.

Bandit recognizes Chelsea as her most serious

competition for my attention on a daily basis.

She takes every opportunity to leave unpleasant

presents in Chelsea's room.

If the door is open she'll pull out the contents

of Chels's trash can or do what you were imagining

at first.  Just to be mean.

This has not endeared her to Chelsea.

And so the battle goes on.

Good thing she is cute.

I think it has saved her from Chelsea's 

wrath more than once.

That, and the fact that I don't condone

violence for any reason.

Pets.

They are such an interesting

part of the family.

With attitudes and jealousy.

Very interesting to me.

Maybe we need the dog whisperer 

around here.

But in the mean time we'll just keep

Chelsea's door closed and work 

on Bandit's manners.

I was playing with a photo I took 

yesterday.  Different effects showcase

 her many adorable features.

Bandit....the dog who totally lives

up to her name.

ER Visits are Unpleasant....

Our poor Jonathan fell ill yesterday.

By the end of church he was in extreme

stomach pain.

I only had to look at his eyes to know

it was bad.

So, we came home and I watched him

for a couple of hours.

The longer it went the more it 

looked like a bowel obstruction.

I've seen my Mother-in-law suffer

with these multiple times and Jonathan

had all of the symptoms.

He, bless his heart, was still trying to figure

out how he could possibly work 

last evening.

Unloading truck!

That wasn't happening!

He wouldn't have lasted five minutes.

But when he had a bad cold a couple 

of weeks ago his boss had said that he had

to find a replacement, show up or be fired.

So...he didn't feel comfortable calling off.

I did that for him last night.

If he loses his job then we'll deal

but there is no way he could work in that 

condition.

We had almost no wait.

His blood pressure was pretty 

high in triage...

from the pain and nerves.

I'll spare you all of the gory details 

of our actual visit except to say that 

he gave us quite a scare by dropping

that blood pressure after they drew blood.

I mean...really dropping.

The bottom number was 42 and he was 

waxy yellow and delirious.

That got lots of attention.

But, he came around and then just 

wanted to sleep.

It was very scary because that happened

just after they gave him meds

and we didn't know if something in one of 

them had reacted badly.

But, it looks like he just has his Dad's 

aversion to multiple vials of blood removal.

A highlight from the visit?

The doctor said I looked too young

to be Jon's mom.

The deflation?

I told the guys friends about it when 

we got back and they 

scoffed.

Of course I look old enough

to be Jon's Mom....

Thanks guys!

I only feed you every weekend

and let you take over our basement.

LOL

Gotta love 'em.

Actually I really did enjoy the 

boys' friends this weekend.

We spent a lot of time together.

They are learning that we like having 

them here and that we are open to 

spending time together

chatting.

That, my friends, is a very

good thing.  

It is so good to hear the hopes 

and dreams of the young men

in our lives.

Although I have to say

that their brains work funny.

Speaking as a girl, of course.

I have yet to see Jonathan this 

morning but I'm praying that he has

a better day.

We have prescriptions to fill if 

we need them....

Please stay away from the 

ER if you can avoid it.

There are lots of 

sickies in there!

That is my takeaway 

from more than four hours 

spent there.

Oliver Sleeps Soundly

I'm not sure how Oliver happened to

fall asleep on his head

but he was really out!

As I took photos Bandit ran right by 

his head with no response.

I was beginning to be concerned

about whether he was actually alive.

And then his ear twitched.

I guess some days you just have to sleep

on your head!

It was good for a laugh around

here ....and we know that laughs

are good for our health.

So...Ollie did a good thing.

Tea With Friends....

Not long ago Mrs. Rabe's mother, Phyllis

read that a local tea room was closing.

Now, I had heard that this was a place

I must visit but I hadn't gotten there yet.

When she passed this tidbit of news on

a few of us decided that we must go together

before it was too late.

So, Tuesday afternoon found Mrs. Rabe,

Phyllis, Kelly and I sitting down to a

very pretty table in a full tea house.

We had a delightful couple of hours

chatting away as we sipped our tea.

Each of us had a different flavor.

Mine was Strawberry Cream.

It was good but if I go back I'll

try something a little different.

Because I can!

Oh! About going back....

we are hoping that it is going to

be possible. It seems that the

server had no knowledge of a closing

so perhaps it was bad information that

Phyllis read. 

 I hope so.

Maybe having an article written about

a potential closing changed something

about their circumstances.

In any case we hope they stay open.

It was delightful.

We all agreed we were glad

she read that article 

and said something 

so that we 

got to do 

something we might not 

have taken the time

for otherwise.

It is a sincere desire of my heart to

spend more time with my friends

and build relationships face to face.

It is so easy to get caught up in our

online friendships and not feel the need

for those in our circle of real life.

Each of us is so busy with our family,

and this is a very good thing,

but we are made to be social and share

our hearts, encourage one another and

learn from the experience of others.

I am not saying that online relationships

are inherently wrong. Not at all.

Simply that I desire to also focus on those

around me. To really see and hear them.

To give of my time and serve them.

I want to hear what they have to say

and allow them to minister to me if needed.

How are you feeling about this subject lately?

Have you felt that you've been as connected

to those in your real life as you used to be?

Is this something that comes naturally or do you

have to make an effort?

Just curious.

I'm delighted to have you stop by

and read my ponderings.

It would be delightful to have

tea with you!

Biopsy Day....Updated

This afternoon I will go

to the doctor.

He will "scrape" a spot on 

my face.

I don't want to go.

I think it is all better.

:-)

Maybe he will too.

Maybe he won't.

:-(

I'll let you know.

Hoping it is not 

Band-aid worthy in the end.

Doc Agreed!!
He said there is nothing there
now that he would make a scar over!
Praise God!!

AND...AND...AND
I am scheduled for a biopsy on my 
thyroid Mid March!
Sooner than I could even get 
into the Specialist since they wouldn't
even give me a date....
saying that their schedule doesn't
even go out far enough...and they have
a LONG waiting list.
It would be late Spring before
I could even have a consult.

Praise God for a doctor
who really cares.
And a funny patch on my face
that called for this appointment
so this could be arranged.

Sigh......
With that I am off to make an
emergency delivery of candles to one 
of my spas.  
Funny thing about that.
She said I might as well pick up the 
Blueberry Muffin Candle because no one 
liked it.
Earlier this week the other Spa owner
requested "a menagerie" of blueberry muffin
candles because
her customers adore them

LOL

One just never knows!
Hugs. 

Taking Photography Direction

Here's the deal.

At least twice while we were 

visiting at Williamsburg my 

Mother-in-law pointed out photography

opportunities.

Not just, 

"Hey!  Take a picture of that."

But, "That would be a wonderful 

close up opportunity."

And when I began to shoot from where 

I was standing she pointed out that 

the flowers were facing her.

So, that meant that she had to move so 

I could get the right angle.

She was right!

Cute.ness.

Although, I probably should have laid down

on my belly to get up under the blooms.

That may have been taking it a bit too

far and it wasn't recommended.

lol

Later as we were on our way back 

to the van at the end of a long day

she spotted this white shed with its 

ivy draping so daintily and 

pointed it out.

 

I don't recall if she suggested a photo

session or not but I was on it 

nonetheless.

 What this means to me?

She's been reading my blog.

She knows how much I love to 

capture unusual or pretty scenes.

I love to get the little overlooked bitty 

flowers....

she's on the lookout.

I can tell you that we have vacationed with 

her for more than 20 years here and there

and this was a first.

It made me smile.

It made me happy.

I'm so blessed to have 

both a mother-in-law and my mom 

so close and so dear.

Thank Georgia if you like the 

photos in this post today.

Without her they would have just been 

missed opportunities.

Please Forgive Me...

I believe I left you in 

Virginia!

Ugghhhh...

I got it!

The horrible cold that

the others had.

Not wanting to stop having fun 

I used up all of my energy in playing

and shopping with them.

Then I could not bear the thought of fighting

with the internet connection 

to upload photos.

Well, we are home now and after a very

very full day at church yesterday

I am going to try to get back on track.

I have orders stacked and waiting.

This makes me soooo happy!

On Wednesday I will have a 

biopsy on a patch on my face.

Probably nothing but my dear doctor

was concerned so we'll let him 

"Scrape" it.

Ewww.....that sound really yucky.

I've popped a few more photos of our

time in Virginia in this post.

On Friday evening we headed to Richmond

so that Chelsea could attend a concert.

It was right in the heart of the city.

A city none of us had been to before.

I took no photos.

It would have just taken too much 

energy...that's how bad this cold is.

I think that was the day I was feverish.

Anyway, while Chelsea was at the concert 

Mom, Georgia and I visited

the Virginia Museum of Fine Art.

Gorgeous!!

I highly recommend it.

Their collections are extensive.

In the two hours we were there we only 

got to see most of one of the three floors!

My favorites?

The Faberge collection

and the Tapestries.

They are simply amazing.

It is a very inexpensive thing to do.

Parking is $3 and admission is free.

You can pay separate admissions for

featured exhibits.  Right now they have two.

One on Egypt and one about Elvis at the age of 21.
We decided to start with the free displays and 

then see if we wanted to spend the money

to see the extras.

We ran out of time and energy well before

we finished the main exhibits.

A very good deal, indeed.

I would love to return to this museum

sometime.

It was kind of amusing in that

at one point we got separated from

each other.

Georgia said she found us because

she heard Mom coughing.

Our own kind of signalling system.

Well, I'd better get cracking here.

I'll let you know, though, in case you are

interested that I have written a guest post on

the Etsy CASTTEAM blog.

It is a devotional.

I will be the devotional writer

on the third Monday of each month.

Fun!

Intimidating.

But, certainly a joy for me.

Beautiful Weather, Beautiful Day

Today we were off to a bit of a late start into

Colonial Williamsburg. We had hoped to be on our

way there by 9:30 am and instead didn't head out

until after lunch. Turned out to be just fine.

We got to see a lot, learn a lot and meet some

very interesting people along the way.

It was a beautiful sunny day 

with a high of 63 degrees.

Amazing.

We could not have ordered a 

better day.

Tomorrow is not supposed to be

as stunning.

Rain is in the forecast.

But that is ok as we have shopping

on the agenda for at least part of the day,.

Anyway, 

back to today's adventures.

We found this thriving garden.

I loved the glass domes they 

used in neat lines.

The gardener was very agreeable to chat

with us and as we talked other

visitors joined in the question and answers.

Then we moved on to the 

Parish Church.

It is a fully functioning church today.

Beautiful and chock full of history.

We sat in George Washington's Pew.

Guess George was tall.

The box that each pew sits in is pretty

high.  I asked why and was told that it

was partly to help hold in the heat.

It was cold for part of the year

and the members of the Church of England

were required to attend

at least one service per month

all year long making it necessary to come

even when heating such a large room was

a challenge or impossibility.

I loved the windows in this building.

The arch and the wavy glass just make me happy.

I'm skimming here because loading

photos on this internet connection 

is making me a bit batty.

It is so slow and sometimes it 

actually loads the photos and other times

it makes them randomly disappear. 

I have no idea why....

but I'll just have to come back and fill in the 

details later...

if you want me to.

 One really great thing about Colonial 

Williamsburg in February is that it is very quiet.

We were able to poke about and explore

as we have never done before.

I could take tons of photos without 

another person in them.

That has always been a frustration to me 

since most visitors are not in 

Period Clothing.

LOL

Chelsea posed for

photos several times.

It was fun...

reminding us of our visit to 

take Senior Photos

a while back.

What I was happy to see

this time was a new confidence, 

joy and healthy radiance.

Even though I love the photos 

we took the last time

these are even sweeter to me.

We got ourselves trapped in the area behind the Palace.

We were attempting to get back over to 

Merchant Square to do some shopping by going

a back way and got totally tangled up 

in the walkways and beauty

of the Palace,

It felt as if we were 

replaying Alice in Wonderland.

So lost...in a magical place.

I am not going to fight with those particular

photos anymore.

I'll do a single post on that when we get 

home....but I'll close this post 

with another highlight from today.

Riding the Jamestown Ferry.

We used to love to do this when the kids

were little but it had been a while.

I have never before been the driver

and so it was a bit intimidating...

but, oh so fun!!

On our trip across the James River

we were parked in.

We could tell we were moving 

but the view was simply of the cars around

us, unless we stretched our necks

to catch a small glimpse of the water.

So, on the way back I was Thrilled

to drive straight on up to the front of the boat.

Yee-haw!  

We were front and center.

The sun was setting and it was 

over the top awesome.

A delightful dinner at Ruby Tuesday

finished the formal part of our day.

I think I may be the last one standing tonight

as everyone else has headed to bed.

I'm soon to follow.

Thanks for all of your comments

from yesterday's post.

So nice to have you
"along"!

Hugs.

Fun Times with the Sickies

We are a mess but we aren't letting it 

stop our fun!

Mom, Chelsea and Georgia 

are all coughing and feeling less than

great...I'm counting the minutes 

and hours until their germs find me.

Until then, however, 

I am making encouraging them

to play with me.

After a decent drive to get here,

long but without any surprises,

I would have happily taken a quick snooze

but being hesitant to miss any of the great

sunlight we decided to take a walk around

the resort.

It wasn't long before we found a playground.

Chelsea was so thrilled to climb on this 

so I could take pictures.

She is kind like that!

 

 She and I decided to test our 

spelling skills.

Hers....

Mine....

Chelsea takes the cake for creativity.

I didn't even make three different words.

Oh well...Mine Rhymes!!

Then Mom and Chelsea hit the swings.

Well, Mom did swing a little bit.

Then we were off to the little lake

across the way.

With a stop at this sign.

Some of you may remember it from

our last visit here.

We are so curious as to what they 

are doing to "recycle the guests" here.

Scary, really.

If we find out we will let you know.

And then we were off to the volleyball court.

Only problem was that we had no ball.

Not really a big deal when you are with 

ladies who have great imaginations and 

awesome senses of humor.....

We were laughing so hard that the ducks came

to see what was so funny.

 And then they were off to warn the 

geese about the crazies that had

descended upon their peaceful

home.

 The geese were not impressed!

They just chatted amongst themselves.

Nothing surprises them anymore, 

I suppose.

We wrapped up our walk and 

look forward to seeing new sites tomorrow.

For this evening we enjoyed 

Georgia's BBQ on baked potatoes and 

a Gaither Homecoming DVD.

Thank goodness Chelsea was here 

to help us figure out how to 

get it to play.

I'm so glad you are here to 

enjoy this journey with us.

I hope to post again tomorrow.

((Hugs!))