Introducing Molly

Last Sunday I saw a post on Facebook from a friend.

She was looking for a home for Molly, 

her parents dog.

They were in Florida but so was she...visiting.

Amy offered to bring Molly back to Lancaster County if

anyone was interested in taking her in.

As you know it hasn't been real long since we said goodbye to Chloe.

However we have seen changes in Bandit that weren't 

all that positive.

Never having been an only dog it seemed that she 

would easily become very demanding and

mouthy without having that

second dog in the pack.

I sent Molly's photo to Warren.

He didn't say no.

He said,
"When do they need an answer?"

Yee-haw.

It wasn't off the table!!

Given that he was about to go into a meeting at church

I had to be patient.

Since I hadn't been that optimistic in the first

place and still being very sick I wondered if I would

be able to handle a new dog.

Especially one we hadn't met.

Kind of a big commitment once she was on her way from 

Florida.

But I decided all I could do was leave the decision up to 

Warren and wait and see.

He came home.

We discussed it briefly.

He said we should make ourselves available to take

her and see what happened.

So, I sent the message that we would be the default home

if nothing else worked out.

Several messages went back and forth and we got more 

excited.  We saw others asking questions and just left it up

to the Lord.

On Monday I was taken to the hospital again,

this time by ambulance.

While I waited test results to come back I saw a message 

from Amy....
Molly was ours if we wanted her.

I felt it only fair to wait until I knew what I was dealing with

health wise before we agreed so I said nothing to anyone.

When the test results showed no major issues, and all of the family

involved agreed that this was a good thing I sent back 

that we would LOVE to have Molly come to us.

Side note:  Current working theory on what is wrong with me is

a reaction to my Thyroid medication.  I have been changed to another 

and am praying hard that things will return to normal over the next days and weeks.

SO......Thursday......Amy brought Molly to us.

There was an instant love in my heart for her.

She is petite...7 lb 4 oz.

She is polite....quiet, sweet and gentle.

She did have some adjustment period....extra quiet and reserved.

It was during this time that I took the following photo.

She was laying on my lap....kind of wondering what was going on.

But by evening she was sure that she was loved and safe here

and took her place as princess!

Molly has endeared herself to all in the family....

even the grown kids.

Yesterday everyone was together for dinner and Molly

went from one person to another getting love.

She and Bandit tolerate each other so far.

An occasional growl or snap will happen if one gets too much

into the other's space but those events are happening less and less.

I expect they will be friends in another week or so.

We are so thankful that God would bring us 

just the perfect dog for our family.

She is a true blessing!!

In The Summertime.....

It is such a beautiful evening out there!

We grabbed some sandwiches from a local shop

and headed down by the water to eat dinner.

Even the birds were singing joyfully!

Tomorrow the heat and humidity is to return for several 

days....but for this evening we enjoyed the perfection.

Our "temp Kid", Jared, is going to be with us just a week and a half

more before returning back to his home in Missouri.

I have been so very sad to have been sick nearly the entire time

he has been with us and therefore haven't done many of these

fun kinds of things.

But it made my heart happy to get out there this evening

and have a spontaneous picnic.

The butterflies are here!

So pretty.

I have a hard time not taking photos every time.

There was a HUGE surprise in our neighborhood yesterday.

Mom called me to say that there was a bear in her back yard.

She was serious!

She watched him try over and over again to climb this tree.

But it wasn't to be so he found one he could get up.

Right beside this deer target in our neighbor's yard.

For whatever reason he determined that he should knock it down.

I took the photo below later after the bear was long gone into the corn field.

But you can see why he was able to get up in this tree.  

There was something to get hold of.

Mom took this one from her back deck as he sat in the flower bed\

between attempts to get something from the bird feeders.

The bear was captured about 11 pm last night

in the park behind our Pastor's house.

It sounds like a lot of people came out and helped in the capture 

by keeping the bear in a tree until the forest rangers were able to 

arrive and give it a sleepy dart and a ride to a mountain

just north of Harrisburg.

While Mom was taking bear photos...before calling me....

I was out back in my yard taking more butterfly photos.

There is a butterfly in that photo, I promise.

Our family news of the week is that we are supposed to 

get a new little sweetie dog.

Molly is coming from the home of an elderly couple

who can no longer care for her....

although, I know they have done a great job up until now.

My heart hurts for them.

I know they must have hated to let her go.

We haven't yet met Molly.

She is on her way to Pennsylvania, (from Florida) right now.

I think we are going to hit it off very well because of how it all came to be.

Even Warren is excited!

He wasn't in a big hurry to get another dog but 

her sweet little face won him over nearly immediately.

Hoping that Bandit and Molly become best friends.

As you know, Bandit really needs another dog friend.

She has been so very lonely.

More photos of Molly to come once she is in our home.

I need to get used to a daily brushing routine...

she is a breed that needs it.

Our little "butterfly" dog.

This and That

Bandit's thoughts on being an only dog seem to be things like this:

I'll do it my way~

Feed me more human food....just because~

I don't have to listen anymore~

Love you Mama~

I guess the attitude she is exhibiting is an independence that 

never really showed up because Chloe was the top dog.

Who knew that she was the one making Bandit behave all of

those years.

Hmmm....

There was an auction in our neighborhood today.  

Horses and carriages were parked in various places but this

was my favorite spot.

Most comfortable for the horses and kind of pretty if you ask me.

If you look very closely you might be able to see the wagon 

attached to the back of the first carriage.

They are prepared to carry their purchases home.

Chelsea turned 21 ten days ago.  

But Chadd and some friends surprised her with a party

on July 4th.

I took this of she and her daddy that evening.

So cute.

These two.

Our daughter in law, Emily, lost her grandfather this
week after some time of illness.
It is always hard to lose those we love.
Our hearts are with she and the rest of her family
with whom we have been friends for so many years.
I'm sure the family would appreciate your prayers
as they learn how to live without this man
in their daily lives.

Today is the one year anniversary of Chadd's accident.

So many memories are coming rushing back as we relive the hours....

So much still up in the air.

We are so thankful for all God has revealed thus far.

That Chadd survived....miraculously.

For Shelley who gave him immediate assistance

and the Quarryville Fire Company who took over as soon as they arrived

removing him from the car and calling the medical helicopter.

For friends who waited with us that very long first evening as multiple

surgeries took place.

For ALL of you who have been so faithful in love, concern and prayer.

That he is able to work and minister to others at his job.

That Chelsea and Chadd were able to be married and are seeming

to be adjusting very well.

So much to be thankful for.

And so ....we will trust for the rest.

And continue to wait on HIS timing.

Oh my goodness!

Big news on the Mom front.

She retired this week!!

After working 22 years at Penn State and then 9 at the theater

she made the decision and the change.

She is looking forward to being even more involved in the 

ministries God has called her to in the past couple of years.

Look who showed up to her going away party.

I happen to know they brought her some very pretty flowers....

but alas no photo of the flowers.

By the way.  

I didn't take the last two photos.

They were stolen from FB from a friend of hers.

Hope I'm forgiven.

So there is a lot happening around here.

Hoping to get to feeling much more normally soon

and back in a regular posting routine.

For The Women Readers - Keeping it Real

Menopause...It was just a word.

Then my heart decided to run away faster and faster.

They have checked out my heart.  It is a very good pumper.  It is just going toooooo fast.

Just last night I decided to look up symptoms of menopause....because the doctor had me try hormone replacement therapy.  It changed me immediately but also made my legs ache so badly that I woke up groaning from trying to move my legs in my sleep.  So....It is on hold right now.  And after reading that it is made from pregnant horse pee I'm not sure that I would touch it again.  Horse hormones are not the same.

This begins the research stage.  I really need solutions because I'm tired of being basically housebound.

The ten pounds lost due to nothing tasting good or feeling good going down may be a plus.

So anyway:  The list of symptoms was 34 long.  I have at least these 10....

1.  Racing Heart
2.  Hot flashes (Mild)
3.  Flushing of face and chest
4.  Chills  - like crazy shaking from head to toe
5.  Anxiety - I thought I knew what anxiety felt like before.....but....this is off the charts.
6.  Dizzy/Lightheaded
7.  Digestive issues
8.  Nausea
9.  Strange odor
10. Memory loss

There may be more but this is what I can recall at the moment.  You may think that 10 out of 34 isn't that bad.  But it is bad enough!!

Now, my research continues.....if you have experienced these joys....what did you do to survive it?  I want to go as naturally as possible.  This is my current plan:

1.    Research Estrogen Creams/Bio Identical Hormones to see if there are any that have less side
       effects and use sparingly.
2.    Eat lots of cruciferous veggies.
3.    Eat potatoes. (Not a hardship!)
4.    Find a source for "clean" meats.  No hormones.
5.    Exercise.
6.    Focus on sleep schedule.
7.    Continue to lose weight
8.    Use healthy supplements such as Vitamins B, D, Magnesium and Calcium, Fiber.  For the
       moment I am rejecting Black Cohosh and some other popular choices due to drug interactions
       with my Beta Blocker.
9.    Reduce Dairy Intake
10.  Resist the temptation to stay at home and avoid anxiety attacks that are much more frequent in
       public.
11.  Be faithful to get Chiropractic Adjustments.
12.  Stay in touch with my doctor to monitor blood pressure and pulse.
13.  Continue seeing a counselor to perfect relaxation techniques.

There are many jokes about menopause but I think we need much more conversation about it.  If I had known more this may not have impacted my life so negatively over this past month.  I feel much more confident with the knowledge that this is what I'm dealing with and that there are things that can be done to get back on my feet.....with JOY.  It will happen.  With your prayers and lots of hard work I know this can be temporary.

Catching Up

I've been struggling with what is possibly a reaction

to one of my medications for a couple of months.

The symptoms have gotten more and more serious

over the past couple of weeks and landed me

in the hospital a week and a half ago.

Sadly, we still don't know what medication, if any, is the culprit.

Tomorrow I will go for a test on my heart to clear 

any issues there from causing the tachycardia attacks

I get too frequently right now.

I felt an attack coming on yesterday morning and decided 

to take a new approach to it.

I went outside and took photos of my favorite

Summer flowers.

Then I came in and called Georgia when it didn't get better.

I am so blessed to have an RN next door!!

This is what I see out my kitchen window.  

I love the blues and whites that are so pretty against the green.

It is a bit of a jungle look out there right now

but that is just how I like it!

The grass is growing up between the bricks, the hosta

flowers are at full bloom and bending into the walkway.

Warren power washed the deck and moved a few things off so you

can see them sitting to the side along the brick path.

We'll get the deck put back together at some point.

At least it is clean for the moment.

In a yard full of trees a clean deck is to be appreciated.

A pop of pink is a pleasant addition to this garden area.

The elegance of the white hydrangea which will turn to a 

rust color as the summer progresses.

I love that they look amazing the entire season.

It is crazy hot out there right now but I'm enjoying all of this 

through the kitchen window.

Looking forward to better days ahead....

and answers to this crazy racing heart.