It has been one year since I brought Riptide home!  For some reason the embedded videos in the slide show do not play, disappointing but still fun.

Create a free slideshow

Grandmothers

        Jason turned 31 in March at which time he and Katie informed me they were having a baby come September!  I am thrilled for this wonderful journey they are on.
       
       I am over the moon to welcome my first Granddaughter into the world and only hope I can be the kind of grandmother to her that Jason's grandmothers were to him, as my grandmothers were to me.

 Jason and Grammie ~ my Mother.

Jason and Nana ~ my Grandmother

Farewell Trisha

Trisha ~ November 9, 1997 ~ December 31, 2013

       New Years Eve 2013 meant saying goodbye to an amazing little girl.  Trisha finally chose to join my Mom and Dad after so many years apart.         
      Trisha came to my parents in 2003, bringing the love and joy only a dog can to their lives after being without a dog for so many years.   After my Dad passed, Trisha never left my Mom's side giving her a reason to get through each day. 
      I am unsure as to why Trisha stayed with me so long after Mom passed, but I am thankful for her support over the past 4 years.  She not only gave me her amazing son Pi, but she helped me through many difficult times after losing my parents.  Trisha was a very determined girl.  I believed I was ready for her to leave me months ago, I told her it was okay to go, I asked my Mom to help her along.  Trish had other plans. 
      Of course, I see now that she was right.  I needed this time to take care of her, to see her zest for life and her will to live.  She was so strong, she lived on her own terms, and she never missed a meal! 
       As Trisha lay in my arms last nite, I told her to go to Mom and Dad and give kisses to Sundance.   Her breath came easier, and her little tail began to wag as I had not seen in quite some time.  It wagged the way it always did when she was saying hello and greeting her loved ones.   Yes,  I do believe she was saying hello just as I had to say goodbye.

Always I Shall Remember

Always I shall remember,

Whenever the sky is blue,

Whenever the sun is shining,

I shall remember you.

Dawn, when the birds are singing,

Night, when the stars are near.

In the glow of a lingering sunset,

I shall remember Dear.

by Patricia Ann Woodard 

on April 16, 1945

to Arthur W. Hunt Jr.



Tornado?

Wednesday.  June 1st.  The rain was beating against the windows as I worked at my desk.  I was very determined to complete my list of business items for SureFire Dogs.  Winee kept bringing me a toy and whining, Sundance was restless.  'It's only 4:20 guys, not yet time for supper!  Go lie down!'  By 4:30, Sundance was getting agitated.  At almost 14, I figured he needed to go outside.

I leave the TV on during the day, it becomes white noise, clearly I had not heard any of the news yet.  As I passed by the den to let the dogs outside, something about the newscaster's voice caught my ear.  I turned back to investigate.  'The tornado has hit downtown Springfield! Wilbraham residents need to go to their basements NOW!'  That was all I heard.  I was trying to process how a tornado could be coming our way.  The dogs were all gathered around me at that point.  I tossed some dog beds into the basement, grabbed my laptop, phone, and some dog cookies.  Just to be safe,  I followed through with the advice of the newscaster, and brought the dogs into the basement.  Settled them into their beds and then thought of a few other items I would like to have.  I came back upstairs and noticed a line of cars on the street.  Kids, all dressed up, Prom night.. I wondered if they knew a tornado was coming ..  I saw them hurrying into the house down the street .. they must know.  I turned back to my kitchen, found my chocolate and a beverage to bring back to the basement.

It was 4:50, I looked out into my back yard.  Some of my agility equipment was by the pool.  I briefly thought of moving it.  It was then I saw the debris flying through the air over the brook just 100 feet away.  Pink insulation and shingles were being sucked southward over the treetops.  It reminded me of what I have seen on the weather channel.  It was real.  I was mesmerized by the scene and had to pull myself away to get to safety.  As I retreated to the basement, the power went out.  I noticed Jason had  texted me several times 'They are saying you should be in the basement, a tornado just touched down on main st in springfield'.  I tried texting him back, but it would not go through.

At 4:55, the wind had subsided somewhat, the rain had stopped.  I came up to investigate.  I called Jason and got through.  We were able to talk for a few minutes before the cell service went out.  I saw a fire truck come racing down the street and a few of the neighbors started coming out from their houses.  The police cars soon followed as well as the EMTs.  With the increasing activity, I ventured outdoors and soon found out the tornado had hit Brookside Circle, the end of our street.

A few of the neighbors and I walked down to see.  I never expected to see the aftermath of a tornado in person.  Much harder to comprehend than seeing it on the weather channel. The street was impassable and unrecognizable.  80 year old trees were completely uprooted and had crashed through rooftops.

A UPS delivery truck was covered with a large tree.  The young delivery man, white as a ghost, said he curled into a ball and crawled under the steering wheel.  'I thought I was going to die' he said as he stumbled past us.

These pictures were taken 24 hours later after a busy day of starting the cleanup.

 It is now seven days later and the huge tree trucks continue to leave the street with the debris on an hourly basis.  The cleanup effort by the town, neighbors, and volunteers has been wonderful to witness. The spirits of those affected is generally good.

I thank God and my guardian angels for my good fortune and safety.  I replay the scene I watched in my backyard as the debris flew by and wonder why I was so lucky. 


 

Spring trials & Weddings

I just love getting back outside for the Spring agility trials!  Yes it is more work, setting up tents, crates, chairs, shades...and then taking them all down again 48 hours later.  Sometimes its cold and rainy, other days are hot, but many days are sunny and breezy.. just great to be out with the dogs!

This past weekend, for Mother's Day, I trialed with Winee and Pi outdoors.  Beautiful weather and the dogs had a blast.  Winee is smiling here!  She got her 18th double Q this weekend towards her MACH. Hard to believe that my 3 year old is just blasting through her agility trials.  We have so much fun together.

Of course my Pi boy always has fun running, and he is very vocal about how much fun he has!  Several weeks ago we managed to get MACH 3.  At 7 he still acts 2 and always challenges me in the ring.  Somehow we are able to qualify even tho Pi is the one in charge of the majority of our runs together!

This coming weekend I will not be trialing, but will be crying while I watch my first nephew get married in North Carolina! 

The happy couple.. Steve & Lindsay.

More Snow?

 Tomorrow there is more snow coming through.. ?  These pictures were taken  2 weeks ago when we got 2 feet of the lovely stuff.  My mailbox is out there somewhere!

 Since then, we have added several more storms.. only 4-6 inches each time... with snowbanks way taller than me now. 

Where will I put the new stuff? 

Here is Winee enjoying the full yard down by the brook, this was back on January 8th.

Now, she is limited to a figure 8 path I made for the kids with the snow blower!  Since I took this pic, the added snowstorms have made the path a little smaller with larger banks...

I guess I will be taking more pictures tomorrow..

hmmmm, me thinks I long for spring!

Dumpster No. 2

This summer as we continued to clean out the homestead, we had our silly moments. This is just one of many!

The second dumpster is close to full, and I will be glad to see it go!   Although now my trips to the dump will be more frequent.