A Little of This, A Little of That

Happy Friday to you! I'm headed out this morning to hit the garage sale trail; hoping to find some good treasures. Before I go, I wanted to check with my blogging buddies and especially those who are bird lovers. This is the nest that is in my daughter's bbq; two of the five babies didn't make it. Because I love watching birds and identifying them, it has driven me crazy trying to figure what bird these are. Initially, I thought they were Robins-because the eggs were Robin blue; silly me! I didn't realize just how many birds have blue eggs. So my daughter said no they aren't Robins, but a smaller bird(in order to get inside the back of the bbq)and we thought maybe Starlings. I'm still not sure; she has seen a black & brown bird near the area, smaller than a Robin. They are definitely bigger than the Sparrows I had several years ago. So if you recognize what type of bird these little ones are, please do tell. Whatever they are, they sure are cute!

Many, many years ago(about 20)when we lived in Ca., my dear mother-in-law started giving me Orchids for my birthday. As much as I loved their look, this was a period of time when I didn't have any indoor plants because I was just to busy. The beautiful Orchids would bloom and then I could never keep them alive, so I became very intimidated by Orchids. Then we moved to this house and a friend gave us an Orchid as a house warming present. Inwardly I groaned, knowing that it wouldn't last long. Funny thing happened, when some friends gave me a tip about their care, my white one started to do well. I think it is all about the lighting and the watering. After I moved the first one into our bathroom where is get filtered light, I got another two. One of the two hasn't re-bloomed, but the purple one is doing so well. I love them, but won't be getting more until I see how they due during the winter. They do love this spot though. 

Well, the time has come for me to get ready to go; my weekend will be busy-the sales today, lunch with another friend, a birthday party for a neighbor tonight. Tomorrow, a gal who owned a quilt store in town that closed is opening her home to share her new studio. I'll be hitting that and seeing what type of goodies she has. Hubby leaves Sunday morning for his annual golf trip, so I'll be having some fun too. Have a fantastic day and weekend!
Noreen

Hijacked Post

Hunter here with a post about the wonderful treats I received yesterday morning. My Mom has started getting all my treats from Mr. Chewy, because she trusts the quality and prices. Mr.Chewy is just the best company ever. So, on to the good stuff~to begin with Mom got another package of True Chews Chicken Jerky. I love the jerky, Mom breaks part of a piece into small pieces for my breakfast and then gives me a half piece during the day. Really, it's just a lunch time snack.

Can you tell I'm so very excited to sample the rest of the goodies? So the other four packages are True Chews chicken cuts for my breakfast(SHE adds in other goodies, just to make sure I eat everything), Vital Essential freeze dried wild Alaskan Salmon treats, Angus BEEF liver treats and then Pure Bites freeze dried Trail mix with Beef Liver, Sweet Potato and Green Beans. Mom thinks most of my diet is made up of protein and that I need more vegetables. I do like Green Beans, so she's been adding them to my dinner. So there you have it, I'm not spoiled just well loved! Mom also says that everything is cheaper than some of the big pet stores and since they have let us be part of the blogger program, it's worth getting treats from them.  We love Mr.Chewy.
 Note from Mom: One of the reasons I purchased the jerky is that I am concerned that with the Bird Flu impacting chicken and turkey prices in the next several months, the prices on chicken dog treats is going to go up as well. I have a friend who works for the USDA and has been on the front lines of this situation. Iowa has lost 50 million chickens in one area alone. We have stocked up on frozen chicken and also got two turkeys. When I was checking out at the grocery store, the gal said that they are already being told there will be a shortage of turkeys for Thanksgiving and that there might not be any. This verified what I had been told by my friend. So if you eat a lot of chicken you may want to stock up your freezer.
Have a awesome day!
HUNTER & Noreen

The End Of The School Year

Good Morning Friends! Every year in May our grands have an end of the year party and show & tell, highlighting their favorite projects throughout the year. It gives us a glimpse of their passions and gives them the opportunity to share in a large group what they've accomplished. Here are some glimpses into the program that was held last Friday night. To begin with, the oldest granddaughters proudly showed their completed pillowcases. I love how each girl's reflects their personality.

Here were the doll quilts that they made back in Feb/March.

There was a variety of paintings and art work as well, but I loved the Bald Eagle.

Little man playing.

Our oldest demonstrating some  principles of electricity.

Younger brother loves history and did one of his reports on WWII

Examining what a rock from a meteor might look like.

The entire group; we should have a one room school house.  Love how very excited all of the children are about learning.  I love how the parents can also center in on their passions. 
Needless to say we are so proud of the entire group!
Hugs,
Noreen

Movie Review

Good Morning Friends, I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. Last Friday, hubby and I went to see the movie Far From The Madding Crowd. I don't remember seeing the original movie, but this was so good. It may have been in part due to the fact that I've never been to Europe and am going to Ireland in two weeks or possibly that I've always been loved Border Collies and sheep herding. 

Set in Victorian England, the stories revolves around a young woman, Bathsheba Everdene  played by Carey Mulligan. Bathsheba is pursued by three different men, but I must say that my favorite was Gabriel Oak played by Matthias Schoenaerts.  While watching this I became excited about seeing the rolling hills of Ireland and it made me remember why I loved Border Collies so much.
The acting was good and it was well worth the time and money; in fact, when it comes out on DVD I may just buy one.  I would rate it Ten Stars. 
If you've seen it, let me know what you thought; if not, got see this movie.
Have a great day!
Joy to you.
Noreen

Happy Memorial Day

This photo was published last year in a newspaper back east.  It says so much.  We salute all those who valiantly gave their lives protecting our nation, our people.  We salute all those who serve today.

 God Bless America!

Signs of Spring and Hope

Happy Friday friends, It is so hard to believe it is Memorial Day weekend; in the past, it has been so warm, we've waited anxiously to have the pool open. This year we are waiting anxiously for warm weather to move in and stay for good. I was chiding myself this morning about my whining and realized I'm thankful that we haven't had snow every day for the last month. Yesterday was cloudy and cold, but it didn't rain at all. In fact, Hunter and I got out for a walk. In Kam's yard, she has an abundance of Johnny-Jump-Ups and I thought they looked so much like spring. A neighbor of hers planted them years ago and now they have overtaken her side yard. At least they are beautiful.

About a month ago, my grands said "Nana have you seen the bird nest in the bbq?"; I hadn't so looked. At first, I thought they had just gathered up straw and pine needles and made it. I also figured they were going to be in trouble with the mess; they hadn't made it. The funny thing is that the lid had been closed and the Robin was getting in through a hole in the back. So last week the girls announced they had eggs in the nest. Yes indeed, they were Robin eggs and so pretty; there were five in all. Yesterday Kim announced they had baby birds; the grands didn't even know. We opened the lid to the bbq and we saw four tiny beaks begging for food. With all the rain, I'm thinking the Mom found a nice dry place to build that nest. We are not sure what happened to the fifth egg, but we did count four beaks. Here you can only see three(sorry about the fuzzy photo), but they are so precious. I'm glad it is in their bbq and not ours-we use ours almost every night, even in the winter. I have spotted some sparrows around our gutters, so it wouldn't surprise me to find a nest.

We don't have too much planned for this weekend; tonight is our grands End of the Year program and that is always wonderful. I will be taking photos of each girls with their pillowcase and other projects. 
Today is another rainy day, so I think hubby and I will be going to see Far From The Maddening Crowd.  I doubt there is much else happening, I may be going to an Open House of a quilter that used to have a store here in town. She closed it after her husband died, but has reopened it in her home in a nearby town. 
We are possibly going to get temps in the high 60's and low 70's.  I can only hope, until then I'm waiting.  AT least I'll be ready for Ireland and cooler temps there.
Blessings,
Noreen

I can't believe how quickly May has flown by(wish the rain would do the same)!  I'm getting ready to go for a walk in the cold, with Hunter, so this will be short.  Some of you don't watch t.v. and some don't believe in it, but here we do. For many years, too many, hubby and I have been big fans of Survivor. This year hubby decided not to watch it due to some of the attitudes being portrayed.  I continued on and I will tell you that last nights finale was refreshing in some ways.  The man who won gave a testimony of his faith and said that was how he made it through the loneliest times of the show.  Another man, who I didn't like, was harboring a grudge against the winner and told him so.  I was impressed that the winner apologized and asked for forgiveness for hurting him.  It was so refreshing to see reconciliation and forgiveness given and received.  It ended the show on a very positive not for me.  I'm not sure I'll watch next year, but I'm glad it ended like it did.
This time of year there doesn't seem to be much on t.v. to watch while I quilt, maybe if our weather gets back to normal we will be able to be outside walking and riding.
Hope you have a great day!
Hugs, Noreen

Outdoor Wednesday

Happy Wednesday to you!  Ever since we've lived in Colorado, I've wanted a rain gauge.  For some reason though, I never got one until last weekend. It probably has to do with the unusual amounts of rain we've had this last month.  When we were on a walk on Sunday, hubby mistakenly pointed out a very pretty rain gauge and that was it-we headed to get some groceries and stopped by my favorite nursery on the way home.  This is very delicate looking and I worry that the glass might break if we get hail; you know I'll be running out and bringing it in if that is the case.  However, now that I have one I can check the totals each day.  For the last two days, we've gotten a bit over 1.25".  Considering that we have had constant rain up until today, I know we are well over our normal rainfall amount.  You can see my Oregano next to the rain gauge and also my Peonies, that are about ready to bloom.
Today's weather is so damp and cold, it chills you.  Hubby says it feels like snow; I think that it reminds me of coastal fog and rain.
I've got to grands coming over today for sewing; we will finish their pillowcases and I will make sure I get pics.  Tomorrow the other two come over and then on Friday night we will have the end of the year program where each grand gets to highlight what they've done in school this year. 
I hope you are staying warm! 
Blessings,
Noreen

May Showers Bring June Flowers

Good Morning to you!  I hope you had a great start to the week; my day yesterday was pretty low key. The storm started yesterday afternoon with a light mist falling; it continued to be light until the middle of the night, when the sky opened up.  It was raining so hard it woke me up and continued to pour on and off during the night.  This morning I took Hunter outside, the last rain fall bothered him and I wanted to make sure it was not the start of something new.  I checked my brand new rain gauge, that I had wanted for years and we got about 1.5" of rain during the night.  Not as much as I thought, but still a good amount.  We are supposed to get rain every day this week.  I truly feel like we are living in the North West.  This is just so unusual for us, even during our Monsoon season we just don't get this much rain consistently. 
Hubby and I will be heading down to an Apple Store today to get my mini IPad fixed and have my phone checked-the battery depletes too quickly on it.  Then we may begin stocking up on chicken and turkey for our freezer;  word has it that chicken prices are going to skyrocket due to how the Bird Flu has ravaged chicken and turkey farms across the country.  We don't eat a lot of eggs, but we have a couple of friends who have chickens, so if need be we can always buy some from them.  Last time hubby and I ran to Costco, we couldn't believe how much the price of beef has gone up and now this with chicken prices set to soar.  Oh well.
I hope you have a wonderful day and that the sun is shining for you.
Noreen

My Husband Rocks!

Good Morning to you! Last evening after dinner, hubby and I heard something hit the house-I asked him if it was a golf ball, to which he said no. He went out to check and then knocked on the window for me to come see. Behind our couch, there was a baby sparrow; it had apparently flown into our window. It was stunned, so hubby and I moved the couch out so we could put it on the cushions. When he saw us moving things, he started flying and we were glad until.... As he flew away, he just went to our stair railing and then he hoped into our drain spot(reminder to self, get some chicken wire to cover the open down spot). Oh no. We could see him but couldn't reach him. What does a wonderful husband do,but run down under our deck to see if we can hear him. We did, the problem was that the drain goes into the storm/drainage ditch. So hubby ran and got his electric drill and an extension cord. He took the bottom part of the pipe off and then went to the top and dropped the extension cord down it, hoping that the little bird would be in it. Unfortunately, the extension cord dropped but no baby bird came out. I was ready to give up, when out of the black hole of the bottom drainage pipe the little bird flew. We couldn't believe it! I figured he was a goner and that the heavy rains would was him out to the storm pipes. Yeah! We watched him fly to an Italian Cypress and then fly off. I bet the whole experience scared him. My hubby does amazing things in order to save animals; several years ago we saw a calf hoping over a fence and hubby rounded that boy up and herded him back. My man is quite a catch and I'm so glad he's mine!

May your day be filled with smiles, giggles and lots of love!
Noreen

Garage Sale Time

Happy Friday Friends~During spring, I always join my best friend Kam, to go to garage sales. I never was an avid shopper before moving here,but once I started going with Kam, I loved it. It might have been just hanging out with her or the fact that she loves to get a good deal, but this is about the fourth year I've been spending Friday mornings with her. Since we moved, I scaled back-too much stuff to pack up; even though I have no intentions of moving again, I still don't want to get carried away and buy things we don't need. So this morning, bright and early, we hit my neighborhood sale; she is looking for wedding items for her daughter's summer wedding and I just was looking. I only found two items, but it was fun to get out with her. The Iron scroll piece on the wall was one items that I couldn't pass up-it was so cheap. We have several of these decorations and I can tell you that when you buy them at a store, they aren't cheap. I love how it looks above our entry way table.

The bowl is new; I had a decorator plate there before but the colors were wrong(yes, I'm one of those gals), so hubby and I found this and I love it.

This basket full of sunflowers spoke to my heart, so I couldn't resist.  I have several pieces of sunflowers I put out in the summer and this will probable be on a counter or the table on the deck outside.  I've never considered myself a "yellow" person, but this house lends itself to more earth tones and my sunflowers.
My girlfriend from Ca. is due any minute; she flies home tomorrow and it will be nice to spend a little bit of time with her before she heads home.  We have friends coming for dinner and cards, it should be such fun.
May your weekend be filled with joy!
Noreen

Tah Dah

Hello friends; I hope you are doing well this morning! So I've mentioned that we had the floor in our shower redone; it was a fiberglass composite which didn't drain(our tile guy had never seen the product before and he's been tiling for 30 yrs). Our bathroom is in earth tones and we decided on this tile pattern because it went with the different hues. The best thing about it, is that the shower now drains completely-yeah!!!! We love the look as well, but having the darker shades makes the very large shower look a bit smaller. That's o.k. because it is still huge; we checked the price of having the entire shower redone totally with two shower heads and a bench, but that would have cost more than my surgery.

For all of you who are gardeners and experts on plants, specifically herbs-here is one for you.  I realize you probably won't be able to tell from the photos, but this is a mystery.  This herb is growing out in one of the beds-it is voracious, has a mild smell and attracts bees.  Last summer I asked the previous owner what herb it was and she thought it was a Oregano or Marjoram, but not completely sure. 

The one thing I will say is that I wish she had planted it in a garden pot or box, because it truly takes over a large bed. When I was with my girlfriend Cyndi the other day, I thought it resembled Greek Oregano, but hubby said no when I showed him a photo of the plant. Yesterday I ran to our town nursery to see if they could identify it and they actually pulled out a book on herbs. It has somewhat of a fuzzy texture and right now there isn't a scent. Last year, during the summer when the scent was strong it reminded me of sage. So the only herb the nursery gal thought of was Borage, but there are no flowers with it(that I can remember). So I will probably take it to another nursery that I get our plants from-they are very knowledgeable. If any of you recognize this, please tell me. I do wish it wasn't in the bed as it takes over everything by summer and if I can't use it for cooking, then I'd rather it not be as aggressive.
I've got another somewhat full day and I've got two grands coming over this afternoon to work on their pillowcases.  We have to have them done by the 22nd for the End of the Year program; best get working on them.  They've all turned out so well and I love how each granddaughter's personality shows by their use of fabric colors and patterns.
Be blessed today!
Noreen

Happy Wednesday from rainy Colorado. Yesterday I headed to Longmont to spend time with my girlfriend from California, Cyndi. This was our last get together before she leaves and probably for another year or two. As you may recall, Cyndi comes out to dog sit for her brother, who breeds and hunts with English Springer Spaniels. He lives on acreage and has a large indoor/outdoor kennel. This year Cyndi only had nine dogs to care for; in the past she has had up to 16. The first year we moved here,I went down and helped her whelp some puppies; this was a first for me and it was crazy but so incredible. This year was easier for Cyndi with only having the nine, plus her hubby came out and stayed a week with her. Cyndi always bring her "little dog", this time was no exception. Her dog is name Pumpkin and is about 10 years old. She does really well with the big dogs, they sniff her but generally leave her alone.

With all the rains we've had, the St.Vrain river flowed over it's bank and up onto the acreage her brother has. Thankfully, her hubby and another neighbor helped put up a fence that had been torn down by the rushing water. It was so fun to spend time with her; I used to spend several nights, but my allergies are always impacted by the dog hair and dust inside.  When we are in Ca. during the summer, our trip will be very short and I doubt I'll be able to see her. 
Well, my dear Hunter is whining for a walk, so think I'll bundle up and take him.
 I hope your week has gone well.
Hugs,
Noreen

Mother's Day

Happy Monday to you! I hope you all had a great weekend, filled with rest and something that maked your heart sing. Our weekend was pretty relaxing, mainly due to the weather. On Saturday, due to the pouring rain threatening more flooding, hubby and I went to the movies. We go often in the winter months; however, it isn't winter but I'm not sure the weather knows it. I will say that last year, at the end of July when our youngest daughter was moving to their new home, there was heavy rains with some flooding. We went and saw Age of Adaline; I loved that this was filmed in San Francisco and also some areas north of the city. Hubby and I will be back there this summer; we love driving through it now. It was an interesting movie and I loved seeing Harrison Ford in it.
 Last evening the entire family came over to celebrate Mother's Day. It is always so fun when we gather and last night was no exception.

I'm laughing here because several years ago my daughters made me a lap quilt with all the grands handprints stitched on it.  The binding wasn't finished and there were several little ones whose hands weren't on it.  About two years ago, my youngest asked me for it back so she could put on the binding.
So last night, I started giggling when I saw it in the bag.

All the girl older girl cousins enjoying spending time together.

A friend from CA. is out visiting and asked me to take a picture of our entire family; when we moved here we had only five grands.  I think she is planning on showing it to all our friends at our old church.
I have to say that as a Mom, I am blessed beyond measure at having two such incredible daughters and best friends and as a Nana I am doubly blessed. 
Today is clear again after Saturday's snow; I have some chores to do here.  I'm going back down to see my girlfriend tomorrow; she'll be leaving on Thursday.  I think I spend more time with her when she is here dog sitting than I did when we lived in Ca. 
Sending you hugs,
Noreen

Hi all, If you live in California, you probably will grumble when I tell you that I'm ready to have our spring weather back again and leave the rain behind.  We've had rain all week and more is forecast for more days ahead, plus snow on Mother's Day.  Granted, we had snow last year on Mother's Day, but this rain is getting old.  O.k. so with my attitude supposedly being positive, I will say I'm thankful that this is an unusual occurrence here, I'm thankful we don't live in the northwest where the weather is generally wet and I'm thankful that everything looks so green.  I just took Hunter out for a walk and it ended up walking a bit farther, even in the rain, to avoid another dog being walked that appeared pretty aggressive and the owner was working with the dog; I hoped they would turn on another street so I could just walk home, but they didn't, so I had to alter my route.  I know I shouldn't do that, but after Hunter was attacked in our old neighborhood, I tend to be wary of strange dogs. 
We had a wonderful dinner last night with our California friends, except she forgot her cell phone so we will drive down and meet her with it.
I'm off to have lunch with hubby and then the tile man will be here to put our shower door back on(Yeah)-photos to follow next week.  Don't have any before photos but it looks very nice.
I hope you have a fantastic weekend and Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there.
Blessings,
Noreen

Happy Thursday to you all! What a full day it's been already; I've cleaned the house for company tonight, went grocery shopping, took Hunter on a walk and am now getting ready for sewing lessons with two grands.  Yesterday was an equally busy day, I have a UTI infection and had to run to the doctor's to get meds, then run to two different pharmacies because the first one didn't have one med.
I'm feeling much better today and drinking lots of cranberry juice.  I hope your week has been a good one and that you are ready for the weekend.  We had lots of rain here yesterday, but today is just cloudy.
Sunday we are supposed to get snow, just like last year.  I happened to post of Face Book the other day about a new vaccine the vets are pushing; it's called Lepto and although I know some dogs need this vaccine, I don't think Hunter falls into that category.  So I am thankful for the info from FB friends and have to do more research on this before I let Hunter get it.  He has had bad reactions to shots in the past and I just want to make sure he doesn't undergo a shot that will make him sick.
May your day be bright and filled with light.
Hugs, Noreen

Amish Promises by Leslie Gould book review

Leslie Gould is a wonderful author who tells stories of family dynamics, Amish life and choices that the Amish have to make as well as healing.  This story weaves the intertwining of  a military family, with the husband Joel having suffered PTSD and physical injuries while in Iraq.  The family moves into the wife's grandparents home, praying that the quiet solitude will provide healing for Joel.  The Amish community provides friendship and help when needed.  The Lehman family next door are still adjusting to life without the mother; the husbands single sister Eve is helping to raise the children and run the household.  I loved this story because of the challenges that Eve faced dealing with her brother and the choices she made when she falls in love with an Englischer.  The plot kept me guessing as to what would occur next; the characters are rich and the story is sweet.
I was provided this book by Bethany House publishers for me honest opinion and review.  I was not compensated in any way.
I would rate this story 5 stars and I look forward to reading more of the author's books.

Enjoy your day!
Noreen

Dog Vaccines

Happy Tuesday to you!  I hope your day has gone smoothly, thus far.  Mine has been pretty good-I took Hunter in for his annual exam and he did well.  He shakes the entire time and his little heart is racing, but he only needed a Bordetella oral vacine and so that was good.  Of course, it wasn't that simple either because I had to buy his Heartguard Chews and I picked up some Hextra Chews to help his teeth.
I want to ask if any of you dog owners are vaccinating against Lepto.  This is a fairly new vaccine that protects against a bacterial disease spread by wildlife.  I've read that there has been a huge outbreak in the midwest and so the vets are really pushing this to protect our dogs.  Having said that, I have mixed feelings about vaccines; I think there is always a new one each year.  While I want my dog healthy and living a nice long life, part of me wonders if all the vaccines are really needed.  Since we don't go camping or into wildnerness areas with Hunter, he is not likely to be exposed. I would hate for him to get a disease due to my lack of info.  So feel free to share you thoughts here, I'm interested to know what you are thinking. 
We have a dinner to go to with friends and I'm not feeling up to par; it is nothing catchy, but feels like I have a yeast infection again.  Our tile man didn't show up today, though he told me he would.  Guess I'll have to call the store and get his number; don't want to miss him. 
It is cloud and misty here today, a perfect day to stay inside.
Hope you have a great afternoon and evening.
Noreen

Dog Tired

Happy Monday to you! It's cold and raining here in Colorado; although we are in our monsoon season, we've had more rain that normal and I'd love to be able to send it to California. We had a very nice weekend and Hunter loved having Petrol here. We are still having our tile work done in our master shower; it should be finished tomorrow. Yeah; I'm ready to clean my bathroom, from all the dust, and have more bathroom back to normal. On Saturday, while the dogs played, Hubby and I went to our daughter's house to see if we could help with the landscaping and tree planting. We only stayed for a few hours, but with so many of us the tree planting went quickly. It was fun to see the older girls, ages 9 and 7 working with the four adults and two grandsons. There yard is going to be transformed; I will get photos when the rest of the trees(eight will be delivered tomorrow and 7 bushes)are in. It has been quite the project, but let me tell you it will be beautiful when done. Petrol and Hunter played all day Saturday and by Saturday evening, they were bushed.

Of course, by Saturday evening we were tired as well. Yesterday was a low key kind of day, with storms in the afternoon.  This week will be busy as usual; I have a dr. appt. this morning, to check my blood pressure meds and decide if they are working sufficiently.  Tomorrow, Hunter has his yearly checkup.  We have several dinners happening this week; I'm still working on the quilt each evening-you can see the corner of it in the first photo. 
Hugs,
Noreen & Hunter

Fun With Dogs

Happy Friday to you! I truly think that this new month of May is going to fly by at an incredible speed, we've got so many things on the calendar. I mentioned the other day I was heading to see my California girlfriend, who is dog sitting for her brother. My friend's brother breeds English Springers, for hunting. In the past, she's had between 14-18 dogs to care for. Let me say, most of them are in a full kennel, but Cyndi has to exercise them(let them run the 10 acre property)every couple of hours. I was happy to see that this time she only had nine to watch. They are wonderful dogs, but when you have so many together there are bound to be skirmishes. In the past, I've spent several nights with her each visit, but won't be this time due to allergies. I was fine the other day when we were outside, but once I sat down in the house I got very congested. This dog was one from the first time I met the dogs; a sweetheart and long gone. There are always new dogs/pups to get to know; this time there were two frisky 1.5 yr old pups. I now know firsthand why hunting/working dogs need to be exercised and worked-they are just happier when they are. There was one dog, I believe I helped with the whelping, that I would love to have; he is such a love and just wants to be by your side the entire time. I am blessed that my girlfriend comes out to dog sit; it always give us a chance to visit. She is about 45 minutes away; if she were closer I'd spend more time with her and the dogs.

Petrol is our daughter's family dog; a typical Schnauzer, loving and obedient but she grumbles at the other dogs too. She will be here this weekend, as the family is headed to the Springs; Hunter will be so happy!

My little guy, will love having his cousin here. I imagine they will settle down after a few hours of play.

 Last night one son-in-law took the oldest boys to the movies, hubby and the other son-in-law went to a HOA meeting so the girls and little man went to get ice cream. You would have thought the girls hadn't seen each other in months; they couldn't stop talking or giggling. After dessert we walked through target together and got some smiles from shoppers.  When you have eight little girls giggling and laughing and thoroughly loving each other, it would be tough not to smile.
It is cloudy here today with showers later on; I'm praying the rain stays away because our oldest daughter's family is working on landscaping today-with boulders, rocks, trees and lots of dirt being delivered as well as curbing being put in.  They have been working on the yard for the last six months and it is getting close to being done. I'll be  taking photos once it is close to completion.
I hope you have a fabulous weekend!
Hugs,
Noreen