Puppies....

We had a stray dog show up on our street mid September. She wouldn't come close to us. She looked like she might have recently had babies and she always looked hungry, so we started giving her table scraps every day, not really expecting her to stay around. End of September she started focusing mainly on our house. She hung around and slept in our side yard and would stare at us when we were outside, looking sort of sad really. We kept her fed and watered but still couldn't get close to her. She finally warmed up to us in early October. She would let us pet her, she slept in various places around our house and we were feeding her dog food regularly. Still, we were not looking to make her a permanent fixture at our house. Babies were still not evident, but suspected. We came home from church on Sunday, October 11th and when she rolled over wanting a pat on the belly, it was obvious that she had just been nursing puppies. We immediately went to the spot where she favored the most - the side yard on the edge of the woods. Andy went about 20 feet into the woods and low and behold what did he find? 3 babies! Of course, we weren't and still aren't in the market for 4 new dogs, but we certainly couldn't abandon her and her puppies at that point. I took the puppies to the vet on Wednesday 10/21 for their first round of shots. They are 6 weeks old and ready for someone to take them in and love them. We have thoroughly enjoyed playing with and loving on these puppies for almost 2 weeks now. They are healthy, playful and would each make a great pet for someone. We've also enjoyed loving mama doggie, but she needs a home too. She likes to wander around a bit, so I'm thinking someone with some land where she can love her home and have freedom to investigate her surroundings. :-) Attached is a link to a short slideshow I made with pics and info on each dog. Hopefully we'll find them each a home very soon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIe_aCo6h1s

Homecoming 2009...

It's not the first time I've written about this recently and certainly it won't be the last. Austin is a senior in high school this year and there are days that it still does not seem real. There are also days that this reality is harder to accept than others. In less than a year, he will begin his journey into independence.

Watching him prepare for and go to the homecoming dance this year was particularly interesting. He took a girl with whom he has been friends since 9th grade. One of his preparations gave him a glimpse into father's protecting their daughter's and what said father's think about the boys their daughter's want to date. :-) His date's father had not personally met Austin before, so he required a personal visit with Austin at their house before he gave the final OK. Austin was obviously nervous, but I never was even a little bit nervous for him. For me, it was one of those moments in his life that I felt like the ground work Andy and I had spent the last 17 years laying would pay off for him. And pay off it did. Meeting her dad was a success - permission for the date was granted. :-) Austin survived and is probably a better young man because of the experience. He and his date had a great time at homecoming.

Seems like it was just yesterday that Andy and I took Austin to the Valentine's Dance at Kids R Kids and now he's off to dance on his own. Of course, this post would not be complete without - you guessed it - Valentine's Dance 1993 photo (no wise-cracks about the hair) and JHS Homecoming Dance 2009 photo.