Husband + Furry Friends Network = New Puppy

Let me just say that I am still very sad over my Jen Jen's death and had no desire for another dog. Until I saw Allie. My husband found her sister on the website of Furry Friends Network, and of course I just HAD to look. Then I saw Allie and was in love. After two weeks of home visits, dog visits, vet records check, 2 references, much paperwork and $200, we have a puppy. She's a true redneck, hailing from West VA and was one day away from being given away in a Kroger's Market parking lot. Hum. Maybe that's what we should have named her. Anyway, she's been ours for a whole 20 hours now and we haven't had an "accident"... yet. We literally, I kid you not, spend 2 hours in the van on the way back from The Boy's graduation brainstorming on names and Allie was the only one that no one hated, so there you have it. She's almost 6 months old and part Collie, German shepherd, and Norwegian elkhound (kind of like a husky), plus a little of this and that. The best part is that as of today, my daughter got a job at PetsMart and will get 8 weeks of puppy training for free, saving us $100!!!! Whoot, whoot! If you need me, I'll be busy housebreaking, crate training, and leash training Allie, plus feeding our herd of 5 cats, 4 kids, 3 dogs, and 1 husband. I'll get back to you in about, oh, 2 months.

Ya Hoo!!!!

We had a Top 10 Day yesterday! My eldest, and my only son, graduated from Geneva College. Yes, he's the same one who spent 3 months in Madagascar and lost 20 lbs. And may I say, he's kept it off. He told me, "Oh, I just haven't been that hungry. I only eat one main meal a day." I wanted to slap him, no not really, but why HIM?? Why not me??? Why can't I be happy eating once a day?? Actually, I think it's because he's in love. Well, at least in like. Here he is with his sister, who will graduate from Geneva next year, and my folks, the 2 best 'rents in the world. Yeah, I know, a lot of people think their parents are the best, but until you meet mine, you can't really be sure now, can you?!


Here's the boy with his sis and his eldest step-sis, who will graduate next year from East Stroudsburg University. And my youngest step-daughter will graduate from high school (hopefully), so we are going to be B-U-S-Y next spring!!! I already notified all 3 young ladies that we are doing 1, I repeat, ONE graduation party for the 3 of them together.





We took this picture in front of the Geneva library. Side-note: my best friend got engaged on these steps 35 years ago!

I'm not sure my son ever stepped foot inside, but his GPA was good, so whatever he did worked for him. Now he just needs a JOB!! And delivering pizzas is NOT a permanent option, Son!!

If there were a doggy heaven...

....my dog Jen Jen would NOT be in it right now. But I loved her none-the-less and I miss her dreadfully. My husband says she was our "party gal." She was most certainly the alpha dog and had to be reminded often that WE were her alpha people. After suddenly developing seizures at only 6 years of age, Jen Jen's health deteriorated for 3 weeks, most likely from a brain tumor, until finally last Thursday on April 24th we had her put to sleep. I just HAD to be with her to the end. She was MY baby, my dog, and when we adopted her from PAWS at Petsmart almost 6 years ago, it was love at first sight. Not for my husband. He thought me nuts, but Jen turned out to be quite the life of the party and an excellent watch dog. Of course, she had it all through her gene pool: she was a mix of Corgi, German shepherd, and Chow. Now you understand the alpha dog complex too.

Her nickname was Donkey. Think Shrek. She not only looked like Donkey, she had his attitude and personality. She was something else, and our house is really quiet and boring without her.

Our other two dogs, Maggie Roo and Heidi Bear, seem lost without her. They all used to run to the back of the property with Jen leading them in the great groundhog hunt. Two days after Jen's death, I yelled my usual battle cry, "Go get those groundhogs!!" Well, Tweedledum and Tweedledumber ran out the back door about 30 feet, stopped, and looked around as if to think, "What DID we come out here for?" They never did make it to the groundhog hangout. Two days later my hubs had had enough and HE played alpha dog, running with them to the shed under which the hogs hide. It was quite a sight, one unfortunately that I did not record on film.

Yesterday Maggie followed me back there and started barking down a hole, announcing that she'd like the groundhogs to come out to play. Unfortunately, Jen was always the digger of the holes, making the front doors bigger so that Maggie could go in and visit the hogs if they did not come out. Poor little thing. She stopped barking, looked around to see where Jen was, and realized she'd have to dig by herself. That didn't get very far, and she gave up. Heidi (a.k.a. The Princess) was too concerned with ruining her nails, my husband says, and did not help with the groundhog escapade.

And so, here are the other two "girls." I found them on the dog bed together 3 days after Jen Jen died (Maggie on left, Heidi on right). They often take turns lying on it, but I have NEVER seen them on it at the same time. I guess they miss Jen too.

My Jen is buried under the magnolia tree. When we put her there, there was just one flower left on the tree. I will never forget my Donkey, but I will particularly remember her each April when the magnolia blooms.