Sunday, June 28, 2015

HAPPY EIGHTH BIRTHDAY, DUKE!

Yes, today is our doxie Duke's 8th birthday!  Thing is, he still thinks he's a puppy most of the time:  he loves to kill his toys (a dachshund trait), bark loudly, give doggie kisses, play tug-of-war, having
"Are you gonna share that?"
running fits, act comical, and tease.

He's quite a dawg, and has brought so much love and laughter to our family.  The grandchildren, especially our five-year-old grandson, love him--and he loves them, too.  He's good buddies with them.

I've never known a dog with as much personality as Duke--he's positively human at times, and can also tell time.  YES HE CAN.  He somehow knows when it is time for any meal, or at least, when HE thinks it is time.  He stares at me to go into the kitchen and cook, and if I don't do it pretty soon, he resorts to telling me by barking at me.

In any case, we love him to pieces, and he's our fur baby.  As I type, he and Clark and playing tug-of-war--and that dawg is strong.

Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em.

"I don't wanna get up yet"

"Canada geese, outa my yard!"

"Boy, that food looks good!"

"Who ARE those kids in the photo?"

"BOO!  Did I scare ya?"

"Driving isn't all that difficult"

"Like my new hairdo?"

Friday, June 26, 2015

HAPPY FRIDAY!



Yep, good ol' Friday has rolled around once again.  Now that my husband and I are retired, Fridays are much like other days, except for the fact that the excitement of being off for the weekend is hard to forget.  Everyone at work just seemed happier on Fridays--a lot more than they did on Mondays!

So--enjoy your weekend,  try to stay cool (especially if the temp is over 100 degrees like it is in many places), and praise the Lord for all His blessings and goodness.

God bless :).

Thursday, June 25, 2015

I'M B-A-A-A-A-A-A-CK!


For those of you who prayed for our son-in-law Philip's open heart surgery, it was a resounding success!  He came home one week later, on June 23.  Since Holly stayed in town where the hospital was (45 minutes from home), we stayed at their house with Shadow, Duke, and the children.  We brought them all to our house for a couple of days before Philip and Holly came home.

Here are a few photos (remember, a picture is worth a thousand words):

With Holly before surgery



Clark:  Father's Day at
the hospital

They had to ham it up a little!





With Holly & the kiddos



Home!  Fur babies
welcoming him






















What were Shadow and Duke doing during all this?  Their usual routine of eating/relaxing/barking.

Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em!


Shadow cuddling and smiling

Duke enjoying Holly's hammock with Clark

Monday, June 8, 2015

OPEN HEART SURGERY: OUR SON-IN-LAW


Our son-in-law Philip is having open heart surgery on June 16 to remove an aortic root aneurysm and replace his aortic valve.  In the picture above, Philip's aneurysm is located where the aorta enters the heart. Although this surgery is classified by his doctor as "routine," it does not seem so when it involves a family member!

Philip will be on the heart bypass machine during the surgery, for approximately four hours.  The doctors will then restart his heart.  *gulp*

We have committed Philip to God--after all, as a Christian, he is under God's care at all times.  We must trust Him to take care of Philip and guide the doctors as they perform this surgery.

Philip will be having a heart catheterization tomorrow (Tuesday, June 9) in preparation for his upcoming surgery.  He will be in the hospital for about four hours.

My husband and I will be taking care of the grandchildren both tomorrow and during/after the surgery next week.  Our daughter Bethany is flying in from Arizona this Sunday to help, and many
friends from their church and other family members are providing childcare, food, financial provision, and support during this time.  Philip will be in the hospital about a week after the surgery, with at least a month of recuperation.

Yes, this is serious surgery.  My uncle, age 83, had the same surgery several decades ago and got along fine.  I am certain the medical profession has perfected the procedure since then, too.

God is in control, and I thank you for remembering our family during this time.  If I don't post very often over the next few weeks, I am sure you understand.  In any case, our family is in this together, and we are trusting God through it all.

Philip, Holly, Alexa, Asher, Annika


Thursday, June 4, 2015

WHERE IN THE WORLD HAVE I BEEN??



Dear Blog,

I know you thought I had forgotten you, but I haven't--have just been extremely busy!  The grandchildren are with us this week attending our church's VBS every morning, and we do something special with them every afternoon.  Their parents are coming tomorrow afternoon and we'll all go out to dinner together before attending the VBS program tomorrow night, followed by an ice cream social.

Duke has been sooooo happy to have them here!  He' just having a chasing good time daily, playing with them.

Here are some photos to "prove" how busy I've been:

Duke barking at Annika riding her bike
Annika riding her bike


Alexa reading with Duke in
background

Asher swimming at local pool

Asher doing a VBS craft

Asher swinging in backyard

Reading an exciting book with them:  Campbell's Soup Cookbook!

Three munchkins at the pool

Opening session of singing at VBS


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