The two are intertwined at times, it seems.  Ever been so happy about something and then something happens to bring you to the depths of despair?   I’ve had that happen to me a few times in my life.  It happened to me all in one day recently.  I have some very happy news that makes me so glad, but first the sad news.

Years ago, when I went to college, I met one of the best friends I’ve ever had.  Ball State had orientation for all new Freshmen and  I was a little worried about not knowing anyone when I went there.  There I was in a roomful of students, all seeming to know each other and talking together. I am a rather shy person and negligent about starting up a conversation. I really don’t know how it happened but Mary K.  and I started talking and I immediately felt a connection with her.  One thing, she loved to laugh and her laugh was so infectious, it made you want to laugh. Well, after I met her and we began to go around together, we laughed a lot. We laughed all through orientation. The Freshmen had to stay overnight and Mary K. and I  had beds near each other and we talked and laughed almost all night. Some of the girls told us to be quiet, but that just made us laugh all the harder.  Then I found out Mary K. was going to commute to Ball State from her sister’s house in Hagerstown. Well, I was going to commute with two other people and we’d go right through Hagerstown, so why couldn’t Mary join us?  And she did. For a year and a half we drove to college together in good weather and in bad. We sang “Blue Velvet” together much to the chagrin of our fellow passengers.  We met at the student union to eat together with one of our other friends.  We even had a history class together where, I think, the professor took a shine to Mary. He talked to us a lot.  Later, I married and had a baby. I dropped out of college and lost track of Mary. This professor managed to find my phone number and called me and we talked a while and then he asked for Mary’s phone number, but unfortunately, I didn’t have it.  I hope he found it.

When I was twenty-five, married with two children, Mary and another commuter friend, Kenny B.,came to visit. It was like old times, but that was the last time I saw Mary for a long time.  She later married a college professor and was living in the mountains in California.  She spun yarn  and made baskets and purses. She had a business of her own and was doing very well.  Then one day on our answering machine there was a voice saying, “This is a voice from the past.”  It was Mary K.!  She and her husband, Winston, were traveling through our city on the way to Moundsville, West Virginia where Mary grew up.  Moundsville was beloved by Mary and she taught me the high school song which we would sing together on our way to college.  She was going to a reunion, whether a high school or family, I’m not sure. She came from a large family.  So they came to our house and we went out to eat and had a wonderful visit. She still made me laugh.  She asked if I could visit her at the campground the next day before they left, but we were having work done on our house and our contractor was coming the next day so I couldn’t go. That is my biggest regret because that is the last time I saw  Mary K.

Years, decades went by and Mary and I reconnected on Facebook. She showed the things she had made. Our politics were the same.  We didn’t message each other often, but it was nice to know she was there. Then, just the other day I thought I’d go to her Facebook page as I hadn’t seen anything about her for a long while. The fires were burning in California and I wanted to know if she was alright.  On her page were condolences about her death!  She had last commented in January and just a few days later she was gone!  I didn’t know.  I felt so bad. I tried connecting with someone on Facebook to find out what happened. I still don’t know. I do know a light went out when Mary passed away.  A little bit of my heart is now taken.  I don’t want to believe it, but it’s true. My best friend from college is gone and I will never again hear her laugh.   Sadness came and stayed.  I still cannot believe it’s true.  Rest in peace, dear friend. We’ll meet again in Heaven.

Soooo, that was the sad.  Here’s what happened on the same day I found out about Mary K.’s death.  You know we’ve been looking for a Labrador puppy without much success.  One day a  few weeks ago, I heard David talking to someone on the phone and he came in where I was and asked if I’d like to drive to Fort Wayne to look at some puppies. A breeder there had four chocolate Labs and two black labs.  Well, of course I wanted to go. So that Saturday we drove the three hour trip to Fort Wayne to see some puppies.

When we drove up to the house, there were several young children in the yard with some puppies.  I got out and immediately a little chocolate Lab ran up to me. I said, “That’s the one,”  because that is how I’ve always picked my dogs.  Then a little black Lab began to chew on my pant leg.  Let me tell you the conversation David and I had had the night before. David wanted a black Lab and I wanted a Chocolate Lab and I jokingly said, “We could get two!”  I knew that was not possible and we’d have to make a decision before we got there. So we tried to decide which we wanted and knew it would be hard. Now I was in a pickle.

The man with the puppies had eight children of his own. I was asking the children if they’d be sad when the puppies were gone.  Years ago when we got our dog, Samantha, who was several kinds of breeds, I drove up to the house where the puppies were and out of this little house came a whole tribe of children and puppies running with them. It was so cute.  Samantha ran right up to me and she was my dog at that moment.   Seems puppies and children go together.  Molly came from a household with several children.

While David dealt with the papers and paying for the puppies, I held them and fell in love.  We had bought two Labrador puppies and had to wait two more weeks before we could get them.

Did I say, “puppies?”  Oh, yes, I did. You see while driving up to see the puppies I said once again “we could get two,” and David said, “I’ve got the money in  my pocket for two.”  I wrestled with that for a while because  I knew two puppies would require a lot of work.

But in the end, love won out and here is what I ended up with.

This is Lucy Cocoa Belle.  “Lucy” for short.  She’s a handful, but look at Molly.  She loves her.

This is Honey Sugar Dumplin’, Sugar for short. I was going to call her “Honey” but David said when I called her he would think I am calling him!  So, she will be called “Sugar,”

Molly has been smiling ever since we came home with them.

She is so interested in them and is being so nice with them.  I must admit I was a little concerned since she’s been an only dog for a while.

They play hard and then collapse into a deep sleep.

Asleep right at my feet.

I know I’m going to love them.

“Me, too,”

So sadness and gladness both came on the same day. I’d like to think Mary is looking down on us and laughing at the new puppies just like I am.

Here’s to best friends forever and doggie best friends. Bye,

I told you a while back we were first in line to choose a Lab puppy from a litter that was to be born soon.  Well, sad news, the puppies didn’t make it and the only one that survived the birth, died so we are looking once again. It seems that Labrador Retrievers are in great demand right now.  David called a breeder in Southern Indiana who had a litter of very young puppies and they were already all spoken for. He  said we could put our name in for a litter in the Spring, but we didn’t.   I love Labrador Retrievers. They are the sweetest dogs, good with children and easy to train.   They are very loyal too.  Even though Molly is only half Lab, she has the temperament of a full blooded Lab.   But she also is a lot like a Boxer too.   So we will continue looking for a Labrador and maybe get one next Spring.

In other news, we continue to  live in a quarantined world.  We went to a restaurant last night that we had eaten in just a few weeks ago and it was again closed. Then we went to another restaurant where we waited a half hour to be seated and almost another hour to get our food.  When the waitress gave us our bill she told us she had forgotten to put our order into the kitchen which is why we waited so long and she didn’t charge us for the meal!   So I told David to leave her a very substantial tip for being honest.  The meal was good.

I’m so glad I’m a homebody who really is not bothered having to stay home as I seem to have plenty of things to do. I’ve been finishing quilts and paintings and socks with regularity which is good.  I will have all my Christmas presents completed before too long.  We do go to church every Sunday and see our friends there. A lot of people still aren’t coming because of the virus, though, which I don’t blame them.  Our grandsons are having classes at home on the computer and even music lessons, too.  I feel sorry that they can’t be with their friends in class, but they seem to be adjusting well.  What will we think when we look back at this time?  It seems there is no rhyme nor reason to what is closed down and what is allowed to be open, where you have to wear masks and where you don’t have to.  It’s rather frustrating sometimes having to wear a mask in a place where you are already social distanced.

I am daily entertained by my chickens. The young ones are just on the verge of beginning to lay and when they do, we will be getting two or three dozen eggs every week.  I give away a lot of our eggs. I’ve been giving them to a friend at church and the other day she sent David and me a gift certificate to Cracker Barrel. I told her we owed her twelve dozen more eggs now!  She just laughed.   I do love giving the eggs away, though. Fresh eggs from free range chickens are the best, I think.

I’ve been reading some very good books on my Kindle. I have Kindle Unlimited and there are a lot of good books on there and they are free with a monthly membership.  It’s the best thing I’ve ever purchased and you can quit any time, but I don’t have any intention of stopping because there are hundreds of good books on there just waiting to be read.  I have several favorite authors, but I’m reading one by Amanda Prowse that is so good. I use to love to read scary books. I just read one by Dean Koontz that was really weird, but exciting about a dog that could communicate with people and other dogs and the people who were trying to destroy it. It wasn’t too scary, but I have read books by him that made me want to look under my bed at night!  One year when we took a trip out west with our daughter, she and I would scare each other reading scary books to each other.  It seems life is too scary on its own anymore to want to be scared by a book.

Speaking of scary, are you watching the riots and looting in the name of “protesting,” on your tvs?   I can’t believe people are getting away with the things they are doing, burning businesses down, attacking the police, hitting old people and just being all around bad people.   I don’t see any reason for it at all and I’m praying it will be stopped before more people die.  We all need to pray for our country and the safety of everyone.

I hope and pray you all are safe and snug in your homes and finding things to do that give you enjoyment. We will get through all this and I pray this country will be better for it all.

There will be pictures next time.  I’ve been kind of lazy lately and just want to work on my hobbies and read.  Once in a while I’ll clean house, but it’s not high on my list right now. I told David I would love to hire someone to clean the entire house upstairs and down. It’s never been completely cleaned like that.  Usually I get one or two rooms cleaned a week and by the next week, they need it again!    And there is only two of us living here and one of them is gone most of the day and the other one isn’t all that messy so I don’t know where the dirt comes from.  I read an article once that said the dust under our beds could have the skin particles of Moses in it because dust and dirt never disappear, it just moves around the earth. So I think I’ll clean Moses out from under my bed this week!  Bye.

I don’t know about you or how you are looking at this quarantine business, but I’ve quite had about enough of it.   Every day you hear something different about the virus and about the vaccine that is supposed to be the cure all, end all.  Stores now demand  people wear masks and have arrows on the floor telling us which way we should go.  I don’t see people following the rules very well and I don’t blame them.  I will not take the vaccine if or when it finally is produced. Who knows what the vaccine will do to our bodies years from now?  But that is me. You do what you feel is best for you.   I would love to travel somewhere, but every state and every city seems to have different rules concerning the virus.  One state has told its police to stop vehicles from other states and checking people inside them for the virus. Does this sound like a free country to you?  The swine flu did not cause all this panic and more people died from it.

So we are trying to live our lives as normally as we can. We attended our oldest grandson’s graduation party. No one wore masks and we were not socially distancing and it was wonderful. I hugged several people and here I am two weeks later and do not have any symptoms of the virus.

So proud to see him walk up and get his diploma.  He goes to college tomorrow.

A lot of people came to his party.  It was outside and it was a beautiful day.

We enjoyed visiting with family. Our granddaughter will be going back to college soon.

Five more years and we will be going to this boy’s graduation. At least I hope the virus scare is gone by then so we can attend it.

Some people at the party had just bought this Jeep. David and I have been looking at Jeeps for a while but we’ve never ridden in one so the lady who owned this took us a little ride.  It is not the easiest vehicle to get into if you are short like me, but I loved riding in it.  I told David if we get one I will have to carry a step stool with me to get in. The new 2021 Jeeps are out now and the new colors are so pretty.  So hopefully, in the near future we will be getting a new Jeep.

Did I show you the pictures I painted by number?  This one turned out pretty well.

This is what it was supposed to look like and I think I got pretty close to it.

I really enjoyed painting this. And I did another one.

It was supposed to look like this and see what you think….

David ordered some frames to stretch these on. I plan to do several floral paintings and hang them on the wall of the bedroom we painted this Spring.  It’s a wonderful hobby. Very relaxing and you have a pretty picture when you are finished. There are a lot of flower kits you can order if you are so inclined.

I have another one to paint, but I’ve been working on six quilts.  I had to choose what I wanted to spend my time on and the quilts take top priority right now.  I can’t show them, though, because they are going to be gifts one day.   I gave our grandson a quilt for his graduation and wouldn’t you know, I forgot to take a picture of it!   I’m hoping I can get a picture from him.

Well, it appears the election will be heating up now that Biden has chosen his VP.  It’s going to be a very interesting campaign. Will Biden dare to debate President Trump?  That is the question.  I don’t think he can get out of it if he wants the respect of the people.  I love elections and campaigns.   We all have a lot to think about this time.  Do we want our cities shut down forever?   Do we want the police defunded or do we vote for safety?   There are so many things to think about as November comes closer.  I may not agree with how you vote, but you should vote. It’s the only way we can remain a free people if we get to choose our leaders.  I’ve voted for both parties at one time or other and in no way do I believe I made the right choice in some cases and it others I know I made the right choice.  So let’s not fight or argue, but let’s all get out and vote.

Summer is winding down. We’ve had the prettiest flowers and tomatoes and cucumbers from our garden.   Fresh tomatoes are so good and taste so much better than what you get at the supermarket.   I’ve been making cucumber, onion and tomato salad and it is so good.  I’m going to eat some right now.

Hope your Summer is going well and that things will be getting back to normal before too much longer. Bye.

Today David and I will celebrate our 52nd wedding anniversary. Doesn’t seem possible that that many years have passed since we tied the knot.  I was just a young girl when I first met David and his brother at a basketball game where they threw paper Coke cups at his cousin and me during the game.  She and I hid in the restroom and every time we’d open the door, they would chuck a bunch of Coke cups at us. Sometime during the evening his cousin has told me I said, “I’m going to marry that boy.”  Now I don’t know which boy I was talking about at the time, but I ended up with David.

Fast forward a few years and I’m a junior in high school and David has moved in with his cousin’s family because his parents got jobs in the Virgin Islands and were moving there. David did not want to go.  The first time I saw him was when some of my girlfriends and I walked to the Dairy Queen during lunch and there was David, sitting all alone in his leather jacket, smoking a cigarette. Let’s just say my heart went BOOM.

At one of the first football games I saw him again. Now I don’t like football at all and only went to the games to be with my friends and flirt with the boys so I really wanted to flirt with David, but he spent most of the game talking to one of my friends, so I thought he wasn’t interested. But, the next Sunday his cousin called me and wanted to know if I wanted to go to a movie with her and David. SURE.  It was a setup, no two ways about it. It was a date, but not a date and yet, it ended so wonderfully. We saw the movie, Joy in the Morning, staring Richard Chamberlain and Yvette Mimieux. It was a love story and a wonderful movie. If you get the chance to see it, do.  Anyway, before I knew it, David was holding my hand.  Did I say he was a fast worker?   I was all tingly inside.  Then we drove around after the movie, went to the drive-in restaurant and drove around some more and David and I kissed. And kissed. And Kissed. I had always loved kissing, but David was the best kisser, ever. When his cousin dropped me off at home, my mother said, and I quote, “you look like you are in love.”  How did she know? Was it because she dated her high school  sweetheart, my daddy, and married him one day?  Yes, I was in love. That is how fast it happened. People say that’s impossible, but I’m here to tell you when you see the one you want, you just know.

So we dated the rest of the way through high school, David’s military training, my college year(My mother said I had to go to college at least one year before I could get married.)  I had the ring, just not the date. So I dutifully went to college which I really enjoyed, but I wanted to be married more.  So July 7th, 1968 David and I tied the knot.

My daddy said he could never give his girls away, so my big brother, Jack, got the honors.  I loved my big brother, He has since passed on to Heaven where I look forward to seeing him again.

David hid our car at the Stucky Pecan shop where I worked, thinking it would be left alone, but my friends at Stucky’s decorated the car and put bottle caps in the hubcaps which were really noisy when we drove away.

We were married by two pastors.  Reverend Stockinger, on the right had known me for years and had taught me and I became a Christian while he was pastor.  Reverend Taylor on the left, was our new pastor and I didn’t know him very well which is why I wanted Reverend Stockinger there also. It all worked out very well and we are double married and that’s been good all these years.

Did I say David was a good kisser!   Yes, he is.  This is when he still had brown hair and I was still skinny.

My daddy and mother, my sister all in pink because that was my color. I still love pink.  David’s brother, Bill, was his best man. He and his girlfriend got married a year later and just celebrated their 51st anniversary.  David’s mother flew up from the Virgin Islands.  It’s hard to believe our parents are all gone since this day just seems like yesterday.

I look like an angel in this picture, but I’m no angel!

I have always hated seeing brides stuff cake all over their groom’s face and vice versa. You can see I very carefully put a small piece of cake in David’s mouth. No squashing it for me.

It was a wonderful wedding and wonderful day, even when David’s brother, who was use to driving on the left side of the road(which is how they drive in the Virgin Islands) and took off out of town on the left side of the road until we yelled to get over.  We could have been a statistic instead of newlyweds. that day.

We honeymooned in Traverse City Michigan where David’s other grandparents lived and a lot of his relatives, too and I got to know them all and love them and we spent several Summers with them after our children were born.   We’d love to go back to Traverse City again, but not this year.  There is even a road named Craig road there because that’s all who lived on that road for years.  David’s grandparents had bought a farm on the peninsula many years before Traverse City became a tourist mecca.  I just read an article about the peninsula and the light house on the end of it. Been there, seen that. Many times.  Most of David’s relatives have moved or passed away and the ones who are left probably wouldn’t know us.

So on our honeymoon I felt free as a bird. No more curfews.  I was a grownup now. Little did I know that I would wish to be a young girl again with no worries in the years ahead.  But it’s been a wonderful 52 years for the most part. We’ve survived the downs and celebrated the ups and will continue to do so until death do us part which is several years away, I hope.

Happy Anniversary to us!  Bye.

Today I lost a friend.  One who came into my life a little over twelve years ago and has been by my side ever since. She never asked for much.  She never gave me any trouble. She was faithful in all things and was always ready to be by my side whenever I asked her.   She made me laugh and today she made me cry.  I am broken hearted at her loss.  It wasn’t easy.  It wasn’t expected.  Yesterday she seemed well enough, but today she had horrible symptoms.  She could barely breathe and could barely walk.  So I did what I had to  do and called her doctor.
“Come in at four and you will see Doctor Witt, ”  I was told. Or rather she would see Dr. Witt. We had to sit outside in the car while they took her inside. It did not look good. She had a mass in her throat and she would have to go through all kinds of tests causing her much stress and I just couldn’t bare that.  David signed some papers saying we agreed to the last procedure.  One which she would not live through.  I could barely contain the tears. My throat felt tight.  My heart, oh, my heart was breaking.

You see, it was my dear dog, Belle, who went to the Rainbow Bridge today.  I could not  bear to put her through all the stress of tests and surgeries . She was old and didn’t need that, but it still did not make it easy.   They made a cast of her paw and I can’t bear to look at it right now. Maybe later.

Belle was such a good dog.  I remember when I saw chocolate Lab puppies advertised in the paper and immediately called their owners to see if I could come see them.  When we got to their house they took us to their garage where they had a low cage for the puppies. One jumped over the cage and came right to me and I knew then that she would be mine.  I named her Belle Lattedah, her registered name and we called her Belle.   She came home with us that day and she’s been a blessing ever since.  I watched her grow and she and I took long walks together almost every day until one day I couldn’t walk because  I had hurt my leg.  The walks got shorter and less frequent. I knew she missed them.  I sure missed them.  She’d get excited if I even touched her leash. I felt like I had failed her in some way.  But we still played in the yard. She and Bonnie were buds and then we brought home a third dog that decided she would rule the yard and Belle let her for the most part.  I saw her growl and snap at Molly a few times to show her authority, but as she grew older and Molly grew bigger and stronger, Belle was no longer the dominant dog.   She spent her days lying under the porch where it was cool.  Sometimes she’d come out to chase a rabbit or bark at the neighbor’s dog, but she spent most of the time sleeping.

Yesterday she seemed fine or as fine as an arthritic twelve year old dog can be, but this morning David told me Belle was not acting right.  She just stood and hung her head and her breathing was labored. l It reminded me of the day when Bonnie died and I knew this day would not end happily.   And it didn’t.  I know one day I will get another puppy.  That’s a given. It will never take Belle’s place, but it will make my heart a little less sad.

So, farewell old friend. I really hope there is a Rainbow bridge. I can’t think God would create something so wonderful as dogs and not allow us to see them once again. I know animals don’t have souls, but God knows our hearts and what we need so I’m planning on seeing all my dogs again one day.  I love you, Belle. Good-bye.