I am really frustrated.  I have been searching for a new dog since our Ivy died in January.  As we gone through states and communities I’ve checked local pounds, humane societies, and rescues.  Most of the pounds and humane societies have larger dogs or the small ones go so fast you don’t have a chance.  I discovered if we want to adopt a pit-bull or pit-bull mix we wouldn’t have any trouble but for many different reasons that is not going to happen.  My first choice when I do a search is a Bichon.  With having Bichons for 16 years we know the breed and love their personalities. Here is my frustration.  I have filled out so many adoption applications and have been turned down.  There are many different excuses…

 Our new grandson, Alexander Joseph, came into our lives on July 29th weighing in at 8 lbs 9 oz and 21.5 inches long.  Mom and baby are doing great!  He is a beautiful little guy with very black hair.  Our granddaughter Cate spent a few days with us while mom was in the hospital and as always we had a lot of fun.  We were able to take Cate to the hospital so her mom and dad could introduce her to her new baby brother and she took to being a big sister so easily.  I think she is going to be a big help to her parents.  We always count our blessings and this is one more blessing we are thankful for.

We travel about 10,000 miles a year and some of those travelled miles are on busy highways.  But it just takes one little side road on a city street to get that first bump in our truck.  An enjoyable evening at Amanda and Ron’s house in Richfield, MN ended with $3,000 worth of damage to the side of the truck.  As we were finishing our dinner we heard a loud crash which brought our attention to the street.  A young man travelling west on the street where our truck was parked crossed the center line and hit a car travelling east.  The east travelling car got pushed into the driver’s side of our truck.  Neither of the other two cars was drivable after the accident so we know they hit…

Bump on the head is gone and along with that the weeklong headache.   We stayed in Ohio for 2 ½ weeks.  When we left Ohio Zach and Lauren’s kitchen looked really nice.  They had a little work left but the cabinets were up and that is what we were there to help with.  The rest was up to them.  Since we left they have been sending pictures and have installed the dishwasher, stove, and microwave.  They just need the countertop and trim and it will be done.  It was a long process for them but I think they would agree it turned out beautiful.  They also learned some lessons on the way like you can’t always use the recommendation of a friend for a contractor, but that is another whole…