Sunny meets Andy

Hey, I thought we were going to the VET.  I love the Vet.  She gives me treats!  Mom's truck is seriously short on treats!

What's that you've got there?

Wait - what are all those people eating outside?

Something smells like a Treat!  And it's not the boring, unsweetened Yogurt! 

Nom Nom Nom Nom

And I get to eat the container!  

Is there more?

I LIKE Andy's!

My Dog's Breed is Incorrect

After looking around the yard at all the ignored tennis balls and fetchable boys, which are occasionally picked up and gnawed on but never actually "fetched", I am afraid that Sunny is NOT a Retriever.

She's a BarkaLounger. 

Ramble has Left the Kingdom

My friend Christine from the How Sam Sees It blog was one of my first friends in Blogville.  We  have kept in touch off blog, Christine living near where I grew up, and I love hearing about the antics of her golden retrievers, one of whom has been around since this blog got started. 

Ramble was a unique rescue (in 2016, when he was about 18 months old) who had no hair, although he proudly grew a little fuzz around his head and ears in later years.  Though he had to wear a coat when it got cold, it didn't slow him down, and he would greet his beloved Diane, the mail lady, at the fence of their rural property every day.  

Sadly, Ramble has crossed the Bridge to join his beloved big brother, Monty.  They will both be missed.

A tool

in your hand I am, dear God,

the sweetest instrument you have shaped my being into.

What makes me now complete

feeling the soul of every creature adjacent

my heart.

Does every creature have a

soul?

Surely they do; for anything God has touched

will have life

forever,

and all creatures He

has held.

--St. Francis Assisi

Twice the Fun

Sunny and her best friend, Napoleon the golden, had some playtime in our yard over the weekend. Nap lives just close enough behind us across the alley) that if both of them are in the yard at the same time, they can catch a glimpse of one another, and the bakingiensues "Mom - it's Nap - can I go play!!!:  

 

End of a Chapter

I'm officially retired. 

None of my team is in Chicago, we're scattered all over the country, just based in DC, so no official send-off, but the group I've been sharing office space with - a different branch of Secret Squirrels, were fantastic and had donuts and a card they all signed with lots of hugs and "L.B. Stories."

I was still teary-eyed when I got home, but my husband had THIS waiting for me - my own "SHOT Wheels" truck with a redheaded driver.  

Note the name on the truck... made me laugh through the tears.

I don't know what the coming days will bring - I'm just going to follow the advice on the package and sit back, enjoying the ride. 

Bursting your Bubble

 

That look when Sunny popped her ball and it deflated.

She did have fun with it for about 15 minutes. That $2 at the dollar store was money well spent.

Dad, can I have another one?

Memorial Day 2025

It's not a day off from work.

It's looking at history, and what has withstood time and conflict.

It's not meeting friends for a meal and fun.

It's not ice cream and a barbecue.

It's not sitting in your lounge chair.

It's raising your flag, remembering what is important as you look hard at everything.

It's being thankful for those with the courage to serve.

It's remembering brave sacrifices.

It's expressing your pride in your country for all to see, not just on this day but every day of the year.

It's remembering duty and courage and the willingness to defend. 

It's honoring the memory of all of those brave men and women who gave their life in the service of this country, so you could live, here today, in the safe place they made for us. 

Happy Birthday, Sunny D. Lab

Dad's Home!

Who is that redhead on the porch waving two treats like semaphore code? I don't know, and I don't care because DAD is home!!

Sunny, the rescue, just turned 2. Adopted from a rescue organization that got her out of a puppy mill on a small farm, where she'd been left to grow in a too-small crate, her legs permanently "wonky," she has grown strong and healthy. She doesn't let her orthopedic issues slow her down at all.

The first six months were "challenging". We still had Lorelei with us (we lost her to sudden, inoperable cancer a couple of months later), Partner in Grime was on the road a LOT, and Sunny was 10 months old, with NO socializing or training, but TONS of energy.

She and Lorlei bonded quickly, but she was a handful when she wasn't sleeping.

Don't let this sweet face fool you.

THIS is the look you'd get after she'd do a zoomie in the house, launching off of the recliner like a Flying Wallenda to hit the sofa, which was just before "Bitey Hour" (that time before dinner when one has to gnaw on EVERYthing, including Mom's fingers, toes, and backside)  

There's a reason that since I don't drink alcohol any longer and I cut back on black coffee, I had to resort to THIS to get through my mornings.

We also had to do a little training on proper social interaction with our landscaping, including the large lilac bush.

But she's turned into a great dog, finally mellowing. Having gone through the "teen years," she learned how to burn off extra energy outside, first by learning to play ball in the yard, then with her new best friend, Napoleon, the Golden Retriever, whom the neighbors behind us brought home with them one day.  

Happy birthday, Sunny D. Lab. Like your predecessors, Lorelei Lab, Abby Lab, and always- Barkley, you are loved and you are safe now.