Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Graduation
We had SUCH a good group of officers in training.
Go on over to Police Chief Murphy and Sheriff Stanley at:
For more of the fun and photos of all the members of our Pawlice Department. We'll see you again at the Blogville Mayor Inauguration January 2!
Sunday, December 4, 2016
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
Abby Lab here, carefully watching the kitchen while Mom bakes cookies and Dad puts the decorations up. (See the 1940's gas oven? - Mom and it have a relationship much like the US and Russia).
The kitchen is cozy.
Eggnog pancakes for dinner!
Sunday Black and White - First Snow
But when Mom calls "treat" so my paws don't get too cold, I'm coming right in!
-Abby Lab
I had to remove the blog hop info, there was something hinky in the code that was making it hard for folks to comment and it moved my sidebar as something was too wide. We'll try it again next Sunday!
Saturday, December 3, 2016
MEME-ories
Human Meme
1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band. (clarinet)
4. Visited Hawaii. (Not vacation, work trip.)
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland. (The old original one.)
8. Climbed a mountain. (well ,technical hike more than climb, Mt. Hood, much younger with better knees.)
9. Held a praying mantis. (What are you, nuts?. . the females eat entire cars and their boyfriends after mating.)
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris. (also on business, not vacation)
13. Had food poisoning. (All airport food tastes like chicken.)
14. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
15. Grown your own vegetables.
16. Slept on an overnight train. (it's on the "bucket list")
17. Gone skinny dipping. (Is that like chunky dunking?)
18. Run a Marathon. (I did ride my bike 50 miles to raise money for diabetes once.)
19. Seen the Northern Lights.
20. Hit a home run. (But I caught a fly ball at a Texas League game once.)
21. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors. (Scotland/ UK I love it there.)
22. Sat on a jury (Given my line of work I'm always dismissed)
24. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.
25. Sung karaoke. (Only once and it involved bourbon. I was in south Florida -the song I chose was Willy Nelson's "blue eyes crying in the rain", but I sang it as "blue hairs driving in my lane", or so I'm told.)
26. Seen the Old Faithful geyser erupt.
27. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.
28. Visited another continent
29. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
30,. Been transported in an ambulance. (Got life flighted once.)
31. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.
32, Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
33. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
34. Gone to a drive-in theater. (My Dad took us once when I was really little. and Mom was in the hospital)
35. Visited the Great Wall of China.
36. Taken a martial arts class. (I earned a white belt which signified I was smart enough not to let my shirt fall off).
38. Gone whale watching.
39. Got flowers for no reason. (There is ALWAYS a reason for flowers, it's just not always apparent,)
40. Donated blood, platelets or plasma. (I have O blood which they are usually short on, I've been known to take bribes of extra Oreos to show up as I do not like needles in me,)
41. Gone sky diving.
42. Flown in a helicopter.
43. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
Mr. Stinky
44. Eaten Caviar. (Ewwwww - bait!)45. Pieced a quilt.
46. Toured the Everglades. (It would have been more fun if I'd got to drive the airboat.)
47. Been fired from a job. (I was 18, it involved wearing an elf costume, Santa and the mall, don't ask,)
48. Published a book. (#3 came out this month).
49. Had your picture in the newspaper (more times than I'd like, usually involving crime scene tape)
50. Swam in the Great Salt Lake. (Remember The Far Side "Slug Family Disasters?")
1. Rolled in the snow
2. Slept on your paw-rents bed when they weren't at home (she's not fessing up to this)
3. Chased a ball (Abby prefers making stuffie piles)
4. Swam in a lake
5. Stolen food off of the counter (if it's not chained down. . .)
6. Licked your paw-rents plate when they weren't looking (again, what's with the silence)
7. Slept under the stars
8. Dug in the yard
9. Played with a Ball of Yarn
10. Stolen underwear
Friday, December 2, 2016
Come Fly With Me - For Sammy the Cat
Sammy is famous for his Teaser Tuesday, where he shows a picture from somewhere on the planet and everyone tries to guess where it is. Our friend Angel Easy was excellent at this and often got them right, my Mom, not so much.
In honor of Sammy here are our teaser pictures. For a clue - people thought Mom lived here until she opened her mouth.
Here's the arrival further away from her final destination, but in the same land. That's from the cockpit of the jet Mom was flying (if there are any pilots in the group it's an NA-265 used by the military back when dinosaurs roamed the earth).
Where in the world is this? You put your guess in the comments and join in the fun with Sammy before he flies away. Abby Lab
Thursday, December 1, 2016
Mailbox Sir Prize!
Miss Tracy as I call her, has been a journalist and editor for newspapers, magazines and Web sites for over 20 years. Currently, she's a freelance writer for the Chicago Tribune and the American Red Cross Greater Chicago Chapter.
Tracy's won 51 writing awards statewide, locally and nationally. She is a member of the Illinois Woman’s Press Association and the National Federation of Press Women.
Art by Tracy Ahrens
For years she's volunteered for animal rescue groups including the Kankakee County Animal and has donated portraits for fund-raising events at Anti-Cruelty Society in Chicago, the University of Illinois Wildlife Veterinary Clinic in Champaign-Urbana, Ill.; Critter Corral guinea pig rescue in Steger, Ill. and Crossroads Shih Tzu rescue based in Joliet, Ill. In the past, she offered pet portraits through the University of Illinois Small Animal Veterinary Teaching Hospital to help raise funds for their Humane Connection Fund. Several of her pet portraits are currently on display in the Small Animal Clinic at the U of I (where Dad got his engineering degree).
Her portrait of a cat titled “Jackson Brown” (not the cat artwork above) is on permanent display at the Cat Fanciers’ Association Foundation cat museum that opened in June 2011 in Alliance, Ohio.
She's such a cool friend and we are glad to know her.
http://tracyahrens.weebly.com/sammy-shelter-project.html
This year, though being really young (just a couple years older than my human sister) Miss Tracy was diagnosed with breast cancer that had spread. The chemo was brutal on her already naturally thin frame and it made her SO sick. Mom kept in touch with her daily as best she could, offering support and prayers. Tracy lives with just her pets so it was a hard time, as it would be for anyone.
She is through chemo and it looks like she is free of cancer although radiation will still happen. That was joyous news for my Mom and me as I hated to see beautiful Miss Tracy hurting.
That's the biggest stuffie toy I've ever seen!
I was QUITE transfixed by the toy as the tags were cut off.
I was tired.
Hey, this makes a great caterpillow too! Thanks, Miss Tracy, from all of us.
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Fly Free Easy
It is with a very heavy heart and tears that I tell you what much of Blogville already knows. Our friend Easy Rider passed away last night, while in care of the animal hospital. There was no pain for him at the end, but there is pain for his family, who are grieving very hard as many of us have in the past. I don't know if they are ready for words yet, but I'm offering these, having walked in their shoes. Know that your Blogville family cares, we pray for you, and we are here if you need an ear. - LB
From TBOB:
From TBOB:
The drive from the vet to home was as long as a lifetime, a collar and leash, lying on the back seat where only hours ago, lay someone so excited to be going to the vet, never afraid of that place, only happy for the extra attention and special treats.
Can I live with the drive, knowing he would never return?
There is no pain, no regrets. Everything I gave him, he gave me back ten fold, listening to me chat away about my day, things that by my oath of duty, I couldn't tell anyone else. He was my black knight with wagging tail. He was the finder of slippers and the keeper of hearts.
He was a dog, but he was much more than a dog.
He was support, he was patience. He was the promise that, even with the worst mistakes, he still loved me. He was that fire that cauterized me against loneliness and fear, the thump of his tail like the sound of a heart in the womb, creature comfort there in the dark and unknown. He became the unevictable place in a heart so bruised it had pushed everyone harshly away that got too close. He taught me to trust again. With that trust, I found my heart's twin, who happily became his family, as well.
As a family, we take care of each other. Having a pet is a commitment just as is any bond, either visible or invisible with another living creature. It's not just being a good friend during the good times, it's being a friend during surgery, explosive doggrhea, and that pile of vomit in the corner on the one square of carpet that wasn't protected by a cheap throw rug.
You do what you can to help them during those scary, shadowed times, with tender, soothing words. You don't lay your hand upon them with forceful curse and belittlement. They look at you to be the strong one, the better one, even if it's difficult to do. They trust you to act from your heart and not from the infinite, internal voices of human fear and angst.
They pay it back in ways that can't be captured, but by the measured beat of a tail. On those nights when you come home really, really late from work, your soul weary, the house dark, they will quietly come up to you, leaning into you, drawn from their slumber to your side like steel and magnet. At that moment, there as both your hearts beat in the silence, you realize that every measure of sickness and health was worth it.
For there is a great measure of trust and love contained in that warm web of bone and fur, the eyes that can commandeer your pancakes and the tail that wags for you as if you were the only person on the planet for them, and maybe you are.
Their time is so short, indeed, but that does not mean you should not love. In "people" years, Barkley was probably sixty something. But they were years condensed down into their core elements, as if a simple ordinary succession of days were not enough, as if the love and all of that faithfulness, the freedom of the field, and the tug of a leash toward the horizon was compressed down into something as hard and brilliant as a diamond. Everything, every single element of so many long days is there in that short span of time, compounded into that one leap, one surge, toward the lights of a vehicle in the drive, one joyous bark that contains within it simply, "My person is home.”
He cared nothing about where we lived, how I looked or how much money was in the bank. All he cared about was how to bequeath that which sustained him, in his too short life, his faith and his love, as he patiently waited for my return.
When he greeted me, he seemed to know when I just needed to sit in the quiet. He seemed to know when I wanted to play. If there were a ball to be thrown, he would abandon all restraint and gave every fiber of himself, to reach for that which was before only a dream--unmitigated glory. His life was not deadlines, or deals or caring about the things that in all reality will not matter at the end of life. His life was simply a joyous run ahead of that avalanche of time that would be his enemy had he any concept of it.
He was more than a dog. He was love that crept in on four paws and remains, as long as memory lasts.
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Thoughts Headed Easy's Way
He is quite ill and required emergency surgery for a bloating issue and his paw-rents are ever so worried. Go leave them a kind word at their blog or over at Power of the Paw (link is the top banner on the right sidebar). Mom's just on her lunch break at work, so hopefully there will be better news by the time she is done.
Abby Lab
Sunday, November 27, 2016
Sunday News from Abby T. Lab
The fact that her Dad loved it was good enough, but she would like to get the message about it to sell a few more to donate to animal rescue. One review she was particular excited about was a name she knew was the pseudonym for a famous writer, as he had already dropped her a personal note to let her know how much he loved it even if he normally doesn't ever read the Christian genre, just action, and adventure books (though he was a Book of Barkley fan). She said thank you so much to everyone for the kind reviews.
Mom said the Publisher will be lowering the Kindle Price in December, as it was higher than she wished, but she said if anyone that's a member of Blogville buys a Kindle between now and Christmas she will mail them a free autographed copy of the paperback to give someone as a gift . Just leave the first few words in the first sentence in chapter FIVE in a comment so she knows you have it, with your address for the paperback to be mailed before the holidays.
Abby T. Lab
Editor in Training, Book Marketing, and Pizza Wrangling
Rachel Raines is looking for a place to hide a heart full of loss, and a quieter patrol than Chicago. The bequest of her aunt's house seems like the perfect opportunity for both, if she can survive the gigantic spiders, creaky plumbing, and inevitable challenges of being the rookie on a small town force.
Down the street, her aunt's best friend, Evelyn Ahlgren, marks the passing of seasons and neighbors, long mired in her loneliness as a widow. When the young woman with scars of her own befriends her, they strike up an unlikely friendship across generations that just might help them both heal.
A beautifully told, heartwarming story of finding the best in people and the small towns, this book is like finding a treasure in an old attic. Enjoy!
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LB Johnson, author of the best-seller "The Book of Barkley", has done it again. This heart-warming, true to life story of a young woman who finds herself pursuing a career in law enforcement, but in a small town instead of the big city she'd imagined. John Lennon famously wrote, "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans." But with the help of a neighbor, life, and the persistent nudging of the Holy Spirit, she finds herself opening up to an existence she'd never considered.
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Having read the author's other two books, I was excited to pick up her first fiction piece. This book has a similar feel to her previous works, with warm and flowing descriptions, meriting multiple re-reads to catch all the nuances of her prose. I was curious how the issues of faith would be handled, this being published by a Christian publishing house. In fact, it was a sublime and personal handling of faith. Her characters are well fleshed out, and interesting, as they explore loss, life, and love across generations.
This book would make a fine Christmas gift, for the well-read teen on up to your grandparents. And as a plus, the author also donates profits from her book sales to various charitable animal rescues and other animal service organizations.
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I opened this book eagerly. L.B. Johnson writes with ease and experience, openly sharing the truth of life in concepts and images all too real, yet lyrical.
Examples that light up a scene and illuminate the story:
"... a statement of endurance too abundant for human speech ..."
"... colorful wildflowers splashed on the ground ..."
"...the odor of a whetted knife carving shadows into the night..."
Johnson uses the present tense, a confident author's voice that's an immediate witness, up close and personal. The story is a first-person account by an intelligent young woman, alone, a new cop with big city experience transplanted to a small town, after inheriting her elderly aunt's home, an old house cluttered with bittersweet childhood memories.
Joining a small town police force means dealing with gruesome tragedies up close, mishaps typical of a small town, death and injuries that devastate loved ones. Johnson's young female cop tussles with the hardship of loneliness, and she uses this fictional first person journal to speak of her faith, devotion to duty, and the abundant human warmth of Small Town Roads.
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Sometimes heroes are not bronze muscled doers of great deeds. Sometimes heroism is getting out of bed when every joint hurts, and doing a difficult job when everyone else turns their back, and knowing there are a thousand days ahead of you just like this one with few breaks and fewer opportunities for joy. Sometimes heroism is having a big heart when having any heart at all seems to be a liability. Most of us never have the opportunity to be the type of hero action movies are made about, but we all can be heroic in our day to day lives just by caring. That is what lies at the core of this book, and the big heart and caring shine through
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This book is in one word: rich. The imagery is vibrant; you feel as if you know the characters.It is a tender, lovely story told from the heart. I've read this author's other efforts, and this doesn't disappoint. Not a quick read but worth the time to curl up and get lost in the vibrancy.
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Small Town Roads is kind, gentle, poetic, but grippingly bittersweet in the meeting and meshing of the times and values of two distinctly different -- but so much the same -- women in a small American town. L.B. Johnson is a writer to watch for tomorrow, but she is also someone to enjoy today".
-- John L. Moore
Award-winning novelist and journalist, author of The Breaking of Ezra Riley and other novels.
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In the tradition of Kent Haruf's bestselling Plainsong, L.B. Johnson has written a lyrical, meditative story that acknowledges the dangers and comforts of our world. Small Town Roads is a loving story about an old, slow place where the terrible loneliness of grief eases because ordinary people decide to be community.
--Katie Andraski
Author of The River Caught Sunlight
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Heart-warming and endearing, this read brings the reality of small town life and the meaning of community, life-long friendships and the healing of a grieving soul to readers. Refreshing and uplifting, L.B. Johnson has eloquently portrayed the different seasons and paths that life takes us on. Through a series of journal entries by Rachel as one of the main characters and a beautifully written narrative, the author sheds light on renewed hope in God's purposes and will, despite the past and current circumstances."
Saturday, November 26, 2016
Phartzan Beltch
Abby Lab here. My boyfriend Frankie at
had a hilarious post up recently about post-Thanksgiving which consisted of:
1. Burrrrrrrp !!!!!!
2. PHarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt !!!!!
YOU decide who said What.
Frankie said it was all Ernie but I sent them a photo from a local model train show that Mom and Dad went to, to which Frankie commented on here later. Sharing for all post-holiday.
Cheers - Abby Lab
P.S. Mom told Dad that she never farts, burps, or sweats. That's why when the "honey do" list is nearing the expiration date, she nags, as otherwise, she would EXPLODE.
Friday, November 25, 2016
Thursday, November 24, 2016
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