Naps

Naps. 

Because Dad was up until 2 in the morning cleaning illegal firework debris from your yard, so you didn't get sick from eating it. 

A Day at the "Beach"

It was too hot to even go down to Lake Michigan; the heat index was over 110 (it hadn't been this hot in Chicago in June since 1930).

So Sunny and I waited until late afternoon when a breeze came up and had some fun playing "fetch the toy" out of her kiddie pool. 

For Me?!

This is like the world's biggest water dish!

But there's a Ball!

Where'd It Go?

Thanks Mom!

OK, One last dunk!
 

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.