A Week to Remember

We have had a busy, but fun, time this past week. As you know from my previous post, we have had relatives visiting from Arizona. They arrived a week ago today. Just to recap the week a little, it went like the following:

Sunday, we were invited to the campground where we had a wonderful time catching up on the past 3 years, as we hadn't seen each other for just a little more than 3 years. Ann whipped up some delicious blueberry Belgian waffles in her new waffle maker. She had a variety of toppings, and I must say we did not leave there hungry!

Monday, Memorial Day, Stosh had us to his home for a cookout of NY strip steaks, grilled baked potatoes, corn-on-the-cob, baked beans, dinner rolls and 2 different strawberry desserts, both different recipes...one with an oreo cookie crust and the other a graham cracker crust.

Tuesday, we had dinner in a little town north of the city at a relatively new restaurant called Copper River Grill. Now let me tell you, that is quite the place to eat! You wouldn't believe the size servings they brought us! Ann had a grilled chicken salad which looked the size of a half basketball, mounded up, Stosh had a grilled chicken Caesar salad, another huge dish, and Lyle and I both chose the 1/2 pounder burger plates, which were just as huge as the salads! We just had to ask for take-home cartons! I have never eaten such a mouth-watering burger in all my life!!!

Wednesday, Stosh picked us all up about 11am, and we got a tour of the city. The city here just goes and goes in all 4 directions! It takes a good half hour to drive in any direction before you get to the outskirts of the city. It wasn't long before everyone was hungry, so we decided to eat at IHOPS. Another great meal!!! We also hit one of the two local Starbucks for coffee later on.

Thursday, I cleaned all day and cooked a sirloin tip roast with potatoes and carrots. I served it with applesauce and warm homemade rolls that I had made that afternoon. For dessert, I had fresh strawberry shortcakes. It's kind of hard to put a meal on the table at my place, as the cats are always all over the place, trying to see what's cooking! I had to get my squirt gun out and get after them a few times! After dinner, I helped Lyle set up a blog! He will be joining the blogging world soon! They have so much to tell, as they have travelled all over the country, so I'm sure he will do a bang-up job writing about their travel experiences. He wants to wait before he publishes his first post until they get back to Arizona in late June as he has photos at home that he would like to put on his blog page. I'll be sure to let you all know when he publishes, and I will also add his blog name to my list.

Friday, Stosh and I were invited to their RV for lunch. Ann told me 12:30, and I said I thought I could make it by then. (I am never anywhere on time, but I really thought I had it all figured out in my head so I could arrive there on time.) I like to sleep in since I don't sleep much during the night, plus I have 2 hours of work scooping litterboxes and feeding cats every morning. And then I need an hour for myself to get showered and ready. Wouldn't you know it....I was late!!! I had called ahead and told Lyle that I was leaving and would be there shortly, as it's only about a 10-minute drive. Well, there must have been an accident as they were diverting all the traffic from the big highway over to my shortcut! I think I sat through that one traffic light about 8 times before I finally got through it! Then came 2 more traffic lights! I never arrived at the campground until 1 o'clock! When I walked in, they all appeared to be waiting on me. You know how you feel when you're late like that? Well, I apologized for being so late and told them about the traffic situation, and they all started to laugh. Then to my surprise, Ann said I was "right on time." The 3 of them had cooked up a little scheme the night before (unbeknownst to me) to tell me lunch would be at 12:30 so I would be there by 1 o'clock, which was actually the time lunch was to be served! They told Stosh 1 o'clock and told me 12:30! LOL

Ann had made the some delectable turkey salad sandwiches with lettuce on some very tasty natural bread, served with potato chips. My, they looked beautiful!!! They were just so-oooo good!!! I can't believe I ate the whole thing!!! I have never had any turkey or chicken salad like that, ever!!! She said she got it at Costco's. If you get to a Costco, try it. It comes in big cans, brand name is Snow, 4 to a pack....oh, my gosh, it's delicious!!! I think I could live on that stuff alone! I am going out tomorrow to get some myself! Then for dessert, she had a choice of rice, chocolate or tapioca pudding! We were absolutely stuffed by the time we finished, believe me!

Later, we all hopped in Stosh's car and decided to go for a ride. He was going to surprise us with the destination. We had no idea where he was taking us! We kind of thought he was taking us back to Starbucks, but he pulled into the plaza where Panera's is located! So we had coffee there and watched the people using their laptops and just chatted some more.

What a great week!!! We thought they were leaving Friday, but they weren't leaving until today, Saturday. They are in Atlanta tonight for their next trade show. I woke up this morning at 9:20 and looked at my clock and thought immediately of them being on the road already. I felt such a sadness and emptiness in my heart, and I cried. We had such a wonderful week of catching up and reminiscing of years gone by, and it's just so hard to see it all end. And we never know when, or if, we will all get together again. Their daughters and families live in Arizona, and that has been their home since 1969 when they moved there from the Rochester, NY area.

I just want to tell you, Ann and Lyle, that Stosh and I both enjoyed every minute we spent with you. I am praying for a safe journey home for you! We love you guys!!! As I stated on my previous post, "Y'all come back now, ya hear?"

Memorial Day Reunion

This holiday weekend has been a great time for our family. My ex-husband's cousin, Lyle, and his wife, Ann, from Arizona are in our area and are staying until Friday. We have had the most enjoyable time over the past weekend, and there is still more to come! They travel around the country doing trade shows, and they are in our area this week. They have their Fifth Wheel RV parked in the campground where I had mine for quite awhile. Below are a couple of photos of them taken Sunday evening.

Sunday, we were invited to the campground for a visit. We hadn't seen them in 3 years, the last time they were in SC. Stosh and Lyle played together when they were just little tykes, so this was a wonderful reunion for the guys, as well as us gals, as we had a lot of catching up to do, too! (Oh, how I wish I could put my hands on a photo I have somewhere of those two when they were just little boys about 5 or 6 years old, dressed in their knickers!) Ann prepared some delicious blueberry waffles (yum-yum!) in her new waffle maker while we were there. It was just such a pleasurable evening! Have you ever wondered why families have to live so-oooo far apart?

When we were leaving the campground later that very warm evening, there were so many people sitting outside around campfires, oblivious to the heat, I guess. There were really a lot of RVs there for the holiday. It looked quite full to me. There is nothing like camping to bring you close to nature! My son loves it, too. When he was little, he just wouldn't shut up about camping...everything was camping this and camping that. Finally, we went out and bought him a really nice tent with a floor, zippered door, a real tent, not a kid's tent, and put it up in our backyard. Well, he and his little buddy, Brian, played in that tent the entire summer that year! They didn't even care if they went swimming or not. Now back on track to Memorial Day.....I get sidetracked so easily these days!

Stosh had us all to his home yesterday for a Memorial Day cook-out, which consisted of steak, grilled baked potatoes, corn-on-the-cob, baked beans, dinner rolls, and 2 strawberry desserts. My daughter made a beautiful strawberry dessert, too, and I had made strawberry cheesecake. When strawberry season is in, you eat strawberry desserts! I had all good intentions of taking pictures of the steaks sizzling on the grill and the desserts...well, you know how it is when you get to talking. I completely forgot all about snapping photos for my blog until we got ready to leave!!! Imagine that....me forgetting!!! LOL After dinner, we all sat and watched a video we had made back in 1990 when we had gone back to PA that summer. We watched the part where we had gone to Olean, NY as Lyle's mother, Aunt Myrtle, from AZ was there for a couple of weeks visiting her sister who lived in Olean. Another sister and her husband from CA had also flown in. Aunt Myrtle and I corresponded quite frequently for many years, and we were thrilled when she wrote that she was going to be in Olean during the same time we were going to be in PA!

What a fun afternoon it was! We listened to many stories about when the sisters were young and raising their families. We heard stories about "speakeasies," too, which we found to be quite entertaining. For those of you too young to know what a "speakeasy" was.....a "speakeasy" was an establishment that surreptitiously sold alcoholic beverages during the period of United States history known as Prohibition (1920-1933, longer in some states), when the sale, manufacture, and transportation (bootlegging) of alcohol was illegal. The term comes from a patron's manner of ordering alcohol without raising suspicion — a bartender would tell a patron to be quiet and "speak easy." One of the sisters described it in her own words, as follows: There was a little eye-level door within the door that could be opened from the inside. When someone knocked, that little door was opened to see who was knocking. If it was the cops, they all took off running!

The sister who lived in Olean was a quilt maker. She showed her beautiful quilts while we were videotaping. We all enjoyed watching the tape as it didn't take long for the 3 sisters to forget that the camera was rolling and talked as if it wasn't even there. Lyle and Ann had never seen it before. Now all 3 sisters are together again in heaven. I am so glad we documented our entire visit home that year, as we tried to see as many friends and relatives as we could. Many of them have passed on, also.

Here are a few more photos of Ann and Lyle, and the last one is of Stosh and Lyle.

When you've lived away from home as long as we have, you welcome family and friends. It's always so much fun to see loved ones again and reminisce about old times and catch up on the kids, who are now grown and raising families of their own.

Tonight we are meeting for dinner at a new restaurant, as if we need to consume any more calories. (Yikes!) I plan on having them to my home for dinner also one night this week. I hope they like cats! I know they do as they had a 19-year old cat that travelled with them last year. We were surprised by their cat's name. He was an orange striped tiger. Both of my children graduated from Clemson University here in SC, and the university's color is orange and their mascot is a tiger. The cat's name? "Clemson." What a coincidence! Anyhow, we are looking forward to spending more time with Ann and Lyle this week. Tomorrow is tour day of our city.

Welcome to South Carolina once again!!! We are so happy you're here!!!!! "Y'all come back now, ya hear?"

My Friend, Ruth

Please allow me to introduce my wonderful friend, Ruth. Ruth is a widow who lives alone. Her only daughter lives in another state, as do her six grandchildren, so she and I get together as often as we can. There is quite a story behind this grand lady.

I met Ruth several years ago through her sister, Myrtle, who is also a grand lady and wonderful friend of mine. (I have known Myrtle for over 10 years now and will write about her someday whenever I can get her to slow down long enough so I can sneak a photo of her.) Ruth lives just a mile down the road from me. Myrtle had been telling me about her sister who had lived in Bradford, PA for over 40 years. I had shopped many times in Bradford, never suspecting that I would someday meet a wonderful lady from there. Myrtle asked me the name of the town where I had lived in Pennsylvania. Well, come to find out, Ruth and I had lived just 25 miles from one another for years but never met until we both had moved to South Carolina! Talk about a small world!

My mother and Ruth became friends when my mom would be here from PA visiting from time to time. They went to church together, church luncheons, out to lunch, shopping, etc. Now since my mom has passed away, Ruth has, more or less, taken me under her motherly wing. So now we go to lunch from time to time. She is teaching me all the "senior" perks, i.e. discount drinks, 25-cent senior drinks at Hardees, 10% off on meals, senior seminars where you get a free lunch or dinner after listening to a 45-minute speech by someone trying to sell you something, getting me signed up for other discounts, etc. We also visit the mausoleum together as her husband is just a few feet from where my mother is. This lady has run errands for me when my legs just wouldn't move somedays. She is always leaving something stuck in my door for me to read. We kind of check on each other to make sure we have our eyes open every day, too! She stops by from time to time, and we enjoy sitting on my front porch and visiting.

So last Thursday, I saw on the internet where the McDonalds all over the country were giving away free chicken sandwiches, to introduce it as a new menu item, so I called her, and we decided to meet at 4 and take advantage of this freebie! You had to purchase a drink in order to get the free sandwich. She tried to get us "senior" drinks, but the clerk said the drinks had to be regular-priced drinks in order to get the free sandwich. So she told the gal what she thought about that! LOL Anytime you go out with Ruth, you are entertained in one way or another.

While we were at McDonalds, an older gentleman "hit" on Ruth! He tried to strike up a conversation with her, but it didn't work. She said she wasn't interested in any man, least of all a bald-headed one! I'm sure he must have heard her! LOL

I always enjoy the time I spend with Ruth. We laugh, eat, laugh, shop, laugh some more and just have fun together. If I didn't have all these cats, she and I would be heading to Cherokee, NC to the casinos! On a serious note, both she and Myrtle have been Godsends to me. Two grand ladies!!!

Spring Cleaning

Today was light cleaning day! This one was a gift from Stosh and hangs over my kitchen table. I absolutely love this fixture, but washing it, I do not! It has a total of 91 of those balls and long pieces to remove, wash, dry and re-hang! I love it when it's clean, though! The cats love to watch...I think they are hoping I drop a ball or two for them to play with! They have been up on the table before and have knocked balls off themselves, setting off the alarm system when they hit the glass tabletop!

Anyhow, the cleaning "bug" has returned, and I decided to tackle some light fixtures today. I just feel so good when everything is clean and bright! We had rain yesterday, and the earth just looked so clean...that kind of motivated me to get back to my spring cleaning inside!

Happy Birthday, Son!

This is my letter to my son who celebrated his 42nd birthday yesterday, May 16...

Dear Tim,

Where have the years gone??? It seems like just yesterday that you were that crying little bundle of joy who kept us awake night after night after night. I don't think you ever slept through the night until you were nearly 5 years old. Guess you inherited that from me...we are still night owls, aren't we?

You were really an enjoyable child while growing up. You were an impish tyke at times, though. You made us so proud many times throughout the years. When I found out that I was expecting you and still had a baby in arms, I thought to myself, "Oh, how will I ever manage with two babies so close together?" With two in diapers and two on bottles, it seemed like the work would never end each day. We didn't have disposable diapers back then, either. I am so glad it happened that you two were just 17 months apart, as you grew up being the best of friends and still are. I couldn't have planned it any better had I done the planning myself. The good Lord knew what he was doing...there's no doubt in my mind about that now.

I remember the night you were born. I was in the doctor's office at 9 o'clock, and he sent me on to the hospital, assuring me that I would be holding my baby in my arms by midnight. We arrived at the hospital within minutes. There I was, sitting on my suitcase while your dad was signing the admittance papers. They finally got me in a bed at 9:30. It wasn't but about 10 minutes when they wheeled me into the delivery room. The doctor wasn't there waiting like I had expected him to be. The nurse left me alone to go get him (he was putting his "greens" on) and by the time he came into the delivery room, you were already born! I was hanging onto you for dear life! You were born at 9:50pm that evening, just you and me, all alone, when you made your grand entrance into this world. I didn't know if you were a boy or a girl until the doctor told me. Your dad and I both wanted a boy since we already had a little girl, but mostly, we just wanted you to be a healthy baby, and we were blessed with just that. I have thought of that night so many times over the years.

You have been my backbone during some difficult times in my life these past 10 years, and I would like to think that I have been there for you, too. I couldn't imagine my life without you. And it goes without saying how proud I am of you, from your childhood right on through college and into adulthood. You have grown into a strong, wonderful, sensitive man, so caring of others, and also of animals. You have always been a little impatient, even on the night you were born. I admire you for your integrity and honesty, but most of all, for your strong faith in God.

I wish I could have posted more photos of you, but all of our family albums are at Tammy's yet. Someday, I will add a few more....

Happy Birthday, and always remember how much you are loved! Thank you being the wonderful son that you are. I love you!

Mom

Strawberry Season!

Strawberry season is here! And my ex surprised me with this pail of freshly-picked berries for Mother's Day! Thank you, Stosh! Aren't they just the biggest and most beautiful berries? They are also the sweetest strawberries I've ever eaten! I will be spending some time this afternoon cleaning and placing them in the freezer. I usually freeze several pails of them each Spring. I have been elected to make my strawberry cheesecake for our Memorial Day family cook-out. Stosh will grill NY strip steaks and grilled baked potatoes, Tammy will bring the fresh corn-on-the-cob and dinner rolls, Tim will surprise us with a dish of his choice, and I will make my luscious, calorie-laden strawberry cheesecake and baked beans!

Anyhow, I had a wonderful Mother's Day at my daughter's. Per my request, she served another favorite dish of mine....spaghetti and meatballs with a lovely tossed salad and Texas toast! And.....as you might know, I forgot to take along my carb blocker capsules!!! But that didn't stop me from eating!!! It was just too-oooo good! My children always give me money for my birthday and Mother's Day, so now I will have to go shopping again and spend it! I think I may buy a new piece of exercise equipment and then I can think of them when I am using it!!! Oh, the fun exercise that lies ahead! LOL Thank you, Tammy and Tim!

I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day, too!

Being a Mother

Happy Mother's Day, everyone! This is my 5th Mother's Day without my dear mother, who passed away on March 1, 2004. I remember the wonderful childhood I had and all the fun times and vacations we had while growing up, but most of all I remember my mom loving me, unconditionally. Not a day goes by that I don't think of her. She will always be alive....inside my heart. I love you, Mom, and I miss you very much!

My Poor Piggy Bank

This is a photo of my piggy bank after filling up my car! I'm just kidding! This isn't really my piggy bank, but mine is getting just as skinny with these high gas prices. Unfortunately, my car requires the 93 octane. I usually fill up on Tuesdays at Ingles where I can get a 10-cent discount...3 cents off by using an Ingles gift card and on Tuesdays only, another 7 cents off the premium grade. Thank goodness, I work from home! LOL

Mama's Pizza

In my spare time, I make homemade pizza crusts not just for myself, but also for my children and my ex. I make them personal pan size so they are just right for a quick lunch, supper, or snack. I have found the tastiest pizza sauce at Food Lion called "Mama Mary's." Then I buy the pepperoni and cheese at Sam's Club in the 5# bags and freeze in containers. Pop one in the toaster oven at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes. That's all there is to it! I tell you, these are really good!!! When dieting, I substitute one of these for a roll, as that's all the dough there is in one of these crusts, really no more than a roll or slice of bread. (Plus, we all cheat a little when dieting!)

I love to bake most everything except cookies, but bread is my favorite thing to bake. My son gave me a Breadman bread machine a few years ago, and I just love that thing! I don't care to actually bake the bread in it, though. I use it strictly for making the dough. From start to finish, it only takes me a little over an hour and a half to make a batch of these crusts. I would like to share my recipe for the dough with you.

1 1/2 cups milk
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt (optional)
2 Tbsp. oil
4 cups flour
1 pkg. Fleischman's Dry Yeast

Heat first 4 ingredients in small mixing bowl on High in microwave for 1 minute. Pour into bread machine pan. Add the flour. Make indentation in top of flour with spoon. Pour dry yeast in center of flour. Set machine on dough setting. 1 hour 20 minutes later, the dough is ready to be made into crusts. Divide dough in half, and make 6 balls of dough from each half. On Air-Bake cookie sheets, lightly sprayed with Pam, form each ball of dough into a pizza crust. I make mine bread-and-butter-plate size. Bake at 400 degrees in preheated oven for approximately 8 minutes. I bake one sheet while I form the remaining 6 on another sheet. Cool thoroughly on cooling racks. Store in plastic storage bags in refrigerator. They freeze well, too. Yield: 12 crusts. ENJOY!!!

Funny Photo

"Mississippi Songbird" has invited everyone to post a funny photo, so here's mine! I actually found two and couldn't decide which one to post, so I am posting them both!

TATOO OF THE YEAR

REDNECK HOT TUB

"Happy Birthday" to my best friend!

Today is the birthday of my best friend, Rose. So this is my letter to her!

Happy Birthday, Rose!!! Boy, we go way back, don't we? Way back to 1968 when our boys were not quite two years old yet. Where have the years gone???

We had just moved into our new home in Port, and I had met some mothers my age through Tammy being in Story Hour at the library. Elaine mentioned that you liked to sew, as I did. Do you remember the first time we met? We got together over some personalized Christmas cards, remember? Then we started shopping together for fabric all the time. Our friendship just seemed to blossom over the years. We chatted every morning for hours by phone, and then Wednesdays you always came to my home after your hair appointment for coffee or pepsi. The shopping trips to Bradford, Olean, Warren, etc. are still fresh in my mind, even after all these years!

Our boys had their spats, but we never let it affect our friendship. They were kids growing up, and we were the adults. We were the sun worshippers while the boys played. How we hustled to get our daily work done each morning so we could get in the sun to get that tan!

Then after 15 or 16 years, your husband was transferred to Illinois and then later, mine to South Carolina. At the time, I thought the world was coming to an end! But we never allowed our friendship to die. We ended up in Muncie and then moved back to SC, and now you are in Muncie!!! Strange how things worked out, huh?

I just want you to know how much your friendship meant to me back in those days and even now! I think of you as a sister and always will. I hope this day is a happy one for you. Tell Orval he'd better be "good" to you today! I'll be calling you before the day is over.

Today is also my father-in-law's birthday. And also Erma's from back home in PA, who was like a second mother to me from the time I was like four years old. May God rest their souls.

Have a good one, Rose!!! I'm so glad you're still my friend!!! Distance is just a measurement of miles on a map, but we still hold that special closeness in our hearts. Happy Birthday, Rose, and many, many more!!! Wish I was there so we could do lunch today! You have been a true friend only God could have sent!

Love ya!
Nancy

The Good Ole Days

AUSTIN COMMUNITY BUILDING

I recently came across this old postcard in a box of my my mom's photos and just had to write a little something about the "hub" of the little community where I went to school. I actually lived 3 miles south of Austin in even a smaller little town, but Austin was where things "happened." There wasn't much on Main Street, but there was a drug store, hardware, beauty shop, grocery store, liquor store, post office, diner, beer joint, and 2 gas stations for purchasing gasoline and car repairs. There were also 3 churches in town. In the old days, before my time, there was a doctor and even a hospital and also a bank. Now there is a new bank branch there.

This building was the main attraction in the community. It housed the one and only theatre, where I saw every cowboy and Indian movie there was back in those days. Every Friday night was movie night for us kids. Commencement exercises were also held on the theatre stage for many years. The bowling alleys (two lanes only) were located in this building, as well. For a small town, there were even bowling leagues, and everyone knew everyone! It was really quite the social gathering place. Upstairs, there was the basketball court, which our school used for many years for high school games. Also, dances were held upstairs on the court floor, as well as the high school proms. Then, finally, a beautiful new school for all 12 grades was built and opened in the Fall of 1959. Once we were in high school, we still drove uptown to the community building's Snack Bar for lunch most days. My Grandma always told me that my Grandpa (who died when my Mom was just 8 years old) had helped build it. Oh, the memories of so many fun times we had there in that building!

Now this beautiful old building has been replaced by a new Fire Hall. The people there are hard to beat anywhere! I have lived in different areas of our country, but I have never found the closeness anywhere that this little town offers. People help people there, always lending a helping hand to those who need it. People really care about their friends and neighbors there. This little town survived a fire and two floods in the olden days, too. It's just too tough a town to die! They have a really wonderful Fire Department and Rescue Squad, and a few years ago a replica of the founder's home was built, which houses the history and memorabilia of the community. I am very proud that I attended school there and grew up in such a wonderful area! If only all kids could be as fortunate!

GREAT NEWS!

Upstate Veterinary Specialists, Greenville, SC

The Staff (Doctors in blue, Technicians in purple)

We took "Sweet Pea" back to the oncologist yesterday for her first re-check. I had quite a time catching her to put her in her carrier. After I tore the sofa apart in my daughter's bonus room, I ended up having to turn a chair over to get her out from under it. Finally, we hit the highway! We made excellent time as traffic was not heavy mid-day as it is during the morning rush hour. We met with the oncologist, who examined "Sweet Pea" quite thoroughly. She is doing very well, has not lost any weight, and is free of all cancer! They had done another CT scan last week, plus some portfilms, and they showed NO cancer at all! We were told to discontinue the Buprinex, a morphine-type pain medication, but she will remain on the prednisone for a while longer. Her site area is looking quite well but is beginning to show signs of peeling and flaking. I got her settled back in at her home and headed for the pharmacy to get some aloe vera ointment for her back, per doctor's request. Then back to my daughter's home I went to drop it off. I was rushing around as I had a 4 o'clock vet appointment for one of my diabetic cats, "Daphy," (short for "Daphinia" which was her given name by her former owner who passed away in August 2000). She has been having a tooth problem. She is now on antibiotics and scheduled for a complete dental cleaning Tuesday morning. She will soon be 14 years old! More on her in a later post.

Tim's little "Punky" also is doing quite well. Her tumor is still shrinking and has now turned from rose color to white. The oncologist said that means that the blood supply to the tumor has been destroyed. So we are still deciding if we should go for the most aggressive treatment for her and have that part of her jaw removed and then proceed with chemo. She would definitely have a pretty good chance then. I discussed this with my own vet yesterday also, and he assured me that cats that have had this jaw-removal surgery, amazingly, do quite well afterwards. If my son decides to have this surgery performed, he won't do so until the tumor has finished shrinking. Maybe the two miracles we've been praying for are really happening! Both of these little gals have been little troopers through it all! I just know in my heart that God has been beside them all the way. I hope he has assigned them each a guardian angel....maybe my mom and my dad.

While we were at the veterinary facility yesterday, "Bailey" and her owner came in. "Bailey" is the female boxer from Lexington, SC (just outside of Columbia) who wouldn't take her eyes off Stosh last week! She was absolutely fixated on him! She wouldn't even look at the other dog in the waiting room! She had eyes for Stosh and only Stosh! This week, though, she wasn't feeling very well and didn't even give him a second glance. Poor girl...her last chemo had made her quite ill, as they had used a different drug on her since the first one didn't seem to be doing much for her cancer. She really is a wonderful, wonderful dog! I was raised with a boxer myself, and they are truly an incredible breed! Our "Dutchess" was the queen in our home! I may dig out some photos of her someday and do a post about her in the future. She certainly is deserving of a post all her own.