Cool Dudes!

Not only is Joseph "cool" in sunglasses.....

Charlie is too!

The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread

For $5.00 you can get your pooch washed and blow dried at the pet wash in town. It is well worth every penny!Poor Charlie doesn't think so though. He was miserable. He shakes like a leaf and foams at the mouth cuz he's so nervous. You'd think he'd be more comfortable after multiple visits but he's always so scared. Olivia thinks it is hilarious to watch me wrestle the dog into the door and up the ramp of the pet wash. I guess I'm glad someone is having fun!

You Don't Know What You've Got Til It's Gone...

or almost gone. We recently thought we'd lost our beloved pooch of 11 years forever. On Thursday night ,after all of us took a walk, Charlie disappeared and was subsequently out all night. We woke up Friday morning thinking for sure he'd be home by then. Once again, and ALL day Friday, he was AWOL. He never showed up to eat, lay under the mailbox, bark at passing traffic, or anything. This is so unlike Charlie. He is definitely a homebody. We called all the neighbors (no one had seen him) and scoured the countryside for any sign of him, all to no avail. After a mostly sleepless night last night, he showed up this morning out of nowhere! He was wet (probably from dew) but otherwise seemed none the worse for wear. We are so thankful he is home! We truly were thinking we'd seen the last of him. All night I could only think about how I'd wish I'd have petted him more on Thursday and not complained that he was so dirty and in the house. Instead, I was wishing I'd see him laying on his favorite rug and shedding hair on our carpet. Yep, you truly don't know what you've got til it's gone....or almost gone.

____________________________________________ Olivia's bedtime prayer last night:

Dear God,
Charlie is missing and we can't find him. If you see him please bring him home because we love him and he is our special dog. In Jesus' name, Amen.
_____________________________________________
My conversation with Rich about the dog this morning:

Me: I can't believe Charlie did that, running off like that all night and all day. It's not like he's a young pup anymore. He should no better. What was he thinking?

Rich: Maybe he's going through a mid-life crisis?

Me: A midlife crisis? A MIDLIFE crisis! He's 77 years old in dog years.

Rich: Maybe he's a late bloomer?

Yes, that's it. Our 77 year old dog is just a late bloomer going through a midlife crisis. We'll blame all his running around on that. Hopefully that is the last of his running around though!

Our Precious Pooch...

Who knows what the dog is after.......hmmmm......He had fun digging and Olivia had fun watching. We finally got some mild temps here - hopefully we are done with the -20 below temps until next year. The outdoors and sun have felt so good to all of us. (Although it would feel even better if we were laying on a beach in Mexico............)