Our little town was just hit with a summer downpour including marble size hail. No damage seems to have been done here, but I am not certain what devastation this latest storm has caused closer to the Sierra foothills that have been ravaged by recent fires.

Meanwhile, we have changed our plans to go to Dog Training and have opted for a drier evening by staying home, fixing some veggies and dips, and just enjoying the cool weather brought to us by the storm. This is more than a practical decision, it is also a cautionary one because, although the rains have stopped, our skies are still dark, and off to the west, there are distant slivers of lightning in the sky followed by the sound of low rumbling thunder.

I love this photo because it captures the joy of living in the moment. Bob was out videotaping the storm from the garage and I went out to watch with him when I spotted the kids playing out in the street. I ran back in the house, grabbed the camera, and captured the moment.

Our lives have been pretty summer dull. The weather continues to be desert hot and now with the monsoon flows, humid, too. The puppies and I are in the siesta routine and sleep an hour every afternoon. I do their training in the evening. Bob sits outside with Sammi and one puppy, while I take the other around the block practicing heel, sit, down, and stay. Then when I get back, we exchange puppies and I go through the routine again, while Bob, the old Doxie, and the trained puppy wait for me to return. Guess who gets all the exercise! Bob has that Tom Sawyer ablility to get someone else to paint the fence or in this case, train the dogs.

Both dogs love to tear apart kleenex, paper towels, or toilet paper. They are ingenious in their ability to steal and we have caught them slipping out the doggie door with various kinds of paper products. On occasion, a room or the backyard looks like it has been T.Pd by a group of high schoolers celebrating Homecoming.

As annoying and challenging as their actions have been, I couldn’t help but laugh when I discovered LuAnn in the middle of this mess in our bathroom. How could anyone stay upset with that sweet little face?

Take care my blogger friends. Thank you so for many sweet emails. I promise to do a better job writing and reading blogs.

Maybe it is because of the high price of gas, or maybe it is the smokey skies from the latest wildfire, or maybe it is just summer laziness, but whatever it is, Bob and I are staying close to home for the Fourth of July.

So if you are doing the same or if you are out partying wildly, we both wish you a Happy Fourth of July and if you enjoy Trivia try this little quiz I found on the internet.

Fourth of July Trivia

1. Who is not credited with possibly creating the flag of the United States?

A) Betsy Ross
B) Francis Scott Key
C) Rebecca Young
D) Francis Hopkinson

2. Which two U.S. presidents died on July 4, 1826, 50 years to the day after the signing of the Declaration of Independence?

A) John Adams and Thomas Jefferson
B) James Madison and James Monroe
C) Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren
D) James K. Polk and Millard Fillmore

3. Which of the following is not a city in Iowa?

A) New Liberty
B) Libertyville
C) Libertytown
D) West Liberty

4. When is Flag Day?

A) June 8
B) June 14
C) July 3
D) July 5

5. Which territory was formed on July 4, 1838?

A) Iowa territory
B) Michigan territory
C) Missouri territory
D) Louisiana territory

6. When was the current 50-star iteration of the flag instituted?

A) 1948
B) 1955
C) 1956
D) 1960

7. What is the highest grossing U.S. film released over the Fourth of July?

A) “Spider-Man 2″
B) “Finding Nemo”
C) “Independence Day”
D) “Forrest Gump”

8. When was the last time Independence Day fell on a Wednesday?

A) 2000
B) 2001
C) 2002
D) 2003

Key: 1. B 2. A 3. C 4. B 5. A 6. D 7. D 8. B
And once again, Happy Independence Day.  Lucky and LuAnn in the firecracker collars are the safest fireworks around.  This is their first 4th and I hope the noise does not scare or upset them.  This is another reason to stay close to home.  Of all the holidays, this one with its fireworks seems to be the most pet unfriendly.

Click on photos to enlarge

Lucky and LuAnn graduated from the Intermediate Class at Petsmart with flying colors.  I am so proud of them.  They have mastered so many skills in the five months that they have been learning good pet ettiquette.  I took these photos just before Graduation with a little help from  Photoshop and Print Shop.  Two weeks off and then they will begin the Advanced Class.

What Toddlers leave behind

A sticky table

A stool out of place,

Towels on the floor

Cereal on the rug,

Toys scattered

Milk spilled

Drawers ajar,

Chairs askew

Treasures hidden

A house in disarray

What Toddlers leave behind

The sweet smell of bath soap

A wisp of laughter,

First words babbled

Screams of delight

Warmth and love

Hugs, and kisses.

Photos snapped

Memories recorded

Times cherished

Grandparents delighted

Yes, Bob and I were delighted to have Kristi, her friend Theresa, and the twins here to celebrate Father’s Day on Saturday.  We picnicked at a local park and swimming pool and relaxed at home Saturday night. Everyone left Sunday morning after breakfast and Bob and I took the puppies off to their Petsmart Class. 

Since then I have been putting the house back into adult mode and enjoying the air-conditioning.  However, I did have to take time to write this little poem and to work on some of the photos that illustrate my feelings. 

Our temperatures are triple digit now and the desert is a blast furnace from hell.  I know I should not complain though when I see what is going on in the midwest with all that devasting weather and flooding.

I forego going to my exercise class this morning and plan to have coffee with my friend, Tina instead. Later I will have lunch with a newly retired teacher that I wish to welcome to the swelling ranks of retirees.  And so goes the summer. . . quiet with very little adventure.  It feels good!

Two more photos and then I am off to coffee. Oh the house is quiet, too quiet. I look at these little faces and I can hardly wait for our next “Twin Invasion”.

To Our Companion Dad,

From the moment we wake you up in the morning to the moment you put us to bed in our pen at night, you make us feel loved and protected. You make our puppyhood one of pure happiness. You provide the very best care for us and you always acknowledge our good behavior even at times we are misbehaving

You take us to the vet, to the park, and on evening walks. You make the weekly 180 mile round trip to our training class at Petsmart and you never complaine or whine about the long drive.

You are proud of all we have learned. You love to tell others what intelligent puppies we are and how glad you are that you brought both of us home. You have kept our yard spotless and never complain about picking up after us.

For all these reasons and for so many more that our little doggie brains forget, we thank you. You are the Greatest Companion Dad, and we love you. Happy Father’s Day!

LuAnn and Lucky

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You know those week-ends trips that go so well, that you want to sing in the car all the way home and even the next morning you find yourself humming and not too softly? Well, that was my Memorial Day week-end.

My daughter Kristi was the Chair person for a large convention in Burbank. I have attended this event with her every year for the last 15 or so years (with the exception of last year when Bob and I were on a cruise) and watched as each year she offered her services in one way or another.

Sitting at her table at the Banquet Saturday night and meeting old and new friends was made even more special because Dawn, who is a daughter of my heart, and my little grand daughter Jade came in from the Northwest to join us.

Kristi drove back to Palmdale early Sunday morning, and brought the twins back to the hotel. so that Dawn and Jade would be able to visit with them before their 4;00 PM flight. Jade turned out to be a great little sitter for the babies. She has that natural talent for entertaining 19 month olds.

We all laughed when Dawn gave the twins a gift of shoes and then realized that her last gift to them was also shoes. So we quickly dubbed her, “Auntie Shoe”. Oh, I so hope it lasts. Everyone should have family stories and an “Auntie Shoe “ is such a delightful tale to be told around a family table.

So as soon as I got home, I downloaded these photos to include with this post.

L-R Bob, Me, Kristi, Dawn and Jade. This family photo was taken the night of the banquet.

Bob and Me with Kristi

Poppa and Eric

Nana and Jade

Aunti Shoe and Danica. Note Danica is wearing the shoes that Dawn brought her.

And finally, Daughters and Grandchildren

This comic strip sent to me by Mrs. Dof combined with the loss of my favorite timepiece led me to reminiscing about all the watches in my life. I don’t remember my first wrist watch, but I imagine I received it for eighth grade graduation. I do know you had to wind it daily or it simply ran down and stopped completely.

I do remember the Bulova I received for high school graduation. I remember it for two reasons: My parents were very proud of their gift and I was in total envy of the graduates who received new cars.

Sometime when I was in College, the automatic winding watch became popular. It required the wearer to actively move their arm to keep it running. I recall people looking at their watch and then waving their arm back and forth to make certain the winding mechanism was working.

Then for women, there were all those attempts to add time to jewelry. They are still around for the younger generation to discover for themselves the challenge of looking at broaches, rings, and pendants with tiny watch faces which inevitably have the wearer trying to guess the time because the faces are upside down for the them. (In looking for a photo, much to my chagrin, I found that the world of timepieces has evolved and upside down faces are now being produced and a problem solved.)

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For awhile in the 70’s there was a Renaissance of the pocket watch. I remember buying them for my boys. (They were probably as enthusiastic as I was with that Bulova and would much rather had been given new cars, but such is life.) The pocket watches of those days were either silver or gold-plated and were usually replicas of the late 19th century pocket watches and like them, were quite elaborately decorated with hunting dogs or old train engines on the lid. The photo is of a Casey Jones Railroad - Locomotive Train Conductor’s Pocket Watch. They are still being sold on Amazon.

Then along came the digital watch. It will always reminds me of my teaching days. As I recall, inexpensive digital watches for kids came onto the market in 1971 or 72 just in time for Christmas. On returning from winter break, I was amazed at how many of my first graders could miraculously tell time right down to the very minute. For a brief moment I basked in the glory of my teaching ability. We had been working on the big hand little hand and counting by fives just before the holidays. Then as I was congratulating myself on a job well done, much to my disappointment, I realized many of them had been given digital watches over the holidays. As always a fall from the lofty pedestal of teaching is very self-humbling .

Which brings me to my search for a new inexpensive timepiece. For years now I have worn a Disney Winnie the Pooh watch. My daughter, Kristi, was my inspiration. A lover of the cuddly little bear, she wore a Pooh watch for many years. Following her example, I bought my first Winnie the Pooh watch in the 80’s. Naturally, the fourth graders in my classroom either thought I was totally bonkers or they, too were Pooh fans. Either way, they humored me and praised my choice of watch.

Our local department store has always carried Disney watches so I didn’t think twice before heading over to pick up a new twenty dollar Pooh watch. Surprised that none were on display, I asked a clerk where they might be. She answered, “We don’t carry them anymore.” Oh my God! Panic and irritability set in at the same moment and to my credit, I didn’t say more than “How disappointing!”.

Dashing home, I went online to Amazon and found two different styles of Winnie the Pooh watches. Although, I certainly didn’t need two watches, I ordered both. I soothed my conscience by rationalizing that they were going out of style and would soon be off the market altogether. Two watches would probably last me until that big senior moment when time for me stalls forever.

So to make a long post short, yesterday I found the lost watch. Prepared to outlive two Winnie the Pooh watches, I now face the challenge of outliving three! Perhaps my idea of outlasting three watches is pathetically “pie in the sky“. Yet, there is something comforting about the concept. How winsome and sweet is the feeling that Pooh watches over me promising a long, long life ahead. Not too lengthy of course, but at least three watches long.

The Spring cleaning bug bit me sometime earlier this week and I abandoned blogs and blogging for closet cleaning. After going through clothes and sorting, I filled three large boxes to donate to the local thrift shop. I still have four drawers in the bedroom to straighten and sort before I move on to cleaning windows, washing curtains, and shampooing the rug. Once I finish the bedroom, I will start on the kitchen.

I do not profess to be a candidate for “The Happy Homemaker”. I will never receive the award for “Cleanest House in the Neighborhood” or even the coveted “Best Cook” citation. As life goes on, none of that seems (if it ever did) as important as training puppies, sharing a glass of wine with Bob at sunset, or dinner with friends.

Today was Puppy Class at Petsmart. Oops, now that we are in the Intermediate Class, I must stop referring to it as Puppy Class. It is worth the 170 mile round trip just to watch LuAnn and Lucky prance into Petsmart as if they owned it. (For the amount we have paid out in classes, they probably have a right to that feeling.)

Our morning lesson included a task where the dogs are to go to their beds on command. Cathy, our delightfully patient instructor, said the usual words used were those we said when it was time for our charges to go to bed. She said most people said, “Bed” or “Place”. At that moment she turned to me and said, “What do you say to Lucky and LuAnn to get them to go to bed?” Chagrinned at our use of baby talk with both the dogs and the birds, I softly intoned, “Beddy Bye.” I looked up to see Cathy trying not to laugh, nearly managing to keep the smile off her face, and finally giving in to a big grin.

Suddenly a fleeting memory from teaching crossed my mind. We use to tell these amusing parent-student stories in the faculty lounge at recess. Now, I could see that the personell in the coffee room at Petsmart were about to be entertained with “Beddy Bye”. And that really is okay with me. Frankly, I deserve it and no one likes a good story more than me. . . especially at my own expense. And by the way, we decided on “Park It” for the command. I think it has a young parent ring to it. It sounds like something one might hear in a Wal-Mart on Saturday morning.

Tomorrow I will leave retirement and spend the day administrating reading tests at one of our local elementary schools. This is a matter of ego. . . unadulterated ego. I received a call from one of the Principals who began the conversation with “Although we have not met, I have heard from so many people in the district that you were an outstanding teacher.” Well she went on and I think the word “stellar” was thrown in at least once. But words no longer mattered. I was hooked and she was successfully reeling me in. I, who hate testing with a passion, said, “Why I would be delighted to help out.” So tomorrow, I will arrive at school promptly at 7:30 to receive my testing instructions. Ego and Pride equals setting the alarm clock, rushing off, and testing, testing, testing. All this because I was basking in past victories. I know there is an important life lesson to be learned and I will probably figure it out after the first challenging hour tomorrow.

So Sunday draws to a close. Bob and I have put the birds in their night time cages. Can you believe I sing the Brahm’s Lullaby to them each night? (Okay, another story for Petsmart’s lounge.) The three dogs have gone beddy bye and Bob has settled in to read his email. For me, it is going to be an early night so that I can greet my first testee, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, in the morning.

Of all the silly things, when I couldn’t sleep last night, I found myself staring at the ceiling and thinking about telephones. Not telephones of today, but telephones from my childhood and teen age years.

First thing that came to mind was the phone number that my family had from 1941 to sometime in the early 1950’s. It was Pleasant 3242. I also remember another number that started with Locust. I think it belonged to our good friends, the Andersons. Somewhere during that time the PL in Pleasant was changed to numbers, but we still called it PL.

This led me to reminisce about other changes During those years, my dad worked for Northwestern Bell which was fondly referred to as “Ma Bell”. I can remember when we had just one phone and that was on a two party line. It rang once for us and two rings for the other party. I don’t think we knew the other family on our line, but curious child that I was, I was not above listening in on their conversations.

My next recollection was that we had a private line and two phones on it. I think this was one of the perks my father received for being an employee. Now I could listen in on family conversations, but I recall that the recipient of the call usually yelled into the phone, “Mary Lorraine, get off now!” (I was not Maria when I was a child. That came later.)

Having two phones meant that when my parents were out and I had a friend visiting, we had the extra phone to listen in on, when one of us rose to the dare of calling a local store with “Do you have Prince Albert in a can? “ and then laughing hysterically as one of us blurted out, “Well let him out?”

I don’t remember much about color. I think phones were all basic black. The one in the dining room hung next to the door that led to the kitchen. The other one was in my parents bedroom. It too was black. When the colored phones came out, I remember we traded for a cream colored one. Very modern and sleek for the time.

After exhausting my thoughts about telephones in the 40’s, I went back to sleep trying to remember the names of the nearby streets. Let’s see there was Pleasant Avenue, Harriet, Avenue, Pillsbury Avenue, Blaisdale Avenue, Lyndale Avenue, Nicollett. Avenu . . . ZZZZZZZ