Monday, February 28, 2011

Farewell to Our Best Friend

We’re sorry to tell all of our friends that we have lost our best friend, companion, “best child”, and “fur kid”, Pearl.

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She was 16 years old when we lost her, which is very old for a large dog.  We rescued her when she was 6, so we had 10 great years together.

She was originally a breeding dog, and kept in a small area for her first few years.  She never had a chance to learn about how to be a dog, but we didn’t care.  Her next owners lived in a condo and kept her in a bedroom and let her outside on a deck.  Not good for an active retriever.  Then the owner had kids, and Pearl was to much trouble.  A coworker told me about her, and I asked her to bring her by to meet Linda.  It was love at first sight, and Pearl had a real home for the first time.

She didn’t do a lot of doggie things.  She didn’t chase a ball, or play tug-a-war with a towel.  She didn’t like water, which was rare for a pure bred Lab.  But she loved us, and we loved her just the way she was.

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She loved her time in Turlock, where Linda would take her for long walks through the alleys so she didn’t have to be on a leash.  The only time she barked was when she wanted to come into the house from outside.  She stood at the back door and gave out 1 deep “woof”.  And we would let her in.  After all, she was the queen.

When we sold the house and moved into the MoHo, Pearl adapted really well to life on the road.  She enjoyed meeting new people, and smelling all of the different scents as we moved around the U.S.

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She loved meeting other dogs and other friends.

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This last year we have stayed at our condo in Laguna Woods just to make Pearl’s last days as comfortable as possible.  Even with the ramp, she had trouble getting into and out of the MoHo.  And it was worth it to get another 10 months with our Pearl.

Now it doesn’t seem the same.  We both have moments when we think our Pearl is still with us.  And we think of all of the great times we shared together.  We are so thank full for the great 10 years together.  And our hearts have a permanent hole in them.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Jeni’s Special Birthday

Our daughter, Jeni, has not been able to celebrate her birthday with the family for four years because she’s been on the East Coast pursuing her PhD.  Now that she’s in AZ, it’s easier for everyone to get together.  And this year is one of those birthdays that ends with a 0, so her Mom wanted it to be extra special.
The day start with all of the ladies meeting at the Glen Ivy Spa in Corona.  This is a 10 acre facility with hot springs and many pools.
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Here is a group shot before everyone went off to their appointments.
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The ladies spent the whole day there being treated as the Princesses they are.  Meanwhile, I was home shopping and cooking the birthday dinner, with my homemade sour cream chicken enchiladas as the star.  We all me at Linda’s sister, Donna’s,  house for dinner, games and presents.
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Two of Jeni’s good friends from her time in Thousand Oaks came all the way to the spa day and dinner.
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Even thought it was Jeni’s birthday, the kids still got a lot of attention.
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And a good time was had by everyone, especially the birthday girl!
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Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Iris & Violet Come for a Visit

This was a busy week for us.  I still had my class to teach, and Linda started with her income tax appointments.  She is scheduled all day on Wednesdays.  It’s almost like a real job, except that she doesn’t get paid! Some of her older clients can be really cranky.  I guess no one likes to pay taxes.

On Friday we watched Iris & Violet of Rik & Valerie.  We always love spending time with these energetic young ladies.  Linda and the girls spent some time with GG (Great Grandma Lois) and then came out to the condo.  I made some spaghetti for dinner, which everyone enjoyed.  Linda did some crafts with the girls, and then they turned in for the night.  After a healthy breakfast, we went to visit the horses.  There a stables here in Laguna Woods, and we’ve taken Iris to visit the horses before.  She always enjoys them, but in the past she has been a little scared of them, and wouldn’t pet them or get to close.  Well, they are awful big! But this time she went right up to them and wasn’t frightened at all.  And Violet enjoyed them also.

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There was classes going on and we were able to watch them in the arena.  There was also a horse getting a bath that the kids enjoyed watching.  We had a really great time, but we had to drop the girls off at their house so that they could go to a party.

On Saturday night we went to a performance of “The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber”.  It starred Bill Hutton, who was the original Joseph on Broadway and starred for 749 performances, and Dale Kristien who played Christine Daae in the Phantom of the Opera on Broadway and in Los Angeles.  In fact, when we first saw Phantom in L.A., she was the star.  They were both very good with a wide selection of songs with a great pianist providing the music.  It was a great night with many standing ovations.

We had a quiet Valentine’s day with a special dinner cooked by ME, that turned out very well.  Sometimes it’s just good to stay home and enjoy each other, rather than to go out with the crowds.  It sounds like I’m getting old doesn’t it.

That’s it for now, more news next week. 

Monday, February 07, 2011

William Jaxson is Four Months Old

That’s hard to believe! It seems like only yesterday that we were at the hospital welcoming the “little dude”.  He’s now 241/2 inches tall, and weights in at 15lb,1oz.

Jaxson came down with the Croup, which causes a lot coughing and trouble breathing.  So Linda volunteered to babysit him last week.  I missed her, but Jaxson comes first.

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Can you read the bib? It says I Love Grandpa! What can I say….

Here’s some pictures:

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And he’s rolling over from his back to the front.

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He likes to look at himself in the mirror.  Is that a bad sign?

On Wednesday I picked up Linda in Hemet and we met our good friends Bob & Maggie Lawlor, and Dave & Cheryl Anderson.  They are from the Northwest and we usually spend time together each Winter.  But we’re in Laguna Woods for the Winter this year.  They drove over the hill from Indio where they were staying at Indian Waters.  We really miss spending time with our friends, but we love Jaxson and Pearl.  We’ll be back on the road sometime, but we’re enjoying ourselves this Winter too for different reasons.

To see all of the pictures I took of our 4 month old Jaxson, click on this link:

https://picasaweb.google.com/winequest/JaxsonAt4Months#

That’s it this week.  Tune in next week for another update.