Good ‘Ol Dog

This is our old dog Luther. We gave him to Matthew’s brother and his wife around 4 years ago just before we moved into an apartment that was too small for 2 big dogs. He is very happy in his “new” home, and he is just as cute.

He still remembers me. (o:

Things I’ll Miss (…and won’t miss)

Well, we have moved. It was a lot of work, and I am still trying to catch up on sleep and energy stores, but we are done and fairly settled. Oh, and if you ever want to really declutter, just rent a truck that is way too small to fit everything. You’ll be amazed at the things you will part with. (o:

Things I’ll Miss

• Our friends (some of which are pictured above)
• Unhomogenized milk in glass bottles
• The mild(er) weather
• The historic homes
• The mountians
• Our bakery and the friendly girl who works there
• Our UPS guy who talks about his son who is also in lawschool
• Some of our neighbors
• The long train of brown UPS trucks filing out onto the main road at exactly 9 a.m. after I’ve driven Matthew to school
• A view of the mountains from just about anywhere in town
• The roads lined with cedar trees
• The sound of the big bull frogs at night in the spring and summer by the pond

Things I Won’t Miss

• People who can’t merge onto the highway or go faster than 60 mph (I’m not being picky about this… it is a HUGE problem!)
• Really bad dry cleaners
• ZERO children’s shoe stores
• Surprisingly bad retail service and manners
• Verizon (particularly the almost comical, but more furiously frustrating “customer service”)
• Having someone always living below us
• Having to look at every single expiration date at the grocery store because they leave rotten/expired food on the shelves (no matter how many times you have to return things and complain)
• Lack of good restaurants
• Lack of good grocery stores
• Basically, a lack of good food
• Unclean air ducts in our apartment
• The HUGE “LU” emblem on the side of one of the mountains

A Really Good Dog

Pebbles
1991-2007

Our dog died on Saturday after 16 years of life (that’s 112 doggy years). She was sweet, smart, affectionate and full of character– she really seemed like a person most of the time. She could always tell when we were talking about her, and she always knew when she was about to go for a walk… it was kind of eerie actually. She had a happy howl/bark when she would get excited about going outside or going for a drive. She was also very stubborn but even more loyal, and it was obvious that she loved Matthew more than anything. I think she lived a long life just to be pet and praised by him.

Matthew got Pebbles shortly after his father died in 1992. Having to care for her (she did not start off as a very obedient dog) helped him to be able to focus on something else and get through some very difficult times. When he first got her, if she ran away, he had to make a trail of bread in order to get her to come back. She could get out of any collar, and break any chain. He persevered and continued to train her into an extremely obedient and loyal happy dog.

As long as I’ve been married to Matthew, Pebbles (otherwise known as Punky-Nub, Pebbley-Poo, or Pebble-Pot-Pie) was there too. For as long as I’ve known them both, they went for a long walk together every night. It feels strange to not need to refill her dog bowls. It’s strange to not hear her low snoring all night long, and to never hear the “click-clack” of her toenails on the hard floors.

Anyone who knew her well, knew that she was really one of a kind. We will always miss her.

Jug Head

I took this picture while we were visiting my parents a few weeks ago. This is a jug that I remember them having for my entire life. It held the door open in our den that was at the end of the hallway.

When we were little, my brother and sister and I would sometimes run from one end of the house, starting in the kitchen, through the dining room, down the hall, and then we would dive onto the couch in the den at the other end of the house.

It was great fun until my brother thought it would be funny to hide this jug between two of the cushions when it was my turn to jump.

The inevitable happened. It really hurt, but I didn’t realize how bad it was until I saw the distressed looks on my brother and sister’s faces. I pulled my hand off my forehead and it was dripping with blood.

I can’t remember how many stitches I got at the hospital, but I sure did get a lot of sympathy mileage out of that one. My brother was my pawn for months.

Look– after about 30 years my blood is still on it!

Tagged

Well, I’ve been tagged all the way from Scotland by our blogger friend, Neil. He has shared with the internet world 5 things about himself that people generally would not know otherwise, and has now tagged me and four other people to do the same. My list is not quite as humorous as his is, but it will likely be equally as surprising.

1. When I was about 18 years old, I had a fire engine red mohawk (I never wore it up), and I used to have a nose ring, a belly-button ring, and my ears were pierced 7 times.

2. I have a tattoo of a baby fairy dragon hatching out of an egg on half of my back.

3. I became a Christian when I was 24, and God transformed just about everything about me inside and out.

4. I can play pool and skateboard, although the half pipe always scared me.

5. The sound of someone wiping a plastic tablecloth makes me want to rip my skin off.

I know… #5 is probably pretty shocking for you all. Maybe I’ve been a little too open.

And now, I would like to tag Matthew, Jolly, Stephanie, Ursula, and Michael.