Hello again

Yes, I know.
I have been gone for a while. It's hard to find time to blog when I'm busy facebooking, exercising, counting calories, facebooking, teaching, swim practice driving, etc.
Meanwhile, I'm supposed to be reading Shawn's current textbook.
Oh, and planning our vacation to Disney in a few months. This time we let the kids in on the plans. I just bought Hailey a Tinkerbell costume off eBay that she can wear while we're there. Yes, she still likes to play dress up. I'm going to try to snag her another Giselle wedding dress tomorrow. She absolutely loved the one she just outgrew. In fact, I've had to tell her she can't wear it anymore.
We are planning to camp at Disney's Fort Wilderness Campground and Resort. We love camping, and wish we could go more often than we have recently. So I'm really looking forward to it. The dogs even get to go!

Yup

I don't know why he picked that day to bother me, but I was sick up to "here" with door-to-door solicitation, and I was having none of it.
"Hi, My name is (insert forgotten name, because I didn't really give a flip at the moment), and I'm selling meat."
"I'm not interested. Please leave."
"Don't you like great steaks?"
"No, we don't eat red meat. Good-bye."
(totally a lie, and I'm going to roast in hell for it)
"What about chicken? I have a great deal on chicken that I'm sure you will enjoy."
"I'm really not interested, now please go away."
Sounding a little desperate, now, "You mean you don't like good deals?"
"No, I despise good deals, and I'm not interested in the least in what you have to offer. Now really, I'm going inside, and you need to go."
**As I turn to go inside, the passenger in the mini-van hops out, and I assume he is going to try to convince me. I throw up my hand in a "stop" motion, effectively halting him in his tracks**
"I SAID I AM NOT INTERESTED IN WHATEVER IT IS YOU ARE SELLING! NOW,
GET OFF MY PROPERTY!!!!!"
"I was just wondering if (insert another forgotten, incorrect name) still lives over there." **indicating my next door neighbor, who I happen to know has lived there since the neighborhood has been built
"I have no idea." **I go inside, and they finally leave.

Cut to last night, when I saw a news clip of a woman who had been scammed by a door-to-door meat salesman. They showed his picture.

IT WAS THE SAME GUY!
I knew it!!!

Thankful

I knew I shouldn't do it. Shawn even questioned my decision. But I let both of our Yorkies outside in the front with me while I pulled weeds out of the flower bed. I was keeping an eye on them (mostly).

They were running around chasing butterflies and hummingbirds and having a jolly time. But after a while, I got distracted and didn't notice that Zaccheus was no longer near me.

I looked up just in time to see Cricket jump to full alert and run around the house. That's when I registered what I was hearing. I could hear a small dog screaming for it's life, and Zacchie was no where to be seen.

By the time I got around to the back, my husband was in a full out run towards the heart-stopping sound. Then the sound stopped. The silence was worse that the screaming, because then we couldn't find where it had come from, and Zacchie didn't answer when we called. Not even a jingle of his collar.

Frantic now, Shawn jumped the fence into the neighbor's wooded back yard, and went around calling his name, begging him to answer.

No sound.

I ran around the back of their fence all the way around the block to check the next couple of neighbors away. They have many big dogs, and I just knew that if Zaccheus had gotten close enough to their teeth, they would have pulled him into the fence and eaten him alive.

Still no sign of him.

Crying now, and desperate to hear his voice, even if it was a wimper, I stopped to listen carefully. Cricket had come with me, and she gave no sign of recognition.

I walked the rest of the way home, occasionally calling out his name. By the time I got back round to our house, I knew it. Zacchie was gone. To neighbor dogs or a passing hawk, I didn't know, but gone just the same.

Cricket was waiting by the door for me to let her in, panting, and in need of a drink. I opened the door and was met by a beautiful sight.

Zaccheus.

Safe and sound, waiting for me to play with him.

Still

Once upon a time a young girl went camping with her parents, and while they were camping, they journeyed to a beautiful spring with an old fashioned mill. While the girl was enjoying the sight of this mill from the shade of a giant tree, her mother suggested that it would be the perfect place to get the first kiss from that perfect "someone."

The girl tucked that information away in her heart to think about at a later time.

By and by, the girl began taking night classes at the local community college, and there she met a nice boy who, by chance, was taking some of the same classes.

They attended a school function, where they realized they each enjoyed the company of the other. They began studying together, and the boy even went to church with the girl.

Somewhere along the way, the girl shared the story about the beautiful mill, and her mother's suggestion, and the boy tucked that information away into his heart to think about at a later time, for himself.

Days grew to weeks, which became months, and the boy and girl realized that their love for each other was great enough to consider marriage.

The boy had a great adventure planned for himself and the girl he loved. He had never forgotten the story he had heard from her about the beautiful mill and her mother's suggestion.

He took her there one day. They had a picnic right under the tree near the spring, in view of the old mill. And then, with purpose and determination, he leaned in and kissed the girl he loved so much.

Many years, marriage, cats, dogs, fish, and two children later, the boy, now grown into a man, took his love back to the mill. The tree was still there. The spring was still flowing with cold, clear water. The children recognized the mill from a painting of it that hangs over their fireplace.

He kissed her once more under the shadow of the tree. And she knew her mother was still right, even after all these years.

It was still the perfect place to be kissed by that perfect someone.

Adventures in Crockpot-Land

I'm not what you'd call adventurous in the food department. I know what I like wherever I go, and I usually order the same thing. The only way I'll get something different is if YOU order it, I try it, and I like it enough to remember to get it the next time.
While I was in Iowa, my cousin's wife cooked up some enchiladas that I bravely tried. They were very, very good. In fact, they were so good, I friended her on facebook to request the recipe. It took her a while to get back to me with it, and after getting a bit impatient, I found a recipe online for crockpot enchilada casserole that sounded do-able. Since I was really wanting to try it, I stopped at the grocery store for just what I needed. Ground turkey substituted for the ground beef, a can of Rotel tomatoes and chilis substituted for the can of green chilis, everything else was fine. I made up the mixture, layered it as directed, turned on the crockpot, and anticipated a wonderful dinner for the evening.
Meanwhile, as the crockpot simmered, I baby-sat a very good friend's four children, and enjoyed an adventurous day, filled with running through the neighbor's sprinkler without permission, disposing of a dead racoon, cleaning up vomit from the little one who started running a pretty high fever while I had no children's Tylenol to give.
Yep, fun was had by all. At least we had donut holes for breakfast.
Then, after all the excitement died down, I took Hailey to swim practice, where she didn't fail to impress me with her stamina and determination. (Proud momma here!)
I was still very much looking forward to a wonderful meal when I got back home.
After swim team, I hopped over to the in-law's rental place, where Shawn was mowing the grass, so it was almost 8:00 by the time I got home for dinner.
I lifted the lid from the pot, and saw that it was actually beyond done. It didn't look very good, but it smelled okay. I fixed Hailey and myself a portion, trying not to think about how it looked a little like the mess I'd cleaned up after my little friend.
And then I managed to get down a bowl of it, all while trying not to think of how the texture felt like the mess I'd cleaned up after my little friend.
And now it sits heavily in my stomach, and it makes me feel like I could make a mess very much like the one I cleaned up after my little friend.
I don't think I'll be making THAT again.
Fortunately, my cousin-in-law emailed me her recipe today.