Walking and talking with Mimi

Last night, I was losing my on going battle with this annoying cough, so I took some generic Nyquil and waited for it to kick in. I knew I wouldn't have much time to take Olivia for a walk before the medicine started to knock me out. Last night also seemed to be grass-cutting night in our neighborhood. It seemed there were lawnmowers going everywhere I looked, or else evidence of neighbors having cut their lawns earlier in the day, as some inconsiderates leave their lawn clippings lying out in the street instead of sweeping them up.
When I exited the house, my John was running the trimmer around our lawn and across from us Marty was cutting grass while Jilli trimmed the shrubs and Little Mimi played in the driveway. She called out to me and I walked over to see her. Despite living directly across the street from our dear friends, it seems we've hardly seen them this summer, and my little Mimi is growing up so fast!
As Olivia and I headed off for a short walk, Mimi accompanied us, wearing flip-flops a size or 2 too big. Mimi remarked about all the grass clippings that littered our sidewalk. I told her it was because John had just finished cutting the grass and hadn't swept them up yet. I was soon to learn she has a hang-up (phobia??) about grass clippings on the pavement.
She walked in front of us where I could keep an eye on her, and was just chattering away, but with all the lawn equipment in use around us, I didn't hear much of what she was saying. I was looking down, watching and marveling at Olivia's behavior. I was of course walking much slower than my normal pace to avoid running over Mimi, but I was absolutely amazed that I wasn't having to keep Olivia in check. She stayed right at my side and was taking very slow and deliberate steps. It was almost as if she was tip-toeing. About that time, Mimi stumbled and went down, lightly scraping her hands. No blood, but still an ouchie! She immediately started crying so I picked her up to inspect closer for fresh wounds, but found none. She wasn't to be soothed, wanting only to go home to mommy. As we turned around and headed for home, Olivia now decides she has to poop, which of course brought about a delay, which of course only upset Mimi that much more.
Back home, mommy made it all better and put different shoes on Mimi, gave her a wash rag full of crushed ice to hold and we headed off on our walk again, this time Mimi at my side.
After we'd gone a short distance, she declared, "I don't know why Olivia did that!"
Me: Why Olivia did what?
Mimi: Pushed me down!
Me: Honey, Olivia didn't push you down.
We walked on, and she started chattering about other things, then it got quiet. Then...
Mimi: Well, I don't know why somebody did that.
Me: Why somebody did what?
Mimi: Made me fall.
Me: Nobody made your fall. Your flip-flops made you trip.
Mimi: Why?
Me: I don't know. They do that sometimes. Remember, you fell in the driveway a few minutes ago before we started walking?
Mimi: Oh. Do you like my knew swimsuit?
Me: It's very pretty. (It amazes me how their mind can switch gears so quickly).
Mimi: I'm getting over a little cold.
Me: Yeah, me too (it was easier to say mine was a cold than to try and explain a sinus/respiratory issue to a 3 year old)
Mimi: Mommy and daddy have a cold too.
Me: Well that was nice of you to share.
Mimi: Share what?
Me: Your cold. You shared your cold with mommy and daddy.
This brought on a moment of silence as she seemed to contemplate that notion.
By now we had reached the intersection, so we all stopped to allow Olivia to sit while we looked for any traffic. Mimi announced she wanted to go "that way", pointing to the left, which was my intention anyway, and we turned down the cul-de-sac.
Only the "L" shaped main street in our neighborhood has sidewalks. The three courts that connect to it do not, and this fact did not escape Mimi's attention.
Mimi: Why aren't there any sidewalks on this street?
Me: (I've always wondered the same thing, but have no good answers except...) I guess because the street isn't wide enough.
So she walked in the gutter and announced: I can walk here!
Me: Okay, but just watch where you're walking so you don't trip over anything.
As we passed by the fourth house where our friends Jim & Larry live, she asked: Who lives in that house?
Me: That's where Jim & Larry live. Do you know them?
Mimi: I don't think so.
Me: Do you know Peanut? (Peanut the dog)
Mimi: No. (I thought everybody knew Peanut!!)
Me: Did Papa-John and Grandma come visit you yesterday (sorry Grandma, I couldn't remember her pet name for you)?
Mimi: Yeah. They brought me pr.... ! (I couldn't understand her last word)
Me: They brought you presents? How nice!
Mimi: No, prizes!!
Me: Ohhh. What kind of prizes?
Mimi: Gel bracelets (or something like that) and a cowboy.
By now we've rounded the circle and are approaching a house where a lazy homeowner had left an enormous amount of grass clippings lying out in the street. It wasn't a case of him still working outside and hadn't gotten to it yet. This is what the man always does. So as we neared it, Mimi pointed out the grassy mess in the street and we made a wide path around the mess. After passing that house, Larry stepped out the front door with Peanut, barking and snarling wildly. Mimi giggled and said how cute Peanut was. (cute as a badger, I thought, knowing he'd sooner bite your hand off as to look at you). As we again approached the intersection, I half expected her to turn right and head towards home, but she said, "Let's go that way", again pointing to the left, so we did.
As we turned the corner and were once again on the sidewalk, we were again presented with a pathway full of grass clippings as that homeowner was in the process of cutting his grass. We hadn't gone more than a few feet when Mimi decided she'd had enough walking through grass clippings and declared: "I want to go home now." So we did an about face and headed home. Once we crossed the street and had a clear path,
she suddenly had to sit down and take her shoe off because she announced there was a stick in her shoe and she couldn't go any further. The shoe was turned upside down to empty it of the offending foreign object. There was no stick. Maybe a blade of grass perhaps, but no stick. Shoe back on, we resumed walking. I discovered I'm dealing with a future Drama Queen.
Once we got to the corner of my house, I fully expected her to cross the street and head for home, but she now decided she wanted to keep walking past her house. Apparently she was happy to walk anywhere as long as the street/sidewalk wasn't littered in grass clippings. Funny child!
So we walked to the next corner where we crossed paths with my next door neighbor, Aida, who was out for her nightly stroll. We stopped to say exchange "hellos", although Mimi professed to not know the woman, and refused to try and say her name. Mimi wanted to keep walking, but by now I could feel the medicine kicking in, and I just wanted to crawl into bed, so we finished our walk.
Mimi ran off to go play in her wading pool, and I headed home.
I'll remember our walk and talk forever, if only because I'll have the blog to go back and read in the coming years. to help jog my memory of events in my life, it is after all, somewhat of a diary (for the whole world to read). Will Mimi remember? Probably not. It was just a few minutes out of her day and nothing remarkable about it. She has her whole life ahead of her and no concept of wanting or needing to preserve precious memories. Perhaps when she's an adult, if we're still a part of each others lives, she'll be able to read this and know how much I enjoyed our little walk and talk.
:)

What is Friendship?, part 2

I blogged about a month ago on the subject of friendship, degrees of friendship, etc. and asked my readers to leave their thoughts. I'd like to thank everyone that took the time to comment. A few people emailed me their comments, preferring to remain anonymous from the rest of the world, or else because they don't how to leave comments on blogger. I thank you as well, and don't worry, I won't mention any of your names here (at least, not the ones that emailed me), so no worry of "getting into trouble" or offending your friends should they read what you have to say. ;)

I'm sure you've all heard the phrase: "We always hurt the ones we love the most". While I think it was probably referring to family members, I think it also holds true of friends. The ones that we're closest to are the ones that, at times, hurt us the most as well. Probably because we value their opinions and their relationship in our lives. If a total stranger or someone we only casually know says something hurtful to us (whether intentionally or by accident), most often we would probably just shrug it off, maybe laugh about it or get a little perturbed. But when it's someone close to us, it hurts our feelings. However, if it's a true friendship, we tend to work these things out and move on past it, perhaps even growing closer because it opened up a dialogue, hopefully of sincere honesty, that needed to happen.

Friendships are so freaking complicated!!

The closer the friendship-relationship, the more we enjoy the time that we spend with that person(s), regardless of how often or what takes place, when or where.
Sadly, there are some people out there, and while I do consider them a friend, that's not to say that I enjoy spending time with them. Yet I know that they are someone I can call upon if I'm in need, and they know they can call upon me as well, and we trust one another, but still, I don't want to spend any more time with that person than is absolutely necessary.
And to the converse of that, there are some people that I consider good/close friends that I enjoy spending time with and always look forward to talking to/visiting them, and yet I know I can't always depend upon them in an emergency or trust them with my secrets.

Am I warped? Do I have a misguided sense of what a friend should be?

Jason, I totally agree with you. A friend, regardless of whether they are casual or near/dear, should be willing to accept us for who we are, regardless of our sexual orientation, religious preferences, kind of car we drive/home we live in, clothes we wear, size of our bank account, etc. etc. Friends should embrace one anothers differences and help one another to grow as individuals.

I loved Ami's comment about how she and her best friend HAVE to remain that way, as they know too much about one another. LOL!!

Kyles, I'm with you, I'm a slacker when it comes to keeping in touch. Over the years, I've had more guy-friends than gal-pals. It's only been in recent years that I've started having more lady-friends. I guess because as we get older, it almost seems inappropriate if one or both of you are married to other people, to still be hanging out with someone of the opposite sex.

One person emailed me and wrote: "I've even gotten to the point in my life where many people that others would define as friends, I simply regard them as acquaintances. I don't know why really, I think because if they aren't considered a friend, then if the relationship turns sour or just fades away, then it won't hurt as much when this person is no longer a part of my life. I've been burned too many times in my life by friendships that have dissolved for one reason or another. I also think this is why I hesitate to let people get close to me, emotionally. I suppose it's like building a fortress around your heart to protect it."
Gee, I can totally identify with that!!

Another that emailed me said: "I guess it's just the way I was raised. Everybody we would meet was automatically considered a friend. At least until they did something to double cross us. And I think of everybody I ever spend any time with, hanging out, confiding in, or ever having opened my heart to, as my best friend."
I guess I can somewhat understand it. How we are raised certainly helps define who we are or how we regard others as adults.

Joanna left the comment that stated something to the effect that the term "best friend" sounded high schoolish, and to a certain extent, I agree. It is very seldom in my life that I've ever referred to a person in that capacity.

Another email wrote: "I feel guilty, or shamed in to calling some people my best friends because I've heard them refer to me that way. I'm afraid I'll hurt their feelings if I don't reciprocate the title of best friend. I know it would hurt my feelings if some people I consider my best friends didn't seem to value our friendship as much as I do."
Eh, I'm still leery of using the title "best". Typically, "close" or "dear" friend is as high on the scale as I'm willing to go, except in this one instance...

I still stand by my original statement that "best" means there can only be 1 friend in that category. There is one being in my life that truly fills that spot in my world. Only 1 being that makes me smile every time I see her, that I look forward to spending as much time with as possible, that, regardless of what she has done to cause me some kind of stress or worry, I don't take it personal and she has never held a grudge against me for any wrongs I may have directed at her (deliberately or accidentally). Only 1 being that I trust with my secrets, that I never worry will criticize or judge me for something I've said or done.
My best friend is "Man's Best Friend", Olivia.

First Blood, part 2

I think I'm in love!
Livvie and I arrived at the vet's office right on time Saturday morning, and her low, guttural growling started almost immediately.
I guess the smells associated with vets offices are just an automatic trigger for her that something unpleasant is about to happen.
The assistant showed us to the exam room, and Liv kept growling. The asst. asked if she needed to be muzzled, and I told her she might want to have one handy... just in case.
Then the vet came in, and with all three of us crowded into the tiny room, surrounding Olivia, she really got jumpy and anxious. The asst. reached for the muzzle, but the vet said "No", let's give her a chance. They opened up the jar of treats and took turns feeding them to her. Liv's growls subsided, but she still wouldn't stand still for the vet to touch her front leg where she wanted to draw the blood from.
Finally, the asst. and I were able to keep Olivia distracted enough, feeding my bottomless-pit dogter treat after treat, that she didn't even notice when the vet stuck her in her hind leg and drew a vial of blood. When the vet was done and we stopped feeding her, Olivia suddenly became everyones best friend, poking her nose towards them, snooping along the counter tops and drawers, and loving the attention, finally allowing the vet to actually look her over.
In 5 years of going to our now former vet, he never once gave her a chance to calm down and make friends, he was always in too much of a hurry to stick the muzzle on her and just jump right in with the exam.
I don't think our former vet was bad, but certainly I'm feeling that our new vet is better.
And somehow, the fact that she is/was the vet for Olivia's "relatives" and Diva, her bitch-mother (the 4-legged one, not me), just made her feel like an automatic friend of the family.
Yes, I'm loving our new vet.
Let's see how she does next month when my anti-social child, Bootsy, goes in for her exam.

Who will get to draw: First Blood ?

Olivia has an appointment at the vet's office tomorrow to have some bloodwork done.
I made the appointment with a "new" vet for a multitude of reasons.
I say "new", as I am switching over to this person/practice for my dogs' primary care from now on, but the place isn't really new to them. I've used them for our emergency vet needs several times in the past, and it's the vet our breeder uses, so it's not as if she's never been there before.
Some of the reasons I'm changing vets:
1) our current vet is a 1-man operation, and when he goes home at the end of the day, that's it. He refers any/all emergencies to a rip-off clinic 20 minutes away.
I understand the man wants to have a life and not be tied to his clinic 24/7, but I don't like taking my precious fur-babies to con-artist-vets that have no previous knowlegde of my children or their medical records/history, and seem only to be in business to play on your emotions and run up big bills.
2) our current vet has changed his office hours and it's getting more and more difficult to get in to see him without taking off work to do so. Again, I understand not wanting to be there 24/7, but is it asking too much to perhaps open/close late a couple of days a week? Most people can't get there by 4pm thru the week!! It's ridiculous. And besides, how often have I had 8am appointments only to have him not show up 'til 8:30 or so? Wastes my time and makes me late for work!
3) our current vet is adamant about giving certain vaccinations, and won't consider a 3-year rabies shot, or administering a Titers test before giving it.
4) Livvie really doesn't like the man and we end up having to muzzle her every time we take her.
So...

I "interviewed" several clinics recently, but so few of them seem to deal with their own client-emergencies for after-hours/weekends/holidays, it really disheartened me about vets in general. I knew that the clinic we'd used for emergency purposes in the past obviously did their own on-call stuff, and certainly, they are very used to dealing with Great Danes. The vet I talked with about Livvie's situation agreed wholeheartedly about getting the Titer's done on her instead of just automatically vaccinating her.
Now, if Olivia will just like these people... if not, it's going to be a toss-up as to who will draw first blood, the vet that needs the blood sample to send off the to lab? or Olivia when she flips out because a stranger is going to stick her with a needle.
I'll let you know how it goes on Monday. Wish us luck!!

You don't bring me flowers

A classic duet between two of musics finest. Each having released the song as a solo on their own albums, the song didn't really take off until a local dj combined the two versions...

The roots of the song, as chronicled in the myriad of Streisand and Diamond biographies as well as Streisand's Just for the Record box set, revolves around WAKY-AM/Louisville KY program director, Gary Guthrie, who spliced the two solo tracks together as a going away present to his wife, who he had just divorced. As the real life fairytale behind the song unfolded, it triggered a media buzz worldwide from Good Morning America and People magazine to the BBC. Interest in the duet caused such a clamor on the retail level that Columbia Records was compelled to bring Barb and Neil into the studio to record an "official" version in October, 1978. The song reached number one on the Hot 100 chart for two non-consecutive weeks in December 1978, producing the third #1 hit for both singers.[2] Acknowledgment and gratitude for Guthrie came from CBS with a Gold record plaque, flowers from Diamond, a telegram from Streisand, while the duo's fans were treated with an incomparable performance of the song during the 1980 Grammy Awards show, a performance featured on highlight reels ever since.

It was all downhill after that

All last week I was battling some sort of upper respiratory infection (actually, still am a wee bit). No, I didn't go to the doctor, #1) because I never ran a fever and #2) because sometimes I think some illnesses just need to run their course, and #3) because I already had a doctor's appt. scheduled for Tuesday, so why go twice? So I couldn't say definitely what ailment plagued me.
Anywho...
Saturday morning when I got up, I was feeling marginally better, headache was gone and I wasn't coughing up anymore phlegm, so I decided to go ahead and participate in a 5k I'd signed up for. I loaded Olivia up in the car and drove to Greenville, Indiana. That would be the Floyds Knobs area, way out in the country. I guess I'd had a mental lapse since last year, and forgotten how hilly the course was... you see, I'm a bit of a wimp, and I try to avoid courses that are hilly.
It had rained a few hours before, driving the already high humidity levels up even higher, but thankfully, lowering the temperatures just a wee bit.
The race started at 8am and we took off, bringing up the rear of the pack. A fire truck followed behind the crowd to help block traffic, (and I thought to serve as emergency personnel for anyone that should get sick or injured on the course, but apparently I was wrong) and to make sure nobody got left behind out on the course (it's been known to happen).
Up and down the hills we went. Despite having stretched beforehand, my feet and shins started aching within the first 1/2 mile. By the time I'd gone a mile, both my feet were almost numb, I could hardly feel any sensation in them. With every step I took, my right ankle felt like it wanted to roll outwards. Fortunately, much of the course is shaded under the canopy of tree limbs that hang out over the road, so at least it wasn't too miserable from the temperatures. As we turned the final corner and headed up the last hill that loomed long and steep ahead of us, my already weakened energy reserves started giving out with less than 1/2 mile to go.
You know those tv shows were there is a debate between good and bad and you see a little devil and angel sitting on the person's shoulder, trying to convince them to decide one way or the other? That's what I felt like was happening with me, one little voice was saying: Just stop and take a break or ask the firefighters to drive you the rest of the way, it's not worth what you're doing to yourself. While the other little voice was saying, Don't give up now, the finish line is at the top of the hill, you can do it!! The only problem was, I'm not sure which was the "good voice" and which was the "evil voice".
Was evil wanting me to be a quitter? Or was evil wanting me to kill myself by pushing ahead?
Half way up the hill, my steps began to falter. I suddenly remembered something from the past that said if you're having trouble walking up a hill, try walking up it backwards. I used to do this a lot at our previous residence which had a steep driveway, and it had always worked for me, so I decided to try it this time, but in the process of trying to turn around, my feet/knees/legs/etc.etc. gave out on me and down I went. I scraped my left knee in the process, turned my right ankle, stumbling, and doing an awkward dance to try and stay upright, I finally went down, flat on my back and bumping my head on the pavement and just laid there for a moment trying to catch my breath. I kept thinking, any moment, one of the emergency personnel from the firetruck is going to come and assist me, but no one appeared to offer assistance. I finally pushed myself up off the ground, staggered to my feet, and limp-marched on towards the finish line, the firetruck following behind me. By now I wasn't feeling the pain and numbness, no, I was feeling anger. I was beyond pissed that no one from the fire truck had even, at the very least, stuck their head out the window to call out and ask if I was ok.
I'd like to say the rest of the day went by uneventfully, but unfortunately, it was all downhill from there, and that wasn't a good thing. :(

Pearl's virtual vacation

This was supposed to be a 40-day/night virtual vacation for my down-under friend, Pearl, in celebration of her upcoming 40th birthday. Sadly though, my camera died last week and right now I don't have the funds to purchase a new one, so her vacation was cut short. Sorry Pearl! I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer:

While Pearl's image might not be included in every single photo, that doesn't mean she wasn't there. Sometimes, it was just too much to hold her, hold on to the dog, and try to take a photo, all at the same time. Trust me, Pearl went everywhere with us!!

Pearl's first night with us, we took her to Tinseltown (NOT Hollywood), but the movie theater, for the premiere of the movie "Marmaduke"...

Cute movie, not great, but if you're a dane owner, you'll appreciate it.
Notice the (faux) pearls?

After the movie, we went to dinner at El Nopal, our favorite Mexican restaurant...

Fortunately, my husband is a good sport and was willing to play along, if occasionally making goofy faces.

After dinner, it was time to go for a ride on our friends/neighbors new "toy"...

That would be Mia in the middle, and Marty driving.

Mia says, "Happy Birthday Pearl!"

Cuddling with Olivia.

The next day it was time to go to the farm where I volunteer. You are now an honorary volunteer!


What barn would be complete without a cat to help catch mice? Okay, so we have lazy cats that like to sleep in their feed pans.

Later that evening, John went out to do his civic duty with the fire department, and...

Pearl & I stayed home to watch him on television. He was a part of the opening ceremonies of the annual telethon, The Crusade for Children, which raises money for special-needs children in our area.


Sorry for the grainy image but it's hard to get a good shot of the tv screen. I broke down in tears when I saw him holding that little boy. **sob**

Next day took us down to the riverfront. Louisville is a river city, and barge traffic is a common sight...

On the far side of the river is Jeff-Boat, which is a company that makes barges. It's neat to go and watch them launch a barge for the first time.

These are the boat docks by Tow-Head Island, for patrons of Tumbleweed. Also where they hold the annual Polar Bear Plunge.

Sitting pretty. We're just killing time, waiting for The Liver Life Walk to begin...

Tow-Head Island. Odd name, eh?

You can barely see them, but there are a couple of sunken barges at the tip and to the left of the island. Deliberate? Probably, but I don't know why.

This plaque is posted by the boat docks. Seems like an odd place to place it.

Once the walk was over, we took a break in the shade.

Congratulations Pearl! You just finished your first charity walk event with us (the first of several to come).

Tumbleweed Restaurant (Tex-Mex style). Great salsa, but some of the worst queso. :(

After finishing the walk, we joined John at the firehouse where they were having a post-Crusade picnic.

This is Nolin, our interim-chief (don't ask what happened to the other!), and his 2 little girls.

Next day I took you out to run errands with me while at work.

A chocolate milkshake from DQ (Dairy Queen) is a must!

Back at the office, let me give you the grand tour...

This is the garden area where the swimming pool used to be (yes, a swimming pool at a funeral home).

That's my office window, right over the point of the front porch.

Okay Pearl, you ARE in this photo, can you find yourself??

Give up?

See that flower pot on the left side of the photo? You are just to the right of that, in front of the ivy. We could almost make this like a game of "Where's Waldo?"

Again with the swimming pool area.

Moving indoors...

Pink and burgandy and a collection of mis-matched furniture. Some of it fine antiques, some just junk...

And the dreaded flight of stairs leading to my office. You'd think as many times a day as I have to go up and down them, my butt wouldn't be so big.

It's Monday evening, that can only mean one thing!

It's Moe-Monday!! We go just aboaut every Monday, for $5 each, we get a giant burrito, unlimited chips and salsa, and a beverage.

Sometimes friends join us for Moe-Mondays...

like Mia. Our friends Tony & Jeanie usually go with us, but not this week.

This is Kimberly, the manager.

Tueday evenings are reserved for riding lessons at Twin Oaks Riding Stables

Safety first! Must wear a helmet.

This is Pixie (or maybe it's Dixie, I can't tell them apart yet). Lessons weren't very pleasant this evening, as she kept trying to buck me off. :(

I know you're not a "dog-person" Pearl, but we are, so you just have to accept that cuddle-time with the fur-babies is going to take place on a daily basis.

Time to work-out!

Mondays and Tuesdays aren't very good for getting much walking done, but the rest of the week, we try to get a minimum of one complete lap around the neighborhood, and if it's not too miserable (weather-wise), we'll go for two or even three laps.


One of these days, I really need to remember to bring my walking shoes and take a hike...

This little gem of tranquility and serene beauty is just about 4 or 5 blocks from my office.

Complete with a rock garden and water fall,

hiking trails and walking pathes,

trees and wildflowers galore...

All of this is the setting for the county library.

After all the vandalism and break-ins of late in our neighborhood, we decided it was time to go shopping and get the exterior lights fixed over our garage. So we headed to Lowes (home improvement store).

Are these funky little lamp shades not the cutest?

waiting for assistance

Back down at the riverfront for another charity walk, this time the Larosa Loop.

However, I only took photos of the Lincoln Memorial (President Abraham Lincoln that is)

This nice amphitheater, of carved granite (I think) surrounds the main feature...

There were several of these bronze, carved plaques lining the sidewak. Neat to look at and informative. All the artwork was by famed sculptor, Ed Hamilton.

Okay, back to the waterfront...

What river would be complete without duck(s)?

The police department's river-patrol station. Actually, I took this photo to show the all the may-flies covering the building. There's a big bunch in the upper left corner and another to the left of the front door.

Personally, I wouldn't dip a toe in the Ohio River water, but some people get brave and kyak it, and yes, that is a swimmer trailing behind the boat. Blech!!

There was large tent set up to feed the participants (of the Larosa Loop) lunch, but I didn't have time to stick around for it. :(

I don't know how long this sign has been down at River Road and Frankfort Ave., but I only recently noticed it. So I don't know how far off in the future the plans are for the botanical gardens, but I'd certainly like to go if/when they get it up and running.

This building facade is a landmark along River Rd. @ Frankfort Ave. It was from a home that was originally built in the Highlands (I think) by some famous architect from Germany (I really should research the story to refresh my memory). Anyway, the homes were being tore down and the hysterical society, er, I mean HISTORICAL society had it moved to it's current location.

Just a few random pictures from my garden...

The latest pair of mourning dove babes. As much as I'm afraid of birds, I do enjoy watching them grow up, we usually get to watch two pair grow up each spring. So cute!

Back out to the farm for our weekly dose of farm-life!

This little horse's ass, I mean miniature Sicilian donkey, is the newest addition at the farm. His name is Grady O'Brady.

John's cousin was getting married and had an outdoor wedding. It was hot, humid, and miserable!!

I felt so sorry for the wedding party in their formal clothing.

The ringbearer and flower girl. He is the grandson of the groom. I think she might be the bride's granddaughter (or maybe niece).

The happy couple!

And another happy couple! Why can't I have a normal looking smile in photos?

And this little cutie is named "Pearl". Seriously, I'm not making it up.

Okay, her name is actually: Una Pearl (don't ask me what the last name is). She would be John's 3rd-cousin.

The Q-tip-headed woman above Pearl is John's aunt Doris. It was her house/backyard where the wedding took place. For such a religious family, I don't know why they keep having all their weddings around the swimming pool (in the horrid heat!!).

I don't have any photos to show for it, but we left the wedding, stopped by the local firehouse to change clothes, then made a bee-line to the nearest Hooters Restaurant to watch the UFC pay-perview fights. It was a madhouse, but we loved it!!

Sunday, it was time to finally install that new lighting over the garage.

Former neighbor (but still a friend), Matt, came over to help John install it.

He's a whiz at these things, and he said it got him out of cutting his lawn, so he was happy to help.

It works great Matt, thanks!!

Despite the gray skies the next morning,

there was some beauty to be found in it.
I just love rainbows!!

Okay, so remember the Lincoln memorial?

I was flipping through the newspaper while at work and saw this little news bit...

Rainbows in the morning, and rather ominous skies in the evening.

Scary as those clouds were that were blowing in, they were still intriguing and beautiful to watch.

Pearl, have you ever felt like you've so much to do and not enough time in the day to get it done, that you wished there were two of you?

Well how about 3? Pearl in triplicate!!

One evening that week, we went to The Red Pepper Deli for dinner. They have simply the BEST chicken salad sandwich! Their chicken chipotle pasta is pretty good as well. Actually, I've never had anything from there that wasn't good. This is their newest store in Crestwood. I usually go to the one in downtown LaGrange, whenever I happen to meet a friend or family member for a lunch-date.

The chicken salad sandwich. To die for!

The husband was gone this evening, so I took you on a tour of Pewee Valley.

It's a small, historic community (as most of Oldham County seems to be) just a couple of minutes from my home.
Land of "The Little Colonel"...

The town was originally named Smith's Station, and was a "summer home" area where the affluent residents from Louisville would spend their summers and holidays (but that was a lifetime ago...)

There are many homes on the historic register located here. It's an area very rich in history and it holds close to it's southern ties (southern as in the confederacy side of the war between the north and the south).

Now the town is centered around the Little Colonel Playhouse, named for the series of books by author Annie Fellows Johnston who resided in the area.

I've been told, although I won't absolutely swear to it, that another famous author, Sue Grafton, also lives in the area.

Time to travel to Henry County, more specifically, Turner's Station. It has become a non-existent town, with only a few old homes and a Baptist Church to remind us of it's existence. This is where my friend lives that I often dog-sit for. Oh yes, and whom I've gotten 4 of my 5 great danes from.

Now here's an oddity. One would normally only expect to find cactus growing (wild) in a desert situation, or at least, an area that is arid and hot. Kentucky might get hot in the summer, but it's far from arid or anything desert-like. Yet here they are, growing wild in my friend's yard.

She runs over them with the lawn mower and they just grow back. You'd think the cold weather in winter would kill them off, but no, they just keep coming back. Just crazy!! I can't keep one alive in my house, yet they grow wild for her.

It's Father's Day weekend. We took John's dad to Longhorn Steakhouse to celebrate on Saturday evening...

Apparently everyone else had the same idea as the place was packed!

Afterwards, we went back to dad's place...

This is Walt, my f-i-l. He'll be 90 in a few weeks.
We had a scare earlier in the week that left us wondering if he'd make it to 90. He had fallen at his condo and emergency personnel were summoned by his Life Alert pendant.

They had to break down the door of the patio to gain access to him.

Fortunately, he was fine, but it certainly scared us all.

The next day, we went to my parents house.

That's my sister, I call her "Gertrude" all the time.

And my dad. I swear it's tank top and not a wife-beater shirt. We're not THAT redneck!!

Notice John in the background?

Let's eat!!

We love going to watch Bats Baseball.

Our seats are directly across the field from where we are standing.

Friends, Glenn & Faye, accompanied us on this occasion.

I don't know if I'm just unobservant or if this is a new feature, but I swear, as many times as I've been to this ballpark, this was the first time I ever noticed this waterfall.

Walking back to the car, just some miscellaneous things along the way...

After eating at Moe's this Monday evening, we took a drive towards the river. We were actually headed to Henry's Ark (a small, free zoo), but upon arrival, discovered it was closed on Mondays. :(

So we headed on down Rose Island Road towards the river and past the homes of some well-to-do residents.

This lighthouse is at the entrance to a new development called Rivers Landing.

The homes surround a 25 acre lake, many with their own docks.

If I had the money to buy that kind of home, I think I'd rather buy some land out in the country and build a log cabin. A fancy-shmancy home isn't for me.

We came across a boatyard with this big old yacht (old being the operative word). It was so long, I couldn't get it all in one shot. Whatcha think? We should buy it, fix it up and set out for a sea-cruise?

Time once again for riding lessons. This week I rode Jazz.

More pix in the garden. John doesn't even like tomatoes, but he is passionate about growing them to share with the neighbors. We plant more and more each year.

I took this random picture because I know how much you like the color orange.

I can easily envision you living in an orange house with a small yard and flowers growing around it. :)

Friday night, it was time to head to the Iroquois Amphitheater to see Travis Tritt in concert. **swoon**

The music was good, his showmanship was great. I just wish we could've stayed 'til the very end. :(

The next day we were back down at the waterfront for another charity walk, this time the S.C.I.A.K. (spinal cord injury alliance of Kentucky).

Thought I'd take some pictures of the funky-art that is on display at the park.

It's a mix of birds, fish, and bird-fish. Just wierd stuff.

Back out at farm, we helped Crazy, the horse, work on another painting.

Artwork in progress...

This was Crazy's most recent piece of artwork. He was commissioned to create it, using the same colors as his original. Of course, every art piece is an original, one-of-a-kind.

Alas, this is where your vacation ends, as it was shortly after this photo was taken that my camera died. **sniff**

I hope you have enjoyed your virtual vacation with us. Some days were full of activities, some days were just ho-hum. But that's life, eh?