The granddog's visit

Since I had already arranged for a house/dog sitter to stay with our furry children while we were gone, the older daughter asked if she could bring her chupacabra Chorkie over to join the pack. With his snarky behavior, Chorkie's not a good candidate for boarding. I'm sure our sitter wasn't thrilled when I gave her the news, but she's a kind soul and didn't fall on the floor to have a conniption fit. And it didn't hurt that I threw in some extra cash for her efforts to corral the beast while we were gone. Maybe buy some hard liquor, or a cattle prod. Just kidding, ha-ha-ha. Mostly.

Our older cairn girl Pepper was around Chorkie from the time he was about four months until past his third birthday. Pepper is definitely the alpha of that duo and he knows it. He never tries to bluff and bluster her, so peace reigns when it's just the two of them.

Then there's our cairn puppy Finn. At six months, he's still got that rambunctiousness and bravado, figuring out how things work and where the boundaries are. It was convenient that Chorkie was already a fan of lounging in someone's lap when he stays at Nan and Da's house, the better to get away from the wee cream beastie. By the way, those are our furry grandchildren names that will probably stick for any real grandbabies we have down the road. Anyhoo, I snapped a few pics of Chorkie in his Da's lap... at the kitchen table and in the recliner. I swear that last one below looks as if Chorkie might be possum roadkill. 

Finn has matured some. Or maybe it's just that he has gotten Chorkie's number. Oh sure, he still occasionally leaps at Chorkie in an effort to engage him to interact. However, Chorkie seldom reacts anymore and thus Finn has lost his zeal for the gin-up-Mr Fuzzy Butt game. One day last week I was in my office working and looked up to see Finn flopped down right past the office doorway, barring the way so Chorkie couldn't pass. What a little stinker, and I'm talking about both of them. Honestly, I'm just glad it appears we've hit a season of kinder and gentler behavior going forward when Chorkie comes for a visit.

Now if I can just get Chorkie to quit peeing on everything on my back porch when he's here, I'll be an incredibly happy Nan. 

Dreaming of lake life once again

Last weekend we enjoyed our stay at a lovely VRBO on Lake Granbury, which is about an hour southwest of the DFW metroplex. In casting about Texas for places to retire, we figure the younger daughter will probably land at a law firm in the Dallas area. And so it made sense to look at lakes within about 75 miles of the best doctors, shopping and dining Dallas has to offer.

Founded in 1886 along the banks of the Brazos River, with a current population of about 10K, it's a precious historic oasis that appears to have retained it's small town appeal despite lots of convenient amenities to support the residents. While checking out the picturesque downtown square that features the 1890 Hood County courthouse, we ran across this fun boutique below. Pug on a Pontoon certainly is a conversation starter.

Mother would have gotten a kick out of that name since she loved her pugs. And she probably would have purchased me the above mug I spied in the store since it seems to be my mantra more and more as I age. Because seriously, I don't have the time or inclination to try and impress folks. I'm a prime example of that saying about turning a sow's ear into a silk purse, dontcha know. Mother was a firm believer in going out with your hair and face done, in an outfit with matching shoes. I've always chalked it up to her being a member of the earliest post-war baby boomer generation that grew up in the 50s. As I hit middle age, mother would ask me, "Are you going out like that?" Why yes, indeed, I am going to the grocery store in workout clothes with my hair in a ponytail and layer of shiny sunscreen as the only thing on my face. Our sweet Mimi was putting on makeup, a wig and matching shoes up until the bitter end, God bless her, because that's just how she rolled.

I purposely chose a lakefront house with dock to sit and watch the world go by late every afternoon. We were entertained by some ducks that lived in the little cove. In addition to checking out local amenities, y'all know I couldn't visit the lake without taking a gander at waterfront properties. Since I've got a bee in my bonnet about building a custom home for our retirement place, we located some plots with lovely views that I'd enjoy. So it seems Granbury will stay on the list as one of our top retirement options for now. 

State Fair of Texas

Last weekend we spent some time with our girls and the older daughter's fiance at the state fair of Texas in Dallas. It only took me five decades to get there, and I'm a fifth generation Texan. Actually, none of us had ever been to the state fair and so we were all excited to go.

The kids decided to go on one ride. I voted for this one below that I fondly remembered from the annual Southeast Texas fair I attended while growing up. I believe it was called the Himalaya back in the 80s. It was always great fun, though the person on the outside always got a bit squished as it picked up speed.

 

 

My choice got the down vote in lieu of the vertigo-inducing ride above. The husband and I took a hard pass on that. But hey, they seemed to enjoy a spin on Zero Gravity. 

On the fairgrounds you can get a gander at the historic Cotton Bowl where the Red River rivalry between the Longhorns and Sooners is played every year. There's also a children's aquarium, gardens that feature dinosaurs and a lagoon with little boats you can rent, just to name a few of their permanent attractions. 

Undoubtedly the best part of the fair, in my opinion, is all of the interesting eats. Fried butter, anyone?! We decided to forego that for more palatable options. We checked out the interactive map of new foods and gave the following a try: deep fried birria bombs, cheesy crab tater bites, bourbon banana caramel sopapillas and dill pickle pizza. Of course, we also had to sample one of Fletcher's famous state fair hot dogs. That's a whole lotta fried food, my friend. But never fear, we worked off quite a few of those calories by walking over four miles at the fair.

The girls enjoyed visiting the animal barns where we got to see cows, goats, sheep, pigs and chickens. We checked out the hall of new vehicles as well as one devoted to shopping. After about four hours on our feet, the crowds were getting worse and the bright sun had worn us down. All in all, we agreed it was an entertaining way to spend our Saturday. I was happy to be able to check off this activity from my bucket list. God bless Texas, y'all!

PS - We were oh so happy to have departed the fair before a shooting (see below) happened in the food court where we were earlier in the day. The suspect has been arrested, thankfully. I haven't heard anything about a motive yet, but you can be sure it was something totally boneheaded. Leave it to some 22-year-old hothead to ruin an evening of family fun for others. Hopefully they figure out how he got through metal detectors at the entrance where we all passed through to enter the fair so this doesn't happen again.

Everybody can serve

This year for my birthday I decided to volunteer my time at a local group home for girls who have been removed from their families due to abuse/neglect. At my age, birthdaypaloozas just aren't the thing anymore. So I decided to purchase items to make halloween-themed personal hygiene buckets for each of the girls. We all enjoyed a morning of crafts, snacks and a lovely visit. As the Lord admonishes us in Colossians 3:23-24, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."  

It's amazing how something simple like a fall scented body wash really makes the girls feel special, that somebody was thinking about them. These precious young ladies of God are so deserving of our time and attention. We ALL need to step out to be the hands and feet of Jesus in a world that so desperately needs Him. I encourage you to carve out some time in the BER months to make a difference in the life of a child.

BER months finally kicking in some brrrrrrr

The dogs and I held down the homefront while the husband was on a guy's trip for some fly fishing. They flew up to Montana's Bitterroot River to see if they could land some trophies. As you can see in the pics below, they were more bite size than wall mount. But he still had a great time, and I've gotta admit I was jealous of the scenery that included fall foliage.

It was incredibly convenient that mother nature kicked in with a cool front for my birthday recently. I was channeling 1984 in my new super soft Lacoste sweatshirt. Back in the day, everybody wanted one of these Izod gators on their polos. This big guy would have been quite a hit, I'm sure.

The dogs kept me company while the husband was away. Finn and Pepper appreciate it when they're invited up onto the master bed to hang out with us for a bit.

With the cooler temps, I pulled out a fleece blanket to drape on the leather sofa for our pampered pooches. I think it's sweet that Finn always wants to be near his Auntie Pepper, whether it's on the floor or furniture. 

The little beast continues to remind me of a toddler. Over the weekend while watching college football, he pulled every dog toy out of his box and then sat amongst them very proud of his accomplishment. What a stinker. But hey, maybe he has me in training for trailing behind the eventual grandkids we might enjoy some day.

Walkies with Finn

Finn and I start most days with a two mile stroll. He's pretty good on leash, though occasionally he appears to be auditioning to participate on a sled team in the Iditarod. Most dogs we encounter on our walks along the creek through town interest him. Thus far he's more comfortable with the doggos nearer his size, though he's fine with well behaved big dogs. The ill-mannered German Shepherd who lunged at him was the exception, thankfully, since most of the folks walking their dogs are good at controlling them.

Little toot continues to ride shotgun in his booster seat. Finn seems to enjoy the view as you can see above. In addition to dogs and the occasional neighborhood cat, we also see ducks, geese and even some wild critters. We recently spied a lone armadillo scratching around an old tree stump. There's a momma duck who started out with eight babies and is now down to just two. The white tail and axis deer are often seen getting a drink along the creek. And the squirrels continue to be busy enjoying the acorn harvest, with lots of zipping around and chattering at us when we pass by.

Here at home, Pepper is always on alert to run at any deer who get too close to our inner fence. She has resumed her howling, most notably when the husband returns home from work in the evenings. I don't know why he always elicits this home from a long and dangerous war welcome when she can barely be bothered to hop down out of her favorite chair when her primary caregiver - ME - returns from an errand. It's so terribly typical, mom being taken for granted, haha!

Finny is becoming a big boy and has hit eleven pounds. He has mostly grown into his ears and he's getting leggier. I found two of his puppy teeth recently since he's getting his permanent chompers. Bugs in our yard are still on Finn's menu since he has that innate terrier prey drive to chase them down. Thankfully, that didn't extend to this larger tarantula I spied on the back porch one evening a few weeks ago. Talk about biting off more than you can chew. 

Happy October!

College football season is in full swing, and we're loving it. The husband faithfully watches his Texas Longhorns every Saturday. Kicking back in his recliner for some relaxation (as long as they're winning, lol) is the perfect excuse for me to whip up some game time snacks. Forget the savory - we're all about the sweets around here. If the Horns aren't playing, then we try to watch Texas A&M or SMU. And pretty much any big SEC match up. We're not too terribly picky when it comes to Saturdays down south.

Speaking of the Longhorns, our girls enjoyed a game last month when the law student spent the weekend in Austin. Now she's doing some tailgating at SMU, located in that part of Dallas called the park cities. I'm not sure why, and neither is the law student, but she informed me tailgating is referred to as boulevarding (The Boulevard) by students and alums. Go figure.

 

 

Today I'm super excited because we're forecast to get our first real cool front by the end of this week. I've been looking forward to a high that doesn't top 90 for months now, and it looks like I may get that by Friday. With a decent shot at rain that's supposed to herald more seasonal temps, I've got our yard guy scheduled for Wednesday. In the past month we've had a nice downpour twice. It's lovely while it lasts, which is never long enough to make up for the big water deficit we face every summer in this part of Texas. 

Despite what the calendar says, the only reason we've got leaves in the yard is because lots of the trees haven't received sufficient water all summer to support that, along with the acorns our many oaks are trying to put out for local fauna. But I've recently noticed more squirrels around our backyard oaks where the trees got watered by the sprinkler system and are producing some nice sized acorns they're busy feasting upon. I've also seen a lot more squirrel activity on our strolls along the creek's walking path, so obviously they're invigorated by this fall food source to fatten up before winter arrives.

Last week I snapped a pretty pic as the moon was rising. I love how it was reflected in the pool. Our backyard faces east, and so we see lots of lovely sunrises out there, as well as the moon's big face creeping up over the trees and barn. This seemed like the perfect way to end my first post for the spooktacular month of October.