Oreo's Odyssey Day 4

 Oreo's Odyssey..day 4

There's no place like home.

Dear Grand pups 

Today we are heading home. I like this thing called "Road Trip".  I have the whole back seat to nap.  I can curl up in my bed, or rest on the seat. I have on my safety vest and seat belt that keep me from getting into the front seat with Diva and Poppa. I miss sitting in their laps!  Diva pets me when I get restless and sometimes gives me a treat.  I tend to sleep a lot on long drives. The rhythm of the road rocks me to sleep.

We stop frequently for something called gas for the car.  However, Diva doesn't like it when I pass gas.  She makes Poppa stop and walks me around.  So far I've peed or pooped in every state we been through. Poppa says I have marked my way to get back to Uncle Joe's house. 

 

We stopped at a gas station called Love's.  They had a pet park just for dogs.  It is fenced in so an old boy can run, stiff, explore, or relieve himself.  Diva and Poppa ate their lunch and gave me my lunch.  I couldn't eat though as I was too excited by all the noises, and smells.  I did get a long drink of water though which was really good as I was a thirsty dog.

I can tell that Poppa is tired and grumpy about something called a detour.  I think he is ready to be home.  I will be glad to be there too, so I can cuddle up in Diva's lap for a snooze.

I loved being at Uncle Joe's house but there really is "no place like home" cause I am the center of my little universe there.  I love my pack, my Alpha, and especially my mom.  I do make exceptions for grand pups, come visit any time, I will share Diva's lap with you.

Your old pal Oreo.

visit with great grandmother

We had a wonderful visit with Mom today.  Yesterday she was a little overwhelmed by all four of us. Today she was all smiles and glad to see us. She had momments where her face would light up as she remebered certain events or people . She cried when we left but then so did I.  We prayed with her let her know how much she is loved  and prayed for every day.  Thirty minute visit are just not enough when it comes to your love ones.  We know that she is being well cared for and our trip to see her has been a bright spot in our year.  We are so thankful for my sister Bobbie and Brother in law Joe who  watch over her and visit frequently.  We are blessed and extremely  thankful for the opportunity to see her twice during our visit.

Bobbie mentioned Charlie Bear talking to her on the phone about the fish he caught in Uncle Joe's lake.  It was the first time he had ever caught a fish and was so excited about it when he talked to her.  She remembered that conversation and really smiled at the thought.

She also remembered Emma as the sweet little girl who likes me and wears princess dresses.  She remembers she came to visit her in Virginia Beach.  She said, that little girls really liked me.  I don't know why but I"m so glad she does!

Oreo's Odyssey Day 3

 0re0' s Odyssey; day 3

Dear Grand pups, 

Hi, this is your old pal 0re0 the wonder dog.  Wow, this morning after breakfast Uncle Joe gave each of us dogs a Biscotti.   I have never had one before but I could get used to it very quickly.  I wonder if Diva and Poppa will start this tradition with me?  It sounds like a delightful way to start the day.  I wiggled my tail for all it was worth to make sure Uncle Joe noticed me too.  He laughed and told me I was a good boy before he gave me my treat.  I sure hope we can stay here for a long time.

Everybody left to go visit the great grandmother in the nursing home. They didn't invite me or my cousins to come.  I was sad cause  I like old people since I'm an old boy myself.  I  could look cute and cuddle up in great grandmother's lap to keep her nice and toasty warm if they had only asked. Instead, I took a long-overdue nap in my kennel.

It rained really hard today and I found out cousin Annie doesn't like lightning or loud noises like fireworks or gunshots.  Auntie Bobbie assured me that when the weather got better Annie would be her own sweet self again and she was.

Diva and Poppa let me run out of the ungated front yard to go potty. What freedom!  They never let me run loose in the city.  You know I came back for a treat. I sure am going to miss all this v.i.p. treatment when we go home.

Guess who got stung in the neck by a hornet?  Poor darling Diva, that's who. Poppa and Aunt Bobbie were so sorry but Diva was very brave and didn't cry.  I cuddled up with her and so did my cousin Tabby.  We looked cute and adorable to make her feel better.

After dinner Uncle Joe called us dogs over for cookies.  I hope we never leave!

Here are some pictures of our adventures.  See you tomorrow. Your old pal 0re0.

Oreo's Odyssey, Day 2

 Ore0's Odyssey

Dear Grand pups Welcome to the second day of my great adventure. 

 Yesterday I met my big girl cousin Annie and my little girl cousin Tabby.  Annie has a big bark and scared me. Tabby is deaf so doesn't hear Annie barking. They came over to me and sniffed me all over and sat down next to me. 

 Annie was much calmer when Great Auntie Bobbie invited us into the house. I guess Annie decided if we were invited in we must be friends.  She sniffed me also before wandering off.  

Uncle Joe has a big house and a fenced-in yard.  It has wonderful smells of flowers, trees, deer. turkeys, possums, cats and fish, and turtles from the lake.  This must be heaven.  I may never go home.  Uncle Joe also slips all us dogs cookies, lemon ones, and gingersnaps.  I like that a lot.  Today Diva and Poppa went to see great grandmother at the nursing home. It must have been a good visit cause Diva hasn't stopped smiling since she got home.

Oreo's Odyssey ….Day 1

 Dear  Grand Pups,

Oreo Odyssey Day 1 

Diva, Poppa, and I are on a great adventure.  This is my first big trip since I came to live with them.  My name is Oreo the wonder pup. I have the whole back seat to myself. 

 

This is the first time I have ridden in their little black  VW Beetle.   Diva says it's just big enough for two old people and one Oreo. Your road trips look a lot more exciting than ours.  I miss sitting in their laps  and sometimes  the sun gets in my face

.

We just had my first rest area on the interstate.  Wish you could have seen all the trucks.    We are in Georgia now but it smells just like South Carolina.   I will get to meet more dog cousins on this trip. Hope you enjoy my adventures, your friend 0re0.

letters to grandmother

 Dear Mom,                                                                                    April 5, 2021

Happy Easter, The Lord has Risen, The Lord has Risen indeed.  This is your daughter Kathy in Tennessee writing you your weekly memory letter.  You mom, made Easter a very special time in our life when we were growing up and even when we had our own children.

Easter at our house was a dress-up occasion. You made sure that Bobbie and I   always got new spring dresses, white gloves, hats, socks with lace, and new shoes.  I never really liked to get dressed up, except on Easter when it was springtime and my dresses had ruffles and lace and made me feel like princes.  I loved to twirl around and make my skirt take flight.

No one in our household was fond of hard-boiled eggs especially me. Back then, there were no such things as hollow plastic eggs, so you would tap a small hole at each end of the raw egg and blow them out. The eggs were hollow then and we would dye them and decorate them and eventually hide them over and over again till they got smashed or stepped on by the neighbor kids.

The Easter bunny usually hid candy marshmallow eggs for us to find in the house and there was always a chocolate Easter bunny in our baskets.  I always ate the ears first but not until after Church.

You were the source for the Easter Dresses for our girls.  You would send sister dresses with ruffle pinafores.  I used to laugh because you once told me that you hated pinafores when you were growing up.  I asked you,”  Why if you hated      pinafores,  you kept sending them to my daughters.”  You  laughed and said, “because they are cute and I don’t have to iron them.”

You loved to garden and would have flowers on the table and decorate the living room with Easter items.  You always took us to church every Sunday and especially on Easter Sunday when we really thought we were “the Easter Parade” and looked fabulous .”

You made every event in the calendar a reason to celebrate and taught me the joy of being a family.  You made family celebrations special even when we did not have family members nearby.

Thank you Momma for your Godly influence and example.  We love you and pray for you every single day.  We can’t wait to visit you, hold your hand and tell you the stories of your life in person.  If all goes well we will be making our way to Alabama to see you soon.

 

     Love,   Kathy

Your Mom and Spot

This fuzzy, furry friend is my dog Spot!

Mary Englebright says, "Everyone needs their own Spot.....and I quite agree.

Spot is 13 years old.....a teenager in some cultures, an old lady in dog years.

This is Spot's favorite place...the back of the couch where she keeps an eye on the neighborhood and especially the driveway.

Spot found us over ten years ago.

One morning after a bad thunderstorm we woke to find two dogs taking refuge on our porch. The streets were flooded the dogs were wet and hungry. " Don't feed those dogs.",.said my all-knowing husband. He could have been talking to the wind.....anything on my porch (two legs or four will get fed). The water finally subsided the dogs disappeared and we thought to ourselves, "Good, they've found their way home."

The next morning one wet and shivering Spot sits on our porch looking like a drowned rat. "Don't bring that dog inside," said Mr. voice of reason. "He's freezing Mom," says Suzy (in July? I don't think so) But sooner than you can say "We have a new dog, isn't she cute?" The dog is bathed, brushed, blown dry, and given a name.

We did try to find the owner.....really we did! After about a year though she was very firmly entrenched into the family when one day one of Becky's friends looks at our dog and say, "I know that dog, she belongs to my neighbor."

"No she doesn't", we protest".....I'm sure it was another dog that looked similar."

We had decided at this point they would have to describe every freckle, spot, or blemish the dog had to get her back. Crisis passes.....if it was their dog they are content to know she has a good home now. (Whew, I would have hated having to move just to protect my dog!)

Spot is now aptly named as she "leaves Spots" on the carpet or bathroom floor.

She loves us with all her little dog heart. She is always at my feet unless the kids are home and are up late. We have had her longer than any other pet. She is the guardian of secrets, the "big dog" amidst the cats, and our instant doorbell.

She loves licking out yogurt containers and getting into the trash.

She loves to be anywhere you are (except the vet). Charlie calls her an old lady. My mom sneaks bacon to her and the cats give her a wide berth when she comes in the door.

She is the closes thing I know to unconditional love on four feet.

Yep, Everyone needs their "own Spot". 

A funny story about your Mom

 When Poppa and I  lived in North Dakota, "Happy Joe's" Pizza Palor was a favorite of our children. They made a good pizza and it was definitely a kid-friendly environment. They also gave each of the children their very own helium-filled balloon on a string. The balloons would be secured on the back of their chairs until it was time to go home and then I would tie them on each child's wrist as we headed to the car and home.

Becky was 6 and very independent. She declared that she was old enough to hold the string by herself and didn't need it tied on "like a baby". Suzy, who wanted to do everything her big sister did, also decided that she didn't want her balloon tied on. Not wanting to make a scene, I told her ok but warned her if she let go of the string the balloon would float away.

Sure enough, we had barely made it out of the door before Suzy's balloon slipped out of her hand, passed Mr. Wonderful, and into the North Dakota sky. Immediately salty tears poured out from Suzy's eyes and she began to cry. Mr. Wonderful picked up Suzy and held her closer to the sky and said, "Don't cry Suzy, your balloon is going on a trip......I bet it's on the way to Texas for our family reunion. It's small so it needs to get a head start. Wave it goodbye and tell it to have a good trip!"

This seemed like a perfectly logical thing for a balloon to do and so Suzy started waving and shouting to the balloon. "See you soon! Bye Balloon!"

A day or so later Suzy asked her Daddy, "Where's my Balloon now?"

So Mr. Wonderful would get out a map and show her where we were, where the family reunion was to be held and all the states in between. Then he would say, "The weatherman said, it was windy today so I'm sure Balloon didn't get very far. I think it's probably in South Dakota by now." That seemed to satisfy her curiosity so off she'd go.

Every night before she would jump in bed she would have to say her prayers. She "God Blessed" everyone she knew and she always ended with, " and God help my balloon help make it to Texas."

A few days later the grandparents arrived and the house was busy with activities in preparation for our long car trip to Texas to the family reunion. In all the activities the balloon was soon forgotten and we didn't bring up the subject again.

Imagine our surprise and Suzy's delight one morning when we were eating breakfast at a restaurant and looked out of the window to see a huge hot air balloon that looked very similar to Suzy's "Happy Joe's" balloon. "Oh look, Daddy," Suzy said excitedly, "Look how big my balloon got! It's here, just like you said it would be." "How did it get so big?" she asked.

"Well," said Mr. Wonderful, as if he were expecting this question all along. "The balloon had to get bigger to make the long journey. Every time you prayed God made the balloon bigger."

Again, this sounded perfectly logical to Suzy and she was satisfied with the explanation. Becky, ever the skeptic, looked at her Dad and said matter of factly, "Aren't you glad she stopped praying when she did?"

The Faith of a child is so pure!