Still Mourning

I'm so thankful that we still have Keystone.  He's such a perfect furry-kid.  He's my awesome little old man.  But so often I think of how there should be another little girl here.  

We played in the snow today, the first time this season.  I know we both kept thinking how much Abby would have loved it.   

I think there is always going to be a hole in my heart where Abbytail should still be right now.

Abbytail 2004

Abbytail 2005

Balls

It's hard to believe this was only 2 years ago.  We had everything on the patio, because we were about to leave Nevada. 

If the video doesn't work for you, here is the link:  http://youtu.be/qpo6eUnCzGc

This is for Mrs. Irritation.  Enjoy! 

P.S.- we sold the GoDogGo... because believe it or not, the instructions call for CLEAN balls.  I want to know what tennis balls played with by dogs stay CLEAN????

The Tale of Our Boo

Warning:  If you knew our Amber, this will make you cry.  I'm finally ready to share my memories of her.  Finally.

Amber Lynn Svec                       9-12-99 – 11-8-2008

Lover of:

• Frisbees,
• Beer cans (preferably Keystone Light),
• Shadows (bird or hand),
• Dirty socks,

Yes, that is not a pair of dirty socks

• Tom’s fresh off the vine,
• Laser pointers (isn’t there one attached to every set of keys? And BTW, she knew your keys were in your pocket),
• Ice cubes,
• Fireplaces and camp fires (she loved to be next to the warmth),
• Flash lights (she knew where every one of them was located in the house),
• Water out of a garden hose,
• Swimming (off of a boat, from the shore, or into the pool),
• Snow, 

December 2005
Mission, KS

 

February 2008
The meadows, Lake Tahoe, NV

• Harmonica playing,
• And her daddy & her momma.  She loved us so much.

Fast Facts:

• Alpha to our Nellie and Roscoe; Beta to our Abbytail and Keystone. 
• She had short ears.
• She had a long nose that had a spot on the end which was more noticeable when her nose was pinker.  Her nose changed colors—pink to dark brown. 
• Graduate of puppy class, advanced puppy class, dog class, and advanced dog class.
• When she was a puppy, she had a sleek coat that was fluffy like all puppies.  She had a curl at the very end of her tail.  As she grew, the curl crept up her tail, along her back, and finally all the way to the top of her head.  She had been amazingly curly and we love the uniqueness it gave her.
• Her tongue was amazingly long.

Young Amber's looooong tongue

Fall 2006 on a road trip to PA

 

Amazing Stories:

She learned to roll over and let us rub her belly after she nursed her puppies for a month.  Her puppies had been scratching her up and we used Udder Balm to soothe her raw underside.  Prior to that, she would never roll over.

She stepped into a lily pad pond at a Victorian B&B in Wilmington, SC when we took her & Roscoe on a 2-week, cross-country, road trip vacation to see the ocean.

After wave crashing in the ocean with Daddy in October, 2002, Amber took in a lot of salt water. 

She nearly spewed directly on the hand of a nice lady who had graciously taken our family picture when she reached out to pet Amber. That was the first Ramada Inn we graced with our presence and what a great time we had.

Family picture (October 2002)
Front to back: Roscoe, Amber, Todd and obviously me on the right.
Taken by a surprised but gracious volunteer!

 

She was Boomer’s first love.  She made him drool.  Incessantly.

Boomer and Amber (October 2002)

            

When she was tiny, we used to roll her onto her belly on our lap, and let her ears flop over and rubbed her belly until she would growl up a frenzy.  She actually scared us with how aggressive her growl could be.  She looked like the cutest little bat with her head upside down and ears flopped over like that.

She was born 9-12-99, 3 days after we were married.

She loved visits from Tyler and Trenton who came across the street to visit.

When going for a ride in the car, she loved to bark at motor cycles.  It curiously resembles a wobbly flash light…


There was no motorcycle right then,
but she loved to go for a ride in the car

She had an exciting New Year’s Eve (12/31/02) with Banjo. 

Banjo & Amber, sittin' in a tree...

She had 11 puppies on February 25, 2003.  She woke her daddy up and told him it was time the morning she gave birth.  Todd had the whelping box completed the day before.  Just. In. Time.

Amber, February 24, 2003
the day before she delivered 11 puppies

Amber with her 11 puppies
February 25, 2003

Kevin and Suzie came over to witness the amazing event, and we celebrated by cooking breakfast.  Sausage links & eggs.  Todd cracked his first beer at 11a.m. 

About a week after her puppies were born, she wandered the house looking for Roscoe.  (Roscoe passed away 2-12-2003.)

Amber could crawl.

Amber began what we call the “rib juice dance” one time after having “gravy” added to her dog food which was the juice from ribs that Todd had boiled.  She also taught her kids this special dance.  She would come into the living room after having eaten, and rub her face on the ground with her butt still up in the air and she would rub one way then the other and moan.  The better the meal = the longer & louder the dance.  We would then appropriately applaud her efforts.  This would often happen even when they had nothing special added to their chow.

When Amber was really little, we put a brick in front of the water crock so she could reach the water to get a drink.  We thought it might be risky, and sure enough, she fell right in.  That was her first swim.  We started putting a cutting board over the water when we were not right there.

Amber was even smaller than this when she took her first dunk

She had a great time at her puppy shower; so many friends came to see her.  She also enjoyed the pups 1 year birthday party (a.k.a. Mud Fest 2004), too.  She had a hard time relinquishing her Alpha status to Abbytail but after a year or two, she adapted and became her happy self again.

Right after the puppy shower late March 2003

Amber after the puppy shower

She loved to walk up to us and put her head between our knees and just wag her tail.  Her dog-dad acted the same way on our surprise visit for me to meet her parents one time when we were driving around KC.   Sometimes she was so excited that she would walk right through.  I think it was her way of hugging.

She enjoyed her first Dog-N-Jog which benefited the Humane Society of Greater KC with Roscoe the summer of 2000.  On the way there, the Cow Parade was in full swing; at an intersection there was a cow at which Amber barked herself silly.

She captured Nellie’s heart.  Soon thereafter Roscoe followed suit.  Peer pressure can be a beautiful thing!


 

Nellie and little Amber

 

Nellie, Amber, and Roscoe

Amber loved her big siblings

Roscoe, Nellie, and baby Amber

She naturally chased her tail; so it was very easy to associate a command with the action.  She would do a “Round-and-Round” for treats and to wipe off her paws.

Suzie taught her to enjoy opening presents that come wrapped in a gift bag.

Amber's 5th birthday, I believe

She can catch a 2’ Frisbee.

Amber loved her Frisbees

In Advanced Puppy class, she had no problems walking through a refrigerator cardboard box.  Many puppies were not successful.

She watched her big brother, Roscoe, find the Golden Egg prize at the Easter Begg Hunt, sponsored by Three Dog Bakery.  She enjoyed sharing the year supply of dog food!

Amber on left, Roscoe on right
Scariest damn rabbit I've ever seen

 

We had a newer dog bed in the corner of our bedroom near T’s side of the bed.  Almost every night, Keystone would try to claim that bed, but we’d make him get down off of it, so that Amber could have it.  She would walk into the room and just wait.  She knew we’d make him give it to her.  Then she’d curl up on it, and Keystone would usually curl up right beside that bed.

She was very protective of her Momma.  Especially when Daddy was picking on me.   If ever there would have been a burglar, Amber would have put them in their place.  This thought is supported by how she acted when Todd would pick on me.  Amber would grab the toy closest to her and shake the heck out of it and growl.  She took her aggression out on the toy, cause she knew she couldn’t bite Daddy.  I would have pitied the poor soul who ever thought of putting a hand on me.  Now I fear they would only be sat upon by Keystone…

Amber would prance around after she received a beer can from her Daddy.  She would wag her tail and have her head bent slightly downward & look up at you to make sure you saw that she had a prized possession.  This was after she sat down right in front of us and stared from the can to us and back at the can.

Amber loved laying on the cool tile.

In the summer, Amber loved to play with Mt. Tiki Soakee.  It was a water fountain that would sporadically send up spurts of water.  Amber would run up to it, and bite at the water, regardless of how much water was coming out fast and furiously.  She LOVED water.  She would take a water hose full force in the mouth too.  She thought it was great fun.

She loved howling w/her kids (and dad) at the tornado warning sirens on test day in KS.  Who knew, until Todd started staying home during the day?

 

Favorite Sayings/Games:

·         Boo, you’re two?

·         Boo, you’re two times two plus two?

·         Boo, you’re two times two times two?

·         It can be a hat….  (while placing a frisbee on your head)

Nicknames:

·         Amber Boo,

·         Boo,

·         Amber Bamber Boo,

·         Curly Boo,

·         Miss Poopy Pants  (somehow this one made the last few weeks easier to handle).
 

Amber was a hippy Halloween 2003

The last day we were blessed to have her in our lives, she wagged her tail that morning (she hadn't been able to move anything below mid-back); also it rained, and there was a rainbow.

 

 

There Goes The Rules

I remember back in the day, when Keystone and Abbytail were little.  We would never allow them on the couch unless one of us was holding them.  This was part of the discipline we used for them to learn the rules of the house.  They learned the rules fast.  There were no exceptions until they got much, much older.

 

One day in NV when my parents were there visiting us, my dad spoiled Keystone and had him up on his lap for pretty much their entire visit.  Technically not breaking the rules.  Then Amber got sick and we lost our precious Boo.  We decided the "kids" were adults then, and they can get on the couch any dang time they want.

 

As a matter of fact, I bought our current couch with Keystone in mind.  I chose the one I thought he would enjoy the most.

 

With the new kids, things are a bit different.  I've loosened up a lot.  I'm not quite so strict.  Maybe I'll give them an extra treat, and not sweat the small stuff so much.  We still have plenty of discipline, and plenty of rules.  We still have fun.  But now, we enjoy our couch.  Sorry Stones.

 

Jessie at the top of the pic, Joey at the bottom

 

Jessie completely relaxed

Startling Dream

I had a dream last night.  I've never had a dream feel so vividly real.  It startled me awake and then I started to cry.

I don't remember what I was dreaming about, but all of a sudden Abbytail was before me.  She walked up and sat down and her tail was wagging the way only Abby's tail would wag when she's fully sitting down.  Like it's still wagging even though the floor is there, it doesn't matter because it's curled up and her excitement cannot be contained. 

She was smiling with her mouth open and her tongue hanging out just a little.  Her eyes were bright and happy.  She looked like she felt good. 

I swear she was trying to tell me "everything is OK, momma, I'm good".  It startled me so much I woke myself up.  I can't tell you how much I hope that's true.  My little guardian-angel-dog. 

We both miss her so much every day it's heart breaking.  I know in time it will get easier.  But for right now, it's anything but easy.

My Abbytail Is Gone

If I could crawl inside the hole in my heart, I would.

 

I wonder if I kept crying, would I drown?

 

I wonder if I screamed loud enough, would God understand how much she means to us and undo what has been done?

There has never been another furry daughter like Abbytail. Her passion and feistiness made life an adventurous joy, for her and us.  She was the leader of our dog pack.

Keystone has lost his leader. Todd has lost the sparkle in his eye. I've lost my fearless little girl.

Rest in peace my dear heart.  I love you more than anything.  You made my life so full and I will forever be so thankful for the blessing that you were.



I will miss you every day.

Abby Update

LATEST UPDATE:  Behold the power of the donut hole.  For it works wondeful magic to coax Abby to eat!  She also ate some chicken for dinner.  She's doing better this evening.


Earlier update:
Last night was not a fun night, but once we got settled in, we all slept albeit fitfully.  Todd and I worried all night when we couldn't hear Abby's labored breathing.

Went to the vet today, and he is happy with the progress.  She is not puking since yesterday afternoon, and the other end is better too.  Her red blood count is steady, so that is a huge relief.  We adjusted her meds and changed some meds, so hoping she gets better in the next day or two.

Right now, she's not eating.  She is drinking water, so that's good.  Her hydration level is good.  She's just got to get an appetite.  I'm picking up donuts on my way home from work this afternoon.  It worked last time.  Fingers crossed she will like them.

Kids

Keystone is completely back to normal. His scar has healed up nicely and you'd never guess he had 23 staples at one time.

Abby on the other hand has good days and bad. Today was a bad day. She puked for the first time in awhile. It happens. We went to lunch and came home, and she had vomited in 5 different places. We took the poor girl in to the vet. Again. There was blood in her bile. Without getting into disgusting details, we knew it was serious. We've got her on some new meds. The latest theory is that the high dose of prednisone is causing bleeding. So we are decreasing the amount of prednisone she is on. She has to stay on it because she could still be killing her own red blood cells if we don't. Battling IMHA is a bitchbalancing act.

I take Abby in for a checkup tomorrow. We will be monitoring her closely. I guess I should be thankful this isn't Labor Day weekend on a Saturday, right? We will see what happens then. There's always time for more doggy drama. I am also going in to work mid-day tomorrow because there's a meeting I want to go to. Then I will be back home to hopefully put the 3rd and final coat of paint on our bedroom. It's looking great, so at least there's that.

Cheers, it's a respectable hour for a cocktail. Finally.

The Good Old Days

I remember the very day Abbytail was too big to get under the bed.  That was a very sad day indeed.

Abbytail and Keystone = Double Trouble

2 Beautiful Ladies

They both look so young, don't they?  Abby used to never get on the couch.

Abbytail Chillaxing

Update:  Let me define my use of the term "fantastic".  This to me means: eating, going to the bathroom outside, and not looking like "I don't feel good" 100% of the time.  After what she went through last week, this is fantastic.  She's still very sick, but this is going to take some time.


Howdy!  You may be wondering how Abby is doing? 

Well let me tell you, she is doing FANTASTIC!  This little girl is amazing.  We took her in to have blood work done yesterday.  The last Red Blood Cell count we got before we brought her home was 24, which was fairly decent considering how far it had fallen previously.

Yesterday they ran two tests.  The first one was...  are you ready?  Are you sure?  It was THIRTY-ONE!  And the second test was even BETTER!  It was THIRTY-FOUR!!!!

This means that she is really getting better.  We knew she is acting and looking better but this proves she is physically getting better.  Her blood is still a bit "yellow" so she's still sick, but she's so much better.  She's getting smarter about taking her pills too.  Todd and I will just have to get more creative.  She has many more months of pills to take.

She is SO HAPPY to be home.  And we are thrilled to BE home with her too.  Just wanted to give you a quick update.  Thanks for all your thoughts and well wishes.  I truly appreciate them!

Abby hopped up and relaxed yesterday!

Wow, I have some dead leaves to clean up soon....

Abbytail: The Homecoming

Our Abbytail took us on a dramatic roller coaster ride this past week.  We are exhausted and completely worn out.  We are also hopeful, excited, and thankful to be home at last.  We brought our little girl home.

Abby has fought a battle with IMHA and so far, she has been able to put up a great fight.  We still have a long road ahead of us with her continued recovery.  Thankfully we took her to the best place possible for care, VCA Mission Animal Referral and Emergency Center (formerly Mission Medvet).  They have great doctors and technicians.  Abby received 24 hour care.  She went up and down battling this horrible disease, and there were 2 times I was expecting the worst.  Then I would wake up and go visit her and find out that she has rallied.  She has fought so hard, she has made herself better.


We will continue working hard to make sure she stays better.  It's possible that she could have a relapse.  We will never know what caused this to happen.  It was not a tick.  It is going to take 6 months or more for her to be completely off her medications.  Until then, we'll continue to baby our baby.  You haven't even seen spoiled yet.  ;-)


Throughout our horrible battle, we had awesome friends supporting us along the way.  Many of you sent emails or called.  Suzie & Kevin loaned us a car so we'd go eat and they watched Keystone when we needed.  Suzie reminded me to take a shower, which I hadn't even thought about doing but felt so much better once I had.  Ray & Becky gave Abby a tomato in hopes that she would eat.  They all came by to bolster our spirits. 


We stayed with Suzie & Kevin one night, then the rest of the time, we slept in our RV behind the facilities (where Keystone could stay close to us as well).  Abby's "jail cell" was only big enough for one of us to sit/lie down with her at a time.  The other one of us would sit with the cage door open and sit right at the door.  Abby wasn't exactly trying to escape.  We usually tag teamed it, so one of us would be with Stones while the other would be with Abby.

 
It was so nice to be able to stay with Abby until I wanted to call it a night (usually around midnight).  I woke up around 8am and would head back in for the latest news.  They had no problem that "Abby's mom" or "Abby's dad" was there to visit all the time.  I got used to being called "mom", because I was often the only visitor there (besides Todd, of course, aka "dad").  We took her outside for potty breaks*, and we held her water bowl for her, and hand fed her.  She ate for us--and it took some coaxing to get her appetite back.  I truly don't think she would have fought so hard, if she hadn't had us right there beside her to help her through this.  The vet said she really perked up when we were there.  Once I heard that, I was in for the long haul.  Clean clothes are overrated.

*I wish you could have seen Keystone the first time he saw Abby in the middle of all this turmoil.  He gave her a royal sniffing over and was literally enthusiastic to be in the presence of his leader again.  It was very cute.  I think it helped him to understand what was going on, when they shared a potty break.

 
Here is Abby in her luxury suite:

Sad puppy not feeling well

We have our leader of the pack back.  She isn't going to be real energetic or aggressive for awhile, but we'll take it.  Having her here just sleeping is good enough for me.  She'll gain her strength back over time.  Before you know it, she'll be the boss again.

Things I've learned this past week:  Hug the ones you love, furry or human.  I think the extra hug grandma gave Abby last time she saw her had magical powers.  Never ever take them for granted, because you don't know when you'll loose them.  And treasure every minute you have with family and friends. 

One more thing, never pass up a chance to share a belly rub.

Happy tired puppy in one of her usual spots at home in the middle of the hallway.
Did someone order a belly rub?

Abby Update

UPDATE: I was very optimistic this morning when I posted the note below. In the meantime, Abby has started to decline. The blood transfusion she had 2 days ago helped until this afternoon when her body started fighting those red blood cells. Her number has dropped. She's still eating and drinking and we are trying a new drug since she's eating. Original post: Our awesome vet said it made a big difference having us visit every day and try to get Abby to eat. I am happy to say that after a very scary and unexpected decline, Abby has been on a steady road of recovery. I would say that we are out of the dark forest and on the edge of the sparse woods. We are not quite home free yet, but we are on our way. Abby's red blood cell count continues to be stable or rise, since it dipped so alarmingly low on July 4th. As of this morning, our vet is very excited about her progress to date. So we believe we should be taking our baby girl home tonight. Given that she remains stable, of course. I will have shots that I need to give her. Todd is out buying baby aspirin for her right now. I will post details someday about how damn scary this has been. This disease is actually not rare, and it does happen. I think knowing the signs might help other dog owners. I have said before that I donate blood to try to "pay it forward" to protect my family and friends. I believe karma just helped me out. Big time.

Elvis Will Be Back In The House

Happy 236th Birthday America!

I love the 4th of July.  I often vacillate between Thanksgiving and 4th of July being my very favorite holiday, because they have something in common for me.  I have always loved the 4th, with the exception of the past 5 years being in NV, and even then I loved the fact that fireworks were banned in NV*.  You might be wondering, how can the 4th be THAT special to me?  That is because the 4th of July has always meant "family" to me (just like Thanksgiving).  This would be the annual holiday when I could see most of my relatives in one place--my parents house.

*Yes, fireworks and the desert don't really go together, so it's the safest state to have your pup. We loved the fact that very few firecrackers were heard this time of year. Our dogs had no idea that in the rest of the country all the dogs were scared shitless.

Growing up in my teen years, my parents had a pool (now filled in and the house expanded over where the pool used to be), so our place was THE place to be for the 4th.  We'd swim all day, adults would drink all day, BBQ was consumed, and delicious desserts were shared.  At night, we'd do some fireworks, and everyone was happy.  I didn't appreciate it growing up--what teenager would?  But looking back, it was always fun.  As an adult, I realized I looked forward to that holiday more and more with each passing year, because I rarely got to see my aunts and uncles and cousins any other time of year.  It became a family reunion to me, and thus my favorite holiday.

When we moved to NV, it put an end to the party because it just became work for my parents.  Now that we are back, they've picked up the festivities again.  But sadly, we may not be there for it this year.  And that's OK.  We have something bigger happening right now.

We realized last Saturday morning that Abbytail was acting more unusual than normal.  She wouldn't take a treat.  Ladies and gents, this girl LOVES HER TREATS.  Well, she loves her Daddy too, but let me tell you, treats are VERY important to her.  Sometimes she just doesn't look like she feels well, so we thought she'd snap out of it.  Saturday night, she didn't want a bite of STEAK.  This has never happened before.  Then on Sunday, she still wasn't eating.  She passed on a garden fresh TOMATO.  I might get her to eat one bite, but then she would not want any more.  She was sluggish and lethargic with no energy at all.  Todd used the ear thermometer and we knew Sunday night she had a fever.  Her ears looked pale to me.

So Monday morning, Todd adjusted his schedule and took her into the vet.  They did tests on her and said something isn't right because she seems to have an infection and her immune system seems to be fighting itself.  They thought they saw a mass on her spleen and she was septic and anemic.  IMMEDIATE panic set in, because when we heard "mass" the thought of cancer immediately came swimming across our memories.  Cancer is prevalent in Goldens. They kept her overnight and gave her fluids and antibiotics intravenously.  She was only a little better the next day, Tuesday.  So we took her to a specialist in KC.  She is still there right now.  Our beloved Abbytail is in the doggy hospital. 

The vet says Abby has Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia.  Her blood is "clumpy".  This could be caused by a tick bite, or not.  We may never know what caused it.  But the good news?  It can be treated.  She is receiving steroids and antibiotics and fluids at the best place she could possibly be receiving care.  It happens to be the very same place Keystone as a puppy over 8 years ago received surgery to correct eye ulcers and eye lashes that were growing toward his eye instead of outwardly.  We have high faith in these people, because they are about the best you can possibly find.

That gives me comfort knowing where she is.  Right now, it's very hard for Todd and I to know our baby girl is in the hosptial and not home with her brother and both of us.  It's weird going to bed at night and only tucking one dog into bed.  It's horrible only handing out 2 treats in the morning instead of three.  Abby is our LEADER OF THE PACK.  She is ALWAYS the FIRST out the door.  Now Stones is sort of... leaderless.  It sucks.  We want our Tails back.  Our Boo-bette.  We miss her and our hearts ache for what she's going through.  But we have faith she will get better and be back at home any day now.  It might be today.  It might be tomorrow.  But she'll come home, I just know it.

Again we are so very thankful to be back in the KC area.  We might have to miss the party in Oklahoma this weekend, and that's just fine.  As long as we get our daughter back safe and healthy, that's all we want.

And now?  Here is our Abbytail doing her best Elvis impersonation (she can do a DOUBLE Elvis too where both sides of her cheeks go up):

Elvis, a.k.a. Abbytail, will be back IN THE HOUSE!

Reasons Why l Love Summer

Happy Summer, y'all!  I pretty much missed blogging the entire month of June.  I've got lots of topics to talk about, but little time to type.  Realistically, I don't know if it will get much better until the snow falls...

In the vain of keeping things positive, I want to share my favorite reasons to love summer time.  I love getting my nails dirty in the garden, and watching all of my baby plants grow up and produce wonderfully tasty treats for the dinner table.

I'll share pics of the garden below.  But first, other reasons why I love summer, in no particular order:

Reason #1)  The dogs have less hair. 

Well, that is because I shave them.  I am not a professional dog groomer.  You will see proof below.  But they are so much more comfortable after they have been shaved, since we are back in the hot humid midwest summer time heat.  Keystone LOVES the attention.  Abby, not so much.

At least KEYSTONE is more comfy.  Notice his cute tiger tail!
Abby would only allow me to do her belly and back of her legs.  Brat.

Reason #2) Baseball brought SamsMom to town over Memorial Day weekend! 

I finally got to meet SamsMom's family and friends when I went to watch her son play baseball. We had a great day visiting. We enjoyed Minsky's pizza (a local pizzeria since they wanted something "KC") and I got to see their awesome luxury-resort-on-wheels. Then the next evening, they came up and enjoyed dinner at our place. We had fun playing our games in the basement. They were properly introduced to real pinball machines.

L to R:  her son, me, her hubby
We were playing mesmerizing games of pinball!

Keystone even loves to play!  We had a great evening and a great weekend.

Keystone loves all the bright lights and shiny balls.

Reason #3)  I love trying to grow new plants. 

We have grown pumpkins before, but we have never tried to establish our own pumpkin PATCH.  This year?  Yeah, it's a patch alright.  We have 28 plants going.  They will be able to spread out for acres if they wanted to.  We are hoping for so many pumpkins, that we'll be able to line the driveway on both sides with them!  Stay tuned for that--we'll open the patch to visitors around the beginning of October...  It's going to be awesome.  Speaking of growing things, here is an update on the garden.  It looks amazingly different.  We are going to have so much produce, we are going to be able to open our own farm stand.  We've been eating tom's for over a week now.

Yes, 28 pumpkin seeds grew into this!

A wall of green beans -- 1st harvest was eaten last night

I GREW BROCCOLI!
You can see some ready to harvest at the bottom and top of pic 

My beautiful tomatillo.
I will roast you, blend you, and cook you into a tasty sauce.

Our Garden

Giant Sunflowers in the background.
Birdhouse gourds growing in the foreground (just 3 plants)

Reason #4) Winner, Winner, BIRTHDAY Dinner!

I am delighted to explain that we were chosen by Dawn's daughter to be the host of her birthday dinner.  She turned 9.  When her parents asked her what she wanted for her special birthday dinner one evening, at first she said "steak at Texas Roadhouse".  Then her dad asked if she wanted that or steak at Uncle Todd's house.  Guess what she said?  Yep, you guessed it.  Steak at Uncle Todd's house!  So we hosted a special dinner for Dawn's family to celebrate a wonderful 9-year-old's birthday.  Todd took the opportunity (since the house would be clean) to have a few pinheads up to fix up some games, and play some pinball. 

We had great fun playing with balloons in the living room

Pinheads playing pins in the basement

Her dad planned a special "dessert buffet" for her 9th birthday.
Treats from The Upper Crust and I have to say they were INCREDIBLE!

Her favorite part of the night was a bonfire.  We got the jackets out and walked down to a rip-roaring fire Uncle Todd created. 

It's a fire!

Aunt Tracy & the birthday girl

Complete CHEESE from the birthday girl & Uncle Todd

And now, the BEST REASON why I love SUMMER TIME!

I steam our homegrown yellow banana peppers:  cut in half, de-seed, and put in a bowl with 1" water and cover; microwave for 1-3 minutes.  Drain them, put them on a sprayed cookie sheet.  Put some taco sauce on them, cover with cheddar cheese and broil.  THIS IS SUMMER ON A PLATE TO ME!  Enjoy.  (These are addictive and will incent you to start gardening if you haven't already.)