Magnolia



Custom designed curtains

Now this is fancy: they have specially designed fabric on the curtains that not only has the hotel name but it also has the magnolia flower on it also. But I need to admit that getting here was a bit nerve racking (only the last 10 minutes).  One way, the other way, one way, WAIT!!!! this is a two way. (Oops.)  :^)  Typical of big cities; they had a lot of one way streets and a stoplight at every block.  I was handling the one ways pretty good until I turned down one that had diagonal parking going the wrong way.  (They must have converted the street from a two way to a one way and did not want to repaint the lines.  Instead they put up signs that said, "Diagonal parking back in."  Funny, Huh?  The next road I turned onto was really a two way street and I was in the wrong lane.  

Sealed Toilet paper

This surprised me. They put a "formal seal" on the toilet paper roll.  I've seen it folded nicely at many places but to actually put a seal on it.  Well, I am not sure quite what to think about that.

Waterfall??

 I looked the other direction and saw the shower.  My first thought is that if that ever backed up, there would be a waterfall streaming down into the rest of the bathroom.  It was a really nice tile job otherwise.


Double-up

 Most hotels put one lotion, one shampoo, and one conditioner on the counter.  Sometimes a fourth bottle is left for body wash.  But on the counter was two soaps, two lotions and two cleansing body washes. I thought to myself, "did they goof up and forget the shampoo and conditioner?  So I looked behind the curtain in the shower. 



2x2 again

 I found two shampoos and two conditioners along with two more soaps that look like an exfoliating soap soap instead of the moisturising facial soap.  In case you are wondering, I am feeling a bit like a princess right now.



Hurray for Puppywood!

That is what it feels like at Dale's place.  The puppies are the stars!  Treated like royalty they eat, poop, and run around the house like they own the place and fall asleep where ever they stop.


Shhh...recharging

The puppies love their individual private time.  They recognize Dale's voice and my voice.  They come running when one of us walks in the house.  Dale was sitting and relaxing.  This big boy that I lovingly refer to as chewbakka because he will chew your toe if you don't give him attention is about ready to grab Dale's pant leg in order to gain the attention he requires. 


Hey! Down here!

 The puppies won't be totally weined until they leave the house.  But they are eating puppy chow with a milk supplement.  As you can see from some of the pictures, they have all their teeth and Duchess isn't very happy when they nip at her while feeding.  The red/rust puppy below is yawning on his new people's lap.  Although I think she is being very tempted to take more than one home with her. 



Chewbakka attacks from behind

The difficult thing about raising puppies is that you eventually need to see them go to their new people.  It is difficult but on the other hand we get to meet so many great new people. Cheers to the new people we meet.  If you are looking for a new puppy, please feel free to visit in the next three weeks.
http://minneapolisstpaul.ebayclassifieds.com/dogs-puppies/watkins/purebred-doberman-pinscher-puppies/?ad=26126008&msg=OUT_OF_AREA

The hope of Spring time

It has been boardering on freezing the last 3 days.  Two of the days had sunshine.  That small amount of sunshine was enough to begin the melting process. I am seeing little puddles of water at the edge of the driveway.  YEAH! There is hope that spring is coming in every little drip.

In the oddities of the weather, an eight hour drive south of here is getting dumped on.  Over a foot of snow two weeks in a row.  I feel sorry for them.  I've lived through that and it is daunting. 

Our weather forcast for tomorrow is fog in the morning, sunshine in the aftenoon, and below freezing at night. The day after is the same as is the next five days at least. That should make for some beautiful frosty trees if the wind stays calm.

Can this be safe?

Driving home this evening, every light I passed streamed outward from a bright center ball in thin, long shards of light that looked a halographic game of pic-up-sticks.

I went to the eye doctor today and they dialated my eyes.  Can that really be safe?  The distortions it caused were very pretty.

On coming cars looked like two radiant stars surrounded by a rainbow.  It happened to be a night of a full moon.  Those moons that are so big and low to the ground that it almost looks like if you were on the top of the building you could pick it out of the sky.  That moon last night looked like the face of an angel. A soft halo circled above it's head.  Flowing down to both the right and left were wide golden "sleeves" while between and staight down from the bottom of the moon was the flowing transluscent golden robe. 

The angel was standing guard watching all of God's children as day passed to night.

Titan Returns

The largest puppy from litter one just turned two years old.  His people brought him back to see is one of the black/rust girls would choose them. 

It was an intense competition full of puppy snuggles, puppy kisses and a few too cute moves.  It boiled down to the chubby, kissy girl or the runt (also a girl). 

So the "big boy" from litter one who is close to 105 pounds is going to be welcoming the runt from litter three. It will be fun to see how they grow as friends.  He is taken care of so there won't be any possibility of inter-breeding. 

Three puppies have homes. Eight are waiting for homes.  They are all so cute and precious.  I can't wait t see the peoples that they choose.

I told you so...

Idiot warnings have gotten so out control.  From the warning on coffee cups telling you it is hot, slippery floor, and fireplace maybe hot. 

Some are meant exclusively for adults to stop them from hurting themselves.  I liked the fireplace warning because it added, "watch children."  That notice alone needs to be posted in many public places.  Too many parents let the kids run wild with no attention to where they are or what they are doing.

A different view

I love flying above clouds. Especially with the sun setting. I take a few sample shots because you never know how the airplane windows are going to reflect the light.

sunset delight

In the picture above there was the dirt left behind from frost is creating a look that reminds me of a yellow sugar candy that has been cooled too quickly and cracked.  It goes from harsh and sharp to soft and puffy.  The pink and blue reflecting off the clouds makes me think of cotton candy. OK, yes I am hungry.

Streets of Gold

So don't you agree? It looks like the streets of heaven are reflecting down to the tops of the clouds.

To my utter amazement!

A friend picked me up this evening and we went out for supper.  It is always nice to catch up with friends.  We had a nice visit.  The food was wonderful.  The restaurant was noisy mostly because we chose a restaurant that likes to embarrass people on their birthdays and there were several people there celebrating. 

So what had my friend and I sitting with our chins on the table and in total shock???  We finished eating and the restaurant dropped off the bills in two of those vinyl folders that they use at restaurants.  I put my credit card in the holder at the top.  My friend put a $20 in her sleeve.  A few minutes later the waitress came by and said, "If you are ready, I will take these for you." 

She didn't really wait for a response.  She wasn't moving fast but she picked them up and just kept walking away.  Upon her return she only had one sleeve with her. Mine with my credit card slip to sign. 

She never asked, "Do you need change?"  She just kept the change assuming that it was her tip.  Now you need to know that my friend and I usually tip 20% for good service.  This young waitress just kept 12% as a tip.  As my friend and I stared at each other, it took us a few minutes to discuss it.  We were in total shock.  When the waitress came back by, my friend pulled her to the side.

In a very kind and gentle tone, she mentioned that the change was not returned.  "I asked if you were ready. And from the look I received, I assumed you were."  (I never realized "are you ready" meant "do you need change?")  My friend looked at the now getting nervous waitress and simply stated, "I was going to give you a larger tip but since you didn't bring the change back..."  You could see the realization wash across the gals face. 

In the end, we both tipped well like we normally do.  And hopefully a young gal learned the difference between "are you ready" and "do you need change?" 

Just Dealing with it....

Traveling when you have allergies is always a challenge.  One never knows when you walk into a restaurant what you are going to encounter.  I chose a standard chain that I have a particular favorite dish. 

Mind you it is 28 degrees the wind is blowing hard, it is snowing lightly.  I do not have my winter boots with me in fact I am wearing my worse pair of dress shoes.  (No, I don't wear high heels thank goodness.)  The walk was four very LONG blocks close to half a mile. 

Everyone who knows me knows that I'm allergic to bell peppers (red, yellow and green).  A difficult part is that I love them.  But the last thing I need at any point is to get sick especially when I'm on the road.  When I got to the restaurant my "favorite" dish had been taken off the menu. (Strike one.) 

They had a new line of specials.  Three out of six showed bell peppers in the pictures.  The one looked very good.  So I took the chance.  I asked the waitress, "Can you check to see if the vegetables come in a pre-mixed package?  I'm allergic to bell peppers and I can't have the vegetables if they have been together in the same bag."  She came back a few minutes later and they are a premix batch.  So I chose another option that had fried rice, steamed broccoli, and three kinds of shrimp. 

When it came to the table, one of the dipping sauces had red peppers in it.  I handed it back to the waitress.  As my hand crossed over the nicely plated food, I saw red peppers scattered throughout the rice.  My heart sank.  The waitress was young and from what I learned with how she had handled things, I think she was in training.  I lifted the plate and calmly said, "I hate to do this but I need to send this back.  I'm allergic to peppers and I can see bell peppers throughout the rice.  So the rice and the shrimp on top of it is no longer edible for me."

She apologized and took the plate back.  She only told the cooks that I returned it because there were pepper on it.  Luckily someone got the manager involved and he came out to visit with me.  I explained that I had informed her that I was allergic to bell peppers and any mixed into my food made that non-edible for me.

 They only had the pre-seasoned fried rice.  So I was served a very empty plate with three kinds of shrimp and steamed broccoli. It was served to me by the manager.  I asked if there was any white rice available.  He offered a bowl of soup or a salad in place of the rice.  Can you guess what is going to happen next?

...Did you guess?  All three soups came pre-mixed with bell peppers.  Someone, PLEASE teach those chefs how to season their food without using bell peppers.  (I am still smiling.)

For the Love of Puppies!



Puppy Pile!

 

The puppies are 3 1\2 weeks old.  I can feel their teeth. That means that we need to help mama begin he weening process. Now when I walk in if it is during the"wake" time they hear my voice and come running. 

They love to pile up on me and fall asleep on my legs.  This is the fun time for puppies.  In a few short weeks they will be toddling off to their new homes.



Puppies snuggle up to G-ma

Marketing a good idea

I have the new detergent pods for my dishwasher.  My boyfriend uses them in his clothes washer.  There have been many news reports of children accidentally eating them as candy and ending up in the emergency room.

The pods are bright and colorful, good markeing ploy as they are very eye catching. Or is it a bad idea because they catch the eyes of children.  Let us look at this from the innocent eyes of a child.  Looks like candy. The container is similar in shape of a cookie jar.  I got into a cookie / candy jar in the kitchen and mom hid it.  I found it with a new candy in it!

I want to know what they were thinking as they designed both the pod and the jar.  It is obvious they forgot to put on their "child lik view".  When I was a child "Mr.Yuk" was the big thing.  "Mr. Yuk is mean! Mr. Yuk is green!" was the slogan. Parents could buy stickers to put on things in the cabinets that were poisonous.  Did we forget about Mr. Yuk?

My solution is that pod manufacturers should put "Mr. Yuk" on the sides of their "candy jars".

Way cool

Detroit airport is a difficult airport.  Concourse A is on one side. You go under ground to get to B & C.  Concourse A is so long that it has a tram to take from one end to the other. 

As you head under the tunnel, there is music playing to the lights illuminating from the side wall.  It is a variety of methodical tempos. Different styles that are unique but blend together.  All varieties that would be common at a spa. I figured that after designing a stressful airport, they added an area that everyone can pass through some relaxation and stress relief.

Back again, back again, jiggy-jig

Back to the Cracker Barrel for a special Valentine's Day dinner.  The sad part is that Dale is four states away but we did get to talk on the phone several times.

There are many reasons that I like this restaurant.
1. The salad was not only colorful but it tasted good too.
2. They serve delicious comfort food.
3. They are a mix of traditional and modern eclectic.  Look at the kid's bee clothing! So cute! I wish I new someone having a baby girl.

I walked down the road, around the corner past three hotels to the restaurant and back after supper. I felt like I needed more of a workout.  I went down to the pool.  They keep the pool warmer here than any other hotel I have stayed at. I love it. Oh no! It just hit me. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz good night.

Watch out for the Elk

The city of Elkhart has it's mascot "Elk" painted and all over town.  There are 30 painted Elk in total.  They were painted and auctioned off to local businesses.  I am suspicious about that claim because the one in the park is painted with grass and flowers.  The one infront of the theatre has on a tuxedo and is wearing a flower on his lapel.  On his side are tickets to the show.

Today was a beautiful day to walk to a local restaurant for lunch.  I needed to take advantage of the good weather before the next round of snow came in.  Lake effect snow is a real reality here.  There is winter weather going through Minnesota that as it comes across the great lakes will strengthen and slow down.  The snow is expected to begin late Thursday and not stop until Saturday morning. 

You light up my life!

Through God's eyes

Have you read the book The Shack? In one chapter towards the end of the book he describes a gathering deep in the woods. As they walked to the gathering, the critters that ran by  left a beautiful reflection of light.  Touched by God and seeing through God's eye's instead of seeing  flesh and bones, Mack saw personalities reflected through light.

I was aligning my kindle to take pictures out of the plane and I noticed the odd lighting reflecting on the screen. I hit the shutter and quickly looked.  I spent a fair amount of time playing with the camera.  I got this cool photo of an Angel on my shoulder. It is always good to know that there are Angel's watching over us!

Angel on My Shoulder

An Unpresent

I don't like house keeping coming in every day when I stay at hotels.  I use the "do not disturb" sign.  So doesn't this look nice; almost like a gift basket.  Despite their push for economizing and re-using towels, they have several rolled up with shampoo, conditioner and lotion in it.  They also put coffee packets in there.  I only have one question, "where is the chocolate?"

My co-worker this week tells me that he is a vegan.  I wonder if he knows what that is because for supper he had trout, green beans that looked like they were sauteed in butter and hash browns.  Modified vegetarian maybe but not vegan (no animal or product that comes from an animal.)

But choosing a restaurant is difficult.  He nixed all of my favorites: Red Lobster, Texas Steak House, Cracker Barrel, Wendy's and Arby's and Dale thinks that I am picky!  Overall supper was good.  I had a house salad and a sushi roll.  Mmmmm good.

We finally got snow

We got this much snow as of 9PM Sunday night.  We grilled out last night so the top of the grill was clear.  The backyard is fairly enclosed so you don't get a lot of wind and drifting.  

Mid day as the snow stopped briefly I walked home.  The street was dead until I got to the corner by the American Legion. It was obvious some people had been there a long time already and some had just arrived.  We were in a winter storm warning. I can't help but wonder how many of these vehicles will end up in a ditch?

The snow is beautiful as long as you are safe and sound with no reason to leave where you are at. 

I forgot to put it on the list.

I almost always shop with a list and for many reasons:
1.  I really don't like to shop (too many people)
2.  I don't want to walk in for one thing and buy everything except that item
3.  I only shop every week to two weeks. I start the list anyday and shop days later.
4.  Shopping with lists saves money.

But today I forgot to put "it" on the list.  I do a lot of traveling. And my stewardess style bag broke it's handle.  Wooop! It just pulled straight and all the way out.  There I stood with a handle in my hand that was no use.  Instead of rolling it out of the airport, I carried it.

That was a while ago. I've been using other bags since then but miss my cabin friendly bag.  My route today was going to be a fast food restaurant, Walmart, church (to do accounting work), bank, home. 

I was at church when I saw something that reminded me; suitcase! Then the thought, "Shopko" passed through my head. In the route that would fit.  Maybe if there was time.

My head again, "make the time . (period) just do it. It won't take that long. Shopko." Well I followed that still small voice and obviously someone, not me, saw that the suitcase I wanted was on sale 50% off and directed me there.  I'm glad I followed the prompting of that still small voice. (God was there.)

Time flies

Days old

The puppies are growing up so very fast!  When they were born they were right around a pound each.  Today we weighed in four of them and they ranged from 2-3 pounds.  They used to all be able to fit in around the nipples at the same time (not that there were enough nipples for all of them.)




About one week old

Now six to eight feed at a time for the reason that they can't fit their every growing bodies that close together and still feed. 




Just over 2 weeks old

They are so absolutely precious!  I am in love and the hardest thing is going to be when these puppies go off to their new families. It is still pretty early for advertising; but Dale insisted that the ad get placed today.  So I set up the online ad.  The puppies don't start showing personality until four to five weeks so it doesn't pay to have people come and pick their puppies until then. 

For those that get their ears cropped that procedure is done when they are eight weeks old.  We like to keep the puppies until they are a full eight weeks old sometimes nine weeks.  But some families want bonding time a few days before the ear cropping is done. 









2 weeks old

Today was toe nail trimming day. Their sharp little nails were starting to make Duchess growl while they fed.  At two weeks old, they eat in shifts.  A maximum of eight puppies feed at one time.  Lined up side by side they need to stretch their bodies out in order to fit.

They love to hog-pile and sleep on top of each other.  They used to eat about every hour and sleep inbetween.  Now they are eating half as often (eating more) and sometimes they stand up and play a bit.  Their "standing" is a clutsy and wobbly, very unstable posture. They are so fun and cute to watch at this stage. 

Their eyes have been open for several days. Which means those wobbly cute critters can see each other and bravely are starting to move from point A to point B.  This is the time to enjoy them.

In the next, few weeks the work load on us will increase as we will need to start putting paper down and changing it several times a day.  The litter was a month earlier than before so it won't be as nice as last year when the pups got to run out in the yard the last two weeks before they left.