Can God Use a Dog?

Sometimes it's hard to know what to pray for.

I have to admit that I was really hoping to get a puppy this summer. It seemed to me an ideal summer to be involved in training a puppy, because other than 2 trips up home to Michigan, I didn't have any other plans to be gone, so I could be home with a dog and get it ready for when I'd be gone more in the school year. Besides, Sarah is coming this fall so there will be another person around to let her out.

Well, you all know that I DID get a puppy, but it was a tough decision. I've considered getting a puppy/dog before, but I've talked myself out of it because I haven't been home enough during the school year--and, besides, pets cost money! But this time around I really thought I could do arrange my schedule to do it. And it seems like there's always enough money for what you really want to spend it on. Besides, how fun is having a DOG!?

So I started looking online at the Humane Society and reading the classifieds every once in a while during the last couple months of the school year. I thought it would only be fair to a dog (especially a puppy) if I got her (I was only considering a female) at the BEGINNING of the summer so I could spend as much time with her as possible before my school schedule starts in August. When school got out I thought maybe I'd just take one trip to the Humane Society and find that perfect little dog or puppy, and BOOM! But it was hard to know what I was looking for. I borrowed books from the library on breeds, but I know I've always loved mutts. I thought I'd need a smaller breed because, frankly, they cost less because they eat less--plus they're easier to take with you places. However, I did NOT want a tiny dog like a chihuahua. I wanted a dog you could go out and take for a walk every night when you get home; it seems to be a great exercise program! Sure, pets cause more wear on the house, but what's a house for if not to really LIVE in it? (Besides, this will give me a good incentive to clean and vacuum more!)

So I was hoping to just see that one puppy (and I was really looking for a puppy) that would just scream, "Ooh! It's ME! Pick me! Take me home!" But I went twice to the Humane Society before leaving for Michigan and didn't find anything other than beagles or really BIG dogs or a 10-month old white Jack Russell terrier, which I wasn't all that crazy about. I started reading the Classifieds EVERY day in the "Absolutely Free" section. Oh yes, that was my other stipulation: I was NOT going to pay big bucks for a dog. So I spent a week in Michigan, thinking, "It's almost too late to get a puppy now." But I was going home for about 5 weeks then so thought, "If I can find a puppy THIS week, it might work!"

Monday I spent getting ready for our VBS and playing with my new laptop, so I didn't really get to reading the classifieds. Tuesday morning, however, reading through the "Absolutely Free" section, one caught my eye: free medium mixed breed dogs. So I made a phone call. I asked what size the pups might be: "well, shepherd, lab, chow, retriever mix--something like that." That didn't sound medium-sized to me, that sounded pretty big, but I thought the only way to really find out was to take a look at them. So I asked if I could stop by--he gave me directions to a farm north of town and he had 3 girls and 2 boys left out of a litter of 9. They were 8-9 weeks old. And, of course, they were really cute, but I was concerned they might not be healthy as they had not had any shots or anything yet--besides, they looked to be kind of on the pudgy side, and I was wondering if there was something wrong with them. But the mom wasn't THAT big--she was probably about border collie size and looked to be like a short-haired border collie. All the pups looked different--the 2 boys looked like they had Rottweiler markings! But they looked like they would be medium-large sized dogs. BUT there were girls, AND they were FREE. AND I could basically take one home RIGHT NOW. So now I was in a dilemma. I told the man if I was really interested I would call him back, otherwise don't hold one for me. And then I went to the Humane Society--nothing that really stood out to me there still. Besides, they seem to take a long time getting through paperwork until you finally get to take the puppies home. So I went to the library and checked out a few books on puppies. In looking through some information, I discovered that worms can cause puppies to have bloated stomachs. Aha--roundworms, that's pretty common in puppies, nothing to really be worried about there. Otherwise, everything else in those farm puppies seemed to line up when looking for a healthy puppy.

So I made phone calls to all of my advisors--my siblings! Sarah voted yes, because she wanted a larger dog anyway (one she could take jogging with her). Rachel advised me to figure out what I really wanted, as did Tim (well, actually, he said no). Therein was the dilemma. Did I really want a larger dog? So I did a lot of "heart-searching." What was I really looking for in a dog? Obviously, I DID decide to go with the larger dog. Honestly, they are my personal favorites, but I just didn't think I could afford one or have a yard big enough for one. BUT if I exercised her well she could be fine. And bigger dogs don't eat THAT much more food, do they? And I really don't like small, yippy dogs. A bigger dog would be a good watchdog and a lot more fun to take for long walks. A smaller dog could travel with you better, though. And the more I talked to my "advisors," the more I realized I hadn't looked at the puppies long enough to really remember them too well. I decided I needed one more look at them, so the next morning I called the "dog guy" back and asked if he still had the females. (I figured if they were still available by the next day that was a "sign.") :) He only had 2 females left now, so my choices were being more limited, so I booked it out there. The one I had wanted to check out more was gone now, but the first one that had caught my eye was still there. She was the one who had come up to me first thing and let me rub her belly, while all the other puppies eventually took off or never came up to me at all. At first I was concerned she might be too aggressive, but figured out she wasn't like that at all. She was actually the "runt" of the litter and I think was just more used to having to push a little bit to get some attention. So I said I'd take her. (The other female was brindle-colored and more aloof--more like a chow.)

So that's the LONG version of how I ended up with my puppy. I spent Wednesday night making my first trip to PetSmart (and also hitting Wal-Mart and Meijer) to buy all those needed puppy items. And Thursday I made one more trip out to the farm to bring her home!

But, anyway, where I was going with this, was that during this selection process I wasn't sure whether to pray about this decision or not. I thought, does God really care if I get a puppy or not?? How in the world should I pray about this decision? I guess I could have prayed for wisdom. And I know God cares about good stewardship of money, but does it really matter if you have a dog or not? Did I want this just because I was being selfish? Are there any spiritual benefits of having a dog? Can God use a dog? I have to admit, that my brother said I should "pray about it," but I really didn't, because I really wondered if God cared about my getting a DOG!

However, in the one week and one day that I have HAD Juju (and I am SO GLAD I got her, by the way), I have already seen how God has used this dog in my life. I tend to "hide out" in my home and it does not come naturally to me to reach out to others. But in the last week, from having a puppy, I have met the high school boy "Ben" who lives behind me, the other neighbors behind me and their 2 girls (who I found out go to my church), talked more to my next door neighbor, and met the 3 girls who live across the street! (After living here for 1 year I'm finally meeting the neighbors!) And I find that people (especially kids) love to pet my puppy! So I think God can really use a dog when it comes to meeting people in the community!

So, yes, I do believe God wanted me to get this puppy!

(Hey, congratulations for making it through this LONG post!)

The Kirby Guy

Are you ready for a story?

I had an interesting experience Saturday. I was sitting on my living room floor reading the newspaper, minding my own business, when I hear this friendly knock on the door--you know, the knock a friend knocks: tap, tap-a-tap tap (quarter, two-eighths, quarter, quarter for you musical people). I peeked out the window and didn't recognize the lady standing there, but I went ahead and opened the door. She shoved a bottle of dish detergent in my hands, and went on to tell me that I could keep that bottle for free if I just donated a few moments of my time to take this short survey, had I heard of her company (I had not), and how her boss gave out credit to her for each person that participated. I ask, "How long will this take?" "As long as you want it to," she replies. Then she goes out to her van to get her stuff. Before I know it, she is in my living room, introducing me to "Eric" who has hauled in a huge box and is starting to pull various bits and pieces out of it and assemble them. "Have you heard of Kirby?" Ah, then it clicked in my brain--have I actually just agreed to a Kirby vacuum demonstration? Then the girl is leaving: "I have another associate at a different house, Eric here will do a good job and show you about the Kirby." Yay. That's a little awkward.

That was probably about 1:00 in the afternoon. The funny thing was that I had actually vacuumed that morning already! But "Eric" went ahead and vacuumed my living room floor a zillion times, showing me all the things my vacuum cleaner failed to pick up. He asked how old I was because he thought at first I was going to have to get my dad or something! I assured him it was my house. He was actually a pretty nice guy, 24 years old, just getting out of the military (Army--he had been in Iraq and came back in May). Most people were surprised he already owned his own home, too (he lives in the next neighborhood)--but the military pays for a lot of things! We talked about where I worked and such, and how I was still "religious" even though my dad was a pastor. He said that he had never really met any pastor's kids who were doing similar things to their parents; the pastor's kids he had known had been the wild ones! He was from a Catholic background, although he said his mom had been an atheist until he was in Iraq. When he came back he found out that now she believes in God and goes to church all the time (and, incidentally, is a whole lot nicer). He showed me pictures of his 3-year-old daughter Alexandria, and how she was in daycare at some other Christian daycare in the area, so I made sure I told him about the daycare at Faith and about the Community Center and such. I'm not a big fan of high-pressure sales tactics myself, so I didn't force the gospel on him or anything. But I hope that perhaps I was a good testimony, and that he might be receptive to hearing the gospel when he meets someone else.

Anyway, about an hour and a half later I finally ask, "About how much longer will this take?" So then he starts wrapping up. (I was going to refuse the shampooing, too, until he offered to clean my entry rug instead. So, sure, go ahead. I'll take a free rug cleaning.) And then he had to call his boss and see what kind of deal they could strike for me (which of course, they could find none). He was nice about it, he already knew I wasn't going to buy one. (I'm NOT paying $1,900 and some dollars for a high-faluting vacuum cleaner!) So, after borrowing some Windex and paper towels and a garbage bag for all the dirt that he pulled out of my carpet, about 3:00 (2 hours later) he was finally out the door. (And he was pretty honest about knowing that I probably wanted him to get out of my house!) But I wished him well and hoped he sold a lot of vacuum cleaners.

So now I can say that I have had my first experience with Kirby vacuum sales tactics.

The puppy (Juju) was very good the whole time. I held her in the living room for a little while to keep her quiet, but then shut her in the kitchen and she slept the rest of the time. I was afraid she was going to have to go the bathroom and I wasn't going to be able to let her out. But she was good (this time). We're still working on that housebreaking. I'm starting to wonder if I really wanted an un-housebroken puppy...but of course I do!

Juju's New Toy

Here are some pictures of Juju and her new toy! Juju and I went garage saling this morning--Juju's first experience out walking in the neighborhood. Of course, she hasn't gotten the hang of walking on a leash yet, so I carried her on her first walk. That 9 pounds starts to get heavy after a little while, too! She met a lot of new people friends and met a few other dogs: got a little baggie of treats from one lady, had pictures with another couple of ladies (who almost didn't give her back) and a bowl of water, and did explore a couple of garages. After an hour and a half or so she and I were both getting hot (Juju likes her shade and cool places to lie down--like wet grass and damp cement--both of which I had to carry her away from while we were out) so we came home to take a nap--and play with Juju's new toy: a big red stuffed dog.

I got a couple of board games and a basket for Juju's toys and a new book, but my favorite purchase was a 25-cent stuffed animal for Juju. Right now it is bigger than she is, but pretty soon that will change!

Dog Days of Summer

Well, it is now officially summer, and I am in the middle of doggie days!

Juju (as Jubal Lee will now officially be called) had an eventful morning. She had an 8:45 vet appointment at Creekside Animal Hospital and had all sorts of stuff done! She had her first deworming medication (2nd dose to be given by me in 2 weeks), her first shot, her nails clipped, her first doggie treats, and her first weigh-in: 9.1 pounds! She has pretty much slept since then! I hope she is still able to get some sleep tonight!!! She doesn't like being in her kennel yet, and she's pretty vocal about it! But she's gotten better at being gated into the kitchen by herself, so hopefully the kennel will come too. She's not a very good watchdog yet, as she doesn't yet recognize the sound of the doorbell (sleeps right through it) and isn't quite sure where "her" territory is yet. But she does know how to run and hide inside the house when she hears another dog barking...so we'll have to work on meeting other barking dogs eventually, I think!

I could try to describe her, but it's better just to meet her. :)

Name That Puppy!

Jubal Lee is the name I had in mind--probably Juju for short (or Juba), but I've had mixed reception to that name. So here's the challenge: come up with a better name for my puppy by the end of the day or it is Jubal!

Yes, I brought my puppy home this morning! She's in the middle of transition from outside to inside dog, and being away from mom and brothers and sisters for the first time, but she's only 9 weeks old, so hopefully she'll learn to adjust fast! She's got her first Vet appointment at 8:45 tomorrow (Friday) morning!

VBS The First

Guess where I'm updating from??!! My new MacBook--which incidentally arrived at my house EARLY while I was on vacation--which was a problem trying to get it delivered...but it worked out and I arrived back in Lafayette yesterday and I have it up and running! :)

I was in Ishpeming, MI last week for Vacation Bible School at my parents' church. What a week! My last post had some of the totals, but we were expecting about 50 kids. We had 43 on Monday, 57 on Tuesday, 67 on Wednesday, 66 on Thursday, and 81 on Friday for water day!! Do you ever feel like you are getting unexpected blessings from God? I felt spiritually unprepared for this week; I had barely--if ever--prayed about, but for some reason God allowed all these children to come. Many were from other churches, but I think we had a few contacts from the trailer park across the street from the church! And we raised over $600 in pennies for the Flinck family to help them get on their way to Chile! We also had a good turnout for the Closing Program on Friday night as well. I pray we were able to be a good testimony to some area families and maybe build some new relationships. As I drove back home Sunday I realized how easy it is to try to be independent of the work of God. I was convicted of how easy it is to think we did some great thing, or else how easy it is to be working so hard at getting ready for these kids that we fail to acknowledge God's work in it all. I pray that the Lord be honored and glorified for the strength to make it through the VBS week.

Now...on to the Second VBS Week--here in Lafayette we're doing "Set Sail! Spread the Good News" during the evenings this week. There are more kids here, but there are also a lot more helpers, so my job is actually easier this week! We'll see how it goes tonight!

In the U.P.

I am updating from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan!

I am helping out with Vacation Bible School at the church my dad pastors in Ishpeming, Michigan this week. We were hoping for about 40 kids each morning, but we've been blessed with 43 kids on Monday and 57 today!! What a great turnout! We also have special guests David and Kristi Flinck with us as our missionaries of the week. I actually went to Northland with David and Kristi (Thompson) for a couple of years (they were 2 years ahead of me), so it's been good to catch up with them. I've enjoyed playing with their kids Jordan (4), Benji (3), and Kaylee (11 months).

It's been a busy week so far as we're at church from about 9:00 a.m. until about 1:00 p.m. (VBS is over at noon) and I've been working on powerpoint presentations and crafts home with me to work on for the next day.

But we had fun going to Lake Michigamme yesterday afternoon for a boat ride and supper. It actually warmed up enough when the sun came out to take our jackets off, too!

And today my sister Sarah and I went to Presque Isle in Marquette and took a nice walk around it--by Lake Superior. And as long as you kept moving the mosquitoes weren't too bad!

Just thought I'd share a few photos of the week so far.

Laptop Wins

This is an update to the post a while back where I debated what to spend my life savings on: getting either a laptop or a piano. On Saturday, I ordered my new 13.3" MacBook from Apple, so I guess the laptop wins this round. However, if I found a piano I liked and could afford, maybe Round 2 could go to the piano. Although a pet could easily win Round 2 at this moment, because it would also be cheaper. (I did call about a $600 piano in the paper the other day but never heard back; I assume I was too late.)

Transforming a Room

A new adventure: painting! I haven't done much painting before, but I'm game to try new things, so here I go! Yesterday (Friday) I painted my guest bedroom red--it's a pretty unforgiveable color for a first paint job, let me tell you! My sister Sarah said she'd come live with me if I painted her room red, so...here ya go! The pictures are before, during, and after. I'm basically done now even though I'm not very happy with my trim job--but it looks good from a distance!

I am planning on painting my living room this summer, too (legend tan), but after this job, with my aching back, I'm not sure I want to. There is a painter in my church with 3 high school sons who may be available to help, though. And if he can come over...maybe he can fix my floorboard trim job in this room too. We'll see. I think I'm a pretty messy painter. But overall I was very pleased with the color (good pick, Sarah!) and the amount of paint I had purchased (used about 2 and a quarter gallons for 2 coats).

Every time I pass that room now I have to look and see where all the bright color is shining from!

A Dearth

I had previously wondered how a person could NOT come up with a topic to blog about. Prior to this week, I seemed to have at least 3 posts formulating in my head at any given time. Now that school is out and I have time to sit down and write something...nothing comes to mind. Even now, "days later"...ok, ok, inside movie quote.

Speaking of movies, summer is a great time to be able to enjoy sitting down and watching a flick. I have recently borrowed 5 from the library (the maximum limit of my card) and I hope to watch them all this week. I am a movie buff. But I rarely go to the theater. Okay, I have stumbled onto a topic. Going to movies. I was raised that it was wrong to go to a movie theater. I'm not saying that that was good or bad. I'm glad I was raised not going to movies. We still watched them in the privacy of our own home. And I still like to do that now--especially since the advent of the TV Guardian (Curse-free TV), which is a great invention that I would highly recommend. But I have currently been inside a movie theater to see a movie now...5 times. And it has always been with people who have no qualms about the experience. It is also my goal to not randomly go to a movie, but to check out the movie I am going to see to make sure it is worthwhile. And there are some movies that ARE big-screen movies--that is, they are really cool on the big screen. I agree with my cousin Mark when he said that The Chronicles of Narnia: LWW was one such movie (which was the latest one I saw in a theater). Besides, movies are EXPENSIVE! Why waste big bucks on something like that all the time? Especially when, if you are patient and wait long enough, you can get them from the library for 2 weeks for FREE? There is one upcoming movie, though, that I WOULD pay to go to a movie theater to see: Pirates of the Caribbean 2!! I hope it's as good as the first!!

So, the moral of the story: if you have slumped into a dearth of blog topics, just start posting, apparently!

More Graduations

I don't have time to post about Kindergarten graduation Thursday night, celebrating with Carter Knolhoff and his family that evening, helping the 6th grade teachers with a movie-maker project for the Awards ceremony Friday morning, and all the graduation-week practices. But TODAY is HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION and the OFFICIAL END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR! Hip-hip-HOORAY!! Summer vacation is here!!!!

I went to one open house last night (Friday), and I am planning to go to 7 more today and 5 more tomorrow! Free food...YAY!

Piano Recitals

(me with Andrew & Christina Doerr)

I had 2 spring recitals for my piano students this year. One on Sunday, May 21 at 2:00 p.m. and then one on Monday, May 22 at 7:00 p.m. Almost all of my students participated in one or the other, plus I added a few duets, so we had about 21 in each recital. There were going to be more in the second recital, but about 5 dropped out last-minute. So the bigger crowd ended up being on Sunday (I printed off 50 programs and they were all gone). Monday I printed off 60 programs and had about 20 left over! I have a few people that are interested in summer lessons, but overall, piano lessons are DONE for another year! I got some beautiful flowers at both recitals!

Groundbreaking

"Great is Thy faithfulness..."

Sunday afternoon was a big event in my church family--the groundbreaking for the new community center! It is supposed to open on Memorial Day 2007. God has truly been blessing in my church in so many ways--especially financially lately. I believe that there are a lot of people (especially our pastoral staff) who are seeking to glorify God by words and actions and really striving to be good stewards of the resources He has given to us. We are definitely not burying our "talents" in the ground. Pastor Viars is definitely not afraid to try new things and step out on a faith limb. And after the Community Center is built we have already been given a 2.45 million dollar grant to start a home for single moms right next door. What an exciting place to be!

"To God be the glory great things He hath done."

Gardening Saturday

Saturday was a beautiful, sunny day. So after being treated to a Bob Evans breakfast by the Knolhoff family, I headed off to buy plants (used some gift cards!) and do a little planting. My big purchase was a macintosh apple tree for my back yard. I planted some geraniums around its base because I think my back yard needs more color. My front flower bed is still a work in progress, but I did some rearranging and added some daisies and baby's breath...and an extra geranium that didn't fit in the backyard. And I hung a hanging basket of wave petunias...with some more petunias in a potter by my front door.

It is fun to work outside and enjoy God's beautiful creation.

Happy Birthday to ME!

Today was my birthday. I am now only 2 years away from 30...AAAGHH!! :)

It was a pretty low-key celebration today...considering I "ruined" my surprise party by going to surprise my parents last weekend. So since they didn't come down, I had no surprise party. Miss Wilson's 6th grade sang to me after chapel this morning, and FMT sang to me during Bible class. Mrs. Leffew put up a birthday sign and balloons outside my door. And I got 3 e-cards and 3 cards in the mail when I got home. And a birthday song voice mail from my brother. So that was all very special. My friends the Knolhoffs are going to take me out for breakfast on Saturday. My parents had already given me my present last weekend. So there wasn't much else; I guess that's the case when you get older. :) But I treated myself to a Wendy's frosty after the high school spring concert, which was also last night. The program went well--it was a mix of band, choir, and speech, so my part was fairly simple--just playing for the Jr. high and the Sr. high choir. Jack didn't think we needed a powerpoint, so we didn't even have that!

I think I'm the kind of person who gets more out of something when you can look forward to it, so I don't think surprises are my favorite thing anyway. If you have something to look forward to, for instance, on your birthday, then you know that at least people remembered it was your birthday. When it's all a surprise, they pretend to not know it's your birthday or you have to be very careful what you say. Or you're afraid to say anything that might spoil their surprise. Or if you think there might be something and there's not, there's the danger of disappointment. Anyway, I'm rambling now. But I am looking forward to going out for breakfast on Saturday!

So, thanks to those of you who remembered me on my birthday. Let's do it again next year!

Surprise!

I was able to SURPRISE my parents by coming to Sarah's graduation. They thought I was too busy to come up, but I cleared my schedule for Friday and Monday and made a nice long weekend of it by going up to the U.P. afterwards. So I was able to surprise my mom and spend all of Mother's Day with her.

I walked up the bleachers Friday night at Northland's Spring Concert to where my mom and dad were sitting and said "Surprise! Happy Mother's Day!" It would be safe to say that Mom looked shocked. "What are you doing here? Did you know about OUR surprise?" The hilarious thing was that THEY had planning to come and surprise ME on Thursday for my birthday! But I beat them to it. I surprised them first!! Kudos to my sisters and Amy Knolhoff, who each knew about BOTH surprises, but never spilled the beans to either of us.

Saturday after graduation I was able to enjoy driving through the scenic Upper Peninsula (I saw a wild turkey and 3 deer). Then Sarah and I provided special music for church Sunday morning (a select few people knew I was coming so the schedule was clear); we sang "Still the Cross." We (Dad and us 3 girls) took mom out to Red Lobster for Sunday dinner. And we enjoyed watching each others videos and pictures from the last couple of months after evening church while playing Rook.

I took my time getting back on Monday. I stopped in Chicago to see my good friend Jackie and was able to visit with her for a little while. I went straight to bed when I got home; in fact, I still need to unpack the car because I accidentally overslept this morning, too.

But it was a great weekend back in the good old U.P. woods. And I've always wanted to surprise my mom and come back for a visit. So now I can check that off the "things-to-do-in-my-life" list. Probably won't happen again...

Happy Graduation, Sis!

I was able to attend my youngest sister Sarah's graduation from Northland Baptist Bible College on Saturday (May 13). She graduated with a 2-year Bible Associates degree. I'm proud of you for finishing, sis! I'm glad I got to celebrate with you, and I look forward to having you come and live with me this fall. Love ya!

My Life is a Rehearsal

It seems as if I'm always rehearsing for something. Last week was the 4th-6th grade elementary Spring Concert on Thursday night and the K5-3rd grade Spring Program on Friday night...for starters. (Besides that I had regular Worship Team practice, Day of Prayer breakfast practice, and rehearsals for the Sunday morning offertory and special. I was going from one thing right to the next!) Thankfully I managed to be prepared for all the programs last week and they all seemed to go quite well. I pulled off a powerpoint presentation apiece for those programs too.

This week is the Preschool (K3-K4) Program Thursday, which is kind of my "baby." Tonight I've been working on the powerpoint and picture presentation for that so we can rehearse with at least some of that tomorrow.

We've also started rehearsing for our 7th-12th grade Spring Concert, which will be held next week Thursday. Plus Tuesday nights is the regular night to have Sunday Worship Team rehearsal (and that was tonight)!!

And today was also try-outs for Faith Ministry Team for next year...but I guess that wouldn't be classified as a rehearsal.

Please pray that I will be able to be well-prepared for Thursday night's preschool program. I thought I had things pretty well under control, but the last couple of days I'm finding out some things aren't quite as ready as I had hoped (like my pictures and powerpoint), so I'll be running around like crazy trying to get things ready for that. That's the next big thing on my mind.

Then it will be off to new rehearsals...graduation is just around the corner, too!

Odd One Out

Which of these tulips is not like the others? Last fall I bought some tulip bulbs to plant in my front flower bed. I specifically bought red ones so that they would all be the same color. But somehow I got a hybrid bulb or something, because the one on the end is obviously yellow with red stripes (and also a little taller than the others). Hmm.... Anyway, this picture was actually taken last week when they were closer to their prime. This week they're all pretty much dead.

Goodbye, Reba

Reba Ebony Hill

April 22, 1991-May 3, 2006

I dedicate this post to my beloved dog, Reba, who had to be put down due to kidney failure on Wednesday. Her sister Trixi was my first dog, given to me on my 13th birthday, when the neighbor's dog had puppies. We got Reba on Valentine's Day 1994 from a family in church who had taken her as a puppy. Trixi was killed by a car on December 23, 1995. And now Reba is gone from us. She had been failing lately. From what I've heard from my parents, her sight and hearing was pretty much gone, and she had trouble eating and digesting food due to the kidney failure. My parents finally took her in to the vet to put her to sleep on Wednesday, after she was gasping for breath. She was buried on my sister and brother-in-law's property in a simple ceremony Wednesday night. Goodbye, Reba.