I am very excited to say… not much, at this point. But in about 4 weeks, I’ll have lots to say, and I’ll be excited about it, and I’ll also say why I don’t have much to say right now. But suffice to say, as of today I am no longer looking for new employment. And that is very good news at the House of Horne. Thanks be to God!
Yet Another Addition
Is there anything cuter than a fat, roly-poly puppy with big paws, a sweet face, floppy ears and soft, soft fur?
I saw this little face (the dog’s, not Josiah’s!) on a shelter website early in the week. Lone Star Labs told us they would love to pull her from the shelter but only if a foster home was available. Most people aren’t too enthusiastic about fostering a puppy; sure they are cute, but they are also a mess! But we said yes, why not? Hmmmmm.
Yesterday, Marsha of LSL arrived with a second crate, bag of puppy food, puppy biscuits, and some chew toys for the newest foster to play with. Today the two little boys and I picked up Lulu from the vet’s office and took her through afternoon carpool to the delight of all the schoolchildren!
Well, she IS a really cute puppy. And the children are having a ball with her. Dixie is not so sure about the little encroacher, and we have had to closely monitor the two girls when they are together. But we have no doubt Lulu will find herself a loving home VERY quickly. Till then, we are soaking us up some puppy love! Updated to add: Check out who made the Lone Star Adoptable Pets Page!!
Oh, and by the way, the only thing cuter than a little roly puppy, is the man of your dreams holding that puppy!
Watchful Puppy
Today Josiah awoke with a bad stomach virus, and spent the day on an air mattress in the living room, alternately getting sick, crying because he felt so miserable, and falling asleep with the exhaustion of it all. We have had several sick wards in the living room already this year, but this was one was a little different, because today, in the middle of it all, was Dixie the pup, who lay near Josiah’s side through much of the day. And who even several times attempted to lie almost on top of Josiah on his air mattress, perhaps in an effort to help him know she really, really wanted to be as close to him as possible, and comfort him in his distress. Sweet doggie.
My Boring Bible Story
Near the end of 1997, at the tender age of 26, I wrote my first Deacon’s corner article in my church’s monthly newsletter. I was just sifting through old files on my laptop, and came across it. I ask you, what is more fun than plagiarizing yourself?
My Boring Bible Story
circa November 1997
This morning, chapter seven of Numbers happened to be part of my devotional reading plan. It is a favorite of mine, because I learned a great lesson from it a couple years ago when I listened to it in my car for the first time. Unlike a book, one cannot skim a passage when listening to the Bible-on-cassette. There I was, trying to keep a disciplined focus on the words coming through my speakers as I cruised down the highway, when God ‘enlightened’ me. You see, Numbers 7 is perhaps the most boring chapter in the entire Bible.
Helping Daddy With The Job Search
Well Now, Look Who’s Back!!
I know, Gentle Readers: this has become a dog blog. Bear with us please, if you will. Bwahahahah!
Remember that cute puppy we fostered over the weekend? The one whom another family with four children had already committed to adopting? Well, in a very surprising turn of events, they decided not to keep her after all. Tuesday while I was at the dentist, I got a call from one of the Lone Star workers who knew we’d really enjoyed Dixie while she was here. They asked if we might like to have Dixie back, since we knew her better than any other volunteers in the program right now, assuming Gordon found other foster arrangements. (Nothing against sweet Gordon – we think he is a gem, and as soon as he fattens up he will be busy with his calendar-modeling career!). We said yes, we’d love to foster Dixie again, so on Tuesday night another nice volunteer picked up big Gordon, and yesterday we brought Miss Dixie back to our house.
She initially displayed that boundless puppy energy just like the previous time she was dropped off to stay at House of Horne. It tapered off significantly within a day’s time, which it has again today. For a seven month-old lab, Dixie is surprisingly docile and calm; she can play really hard, and then come inside and flop down for a nap. She is super-gentle with our children and will eat a tiny piece of “kibble” from Josiah’s little clenched fingers without so much as nicking him. This afternoon, he sat on her and pretended he was a cowboy and she was a horse. And she never even moved to get up, just politely pretended along with him that she was the best 43 pound horse ever. What a sweet girl.
Sadly, Dixie has a bad little cough she needs to get over. So we will be keeping her at least until she can get healthy again, and then we will see….for now, we are so happy to have her back.
The older shall get served by the younger
Jonathan, almost crying: “Dad, I don’t want to play chess anymore. Nicolas won’t play easier.”
That’s Jonathan, the 7 year old intellectual prodigy, referring to Nicolas, the 5 year old boy who until recently tried hard to give the impression he had cotton fluff between his ears.
Editor’s note: see comments for title credits.
Welcome, Gordon!
Gordon joined our household last night as our newest foster doggie. He is a big boy, with a block head that is too large right now for his somewhat skinny body. We are working on helping him gain back the weight he needs to be a healthy size for his large frame. He is really a beautiful dog, but doesn’t photograph well at all, in my honest opinion.
Late last week, I saw Gordon’s picture on a local shelter’s website; he and another dog Skye (she is the pretty yellow lab second from the top of the page) were both scheduled for euthanization due to their “time being up”, and no one having claimed or adopted them, and the facility being too full. I called and spoke with one of the shelter workers who confirmed these were both wonderful dogs who would likely make great family pets, and she hated to see them put down. I called some of the Lone Star volunteers and they were able to pick up both Gordon and Skye and give them another chance at finding homes.
Perhaps he still has some anesthesia in his system from his recent “snip” surgery, but Gordon is about as mellow as they come. He is very calm inside, and quite gentle with the children. After walking peacefully around the house, investigating each corner, he seems content to lay nearby and watch the goings-on of our household. If you call him, he plods over to plunk his head in your lap and get his ears scratched. This is one sweet dog, and we are glad to be able to help care for him as he looks for a new family. Here is Nicolas offering Gordon a treat: the dog waited patiently while Nicolas said “Stay” about a million times before putting the treat on the ground in front of him, and even then didn’t pounce on it until he was given the “ok!”. Good Gordon!
Sunday on the Swing With Grandy
Little House Guest for the Weekend
Miss Dixie has joined us just for the weekend.
She is a seven month old yellow lab with a lot of puppy energy. Despite her level of activity she doesn’t knock the children over in her exuberance, merely leaps in the air beside them, reminding me of a playful dolphin, only with fur. And on land. Without fins. Okay, so maybe not so much like a dolphin after all, but hopefully you get the idea.
Such exuberance means it is very hard to snap a good photo of her, especially given my camera’s inability to grab a focus in fewer than 6 seconds, but I did my best. No worries that we will be tempted to fall in love and want to adopt her: she is already spoken for by a family with four children ranging in age from 9 years on down to 2 years. Go figure.
I must add that Abigail is simply beside herself with excitement about a puppy in the house – upon arriving home from school and seeing Dixie her face lit up with happiness. Despite my initial desire to adopt only a dog who was an adult, I am finding myself open to the idea of a puppy again someday. Maybe.