On Saturday, I drove Pele to Petsmart to get a mani/pedi.
He was a bit apprehensive during the drive…
Those are worry lines around his eyes.
He whined most of the way too. Poor dear. I really should take him for rides more often, except that his hair gets everywhere, and his breath is stinky.
He’s a rather large dog with poor walking manners. Taking him anywhere is a huge pain in my behind.
When we got to the store, he was quite obnoxious…making me look like a pet owner who doesn’t know how to control her animal.
He piped down once the ladies in the back got a hold of him. Once they got to working on him, he looked, for just a moment, like he was actually enjoying himself…
“Take that, Mama. You’re not the only one who can get pampered.”
What the picture didn’t capture was him pulling his paw back over and over again…to the point where a second lady had to help hold him.
He’s the biggest wuss of a man dog I’ve ever seen.
His nails are rather thick, so this was a somewhat time-consuming chore but one that the sweet ladies did well.
Pele was thrilled when it was finally time to leave, and he practically pranced out of there.
I’m going to do this once a month so his quick will shrink down a bit (thus rending the techs able to cut his nails shorter). Hopefully, he’ll become accustomed to the routine.
I’ve been blogging a while now…since November 2007…over 1,900 posts.
I started blogging about a year after I learned to knit.
This timing is important, you see, because not too long after I learned to knit, I met my friend, Christina.
She’s known as Rabbitrescuer in the knitting world.
She, too, has a blog, but she doesn’t write prolifically like I do.
She has a real life, you see.
We met in an interesting way. Please forgive me if I’ve shared this before (just try to remember everything you’ve written in 1,900 posts).
After I taught myself to knit, I joined KnittingHelp.com. It’s a wonderful social site for knitters. The members are fantastic, sweet, and very helpful.
The site used to keep a chat room open, and, at the time, I had a part-time job, was back in college, and raising my children.
I loved to chat with my knitting friends.
We’d talk about what we were knitting, our issues with our children, and the yarn we were spending too much money on.
Christina was forever buying yarn, and I’ll admit that I was green with envy.
She worked long hours…the night shift…at an emergency animal clinic…and I often told her I’d pray for her.
It’s funny how those little words would make a difference in our lives.
About a year after we’d been chatting, keeping things uber safe, you know…no last names, children’s names, etc., I got a message from her asking me to pray for her oldest son. He was burned very badly…about 70% of his body…and was taken to a Shriner’s Hospital for treatment.
She asked me to pray for him.
That’s when I called her and heard her voice for the first time.
It was awkward, but I wanted her to know I was there for her…for real.
Thus began our IRL (in real life) friendship.
I called her almost week day to help distract her from the stresses she was facing daily…her son’s fight to live…his many, many surgeries. Her husband visited the hospital on the weekends, so I didn’t call then so I wouldn’t intrude.
Her son stayed in the hospital three or four months.
It was a long time for us to chat, and our friendship deepened.
We have continued our phone conversations ever since, sometimes staying on the phone for an hour or more at a time.
We routinely text each other and are friends on other social networks.
She’s my bestie, even though I’ve never met her face-to-face.
She’s listened to me cry over my family woes, my job hunting disappointments, and my stressful teaching moments.
She’s celebrated my joys as well.
I’ve done the same for her.
We kick each other in the rear when the other one needs it (pull up your big girl pants and deal), which we both know is offered in love.
Through highs and lows, we have been there for each other.
People always draw back in surprise when I try to describe this friendship, taken aback by the way it came about, but God’s hand has been in it. This is quite evident.
Even more so of late.
I received a text from Christina last week, only a few short hours after we’d had one of our marathon chat sessions on one of my snow days.
Her text told me that her husband has cancer, and that it’s spread all over his body.
What they thought was a cyst has turned out to be melanoma…a disease he’s received treatment for in the past and been in remission from for a number of years.
He was given a prognosis of one or two years with treatment.
He begins radiation on Monday.
Oh my, but I couldn’t let this go with a text, so I called her.
Needless to say, her heart is completely broken right now.
My heart hurts for her, Allen, her husband, and her boys.
I sat at my computer and cried after we hung up the phone.
I feel helpless, powerless to really do anything of use for her.
I was gently reminded that I can do something…the thing that drew us together in the first place.
I can pray.
Will you join me in praying for Allen as he goes through a long treatment?
Will you pray for Christina and the boys as they, too, come to terms with this prognosis.
We serve a mighty God, and who knows the miracles He has yet to perform!
It is my prayer that Christina’s family will feel themselves drawn in closer to God as He surrounds them with His steady arms that will carry them through the uncertain future that lies ahead.
I love you, my sweet friend. You are like a sister to me. I’m here for you!
I pray that you trust in the Lord no matter what’s ahead!
I’ve been doing more cooking lately…ever since I finished my ESOL Endorsement.
Specifically, I’ve been cooking a lot of vegan dishes in my crock pot.
Around Christmas, my friend, Christina, told me about a Kindle book that was being offered free of charge for a short time.
It was this book…
I’ve tried a few recipes from it, and oh word! They have been delicious!
Spicy Tomato Lentils (needed more vegetable broth but delicious)
Spicy Tomato Lentils
White Bean Chili
Mexican Minestrone – Probably my favorite so far!
Refried Bean Bake – A short cooking time that was delicious with chips!!
Veggie Casserole – The spinach cooked down…yum!
Yesterday, I made Cajun Kidney Beans and Rice. Oh my word!!! This dish was packed with so much flavor! It makes a lot, so I’ll be eating on it all week!
Cajun Kidney Beans and Rice
Cajun Kidney Beans and Rice
People always wonder what I eat since I don’t partake of any animal products.
As you can see, being vegan doesn’t mean you have to suffer for lack of flavorful dishes!
When I got home from work yesterday afternoon, I had a game plan for what I wanted to accomplish.
It wasn’t going to be grading, and it wasn’t going to be cleaning the house.
I wanted to finish reading a book I’d recently started, The Wedding Dress, by Rachel Hauck.
After reading an endless assortment of dystopian young adult books, the break from that genre was a welcome one.
This book quickly drew me in, let me tell you.
It grabbed hold of my heart, and I.
Could.
Not.
Put.
It.
Down.
It was all I could do to teach on Friday because I wanted to keep reading it!
Conveniently, my students read between 20 and 25 minutes, silently, each day.
I’m supposed to set a good example by reading too (I don’t most days because I’m busy meeting with them one-on-one).
So, like a good teacher, I read while my first and second classes read.
I read through my lunch break.
Sixth period came, and I rolled my chair to the front of the room, propped up my feet on my tall stool, and read. I’m sure I was quite the sight…knit socks propped up.
My students, at first, giggled before settling down to their own books.
Thus, when I got home, I was two-thirds of the way through the book.
I.
Had.
To.
Finish.
I had to find out if Charlotte would come to her senses about Tim.
I had to find out if the mystery man clad in purple really was.
I was drawn in by Emily’s desire to conform to her family’s expectations yet stay true to the convictions that resided within her heart.
The addition of two other women, Hillary and Mary Grace, added even more sentimentality and heartache to the mix.
Oh word, but as I traveled back and forth between the here-and-now and 1912, I literally wanted to jump inside the book.
All of these emotions ran through me as I tried to discover the mystery of the wedding gown that linked everyone together.
It was truly a wonderful read that found me both joyful and sad when it ended.
THIS is good reading, my friends.
I’d originally spied the book on a shelf in a bookstore several months ago.
Later, I’d read a review about it somewhere online.
I finally got around to purchasing my own copy, and I am so glad!
It’s a book that I’m proud to recommend to my high school girls.
They need to know what true love looks like…how to wait for it while staying true to a moral compass.
If you haven’t read it, I strongly urge you to. It’s a magical story that will capture your heart as it did mine.
AuburnChick's Adventures 