So here's the short of it, 
Anniversary today...


And here's the long.

Eighteen years ago today - around lunch time- Victor drove us from our hotel in Riga out into the country to the Incukaln Home for Children.  For the first time we met Liga and Valdis and took them back to the hotel for our first day together.




These are very early pictures we had of the children.  We got these pictures maybe in February.  We expected to travel to Latvia in March, then in April, and then we finally travelled the last of May.

This was on May 31, 1994 right after lunch.
Liga remembers that they made them take a shower, which was a stand up affair in a small tub with a hand held sprayer.  She doesn't remember being told that they would be leaving.  She doesn't remember knowing that they would be as she fondly calls it Adoptnapped that day.

There's so much more to the story!  So many memories crammed into that week that took us from Incukaln, to Poland (via Copenhagen), then from Poland to Germany (trouble with officials in the German airport), then from Germany to Atlanta (an airplane that was delayed about 6 hours), a night in Atlanta (with a boy who didn't know what a pool was and had to have his uncle fish him out!), and finally home to Chattanooga, TN.  This picture was taken the first morning after a sleep in their own beds on Tuxedo Circle.

Here they are today at lunch.  Celebrating with us.
He's 24 - She's 25.


And there are so many memories over these last 18 years!

So here's the short of it, 
So two things converged ...

And here's the long.

In the building where my office is, there is the old city schools records office where people who graduated before the consolidation come if they want to get a high school transcript.

Today we had a celebration luncheon for the folks who are housed in our office and who are retiring at the end of June. As I left to go back upstairs to the office, a middle aged woman approached me and engaged me in conversation about what we had been doing. She asked if our party was over and then, if there was any food left.  She said that she was very embarrassed, but if we had any food left, she wondered if she could have a plate.  Well, I'm not in charge and told her I would check with Dottie who runs our building.  Dottie's response was - "tell her to come on in here and make a plate, we've all been fed and we bought it so folks could eat".

She was embarrassed to come into the room where there were a few lingering guests just visiting.  She shared with me that she was going to go back to school and had come by to get her high school transcript.  It did seem that she was very down on her luck, but had a really positive attitude.

I so appreciated Dottie - she is truly the queen of our building in so many ways and today she certainly demonstrated that she has the graciousness and generosity to go with that title.  

If you are the praying kind, say a prayer for the woman named Valerie.  She's heading for a new start in life and I have a feeling she's going to be heading upwards.  And say a little prayer of thanks for people like Dottie in our lives.

So here's the short of it, 
More Memorial Day Reflections.


And here's the long.

This image got me thinking about Memorial Day yet again. 
It was posted on Facebook along with this message -

  "This guy came in today and asked if it was ok if he left    this on the bar.. I cried :( I left it there until like 1130 tonight.... I didn't want to pour it out but I had to. So I'm posting this pic so it can stay forever!! So can I get some likes people??"

Maybe this isn't just one person's idea of a memorial, as I understand there is a post claiming that Bennigan's will donate $1 for every picture like this posted to an organization which helps the families of military service men and women.

But this made me think about how each of us makes memorials for those we love.  Of course there are formal memorials that we've ritualized and have come to expect. But what really interests me is these more informal and very personal memorials that people have as a way of honoring those they've loved.  I was especially touched by this.  I know some people might not think a big beer is an appropriate memorial - but when I think about how these two men might have had many opportunities to sit and have a beer while they talked about home, their wives or girlfriends, their children, how they kill the dandelions in their front yards, when their tour of duty would be over, and so many other things that as a non-military person I probably can't even imagine.  I know that when this man bought a beer and wrote this note to his friend he was saying in an unmistakable fashion.  Man, you were my friend, and I loved you.

So here's the short of it,
Memorial Day


And here's the long.


This morning Mom, Alan, and I attended the Memorial Day service at the National Cemetery.  Then this afternoon I saw this and did a little research.  This morning Mom, Alan, and I attended the Memorial Day service at the National Cemetery.  Then this afternoon, I saw this and did a little research.

  

Only eight percent of the general population can claim veteran status, but nearly one-fifth of the homeless population are veterans. As the poster says each night about 67,000 veterans are homeless.  Another 1.5 million are at risk of homelessness.  

The veterans who are homeless include veterans of all the wars fought since World War II. 


I think back over the ceremony this morning. And I wonder why it's so easy for us to honor the veterans who have died and so hard for us to take care of the men and women who suffer the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.  


I suspect they are among the unlovable.  I suspect that when we encounter them, we see alcohol and drug abuse, or mental illness instead of the veteran who went when called.  


We should not have a shortage of affordable housing.  There should be plenty of jobs for veterans that would allow a person to earn a living wage.  And there should be affordable health care for every person who ever stepped up and put on our country's uniform. If we can't do these things for anyone else in this country - surely we, as a nation, can figure out how to do these things for our veterans. 

So here's the short of it,
Summer suppers are upon us!

And here's the long.

I went to Linda's Produce Market today. They had peaches and cream corn!  So dinner tonight was the first of what I hope is many summer suppers.

Tonight's menu --  Creamed corn (freshly cut from the cob)
                              Green beans cooked with onions and seasoned with olive oil.
                              Potato Salad - made with red potatoes
                              Juicy red ripe tomato wedges
                              Cottage Cheese.
                         
Dessert brought by MaMa - Fresh Strawberries sliced and served in individually baked pie shells with whipped cream!

There are plenty of leftovers for the rest of the week too!

So here's the short of it, 
Mom and I visited the National Cemetery today.

And here's the long.

By the time Mom and I got to the cemetery this afternoon, the scouts and other volunteers had already been there and placed a flag at every grave site.

We'll go to the Memorial Day service there at the cemetery on Monday. 

Mom brought Dad's favorite flower - red roses.  

So here's the short of it, 
What a special evening. 

And here's the long.

One of my former students who now lives out of town (and far away), came back to Chattanooga for a visit and organized an evening she called "dorkfest".

So way up on Lookout Mountain way down into Georgia a little small group of former students and a couple of fellows that I didn't know got together to share dorkiness.  It was so nice to have a chance to reminisce.  I can't think of anything more rewarding than to see former students forging their lives and making differences in the world - each in their own way.

Thanks Dianne - it was a great plan.  Next time you're in town it should happen again!

So here's the short of it, 
I can tell it's summer around the workin' place.

And here's the long.

The dress code has definitely gone more casual at work now that school is out. People are in their offices instead of out in schools, and everyone is trying to get reports and inventories done and take care of getting supplies stored until they're needed again next year.

I've got a desktop computer that's acting like it's going to go on the blink any moment.  Today I had a new one delivered - but I've never transferred data before, and I'm going to have to figure that out!  Thank goodness I've got some colleagues that might be able to help me figure that out.

Tomorrow we get off a couple of hours earlier and then we have the Memorial Day Holiday on Monday! I'm thinking that's going to be really nice!

So here's the short of it, 
The celebrations of our Veterans began today. 

And here's the long.

The Wednesday night dinner and program at First Cumberland was honoring veterans as we come up on Memorial Day. Alan's a good influence on me.  I'd just stay home much more often, but he enjoys going so we went to the program tonight.

The program was a brief overview of the music of the wars beginning with World War I.  It was nice.  There was a chorus of about 6 young girls who sang "Don't sit under the Apple Tree with anyone else but me."  Mom turned to me and said - That was one of our songs.

As usual Bruce did a wonderful job of decorating.  This huge arrangement of red roses and American Flags graced the stage in the Fellowship Hall.  It was nice to be with Mom.

So here's the short of it, 
Today was the last day of school!

And here's the long.


Today was end of year report card day. Most teachers were finished up and able to leave early.  I had a meeting all morning and a retirement lunch.

I didn't like having a meeting this morning. I have reports coming in from teachers on the last day of school and I wasn't available to cajole or help.  In addition our e-mail service has been very temperamental since last week.  Oh yes - the reports are coming in electronically. I'm sure it will all be just fine - but I had about 8 schools with no reports in my the time I left for the evening.

So I'm betting on the great teachers I work with - the reports should all be there tomorrow!

And my 10 days starts tomorrow.  Margaret asked me to swap out a few days so that I could help with some training this summer - and that works great for me.

So here's the short of it, 
I've been thinking of Uncle Tom.

And here's the long.

Yesterday's Solar Eclipse got me to thinking about Uncle Tom. I learned almost everything I know about the phenomenon of the Solar Eclipse from discussions with him - and that one most wonderful time when we travelled to Atlanta and were with him for a viewing. I think that was in 1984.

This photo was taken in Japan

I even knew that this one was going to be an annular eclipse and the "Ring of Fire" would be visible.  There's a pretty good article about the Eclipse at Space.com - Link to it here. I'm glad Uncle Tom talked to us about his work; it was pretty fascinating.

The picture I found on Wikimedia was taken in Japan.  I think viewing there must have been pretty awesome, as there are pictures all over the web from that part of the world.

There's a total eclipse coming across Kentucky and Tennessee in August of 2017.  I'm already starting to make plans to be at that event and hoping that some of our family will join us then!

So here's the short of it, 
The house is pretty quiet tonight. 

And here's the long.

Cutie Pie has gone home to be with her family.  She's pretty excited to have her girls back in town.  But I'll have to say she was a delightful guest!  One of these hot afternoons this summer, I'm going to take a lesson from her and just go into the bathroom and stretch out on the cool tile floor.  It sure does look like it would be a nice thing to do on a hot afternoon

Mom and Liga were here for supper - and then Mom and I worked on some of the details for the family reunion for a bit. We got some basic stuff done.

Now everyone's gone; Sophie and Lola are in for the night.  The only noise is the hum of the washer and the dishwasher.  I think I'll let them hum me right to sleep!

So here's the short of it, 
Sophie entertained her girl friend Cutie Pie today.

And here's the long.

Cutie Pie's family are out of town because both of the girls are playing in a big soccer tournament.  So Sophie and I are entertaining her!  She came over this morning and spent the day with us. She's back in her house for the evening, but she'll come back over tomorrow for awhile.

Cutie Pie and Lola came to an uneasy truce today.  I thought Lola might spend the whole day in hiding, but she didn't.  I also thought from what Gina said that Cutie Pie would just chase her - but that wasn't the case either.

She didn't figure out how to use the pet door, even though Sophie tried several times to coach her through that.  She's going to spend some time with us tomorrow, so maybe she'll try it then.

So here's the short of it, 
So glad to get pictures right away since I'm not along for the visit!

And here's the long.

Alan's off for a visit with Shelley, Lou, and Max before the new baby arrives the end of next month. I'm still not done with work.  As a matter of fact, this is a very busy time for me - end of year stuff is pretty demanding.  So I'm here missing out on what's looking like a really good visit.

Here they are having ice cream this afternoon. Don't you just know they were enjoying that.

And here's beautiful Shelley and Max.  It won't be long before little brother is here too!
Whenever I ask Shelley how she feels, she says "large".  This baby boy is going to be a big one!

Since I couldn't be there - I'm really glad to have all the pictures.  I will always love a nice glossy picture taken from a really good 35 mm camera - but a picture sent from miles away arriving just moments after it was taken is just the trick for a time like this!

So here's the short of it, 
I think I'm experiencing a change of life!

And here's the long.

I've never been a morning person.  I have memories of Mom and Dad prying me out of bed to get me to school on time.  I remember having so much trouble getting to my first 8:00 o'clock college class that I never scheduled another one!  Then there were the years of working a really early schedule when I was single - being at work 30 minutes away and having to be there by 7:00 most mornings and earlier sometimes!  During those days, I had 3 alarm clocks set to go off at 5 or 10 minute intervals -- and across the room as well.  For many years I haven't had that really early schedule -- although I do have times that I have to be at an early school for meetings.  So I've gotten into the habit of waking much later than I used to.  Even though I'm waking at a decent hour,  that getting up stuff is really hard for me.  I've never really been envious of Alan for his ability to wake early with seeming ease - but I've always marveled at it!

But -- I've been waking up pretty early for the last week without even an alarm!  I'm waking before the animals are up and about!  A couple of mornings I've even been the one to turn on the coffee pot -- I didn't think that would ever happen. I just wonder what in the world is happening to me!  I'm not minding this at all.  I really even like being up so early as long as it's not a struggle to get up!

So morning sun -- maybe I'll be seeing a lot more of you in this new stage of my life!

So here's the short of it, 
Today is Alan's birthday! 

And here's the long.

Happy Birthday Alan!
I'm glad you were born.
I'm happy to celebrate another birthday with you.

So here's the short of it, 
This week the retirement parties and receptions are in full swing.

And here's the long.

This is the last week of school for kids.  I can hardly believe another school year has flown by.  At every school there are receptions and after hours dutch treat outings for the teachers that have spent so many years teaching.

This afternoon a friend told me the story of the year her father retired.  He had spent 40 something years as a science teacher for 9th graders.  On the last period of the very last day, very close to the end of the period, his classroom door opened and there was the principal stepping into the room -- followed closely by other administrators, teachers who were on planning, and then former students and students from that year, as well as some current upper classmen.  All these people came into the room and stood around the perimeter of the class, and then everyone including his current students began clapping.  Don't you know that must have brought tears to his eyes.  He's been retired for almost three years and still talks about that amazing send off.

I hope lots of the teachers who retire this year have some kind of wonderful experience like this to take them into their world of retirement.

So here's the short of it, 
I'm awfully old to just be learning of Julia Ward Howe's intention concerning Mother's Day. 

And here's the long.

It turns out that Mother's day in its current American incarnation began with Julia Ward Howe.  Howe was determined after the carnage of the Civil War to do something to put a stop to war.

Here's how she called for an International Mother's Day to celebrate peace and motherhood.

Arise, then, women of this day!
Arise all women who have hearts,
Whether your baptism be that of water or of tears
Say firmly:
 
"We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies,
Our husbands shall not come to us reeking of carnage,
For caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of 
charity, mercy and patience.
 
"We women of one country
Will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."
  
From the bosom of the devastated earth a voice goes up with 
Our own. It says, "Disarm, Disarm!"
The sword of murder is not the balance of justice!
Blood does not wipe out dishonor
Nor violence indicate possession.
As men have of ten forsaken the plow and the anvil at the summons of war.
 
Let women now leave all that may be left of home
For a great and earnest day of counsel.
 
Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
 
Let them then solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace,
Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
But of God.
 
In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask
That a general congress of women without limit of nationality
May be appointed and held at some place deemed most convenient
And at the earliest period consistent with its objects
To promote the alliance of the different nationalities,
The amicable settlement of international questions.
The great and general interests of peace.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY.
May Julia Ward Howe's vision for how this day should be celebrated is amazing.

So here's the short of it, 
This evening we went to Dayton, TN --

And here's the long.

One of my former colleagues lost his mother and the visitation was this evening.  Alan had the great idea that after the visitation we could eat dinner at Fehn's.

Fehn’s 1891 House Restaurant

Alan grew up with Fehn's in at least 3 incarnations in Chattanooga, and I get the impression that it was a family favorite.  I never ate there before Alan -- but we had lunch with the parents and Shelley and Daniel at the Fehn's on the river before we got married.  Then when they moved out to Hixson, we ate there several times for family occasions.  They closed down a few years ago and recently, they opened up in an old school house building from 1891.  They've redone the old place and made 4 nice cozy dining rooms.  We were in the room on the bottom floor on the right in this picture.

The windows were open; the transoms were open; and the ceiling fans were on. There was a lovely breeze in the room, and the food was as good as either of us remembered it.

So here's the short of it, 
Alan and I had a lovely evening tonight. 


And here's the long.


We finally used a gift card that we got several years ago and treated ourselves to dinner at The Melting Pot. It was really nice. We had a great server - a young man who is studying to be a teacher one day.

Next time we think we'll just order the salmon.  It was definitely the very best thing we had!

We decided that we should maybe go back again sometime, but for now we are both full and sleepy!


Night to all!

So here's the short of it, 
If you follow the sign...

And here's the long.

Follow the signs for a fun time!

The Belvoir Neighborhood Association hosted the first of several gatherings called the Neighborhood Road Show. Our catty-corner back door neighbors hosted it.  About 6:30 we walked up to their front yard to visit around with our friends and neighbors and have a hot dog.

When Alan and I headed up the alley to the Marler's yard, Sophie let us know that she wasn't one bit happy with not being allowed to go along.  We had only been there about 10 minutes when Alan said, "Lynn, look over there."  Sophie had gotten out and came up to find us.  I knew it would be pointless to take her home and try to leave her in the yard again, so I encouraged her to walk back home with me. She was quite happy to take me back home.  I got her leash and we went back for the rest of the evening. She really did very well considering that she's awfully shy around people.

So hurray to the neighborhood for having events to get the neighbors out and talking to one another.  And yea to Sophie for being such a great dog.

So here's the short of it, 
North Carolina voted in Amendment 1.

And here's the long.

FACT: The last time North Carolina amended their constitution on marriage it was to ban interracial marriage.

I'm deeply disappointed that North Carolina voted to approve Amendment 1.  

I am going to defer to a blogger who has addressed this much more eloquently than I ever could.  I hope you'll read this post at Crumbs From the Communion Table. 

So here's the short of it,
School year 2011-12 is 

And here's the long.

I can hardly believe that school is winding down - less than two weeks to go. It seems like just a month ago that we were gathering for in-service to get everything underway for the new year.  Now we are ready to graduate seniors, transition little guys to middle school, and middle schoolers to high school. Teachers are holding everything together for two more weeks and then it will all be done.

It's too busy to think much about it during the school day, but during the evenings, this is a good time of year to just be reflective - what was good, what not so much.  What can we do differently.  What can we do better.  What can we continue to do with les and less money.

I really do feel grateful that I've had lots of years of doing work that I really believe has made a difference for a few folks here and there.  Yep - I've done some dumb things here and there, but mostly I'm glad for lessons learned and the chance to try harder.

So tomorrow I get to get up and go tackle it again.

So here's the short of it, 
I'm not getting any TFI starts!

And here's the long.

When Mom, Dad and I were in Israel, there were these wonderful cherry tomatoes in the restaurants.  They were large and extraordinarily sweet.  When they got back to Middlesboro - Lo! and Behold! there was a napkin in one of Mom's pants pockets that a tomato had gotten crushed in.  Don't you know that Dad and Mom propagated those seeds and called them Tomatoes From Israel, called TFI's, and for years now we've all had them to grow in our gardens.

Last year, I didn't get a good crop and I ended up only saving a few little seeds.  And I didn't get a start! I tried starting them a couple of weeks ago and I'm getting nothing.  Mom's not having any luck either.  I'm sad to think we aren't going to have any TFI's this year.

Maybe Aunt Joyce has been able to get some starts - she's the only other person I know of who might have seeds. If she doesn't get any starts, someone in our family is going to have to make a trip to Israel!

So here's the short of it, 
Is it have to or get to? 

And here's the long.

Tonight I had to wash the dishes.  And tomorrow I have to go to work.

I can remember one time when I was a youngster visiting my Grandmother VanSant.  I think that I was volunteered to be on the cousin team that was assigned to wash the dishes.  My memory of this time was that the cousin crew was pretty slim (maybe just me).  Sometimes there would be a gang of us around (9 siblings can breed a bunch of cousins) - but when that was the case, it always seemed that there was a corresponding gang of Aunts who took over the kitchen chores.

I suppose I loudly complained to My Mother that I didn't know why I had to wash the dishes.  Grandma didn't often have much to say about things such as this, but she piped up and said to me, "You don't have to wash the dishes; you get to wash the dishes."

I don't think I gave that much consideration and went about doing the dishes and feeling very put upon. But Grandma planted a seed with me that evening.  As I've grown older, I often remind myself that I have a choice of how to look at things.  I can choose to think that I have to do something or that I get to do it.  It sure makes a world of difference in how I approach the task when I can remind myself that I get to do it.

So tonight I got to do the dishes!  I got to scrub the remaining bits of deliciousness from the pots and pans and plates and flatware.  I got to load a dishwasher - gosh I remember so many days of sinks and drainboards and scalding water!  And tomorrow I get to go to work.  I have meetings with two schools/families that I've been working with for several years - and it's work I feel good about.

So Grandma - thanks for that night.  Thanks for planting a seed that would stay with me for so many years.

So here's the short of it,
I can remember Dad teaching us about perigee and apogee. 

And here's the long.

What a beautiful "super moon" tonight. I've been hearing about it for a couple of weeks now. It must have been when there was a "super moon".  So tonight I opened the front door and looked up at the moon, it did look much larger than usual.  There were clouds in the sky, but right there in the sky, centered right in my front storm door was a break in the clouds and that beautiful big moon with a halo around it.  I could just hear Dad saying something like.  "Now, the moon is at Perigee, when its orbit is the closest to the earth.  When it's at the furthest point, its called Apogee."

I didn't get a good picture because the phone camera doesn't do so well in the dark pointing at a distant, so I found a picture that looks very much like what I saw tonight from my front porch.  I loved that the article where I found the picture was written by a woman who lives in a town called Moon. Click here for the article by Jenna Staul.  Her picture is from last year's Perigee.

It turns out that in a couple of weeks the moon will be at Apogee and will cause an annular eclipse visible from a strip of  California!  The story of Uncle Tom and eclipses is for another time.

For now I'll say, Goodnight Moon!

So here's the short of it, 
Sleeping is a beautiful thing.

And here's the long.


I've never been a morning person.

Today someone posted a real funny on Facebook attributed to Jim Davis (Garfield creator).

"If we were meant to pop out of bed we'd all sleep in toasters".

I'll have to say I got a good chuckle out of that one.

I did just pop out of bed this morning.  30 minutes before my alarm sounded, something just woke me up and I was ready to get up and get started. That sure doesn't happen very often.  I was even out of the shower before my alarm went off!

Let's see what the weekend holds for sleep! I hope my bed hasn't permanently turned into a toaster.  I really love those last minutes of sleep in the morning when I awaken and the alarm hasn't sounded yet. The clock shows another hour or maybe just 15 minutes before the alarm is set to go.  That's the time to just snuggle down into the covers and get a delicious snooze in.  Maybe I'll get one of those in the morning.

Luis Perez

So here's the short of it, 
I had a great day of iPad training today.

And here's the long.

Mr. Luis Perez an Apple Distinguished Educator was in town and I was able to join for one day of training.  He's been here all week courtesy of UNUM.  They trained their folks and allowed special educators to join in the training.  We were sure lucky to get to spend the day with them.

And here's a great shout out to UNUM for funding this training.  They provided us with a great teacher who kept us captivated as we learned how to use the iPad to make a difference in our teaching and learning.


Ok for those of you who have iPads or iPhones and little kids (or maybe even big kids)- you really have to try out Sock Puppets.  I'll have to say I sure did love it.  I downloaded several apps that I just know every little kid (especially Max next time I see him) will really enjoy.

I was in the training with our supervisor of technology, and I may have wrangled an upgrade to an iPad 2!  That would be so helpful with some of the things we are needing to do at work. If it doesn't happen it'll be fine as well, but it sure made me giddy for a minute there.

One of the women in our training was a UNUM employee (they only trained their own employees on day 1 I think).  Anyway - she won and iPad 3 that first day!  Don't you know she was absolutely thrilled!  I believe that for sure when I retire, I'll have to buy myself an iPad.

So here's the short of it, 
Love having the windows open!

And here's the long.

It seems like summer is upon us.  Today was another day of high temperatures which means my office was cold.

Let me explain.  I work on the third floor of an old school building.  For some reason when they put in the heating and cooling system, the three rooms in the area where my office is were paired on a thermostat and duct work with one or maybe two rooms over in the office suite where my office used to be.  I don't really know the reason, but the temperature control is always a challenge.

When it's hot outside, in order to get the other offices cooled down my office is way too cold.  And when it's cold outside, in order to get the outer offices warm, we are quite warm!

The solution to this problem at this point in the spring/summer is to open the windows to let in some warm air.  A few weeks ago I had Ronald our wonderful custodian and all purpose can do almost anything kind of guy come help me get the windows unstuck.  Then we used WD 40 on the window channel, and now if I really strain and groan, I can get two of the three windows up.  This works just fine as long as we aren't having rain or high winds. Thank goodness we aren't an allergic bunch.

So here's the short of it, 
Sophie loves her play dates.

And here's the long.

Sophie always has a better night if she has an opportunity to have a play date with one of the circle dogs.
She doesn't see Charlie much these days.  Charlie, a golden retriever girl dog, had a new baby come to live in her house last August and she is much too busy these days to spend time playing with Sophie.  When she does come out, she's very preoccupied with needing to go back in and check on her little girl.

Cutie Pie our neighborhood Labradoodle is often outside - she loves to chase a ball and bring it back to have you throw it again.  And Sophie loves to steal the ball from her and play keep-away!  But in spite of that they are fast friends.

A new dog, a big German shepherd named Weaver, has come to live with Ms. Martin two doors down.  He's not out very much, but the two of them have met and it looks like a nice friendship could happen if he gets to be outside much while Sophie is out in the evenings.

And then Winston. Winston is a cute mix across the circle. He's got some German Shepherd for sure but I don't know what else. He's already a year old and not nearly as big as a Shepherd would get.  He's behind a wireless fence, and he knows better than  to come across that line, so he waits patiently for Sophie to get around the circle and then they have such a good time.  I can see the untrained herding instinct in both of them when they play.

Here's a clip of their usual play.