March 10, 2019
Happy New Year! Ha Ha! This may be the longest I have ever gone between posts. Thanks to our good friend Julie for reminding me just how long it has been! We made it through the busy holidays, attending our last party on New Year's Day. We thought we might never want to go out again, and we didn't until January 25th, when our church Foyer Group met for dinner. I have a group of ladies that I go out to dinner with once a month and we had a lovely night out the end of the month. That month was filled with our normal activities-docenting, garden club, nursing home visits, bell choir and piano lessons for me, and lots of outdoor work for Oliver, along with another check up at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. The weather was fairly mild although anything below 65 seems awfully cold to us now. We continued to work with Quincy and he is doing better but he is still a VERY rowdy teenager!! I had several meetings with one of my garden club committees. Our club hosted the annual meeting of all the Beaufort County garden clubs--there are NINE of them--and our committee was responsible for table decorations. Oliver kindly let us use his workshop to paint bird houses!
February was a busy month. Oliver is now seeing a pain management specialist for his back and he had injections twice during the month. These are part of a long range plan that includes "burning" the myelin sheath, which surrounds the nerve, to try to disrupt the conduction of pain to the brain. We are hopeful he will get some relief. He had the first "burn" treatment this past Thursday and while he felt better on Saturday, today his back hurts again, so we are hoping it will be a gradual improvement. If not, there are sill other therapies available to him but the constant pain is very draining and depressing for him.
Our garden club luncheon was February 5th and we spent several hours the day before decorating so we were all glad to see the end of that! Now the state garden club meeting is in Beaufort next month so we have a task for that as well! Our church had a High Tea for all the ladies on February 7th and my friend Cathy and I were hostesses for one of the tables. It was really a lovely event, with over 100 ladies attending. We had to bring all the china and silver and serving plates and the food was fixed by women of the church. One of our clergy spoke-he said when his wife told him there was a 4:00 "tee time", he totally misunderstood her! He gave a wonderful talk though and we all enjoyed the day.
February 11 found us off to Las Vegas for 3 days with Bunny and John, Alex and Whit and Spencer and Josh. It was a celebration trip for Spencer who graduated from PA school in December. We all had a very fun time although we ate SO much that I thought I would never look at food again! We ate at our our favorite outdoor restaurant in Paris-Mon Ami Gabi and had our usual excellent dinner. The next morning we hiked 3 miles up the Strip to The Peppermill for their yummy Bllody Marys and enormous omelets. I had the corned beef hash I have been craving and it was wonderful-good thing we had to walk 3 miles back! Ate that night at a fun restaurant in Bellagio. I don't remember the name but it was all small plates, which we shared. Fun but WAY expensive!! The next morning took us back to Paris for brunch. Once again we had huge portions. I enjoyed an enormous stack of carrot cake pancakes, complete with cream cheese icing and bourbon maple syrup. Along with that, we ladies shared a drink that was served in a giant disco ball! There was too much for us but, this being Vegas, our waiter divided the rest up into Go cups for us to take with us! That night we went to the top of Mandalay Bay and had drinks and appetizers overlooking the magnificent Strip. It was really special. Bunny, Spencer and Alex were going to see the Backstreet Boys and Oliver and I had a 6 AM flight so it was an early night for us. An uneventful trip home. We always have a fabulous time with Bunny and family, especially in Vegas!
So after our trip to Portugal and Spain last fall, Oliver and I decided we definitely needed to lose some weight, especially since we have a couple trips planned later this year. We have been seriously working at it and Oliver has lost FORTY pounds and looks wonderful and I lost 20. So of course we had to buy new clothes! Oliver had 2 new suits custom made and he looks really good in them! New shoes, shirts and ties for hi, new pants, dresses and shoes for me. Who knew that dieting made your feet smaller?!! Hopefully our warm weather will continue and I can turn the pool heater on and start swimming-that makes it very easy for me to maintain my weight!
Our dear friends and neighbors, Mike and Jeannine, have their granddaughter living with them for a time. Sadly, Kadence's mother died right after Christmas and it was hard for her Dad to work and take care of her. He will be moving here the end of the month. We've had a lot of fun with Kadence-especially Quincy. He just loves when she comes over to play. Not sure who gets the most tired-I think maybe Quincy! Quincy is in obedience school now and he is actually doing quite well. The trainer is particularly fond of him so we are working hard not to disappoint her!
We had a lovely dinner party here Friday night with our friends Cathy and Jack Klimp, and Mark and Edie Warter. It was a nice evening and we so enjoyed just relaxing with good friends. Next Friday we have a Foyer Group dinner at the Klimps, which is always fun. Back to Mayo for a checkup on the 20th and then Oliver has cataract surgery on the 29th. Getting old is sure time consuming!
Hope all our friends are happy and well!
Quincy and Skipper are becoming very good friends, although they do have their moments!
Quincy's trainer took this adorable picture of him.
Well, he is a bit naughty but likes to sit on this table and look at the boats going by.
This is one of the wreaths that we made for our garden club meeting-they turned out so pretty!
Kadence having a little after school snack with us when Mike and Jeannine were out of town. That is a Nutella sandwich and I almost took it from her!
John had the biggest Bloody Mary I have ever seen! And a pretty big breakfast too!
Breakfast at the Peppermill
This was the Disco ball drink that we ladies shared
Bunny and John at the top of Mandalay Bay
I needed a desk so ordered one with "some" assembly required!!
Oliver bought me this cute little bistro set so I could watch the boats go by!
December 26, 2018
Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! We spoke with Oliver's boss and good friend Olin the other day, and he reminded me that I have not updated the blog in quite a long time so here goes! We have been very busy the past 2 months, especially in December. After we returned from the StinkEye, things sort of went back to normal, with piano lessons, prayer services at the nursing home, docenting, bell choir practice, and garden club. A few extras mixed in..a funeral, a wonderful pottery sale that Jeannine and I go to every year and a nice lunch with some Garden Club friends to plan a Christmas party.
And then.....December!! We hosted a Christmas party, attended 7 other parties, started training with Quincy, and between the 2 of us, had 4 doctor's appointments, a mammogram and a post-op trip to the Mayo Clinic! The bell choir played twice, and Mike and Jeannine came to watch one of those! We attended their church-Water's Edge Methodist-for a fundraiser for a young man in their congregation who received a heart transplant 3 weeks ago. A local light jazz group performed Christmas music and it was awesome.I docented on the 21st and I have been on Altar Guild for December...that means every Saturday morning at 8 I go to church to clean silver, polish brass, fill candles and set up for communion. After church on Sunday, we do the same thing in reverse. We have also been greeters twice and Oliver had ushered twice, including the 10 PM candlelight service on Christmas Eve. We had a Christmas Eve lunch with Mike and Jeannine and then yesterday we went to Savannah, to John and Jeannette's, for Christmas. Debbie was also there, Kathleen (the kid's Mom), and friends of Jeannette's with there 18 month old rounded out the group, along with 3 dogs! We had a great time and managed to get home in time to feed the pups, but then I absolutely crashed! I hadn't realized how tired I was but today I have been lounging around. We need to go take our 3 mile walk with the pups and then we are going over to 1 Tuxedo---our old house---to pick up some mail and so that Oliver can see all the changes the Winemillers have made. Tomorrow is another manic Thursday-an eye appointment for me at 7:30AM, prayers service at Summit Place at 10:15, an eye appointment for Oliver at 1PM, a training lesson for Quincy at 2 and Bell Choir practice at 4:30!! Friday is another day of rest and then Saturday back to Savannah to see Debbie's new apartment and have lunch. Also Saturday and Sunday are my last 2 days for Altar Guild. Can't wait for January 1!!!!
Hope you all have a peaceful and happy New Year!
Quincy and Skipper continue to get along very well, although some days Quincy just pesters poor Skipper until he runs into a crate to get away!
We were lucky to have pictures taken with Santa at Stink Eye and last year when it snowed, I got out Christmas decorations and took Skipper's picture!
Christmas Eve was Quin's 6 month birthday!
Debbie and her big boxer Dude and John and Jeannette's smaller 8 month old boxer Pedro
November 4, 2018
Well, it has been a LONG time since I posted and a lot has gone on! Oliver went to the Mayo Clinic for his surgery on September 21 and we came home the next day. He did fine and we haven't been back yet but will be going soon. Our dogs stayed with our wonderful dog sitter Karen and did just fine. We were worried about leaving Quincy so soon but they all did just fine.
The next couple of weeks were just basic-we had a church dinner, I took piano lessons and docented and we spent lots of time with baby Quincy. He and Skipper have been getting along marvelously well-we are so pleased. Of course, he is still a pup so it remains to be seen how they will do as he comes into his own, but they are both pretty mellow so we expect all will go well. Skipper is like a new dog! He has gone from sleeping 18 hours a day to playing several hours every day with Quincy. Sometimes Quin will start it but oftentimes Skipper will get a toy and take it to the puppy and it';s game on! Quincy has pushed Skipper into the pool and has also fallen in twice while he was watching me swim. He can keep afloat but doesn't have a clue how to swim to the steps. I have gotten some good advice from some Welsh Terrier friends on how to train him and will try to get him to understand. Until this week-end, Quincy hasn't been away from the house much because he didn't have his last shots but those were taken care of, so now he can be introduced! He went to the groomer for the first time last week. Just had a bath and his toenails clipped-I can't bear to part with the puppy hair yet!!
We had a nice visit from Paul and Sharon last month. They were visiting their daughter Nicole and her husband in Charlotte and came down here for one night. It was right when Hurricane Florence was headed our way but they bravely came anyway! We were fortunately spared, although it was very windy and cloudy. We visited downtown Beaufort and drove around a bit. When they left, they went to Charleston for a couple for a couple of days and had a nice time. We hope we will see them more often with Nicole so close!
So we just returned today from a big week-end at the Stink Eye in Southern Pines, North Carolina. Stink Eye is a certain "look" that our Welsh Terriers are known to give us and this event is a fundraiser for WTcares, the Welsh Terrier rescue organization. This was, I believe, the 5th year and there were over 110 people and around 80 dogs in attendance! People came from all over the world--England, Wales, Australia, Mexico, and of course from all over the US. There were lots of fun events planned. We had a meet and greet on Thursday night, lunch at a restaurant and then pictures with Santa and a photo booth before dinner on Friday (which was a Chinese buffet in celebration of the Year of the Dog), a wine and paint event, and on Saturday a walk through the charming town of Southern Pines, where the shops opened their doors to people and dogs both! We returned to the hotel for lunch and more pictures, bidding on the silent auction and the highlight---a costume contest! We didn't dress our dogs, thinking Quincy was a bit young, but it was a fantastic event! Afterwards, there was a barbecue dinner and the announcement of the auction winners and a raffle. It was quite amazing how well all the dogs got along! Very little growling but a bit of barking now and then. Quincy was VERY popular, being the youngest dog in attendance, and Skipper stood up for him when a couple of dogs barked at him.
Here are Skipper and Quincy in the yard shortly after we brought him home.
Quincy is so small he can walk through the fence so he wears a Puppy Bumper when he goes out!
Skipper is SO good with Quincy!!
I think every puppy discovers the toilet paper!!
I always have puppy slippers when I put on makeup, wash dishes or stand still for any other reason!
Sharon and Paul on the bench downtown where we always photograph our guests!
We had a big foyer group party at our house. It was quite an event-last guests left at midnight, after the 13 of us consumed 12 bottles of wine and a bottle of scotch! This is the before picture.
And after!
From Stink Eye
The costume party
Quincy's Mom and Dad
Little Bo Peep and her sheep!
The King and Queen of Mardi Gras
My dear friend Julie,Santa Claus and her little Allie!
Quincy and his Dad (on the left) Talie, and His Mom Purple
A group picture---a LOT of dogs and people to pose!!
Quincy helping us pack up this morning!
September 14, 2018
We have been very busy since we got home from our Portugal cruise. We've been to the May Clinic a couple of times for a few tests and we now have a minor surgery scheduled for Oliver on September 21. We should only be gone a couple of nights and his recovery should be uneventful. The biggest event was our trip to Michigan last week. We left on Tuesday and drove to Grand Rapids for a visit with Mary. She very kindly allowed us to bring Skipper to her house. I think he might be the first dog EVER to be honored with an invitation and he was not the best house guest ever but I think it went pretty well overall. It was really helpful because if we had to board him, he would have needed to get 2 influenza vaccinations which I REALLY did not want to give him. We enjoyed our visit and then on Saturday morning we left early and drove to Detroit to pick up our new puppy, Quincy! We were so excited and he was as cute as we expected! He came from Brynmawr Kennels, the same breeder that we got Skipper from, and Kathy Rost and Jean Callens were so pleased to see Skipper after almost 10 years! Quincy's 2 sisters were still there although they were both going to their new homes the same week-end and his brother left the week-end before. The weather was supposed to turn very bad so we didn't stay very long and were on our way home by noon. Sure enough, we ran into a lot of rain and also room issues because of a home game at West Virginia so we stopped in Parkersburg-a little short of where we had hoped to be. We left in heavy rain the next morning and drove through rain and fog for much of the day but we were able to make it all the way home by 5:30. Quincy was a great little traveler. He settled right down in the car and as long as he could cuddle up to Skipper, all he did as sleep. Skip was quite cooperative so we barely heard a peep out of them. We had a crate with us for Quincy and put him in as we went to bed in the hotel and he went crazy! Howling, crying, SHRIEKING! I thought for sure we would get thrown out of the hotel. I couldn't settle him down so finally I took a blanket and pillow into the bathroom and he quieted right down. I must say he slept a LOT better than I did! The next night, at home, I was prepared to let him make as big a fuss as he wanted and he did NOT disappoint! He was VERY noisy for about 20 minutes and then, because I was afraid he was cold, I put a blanket over his crate and he IMMEDIATELY stopped fussing and went sound asleep! I got up a couple of times to take him out to potty and he went right back to sleep when I put him back. on Monday Mike and Jeannine came over to meet him and we all sat on the floor and Skipper actually played with him! They chased each other all around with a toy and we were so happy to see them together. Skipper still gets a little cranky with him if Quincy gets into what Skip regards as "his" space but overall they are doing well. Quincy just loves to be with Skipper.
So on Monday our governor called for a mandatory evacuation because of hurricane Florence, which appeared to be heading right towards us. The next day he rescinded the order but then on Wednesday the storm track shifted a bit. I was just tired of the should we-shouldn't we debate, and thinking about being in a house with no power and pouring rain with a new puppy just made me crazy, so we packed up and went down to Yulee, Florida, just across the Fl-GA line. We settled into a 2 room suite so had lots of room to spread out. On Thursday we took the dogs into Fernandina Beach and to a couple of pet stores and then went back to the hotel. We watched The Weather Channel and it appeared that the storm was going to stay well north of us so we jumped in the car and drove home! It was good to be here and today was a nice day for most of the morning. We walked Skipper-Quincy not much at walking on a leash yet-and then I swam for a while and then unpacked . Oliver and I went to Publix just to make sure we have everything we could possibly need and now we are ready to settle down for a couple of windy, rainy days but no hurricane. We are grateful!
Will update again after we get back from Mayo.
Skipper helping Grandma read the paper. He never has accidents but I was paranoid about him being there so made him wear a belly band!
Enjoying dinner at Grandma's
And taking advantage of her hospitality!
Here we are meeting Quincy for the first time!
Here Quincy is kissing his breeder Kathy goodby!!
He was an angel in the car
But not so much in the hotel, so here was my bed!
He has settled in nicely here. He loves to get on the bottom shelf of tables!
