Family

There have been no holidays or family birthdays lately so I have not seen our extended family members very much.  That does not mean I have forgotten about them however.  For one thing, we have a sign post at the top of the driveway that reminds me, almost on a daily basis, that though they do not necessarily live close by, they stay in my thoughts.  The sign actually started to rot and was falling down but Mike fixed it for me.

I did see Laura the other day.  I had a Leap Day coupon for Eckerts Country Store which is near Suzanne and Heath's house.  They were out of town and Laura was staying at their house dog and cat sitting.  So Laura and I went to Eckerts and bought an unhealthy but delicious lunch.  We had fresh tortilla chips with spinach crab dip and pretzel bread sticks with chile con queso and cake.  The cake was a doggie cake that was as delicious as it was cute.  We brought our purchases back to Suzanne and Heath's house and gave the dogs a Snickerpoodles Honey Flavored with Yogurt Topping Iced Dog Treat while we ate.  That was also purchased at Eckerts with my 29% off coupon.  Needless to say, we all enjoyed our lunch. 

Bill, Mike's brother, has been in town for the past month staying with his mom, Lois.  He drops by our house occasionally to return any of our dogs who have run across the street without permission.  They love to visit Bill.  It is either because of his dog whisperer personality or his endless supply of treats which include both dog and human food.  They also get to check in with Bill's dog Willy although I do not know how happy Willy is to see them.  He has to share his dog treats after all.

Suzanne and Heath came out to see us on one of our infrequent weekend day that was actually warm.  They wanted to take the dogs out for a run and decided why not just do that at the pond. 

Mike and I were very happy to see them and everyone decided to go on a walk through the timber together.  Pongo is still being trained so he was not allowed off the leash.  Suzanne felt bad for him so she encouraged Heath and Pongo to go follow a squirrel trail.  They were gone for a long time but they eventually rejoined the group. 

When we got back to the house, I put out some h'ors doeurves for our human guests.  They very graciously ate them out in the gazebo so the dogs would not feel left out (and sneak over to visit Bill).  

Kathy must have had us on her mind because I received an unexpected gift from her the other day.  It was a sassy, fun, laughing porcelain bowl.  She thought I could use it for salad but instead I made it a candy bowl.  It sits on the entry table right outside my office door and I see every day when I exit my office.  It always makes me smile. 

Hopefully as the weather gets warmer and the days get sunnier Mike and I will see our family members a bit more frequently.  I do not who enjoys visiting more, the two legged guests or the four legged guests, but regardless they all are welcome.