Last night Jamie and I were sitting at the picinic table waiting for our 'coffee' company to come over... I had the water on in the garden and on the roses, and wanted to sit outside until they were done watering so I didnt forget to turn the water off and drown the poor little plants.

As normal these days when I am outside I keep a close eye out for April, hoping to catch a glimpse of her, so that I can let Brittany know that she is ok. I said to Jamie "I wish April would come home' - Jamie said "she will when she is ready" I responded with... "Yeah I know, but it does not hurt to wish as sometimes my wishes come true"

I am picking up my new baby today... the shelter is open at 10:00 am, and I will be there waiting. But how hard was it going to be to be all gooshy over my new little baby, while Brittany is hurting over hers missing. I just wanted April to come home so Britt did not need to worry and hurt anymore. I wished real hard, from deep within myself.

This morning as I am sitting here at my computer the phone rings.....

April's Home!!!! All sticky, but home!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes! Yes! Yes!

Wishes do sometimes come true!

It has been a wonderfully quiet weekend! The first long weekend of the summer and it is just as I had hoped, with nothing major going on. We seem to get far to few of these, and they are very healing for the spirit.

Saturday morning Jamie took the jeep to one of his work friends house to see if they could get the air conditioning working again. They did! So those hot summer trips to town and to where ever are far more pleasant again. It took 1 and a 1/2 cans of the 'stuff' and presto good as new. The cost to have this done was zip-notta thing! So that was an added bonus. After Jamie got home we went into town for lunch and then hit up a local store to buy pet supplies to donate to the local shelter. It was funny in the store as we walked about with a cart full of pet food and toys, the comments people made about how many pets we had. Jamie and I just laughed at them. After we were loaded up we headed to the shelter where we hauled all the 'stuff' in. They were so happy to recieve the goods, and we were so happy to give. We are going to try to make these 'giving' trips more often, as they sure can use the stuff! Then we headed down to see the kittens. - or at least down to see the grey kittens. Only one grey one left, a little boy and a shorthair, which is what I was looking for. And there he was. Scared and sitting in the back of his little cell. I so badly wanted to just scoop him up and bring him home with me in that instant... but I have to wait until after he is fixed. I can pick him up on Friday, and I cannot wait to get my little boy home with me.

Yesterday we went into town and stocked up on baby supplies. I am ready!

We also bought a cabana type thingy. (I will get pictures when I have it all how I want it). For now we have it on our big open deck, and it will live there until we start on the roof that we plan to put over the deck. From there it will move into 'Dudley's' yard. As simple as it is it still took us at least 4 hours to set it up! I also bought a soaker hose to use in my rose bed... which the moved roses are now living. They are starting to settle in, and even have produced a couple of new roses for our enjoyment. Hopefully they will all live.

And now it is Monday, the last day of the long weekend. Can I say that it has gone by way to fast! Today we will go in and do a grocery shop as the provisions are getting down. We will also finish unloading the rock from Jamie's truck, which we are using for the dry 'river' /rain bed that we are creating. Perhaps this load will finish it off, once it is done I will get pictures of this as well.

Still no sign of Miss April. Poor Britt is going crazy! Grama is too!

And so that is it for me for now. Stay tuned as we continue to move forward on this time line.

How is it that so much time has slipped me by in which this blog has sat silent for so long?

It is not that I have not had anything to say, anyone who knows me well, knows this is far from the truth. Just that there was and still isn't anyway to start again. I cannot continue from where I left off, and so I will just start again, and move forward, much the same as the sun rises in the mornings.

So here we are the very beginnings of July, and the summer has started. I am so enjoying the wonderful warm days with lots of sunshine. I have a garden again. Something that I gave up several years ago and have missed ever since. Although late in getting it in... it is there now and growing!

My roses, the ones who have survived the renovation busyness have been moved from the front to the back into 'Dudley's' yard. Funny how we still refer to this area as Dudley's, when in fact it is far from that now. Some things just stick, and I guess this is one of those things.

We have expanded the above said yard, so it has grown in size again. With the garden in its owns safe area, fenced and with a gate and trellis to pass through. The slope that ran from the top to the bottom is no more, and in it's place are several levels... terraces that are rough right now, but soon will be groomed to fit what lives in the imagination of both Jamie and I.

The 'new hut' location has moved, and is still in the progress of becoming a reality. Life seemed to get in the way and stalled the progression.

Benjamin is back home - did you even know that he had left? It has been so long that I have been here that I have forgotten where I had left off.

Shelby our ole girl who is 16+ and whom we thought was taking her last breaths in December is still with us. She has good days and bad days, but is still getting around - although she likes to play up her needyness to visitors - in hopes of extra pats and sympathy for her aging bones. Still able to go on walks with Dad with encouragement in getting started. She is amazing really!

Bailey had surgery to remove a large growth. Hard to believe that he will be 11 this coming fall. Time slips by.

Dudley will be four at the end of this month, and still very much Dudley.

Miss Zoey who I think is within the range of 8-9 maybe even more is still the queen of the house. As sassy as ever she will swat at the dogs if they pass to close, and yet at other times rub up against them to let them know she really does love them.

Brittany and Nico have a new addition to thier household. A pretty little black and white kitty that is showing her female traits, as she has been away for two nights now, and is giving us all a worry. But I am sure she will wander back in, when she is ready, much like all the female cats I have had over time have done to me.

Sharlyn and Jason are still very much in love, and keeping busy with various projects. They have turned Jason's house into a home and it is amazing the work the two of them have done. Sharlyn is a regular visitor, and very often brings Ty for a romp with Dudley. Having lived here in the cottage when both Ty and Dudley were puppies, they both miss each other and are happy to get together to recreate some of their puppy fun and mischeif.

And me.... well I am ok. Sometimes I wonder how often I can be broken and still come out ok. It was a rough spring for me this year, but I am moving past that time, and starting again. I am not going to go into details, as doing so will not help me move forward, and moving forward is what I need to do.

Today I am looking forward to Friday.... as yet another new beginning will start... but I will tell you about that another time.... but for now I need to move forward in my day.

Stay tuned, for now that I am back, and I have started again, I will not be so silent.