Happy Father's Day 2012

I'm feeling strange today.  My son is turning thirty!!  I'm not taking it so well and he's not taking it so well either.  If you know Dustin, just wish him a Happy 29th Birthday, so as not to send him into a tailspin.  Most of my friends have been going through this same event during these past years, not like I didn't know it was coming.  Just seems like it got here way too soon.  Weren't kids supposed to be married and starting their own families by thirty?  Well, mine don't seem to be in any hurry, and I'm not complaining, but I have to admit, even I have bought a couple things for the first of the grandchildren, if we are so blessed, but, please don't tell my kids.

And speaking of grandchildren, I am happy to report that I have a new grandpuppy.  No, Taffy and Pepper aren't at it again, this is a new kind of grandpuppy.  Christina and boyfriend, Joe, have added a new Blue Great Dane puppy to their household, which previously, included two cats.  Beulah has been over a couple of times and has warmed up to her cousins, the malti-poos.  They have even been playing and running around the yard.  She can make it around the yard in about thirty leaps and bounds and it takes them each about three hundred running steps. We look forward to many ridiculous playtimes in the future as she continues to outgrow them.

Today was not a good day for walking.  Even though it started out well, as Pudge, Riff and I walked with one of our neighbors, Helen, it turned ugly when we were met up the road by a Rottweiler.  I thought I had seen this dog before and it had checked us out and had gone back to it's house.  Unfortunately, this was a recently adopted rescue dog and it was her first encounter with us.  She did not take kindly to Pudge, as she ran toward us and easily picked him up by the back of his neck and shook him.  You can imagine the hysteria of my screaming, Riff's barking, Helen's yelling for the owner and Pudge's yelping.  It was not pretty and I thought  the Rottweiler  had killed him, but once the owner appeared and yelled, she ran off and Pudge seemed to be shaken, but otherwise okay.  Later, however, I realized that he was bleeding at the top of his chest from a small puncture wound, so after calling the vet, I cleaned and treated the area.  We're hoping it doesn't become infected.  Poor Pudge has been resting since he went through the original ordeal and the follow up trauma of having me clean the spot three times with peroxide.  It was reassuring to talk to our neighbor and make arrangements so this, hopefully, won't happen again.

Last week brought me several disappointments in the sports department, as the Celtics went down in game 7 against the Heat, I'll Have Another was unable to compete for the Triple Crown and Henderson County's Baseball Colonels got beat in the Championship Final of the State Tournament.  I think I'm over it, but was disappointed not to even make it to one game in Lexington to visit with Henderson friends.  Hopefully, they'll be back in years to come.

Tomorrow is Father's Day!  Mark and I are so very blessed that each of our fathers is doing well.  My dad is still in Paris, Kentucky, where he's been since 1965. Mark's dad is in Jupiter, Florida, where he has been retired for over twenty years.  Both dads were in the Navy during World War II.  We are so very proud of them  and wish it wasn't such a long trip down to Florida.  Thankfully, Mark gets to talk to his dad frequently and Dad's familiar  with the computer for emailing and facebook and we do get down there at least twice a year.
 
We travel to Maine every year because that is where Dad Libby was born and raised, on an island fifteen miles off the coast of Rockland, Maine.  We used to have a grand old time each summer while our kids were growing up.  They used to get a big kick out of all the Libby "island traditions" including picnics on Lane's Island, erecting the Libby Flag, seaweed fights, clamming, fishing for mackerel, visiting the quarry for a swim, picking blueberries, visiting smaller islands, going seal watching and doing all the wonderful things that are available on a little island off the coast of Maine.  We really miss that Mom and Dad Libby are unable to make the trip up each year, like they used to.  It's not the same up there without them at their camp for the summer, but we Libby's still have our reunions with this younger generation.  Maybe someday we'll even have a grandchild join us and all the grandpuppies.

I hope you're able to enjoy Father's Day tomorrow.  I know some of you may be missing your dads and I hope you'll be able to recall fond memories and recollections of good times.  I'll wish my Dads both a Happy Father's Day and look forward to having a fun day Sunday as we celebrate fathers and birthdays.  Take care and be safe, luv, Susan