The Hair Cut

It was a hard decision to make but we made it. Cut off Barkley's hair. He was covered with all different lengths and colors. He is in the water everyday and carries all kinds of sand into the house the bed felt like a sandbox. Now sand is ok to sleep on if you are on the beach but not good at all in the comfort of your own soft sheets. Poor Momma Carol suffered anxiety about doing it but she braved it. Barkley's doggy mom Daisey has this cut and it is quit practical for a working girl. I could not think of a reason why it would not work for him. Gail loved his baby curls but she spent lots of time combing out burrs from his dailey walks. Now we only have one more hurdle to get over and that will be Grandma who will say, "Oh, Barkley what have they done to you?" He will look at her with those solefull eyes and milk it for all it is worth. He was very tired last night and slept through the night, got up and went potty, ate his breakfast, saw it was raining and went back to bed. What a dog.

the last Sunday of September

It was quite of course it is not empty like it used to be when Gail left for the day. Barkley is here and he never fails to give me attention and love when he thinks I need it. I forget that dogs fill that emptiness of a loved one being gone. My mother's kitty Grimsby does the best job she can and the poor soul is dieing. I wonder what mother will do. I think I will try to convince her to adopt another kitty. She is 85 but her life is still filled with so much love to give. I should feel so busy right now but I seem at peace. Being Acme Township Treasurer is going to be an adventure. The insurance business is hard when you are good and awful when you have no skills. It will be worth holding on to. I will be training and getting my office in shape this week I must find a direction that works for a seamless transition.
It is still nice weather. I have a little painting to do and of course recreational leaf removal. Kristan will help me with that. She is a hard working kid.
It gets dark early and I don't get as much done as I used to in a day.

Something to hold on to.

This tree fell down seventeen years ago. You may wonder how I know. My grandson is going to be 19 years old and he was two going on three when it happened. It was the first snow of the season and we walked out into the woods and it was covered with glittery decoration that only nature can provide. He stood by this tree and his blue eyes got so big and he said "Grandma, this is the magic place!" To everyone in our family and neighborhood this section of the woods is known as the magic place. Jimmy has enlisted in the Navy. I need to hold on to this memory. When I walk by this stump I can feel his presents and hold him close. The magic of this place will go with him.

Fall has arrived.

Barkley and I took our morning walk and I was struck on how quickly fall has come to us. The maple tree which is one of his favorite message boards has turned a bright red. The animals of the woods are hunting and gathering. If you stand real still you can hear them holding the door open to nature's refrigerator and looking for all the good treats they will want over the winter. The weaker animals are already preparing to not make it through winter. Geese are getting ready to move south and the little humming birds are eating as much as they can to prepare for their voyage. The butterflies have gone.
The water in the the East Bay is already cleared up. You can see a long way out now as there are not many boats stirring it up. The docks are gone. Barkley runs down the beach and does not have to be leashed because there are no people that he does not know. It is wonderful and sad all at once.
This summer has brought us new friends, the departure of old ones, and the joy of watching our family once again do all the traditional tributes that we love to do to the season.
Now it is away with the summer chairs, camping gear, and bed the flowers. Once again I will get the skis down, get the snow blower ready, and see if I can wear my snow pants. I am already anticipating the look on Barkley's face when he sees his first snow. Photo opps!

Gramdma shopping

I remember dress shopping for the prom, and finding the right shoes, Mike always looked great in a suit and we both loved to dance so I think it was a bright spot in my teenage years. We would end up down at the river in the Mustang convertible with John and Cindy. You might be wondering why I have been thinking about these things. Actually, I took my Granddaughter Krista shopping for her homecoming dress. She bought a dress the color of her eyes which flatters her new young woman figure. She found a pair of shoes that help to pull the whole thing together. We talked about hair color, stockings and cover ups. While we were shopping we found other folks going through the same routines. I was struck by the lack of professionalism of clerks in the clothing stores including Macy's. We ran into one woman in a store that actually asked us if we wanted help and meant it. I am sorry that we were not able to purchase the ensemble there. I wonder what has happened to the American pride and work ethic. I was also struck by what a good nature my granddaughter kept all through the whole process.
Barkley was full of himself today. It was warm and he played on the beach and then came home to take his nap beside me. He is growing in leaps and bounds again. He seems to be an empty pit and does not seem to get enough to eat. If we fed him what he wanted he would weigh a ton.
Gail is off to church again doing the O W L training. I certainly hope these children appreciate the education they are getting more then those ungrateful children she taught in Kalkaska. Very few knew how lucky the were to have her.

Sunday of rain

It has rained off and on all day. Gail took Beth and Amy back to Dad & Linda in Grand Haven. Then I understand that she had a wonderful meal with Jane in Spring Lake. Barkley and I took a trip to the kennel where Daisey, Crush, Bianka and Momma Carol played in the rain. We came home and built a fire in the wood stove and he took a long nap. We took a walk in the woods in the rain and he came home and went over to visit Duke. Now home he had dinner and is playing waiting for Momma Gail to get home. All of the camping gear has dried out and we have put most of it away.
Tomorrow I go over to the township hall and learn some more about being treasurer.
I thought about what a responsibility it is to handle all of the wealth of a township and have the trust of so many folks. I thought today about Del Sparks and Bernie Schmidt and wondered what made them have such faith in me that they trusted me with the money and their careers. I think I know and I will call upon those same skills to do my best to make them proud. My life friend Deb told me yesterday how proud she has always been of me and that she is even prouder. All I need I have. I must do my best.

Amy new friend

This is our new friend Amy. She came home with Beth. She is ready to do battle with the next raccoon who sets foot on the campsite. Barkley slept right through the raid on the second night. Oh well they had to get wet to do it.

I need an Arc.

I am six months old today. By the way it is still raining and I don't like it very much. The mom's are taking me shopping at PetSmart for a new toy. I have outgrown all my toys. I want my own car but they say "no". I have been spending time with my sister Beth and because she has taken some photos of me I might get posted on her Dogwalk sight. I like her. I miss my little girls and I have been told I can talk to them on the phone before the weekend is over. I am up and ready to go. Bye for now.

So camping and rain

We went to D H Day in the Sleeping Bear Dunes Lakeshore and it rained after the first day. We broke camp and came home. Not answering the phone. Dog is sleeping.

Beth & Gail

Getting ready to camp

So Barkley and I went to the kennel and he had some play time with his friends. Then it was off to the Dollar Store to pick up some stuff for camping.

I noted this morning that I had trouble seeing in the house as is often the case in the fall. The light changes in the fall as you may know. I looked out the window and gave in to the fact that it is probably that time. Gail went to the neighbors for coffee and I caught this photo of her coming home. She still looks like summer.

I am looking forward to camping on Lake Michigan. If you look at the back of your left hand you will see where we are going to be if you point to the outside of the joint closest to the end of your little finger. Don't you wonder how the great creator thought of that as a way to get around Michigan.

Work has been good this fall and health has also been good accept for Gail's hip.

I am starting to rearrange my life for my new Acme Treasurer position. I just don't know how I could collect so much stuff. Half of it I could throw out and never miss......... until that one day when someone says "Do you remember....." of course I don't remember what I had for breakfast most of the time.

What do we think of the campaign for president?

Monday, a fall day

From the desk of Gail Trill

Hey! What a surprise to see this blog. I think it's a great idea. I wonder if, like letters & diaries, these musings will someday provide historians with insight in to our daily lives. Will blogs survive? Will they be readable 100 years from now? Does anyone know? If so, please tell me. Our family now has four blogs that I know of: Beth's dogwalktalk, Kir's willlismom, cousin Nancy Ross' which is attached to www.couplerelationshiptherapy.com, and ours. I wonder if we should link with them here. Any opinions?

On a more concrete note, it's a lovely almost fall day here: probably 70 degrees, partly or mostly sunny, in spurts. Our daughter Beth arrives Wednesday for a visit. Her daddy will bring her up here for some camping at D.H.Day Campground in the Sleeping Bear. The weather promises to be cool for camping, perhaps some rain. That should lend itself to plenty of reading, talking, playing cards. Wonder how we'll get the card table in to the tent. Maybe a movie....? No matter what we do, it'll be good. Beth's bringing her friend Amy so she can see Lake Michigan. Of course, I'm busily planning meals. Hummm. Life here is good. The puppy is well. He'll be six months on the 13th. What did we ever do without him?

Saturday

Just a day like any other. Got up walked the dog. Had breakfast, cleaned up. Watched the movie "Blooddiamond". Walked the dog. And so it goes.