miscellany monday and No Mom Talk Monday

Well, as is my typical Monday routine, I stopped by One Mom's Perfect Imperfection this morning. I'm drinking coffee and trying to wake up enough to write my Miscellany Monday post. And what do I find, but a new Monday meme! Click No Mom Talk Monday to check it out. I think I'm up for the challenge. Like Courtney @OMPI, I think I'll combine it with Carissa's Miscellany Monday . So, without any mention of my precious children, here we go:

1. Blogger is irritating. I was attempting to begin this post and “service unavailable” was their response. I've been seeing that more lately. Argh!

2. I need a new hard drive. I'm afraid my little picture-taking hobby is starting to take it's toll. I have less than two gigs free and I haven't downloaded the weekend's pictures yet. Yikes!

3. I hate deleting pictures. Even bad and blurry ones. Anyone else? I think number two may be related to number three.
   

4. For the few months, I have been reading a “new” author. New to me at any rate. I had never read mysteries before this year. I feel this blog is the perfect venue for expressing myself. I am in love with Agatha Christie. There. I said it. I feel better. If any of you are slightly fond of that genre, please try her. I doubt you will be disappointed. Try Murder on the Orient Express or And Then There Were None. There is something wonderful about "discovering" an author who has written 80+ books.
   

5. I'm trying to encourage Batman to start blogging. I think he'd enjoy it. I also know that he would learn the computer aspects really quickly and then he could help me. I hope he doesn't mind my dual motive.

6. I'm glad autumn weather is finally here. One of my favorite things to do this time of year, is sit on the deck and drink coffee. I got to do this on Saturday. Maybe tomorrow. This kind of weather also makes me what to bake and make chili.

That's enough for one day. I'm looking forward to a great week.
I hope you are, too!
-Susan

A day for good-byes

It was a sad day in Shakerag. Today, we said good-bye to my folk's German Shepherd/ Rottweiler mix, Bailey. She arrived with her sister at Mom and Dad's as a small puppy thirteen years ago. Having been born in the wild to a wild mother, Bailey never allowed any of us to pet her until she was about ten. By then she had arthritis and was in enough pain that she knew she needed Mom and Dad to help her. They did, and she continued to be friendly. The vet who saw her for pain said he had never seen a dog that didn't get over fear of people until old age. He said dogs either got over it as a puppy or never. Bailey was unique. She had been moving slowly for quite a while. Losing a dog never gets easier. It's always a very sad day.

We also had to say good-bye to our favorite local business, Grandmother's Clock. A shop specializing in unique children's books and gifts, it was a well-loved part of our community. Owned and run by a local grandmother, they even had story time and a tree house for good listeners. Unfortunately, there were simply too few of us who appreciated such a special store. The Grandmother of the Clock will still be around, but Stinkerbaby's favorite store won't be. Grandmother's Clock will be missed.

I'm sorry I'm not cheerful this evening. I promise I'll be in a better mood for my next blog post.

Good-bye Bailey and Grandmother's Clock.