Cactus Flower

I have had a little medical problem lately and most likely should have gone to find a doctor in the big city sooner than I did.  Today I went after some research and incentive and was seen by a competent doctor.  I've had a few good and mostly a lot of bad experiences with doctors since living in Brazil.  For the most part I just try to avoid the need.  Recently the situation couldn't be ignored and so... Once I went to take Dalton to a doctor when he was about four, I think.  A lady at the church in Fortaleza said she knew just where to take him.  So, I went.  She went early to "get in line" for me.  Many Brazilians find ways to deal with the "Order of Arrival" policy of most doctors and clinics. Basically this policy says, come when the doors open and get your name on the list of people that will be seen that day.  Some doctors will actually see all that are on the list, some have a cut off.  Some have two lists - morning and afte...

Tiny is a very goofy dog. Sometimes when Girl wants something or just wants a pat on the head,  she comes and holds up her paw for a shake. Aunt Michele started teaching English classes to children a few years ago here in our little town.  I told my boys and girls that my two dogs knew more English than they did and they being humans could certainly rise above the knowledge level of my two dogs!  So I taught the boys and girls the things my dogs knew first, praised them and then taught them more!  Here's what my dogs know: sit shake stay (sort of do this) bath (not happy about it but know the word) come walk (to go on one) go to bed (time to go out and get in your spot) out bang (only Girl knows this, she plays dead when she hears it) stop (we tell Tiny this when se scratches too much) It was a silly thing that my students would talk about.  Some even came by my house to meet my English speaking dogs.  I think some thought the dogs were from America! Two fu...

Standing at Lover's Leap near the Parkway on this day in October of 2014 , I considered just how far we had come.  And I wondered how much farther we'd have to go.  That day we had convinced Dalton to go with us to the annual Sunday School picnic at Rocky Knob with our home church, Emmanuel Baptist.  I couldn't believe that he had agreed to go.  Actually I was overjoyed and once again hopeful that maybe we could enjoy a good family time and somehow reach out to the heart of our wanderer. That day was cold and windy, but the guys did spend some time throwing around a football and Dalton did participate.  Everything wasn't perfect about the time together but it was good enough.  I prayed all the way down the road that God would somehow turn my boy around and bring him back into the fold of our family.  I felt scarred and tired of the battle we had been facing for months.  I prayed for an end - a good end. A few weeks later, we ...

Aunt Michele just didn't have it all together this week and missed my story day on Friday.  Please forgive her and she will get back to work writing another wonderful selection for your reading pleasure as soon as possible.  

Do you boys remember that big orange cat at the mission house in North Carolina?  That was a special day for me.  I don't have a new story for this Friday.  I've had a long week, but my mind kept going back to that cat this week as I thought about what I would post for you boys today.  Click on the link down below to go back to my big people blog and reread the cat story if you like. Oh, by the way, this morning I made a special trip down to the other end of our town to see the guinea pigs being sold at a grocery store.  This particular store sells medicine and feed for all kinds of animals.  This month they are selling guinea pigs, baby chickens, and dachshund puppies!  Their guinea pigs looked very healthy.  They are selling them for BR$10 each or BR$15 for a pair.  Uncle Byron said that he was glad I didn't bring any home with me! One more thing - this week a mama possum came in our yard.  The dogs chased it and Girl Dog let out a squ...

This fall I posted about a camping trip my husband and I took with our boys. Our oldest was getting set to head back to Brazil without us and we wanted to get away together with just the family for a few days. When it came time to get in the car, our middle boy refused to get in. We were leaving for a weekend with reservations in another state. It was a tense moment as he started walking away from the car and house and down the road away from us. It was just one of many such moments that occurred over the past two years as we watched our boy slip farther and farther away from us and our values. I worked literally day and night to find help, look for counsel, and often searching for our missing boy.  Nothing we did seemed to change the direction in which our son's life seemed to be going. Many times my husband and I felt like giving up.  We prayed.  We asked others for help and advice.  I remember one night in particular as I was chatting with a...

When your Daddy and I were little we all moved from Baltimore, Maryland to Virginia.  At first we lived in an apartment in Vinton not far from the big Kroger food store.  Then we lived in a few other houses until Grandma and Grandad got the house built where they live now. One of the houses we lived in is up on a hill when you first turn off the highway to go down Grandma and Grandad's road.  It belonged to an old farmer named Willy Spradlin.  Mr. Spradlin lived in the first house on the road.  Mr. Spradlin was well known for being an innovative man with lots of good ideas about farming.  When we lived nearby he had acquired some sheep and bought some real sheep dogs to train to handle them. One of his daughters was married to a man that helped farmers with projects and new ways of doing things.  He was a county extension agent.  One day he asked Grandma and Grandad if we would like some guinea pigs to raise.  I may have some of the details o...