Leaving BlogSpot - Go here ->

Since I can barely keep up with one blog and now that I've tested out wordpress, I'm leaving blogspot.

Go to - Dogdoogle on WordPress for my most recent posts.

Farewell Uncle Joe

This past week my Uncle Joe passed away in his sleep. My Aunt thinks he died from his sleep apnea. Only God knows.

My Aunt asked if I would read the following poem at his funnel next week. I am honored that she asked. I seem to have a knack for this since I read at my grandmother's service and my mom's service.

When I come to the end of the day
and the sun has set for me,
I want no rites in a gloom filled room,
why cry a soul set free?
Miss me a little, but not too long,
and not with your head bowed low,
remember the love we once shared.
Miss me, but let me go.

For this journey we all must take,
and each must go alone,
it's all part of the Maker's plan,
a step on the road home.
When you are lonely and sick at heart,
go to the friends we know
and bury your sorrows in doing good deeds.
Miss me, but let me go.

Charlie Works

This past weekend I completed my first volunteer project since joining Hands On Charlotte.org. I chose to put Charlie to work by visiting a nursing home. I would have used River, but she can be a little testy around other dogs.

First I had to RUN Charlie. You'd never know he was 9 years old. He has more endurance and energy than River. Morgan and I took him to the field to chase the ball. When we thought he had enough, we ran home to drop off River. It was sad to leave her, but had no choice.

We arrived at the home a little early, so took Charlie for a walk around. He was so excited, not because he knew what was going on, but because a leash was involved.

Once we were paired up with a veteran volunteer we were handed a room list. The list included all the residents who requested a visit from the dogs. It was like trick or treating, minus the costumes and candy.

We entered the building. I was expecting a strong odor and gross things falling from residents who no longer had control over their bodies. Although there was a distinct smell, it didn't knock me down. We were paired with a 20-something, sweet, southern first grade teacher. I could quickly see why she was volunteering for this activity. She had a knack for conversation and working with people - it's in her genes. She would knock on a door and yell (residents are hard of hearing and some were sleeping) - "Would you like to visit with the dogs?". Quickly residents looked and responded, "Yes". You could see a fraction of their beings light up.

Most of the residents we visited were women. They all had their own dog stories from years past. Some had teeth, some did not. Some dressed up as they laid in their hospital beds while other let themselves go and some lost their wits years ago. Most shared rooms. The rooms reminded me of my college dorm. Two to a room and you only had a corner and closet to store all your possessions. Most had framed pictures of their grandchildren and family. Others had stuffed animals and fake flowers. However, they all had one thing in common, they were waiting for death to come knocking on their door. This made me sad. And maybe from my 30-something perspective it should, but I dread this stage in my life.

Fun with the Ball

When my nieces and nephews where younger I quickly learned that the cheaper the toy, the more fun they had with it. In this case a $2 ball proved to be more fun than most toys I have bought. It also helps that it reached 80 degrees yesterday.


How many times can you hit the ball with out it touching the ground?

Some of My Favorite iPhone Apps

Ever since I upgraded my cell technology to the iPhone, I've been amazed at the apps you can download. My only rule in downloading a new app, is that it must be FREE. I respect the developers who spend countless hours creating these cool tools, but I already pay $100 a month for the phone. I gotta cut off the spending at some point.

So when it come to FREE apps, here are some of my current favorites:

1. Amazon - They got it right. I took the train this weekend. The ride is about 30 minutes (longer than if I drove), but it gave me time to play on my phone. In about 5minutes I found a cool dog leash and iPhone case to buy. The apps worked flawlessly and it was easy to purchase since I already have an account. Setting up an account would have added a couple more minutes to the transaction. The searching was great. I wasn't really looking for anything in particular, but found 2 items I must have - cheap.

2. Twitterfon - This is just one of many Twitter apps for the iPhone. I tried a few others and they seemed hard to use. This app however is simple, easy to read and auto-updates when you open it. Plus it tells you how many updates you have and separates replies in a separate folder. You can also easily search and locate messages. If you're jumping on the Twitter wagon and have an iPhone, I suggest this one.

3. Whoopie Cushion - Yes, I downloaded it. And have been laughing ever since. It is funny in a immature way - brings you back to kid level. I went shopping with my niece one day. She likes to play with my phone. As we were walking though the isles of a store all of a I sudden heard the Whoopie Cushion app. My niece waited to push the button until we were in ear range of an other customer. She proudly pushed the screen to release a very loud gross sound. Since I quickly figured out what it was, I looked at the other customer and said "O' my, excuse me." Then we laughed, well actually giggled. It was embarrassing, but funny. Get this app. It will cheer you up when you least expect it.

An other blog

So I created a new blog on wordpress (open source blog site). So far I seem to like it better. I'll try to update both before I determine which one to terminate. Hmmm. Anyone work with either and have any thoughts?

I'm back!

Picture: Church in England, in the town of Canterbury, near the Canterbury Cathedral.

It has been a few months since my last post. Like anything done is excess, I fell off the blogging wagon. Maybe because I've been busy, good excuse or maybe because I haven't had the motivation to share my boring life. Well, as I get ready this rainy morning for Church, (yes I'm going to a new Church today, in the cold rain) I'll be thinking of a new direction and subjects.

My other dilemma is that I'm not really a fan of the limitations of blogspot, but lack the know-how to write my own site. I've create a blog site at wordpress, and so far is shows greater flexibility. Hmmm. Maybe I need to try it out and redirect this site to this new address.

Stay tuned.