SHORT STORIES...

Have you heard the rumor

 that Charlie Chaplin

 is alive and well

 and living at

 Gold Country Cottage?

Just imagine 

that little black suit,

 the dapper bowler,

 that confident swagger

 while swinging that little cane

 and old Charlie

 will materialize

 right before your eyes.

We are having 

so much fun

 with Kai.

 He is just delightful

 and keeps us laughing

 all day long.

The vet

 thinks that he was born

 with some deformity 

of his back and legs.

 You can see 

how his left front leg 

is turned at the ankle

 and this makes his foot

 actually turn almost

 completely around.

When he sits, 

his back legs go

 out to the sides

 and when he is standing, 

from the back view,

 the Captain says

 you could roll a bowling ball

 through his legs!

 Just like old Charlie!

This makes him appear

 like a ballerina

 getting ready to 

spring into action.

  It certainly 

doesn't slow him down any 

as his mode of transportation 

is running

 rather than

 walking.

He breezes through life

 as if he has an appointment to keep

 and I call him our

 Little Businessman, 

dressed in his black suit,

 roaming around 

looking for his

 misplaced briefcase.

Cowboy Kai 

resting after a walk 

through the fair grounds.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Have you seen the ads on TV 

for dinner in a box?

 We have been seeing them for awhile now

 and decided to order one

 to see how they are.

We ordered from

www.plated.com

 and was pleasantly surprised.

 On their website

 you can choose your preferences 

such as beef, pork, vegetarian,

 fish, poultry, etc.

 Based on those choices,

 a full meal is planned for you

 and delivered to your front door.

 The box is packed with freezer bags

 so that it stays fresh in transport.

 The ingredients are the freshest,

 some more so than what I would find

 in our local supermarket.

Spices, herbs, vegetables 

and usually salad fixings,

 and a laminated recipe card

 with detailed illustrations

 and instructions,are included 

so that even a cooking novice

 would find it easy to prepare.

 Usually the only thing left 

for you to contribute

 is olive oil, salt and pepper 

and a good glass of wine.

 Plated also recommends

 the perfect wine

 to go with each dish.

You order as many meals

 as you need

 and the ingredients are measured out

 so that there is no waste whatsoever.

 The portions are large enough

 that the Captain and I 

usually can't eat it all in one sitting

 so ours can be stretched 

for an extra dinner.

 It is running

 $12 per plate per person 

and you are set on a weekly delivery schedule

 but it is very simple

 to delay a week or two 

if you wish

 and you can stop delivery at anytime.

We have just ordered 

our second go-round 

but we skipped last week.

  I can go to the market 

and by the time I pick up extras

 that are not on my list 

(and that seems to happen often),

 I can easily spend

 between 40-50 dollars

 for one meal.

Our tummies are nicely filled 

after each meal 

and I really do feel 

like I have eaten a

 very healthy and tasty dinner.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Progress Report:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It is a beautiful day today 

and a wonderful touch 

of fall

 is in the air.

Happy Tuesday

...Judy...

This is fast becoming 

Kai's most favorite 

napping spot.

FYI:

  The only compensation

 we have received

 for any of the above information

 is an abundance 

of sloppy,

 wet
kisses!

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HOME FOREVER...

Kai

Who knows how a dog 

really ends up in a shelter? 

 There are many reasons,

 some are excuses,

 some are a necessity

 and some are strays.

 In the case of Kai,

 he was owner surrendered. 

 The owner was moving

 and couldn't have pets in his new place.

  I think it would be very hard

 to leave a pet after seven years,

 but who am I to judge,

 never having been in a similar situation.

  Anyway,

 that's how Kai came to be

 at the shelter in Santa Cruz

 where we met him.

Our daughter, Tami, 

volunteers at that shelter

 and since we lost our sweet Buddy 

last year, 

she has kept us informed 

of many of the wonderful dogs 

up for adoption.

 We didn't feel ready 

to welcome 

another dog into our life just yet

 and it took awhile for

 her to wear us down! 

 But the minute we saw Kai's picture

 it was a done deal.

 Thank you, Tami, 

for your perseverance. 

 You are the true meaning of the old adage:

  If at first you don't succeed,

 try, try again.

We drove to Santa Cruz last week

 and met Kai.

 The name that he came into the shelter with 

was Kanai. 

 It is Hawaiian in origin 

and means content or champion

 but we kept forgetting

 how to pronounce it

 so we settled on Kai.

 He is starting

 to respond to it already.

 It was love at first sight 

all the way round.

  He is a

 small miniature black poodle mix,

 very sweet

 and gets along well with humans

  and other dogs

 but wants to chase cats.

He bonded with us,

 especially the Captain,

 right from the beginning.

  If we are not all together in one place,

 he will start searching

 for the missing.

When I first went to my office car

 this morning 

and the Captain was walking the dogs,

 he had a little melt down 

of separation anxiety at first

 but, as you can see,

 he finally got over it.

On the way home

 after picking him up,

 I noticed a similarity between us...

...it was meant to be!

He had a beauty treatment

 at the salon

 and he looks less like a ragamuffin

 and more like the refined little gentleman

 that we hoped

 he would be.

He looks very black

 in real life 

but more silver in most photos.

Kai and friend at Pet Smart

Kai goes to the vet tomorrow

 for his wellness check-up 

and then we will decide

 if he needs obedience training or not.

  Although he is seven years old,

 Kai doesn't know

 the meaning of the word 'sit'

 and we are working toward that goal 

for the time being...

...until then, 

little guy,

 you are learning to dance

 and we love you.

  Welcome home.

...Judy...

I would say

 the "content" meaning in his name 

fits him well.

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SIMPLE PLEASURES AND SOME MIDNIGHT VISITS...

I usually only put one weekly post out.

  I don't know why,

 but I seem to think that I have to write

 a small essay

 in order to have a post 

that is fulfilling and meaningful.

For that very reason,

 I often have times

 when I can't think 

of something to write about that, I feel, would be interesting to all of you.

  I, honestly,

 lay awake most of the night before,

 trying to come up

 with some viable ideas.

 I enjoy writing and the photography

 that goes along with it, 

and I certainly enjoy the interaction 

with all of you,

 but if there is nothing of importance 

that happened during the week,

 I am at a loss.

As I was reading the posts

 that have come to me this week, 

there were some that were detailed

 and even though

 I can't always comment on them,

 I do read all of them 

and find your stories and ideas 

are always interesting and teachable.

 There are also some

 that just show 

a beautiful bouquet of flowers,

 a lovely garden,

 or a well set table, 

and wish everyone a Happy Day.

 These posts are as interesting to me

 as the others 

and have taught me

 that I don't always 

have to write an essay

 and that I should have faith

 in my fellow bloggers 

that they would not always

 expect one.

So from now on,

 maybe I will just be

 a little easier on myself

 and "stop and smell the roses"

 as they say

 and be content

 to show you just some

 of my simple pleasures of life

 and, hopefully, 

once in awhile 

something exciting will come along

 that I can share also.

This week,

 we have had three midnight visits

 from this tiny creature.

  We have come to call her, Flower,

 as she is very petite 

and takes dinner among

 the other "wild" things

 that reside in the Secret Garden.

 I am a  fairly light sleeper

 so I usually see her first,

 and then I wake the Captain

 and we both quietly sit and watch her

 until she is through

 dining and drinking her fill

 and it is time for her to leave.

  It is hard to get a picture of her

 as I can't use a flash

 because of the glass in the door,

 and we don't want to open the door,

 as that could be 

self-explanatory!

Just another

 of our simple pleasures

 of life.

The latest Progress Report:

And now since I have managed

 to write you

 a small essay

 to say why

 I wouldn't be

 writing you a small essay...

 I will leave you with...

Have a Happy Day.

...Judy...

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