Lillie and the Woobie

This is not what you think.  You think that it is a dog sleeping peacefully on a dirty floor.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Let me explain.

As we all know, Sadie LOVES to destroy squeaky toys.  She destroys rawhide bones.  She loves to squeak toys.  And if you try to hide them from her to get any peace and quiet, she will sit WHEREVER you hid the toy and cry until you give it to her.  OR if there is a scrap of bone under a large, heavy piece of furniture, she will cry until you move the furniture and give her the bone.  But I digress. That is another blog.

Tonight, we will discuss Lillie.  She is the Alpha dog.  She doesn't realize that she is a pipsqueak with a bad attitude and not much to back it up.  Sadie pretty much lets Lillie rule the roost, because she really doesn't give a crap.  But we do have infrequent altercations over a scrap of bone every now and again.  But I digress again.  (ADHD??)

Tonight's discussion is about woobies.  Lillie LOVES woobies.  And for any of you uneducated people reading this, a woobie in our world is a dirty sock.  Or, more accurately, all dirty socks. I have to admit, I am the most guilty.  I have ALWAYS  ALWAYS gone to bed and taken my socks off and left them beside my bed.  Every night.  A different pair of socks.  And, when I do laundry, I pick up the socks, wash them, and life is good. 

When the doxies invaded my world, after about a week and a half, I realized there was no stack of dirty socks beside my bed, and none clean in the laundry basket.  But there are stacks of socks all over the house, where Lillie has walked around and buried them.  She doesn't hurt them, she doesn't chew them, she just carries them around, like a goofball.

She has been carrying a fuzzy, multicolored sock around for the past couple of days.  Tonight, I picked it up out of the floor, and carried it back to Ground Zero.  (The couch.)  She missed me throwing it onto the couch, and bugged the snot out of me, because she thought I had her sock.  Her mean Mommy had grabbed the woobie and hidden it.  So rather than letting Lillie lick me until my skin fell off, I just took my socks off and gave them to her.

And that is the picture.  She is very content in the evening to come in the office while I am Farming and Bennie is graving, and just curl up on my snuggie and sleep.  But tonight, there was the woobie.  And the danger of Sadie coming and taking it. Or Cindy coming and take it.  Or it spontaneously combusting.  So if you can see her eyes, they are fighting sleep. But must.keep.eye.on.woobie.

And when she is in protect the woobie mode, she is CRAZY. Shaking.  Growling at Sadie. Glaring at anyone larger than Sadie.  Did I mention shaking?  She gets positively, stroke level, stressed. 

There isn't much to do for entertainment around here, can you tell?

Thanksgiving 2012

 Ghia takes a break from the prep and poses.

 LuAnn Arrives.  Most people bring food to Thanksgiving.  She got confused and thought it was Christmas?

 Neil carves the turkey. Paw looks for a way to help. Cindy is the official taste tester.

 Son.  You are not doing it right. 

 Bennie would probably like to join the festivities.  But he is always shoved into the computer room to fix whatever Paw has broken since the last visit.

 Quick.. Get the camera.  Cindy is actually washing a pan.

 It wore her out.

 It wore HIM out.

 It wore THEM ALL out.

 The Bonds were tardy to the party.  So we all were free to fight over the baby.

 Ghia loves her Mitchell!

 I made Paw pose for the picture. 

 Monica, looking gorgeous as usual.

 Mitchel playing with the train. Lu and Ghia patiently wait their turn to play.

 Sweet Boy, Mitchell.

 Luckily,I had the camera ready. Mitchell made a brief and unexpected stop in Paws lap. 

 Miis Aunt Gayle and Mason

 Pepper is bored with it all.

 Granny Lu and Mason.

 Cindy got to hold the baby. And of course, he started fussing shortly afterwards.  She is surrendering the Binky, if someone will just come get this crying baby!

 Monica makes it all look easy.

 Mason pricticing his hand gestures.

Pepper says it all.  We are thankful.  We are full.  We are blessed.

Delta Dukes take 3rd

 Our Team won 3rd place for donations.  Pretty Awesome, huh?

 Cindy, Ghia, Neil, Gayle and Lu

 My pretty baby.

 Keith, Gayle and Barrett

 Keith, Cindy and Barrett

 Monica

 Looks like about 1/2 the gang

 Damie, Barrett, Moi and Keith.

 Here comes a gaggle of Dukes.

 I still say the shirt says it all.

 LuLu

 Neil.  He was 3rd place overall for individual fundraiser.  What an honor! Way to go Neil!

 And it earned him a kiss from the Queen. Made his day.

 Always at my side.

 This was all Nicki's idea.  And I think we will carry this own for a while.  It feels too good NOT to!

 Ghia explaining the walk to Neil.

 Precious Mitchell. We had several NewGen walkers this year. 

Neil.  at the end of the walk with all of our awards...What is he complaining about?  When your feet hurt this good....Take a pain pill and look at your plaque!

Well, I am putting this Walk to bed.  I am so very proud of all the Duke and all the work and all the money raised.  Since the number of Dukes in any given race is undetermined, I think it is safe to say we doubled in size this year.  And I think it is safe to say, that once you have walked it, you are on the hook for the next year.  It is impossible to be at this place and NOT feel good.

I think the total collected in Collierville last year was around $101,000.  This year, at  the time of the race, it was $144,000.  And the money will continue to trickle in.  The Walk was held in 80 cities nationwide.  So that is a lot of bucks for St Jude.  Or, as I have chosen to view it, a lot of memories for families in treatment. 

This blog will now revert to it's usual drivel and doggie pictures.  There is Thanksgiving, a Cruise and Christmas all coming in the next 6 weeks.  So you know what to expect.  You can either check back and look at this years pictures, or you can go look at the past 3 years pictures.  They all pretty much look the same!  LOL!

But be warned.  I expect all Delta Dukes to be planning to attend next year's walk.  Recruit a new walker.  Be collecting money and get ready.  I want another plaque.  I want St Jude to know the Delta Dukes exist.  This is easy.  It is a cause that someone else does all the work on.  All we have to do is get t-shirts, raise some money and have fun.  I think we have proved, we can handle that!

THANK YOU  THANK YOU   THANK YOU!  I REALLY REALLY LOVE YOU!

We Remember

 

 

 

 

Dear Mikey,

I remember.

We all remember.

And guess what? 

Lots of people that never met you, they remember.

Why?

Because your gift was to teach us all about love.

You did your job very well. 

You were too good at it. 

God decided you had taught us enough, then ended your earthly pain.

But everyone left here remembers.

And we will keep teaching through your memory, until God decides we are as special as you.

 

 

 I remember this night.  The night you were first diagnosed.  But life had to go on.  Cindy's dance recital, which was raising money for St. Jude, had to go on.  You and Cindy were precious.  All the adults cried the whole time.  You taught us life goes on.

 I remember.  This is one of the peach fuzz cuts you would get between chemo treatments.  You would start growing hair.  They would give you more chemo.  You taught us Bald is Beautiful.

 I remember.  You were a slave to fashion...You taught us to laugh.

 I remember Halloween.  You taught Cindy that He-Man does not have a cotton tail.

 

 I remember your friends.  Their bodies still worked perfectly. But they came and played at your speed and level. They never left you alone.  You taught them eternal friendship.

 I remember Ms. Worrell taking you for an outing and coming home with this picture.  I know she is right there with you, because she already knew about love, and she LOVED you!

I remember Cindy's Birthday.  Only a few days before you would return to St. Jude for the final time.  You taught us to say goodbye.