Goodbye Hill Country. As I type we have traded in Live Oaks and Ash Junipers in for the Yucca and Mesquite of west Texas. It was tough getting on the road this time. I am never fond of goodbyes and this time we were not only leaving home but seeing Mom and Dad off on their own road trip back home to Michigan. Our friends, Gwen and J.R., are staying in our house this summer so there was extra packing up to do to leave the house ready for them. And though our systems for traveling with animals are established and serve well, the addition of 3 two and a half week old puppies requires some adaptation. We’re still figuring things out as we go.

Dottie’s pups were born, auspiciously, on Mother’s Day. It was intense. With only three pups they had room to grow big… and they did. The first born, a male with the working title of “Salt”, came out tail first and got stuck. With coaching from Dottie’s co-owner, Melody, over the phone, Steve helped him out the rest of the way. Normal stimulation didn’t get him breathing so he got “flung” too. Then it took a while to get him warmed up. While Salt stayed warm inside my shirt, Steve helped his sister, dubbed “Pepper”, out in much the same way as he did with Salt. This time, scared and shaking, we didn’t wait as long to assist and, once out, Pepper breathed on her own. While Salt and Pepper nursed, Dottie started having contractions again. This time, inside the sac, a nose appeared rather than a tail. We were so happy to see the front end of a puppy rather than the back! As the third pup slipped out like a little greased pig, while her siblings suckled peacefully, we named her “Joy”. We thanked our lucky stars for a small litter as neither of us was sure our hearts could take more. Find some pictures on facebook by following these links:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2044698&id=1039804422&l=a55c32282e

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2044974&id=1039804422&l=85be32cc6e

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2045717&id=1039804422&l=60d5b3015d

The last couple of weeks have been an exercise in amazement, watching the pups grow at a tremendous rate. At times they grew so fast it was almost like watching time lapse photography! As we make our way to California, their eyes are open and they scramble around pretty good with action that is somewhere between swimming and crawling. Maybe they’ll be walking when we get to California … but their legs are going to have to get pretty strong to support their fat little bodies.

Three days after pups were born, Mom and Dad joined our household. Noche, Ginger and Grayson were happy to see them as pups were whelped in the trailer and Steve and I had moved into the trailer with Dottie before they were born. We were happy to see them too! They arrived just in time for Mom to attend my Master Gardener graduation lunch. Dad pretty much got right to work on the projects we had saved up for him … refinishing a beautiful, but weathered, park bench given to us by Dennis and Nancy, and our beautiful red cedar bar that divides the kitchen from the living room. The weather wasn’t real cooperative but we did manage to get them out on the lake once at least. They had great visits with friends from their former life as Texans. Despite all that we had to do to be ready to leave ourselves, it was emotional to see them drive away on Wednesday.

While I was composing this post … offline because there has been no cell signal to speak of … we blew our first tire of the trip. Made it about 120 miles farther this year than last before losing a trailer tire. Bought a used, not-quite-up-to-snuff-in-the-load-rating-department tire in Robert Lee, Texas rather than drive without a spare. Now, I sit, cellularly connected once again, while Steve buys us comfort food at a Dairy Queen. Then on to Lubbock, TX to buy a real spare tire. Wish us well on the latest chapter of our tour of America’s tire stores!

This long overdue post is dedicated to my best reader … maybe the only one who hasn’t given up on me … my Mom! Happy Birthday, Mom… this whole website thing started with your birthday 11 years ago. Who knew where it would lead?!

There’s been no time for web updates in the last couple of months. I know, I know… how can that be? We don’t have regular work (the kind with paychecks attached) … and we hardly know anyone in Texas. How can we be busy all the time? I don’t know. But we are. The focus since our last post has been on growing things. Flowers… vegetables … plants … and … drum roll please … puppies!!

My Master Gardener course has proven to be a good experience but more time intensive than originally anticipated, what with the volunteer gardening and homework on top of class time. I’ve got two more classes until graduation, which, it turns out, I might miss because Dottie’s pups are due. Mom and Dad are supposed to roll in the same day … see what I mean? Life is just always full, no matter what!

So backing up, on March 9 Dottie and I flew to Chicago to meet her intended, Target, and his people, Susan and Scott. Well, not JUST to meet them… Dottie may not have known why we were doing what we were doing, but she sure knew what to do when we got there! Target wasn’t quite as certain but he’s a quick study and, under Dottie’s persistent tutelage, he figured things out right quick. Within an hour of meeting, we had a “tie”. Before we left, they mated three more times and as a result, Dottie has lost her waistline. Hopefully, the only other thing we’ll lose is some sleep (that’s inevitable when you worry like I do) and in a couple of weeks we’ll have healthy pups nursing contentedly from a happy new mama dog.

Scott and Susan were wonderful hosts (I can still taste the yummy tapas from Emilio’s) so the trip to Chicago was pleasant (though there is something inherently odd about people who have just met, hanging out in a hotel room together, watching their dogs have sex!) Dottie’s co-owner, Mel, was able to join us for a couple of days too, making for an even better experience. It would sure be comforting to have her here for whelping but most likely we’ll be on our own for that. On Friday, Dottie will have x-rays to get a (hopefully) accurate puppy count. Stay tuned!

While I was in Chicago, Steve brought home and spread several truckloads of mulch from the Comal County Rural Recycle Center. He calls it “frosting” the landscape. I call it “awesome”! I could not believe the difference when I got home. Not only did the mulch tidy things up a lot but he also spread loads of rock around our fire ring, effectively turning our back yard burn spot into a recreational area. It looked a bit like a helicopter landing pad until we put some freebie benches, gleaned from a neighbor who moved, around the outside. It both looks, and works, great! Oh, and he made us the most wonderful planters out of rotted oak logs!

We’ve been eating out of the garden… lettuce, spinach, beet greens, basil, cilantro, and chard so far. Things are heating up and the lettuce is bolting. Might get some peas, beans, and beets before we go but I think the tomatoes and peppers ended up being planted for Gwen and J.R., who will be staying in our house this summer. Ah well, live and learn… at least I know someone will enjoy them. The rest of the landscape is liking the rain we’ve had this year. Weeds are popping up everywhere! Fortunately, the difference between a weed and a wildflower isn’t much sometimes so my weeding is pretty selective. The wild purple verbena is blooming all over the place and, from who-knows-where, corn poppy plants are volunteering. I think they’ll bloom for mom and dad’s arrival! The California Poppies that I planted are doing their thing, along with a few Texas Bluebonnets (hopefully, more of that seed will germinate next year) and soon we’ll also have Blanket Flower and Coreopsis that I planted, and Mexican Hats that I didn’t. Anyway, I’ve been a planting fool, mostly from freebie starts and transplants that I’ve gotten from classmates or from the community gardens we work in. With our departure for California looming ever closer, I’ve got to stop. Hopefully, with a little help from Gwen, at least some things will survive until I get back here next fall.

Friday night we saw Willie Nelson just down the road, and yesterday was the Canyon Lake BBQ cook off. The Carver RV Repair and Service cook team (J.R., Gwen and their friends Ken and Vicki) took second for their beans. I thought everything they cooked was a winner though! Fun stuff but that’s a story for another day.

For now, I’ll finish where I started. Happy Birthday, Mom! As I said, you might be the only reader who hasn’t given up on me and I truly love you for that!