What a change a couple of weeks make! Cosette is now a playful, cooperative puppy, learning new things every day. She is doing really well on a leash, going almost everywhere I do...with very few exceptions. She is getting along well with house training and navigating the stairs in our home. She enjoys playing a puppy version of fetch with a little stuffed toy that contains a rattle. The difference in her personality is amazing. Her first vet visit went well, and she is getting all squared away with her shots. One of the biggest events in her leash training occurred last week when Faith and her family came to visit. They always bring their dog, Brutus, a beagle bulldog mix; he is 2 1/2 and very well trained. When Faith took him out in the yard on his leash, I did the same with Cosette. It was as if a light bulb went off in her little doggie brain, and she began to scamper along with him. Positive peer pressure works, I guess, even in dogs.

This week we will be heading to Indy to attend a Christian conference and visit with Hannah and family. It will be Cosette's first long car trip, and I expect it to go well. So looking forward to being with Hannah, Chad, and Cash. They finished up their new fence, and we are planning on helping them with some landscaping.

Chardon's fireworks display this year was amazing; it seemed to go on and on. We went with Jon-David, Jennifer, and their boys; all enjoyed it immensely. Speaking of Jon-David...he and Jennifer have "bought" a house in Middlefield...the offer was accepted, and the inspections are scheduled to occur soon. If all goes well, they will be moving the end of August or first of September. They have been living in our barn for 6 1/2 years, since Solomon was a newborn. It will be an adjustment for all of us as they leave.

My running continues to go well. On Saturday I ran in a 5K in Chardon, and it was my toughest so far. The course wound through the neighborhood surrounding the high school, and there were some pretty daunting hills scattered throughout it. At the top of one such hill I passed the 2 mile marker and saw a beautiful sight...a young woman stood by the street with her garden hose, spraying a gentle mist into the air...available to any runners who needed a quick "shower". It was the boost I needed to crank out that last mile.

I just got an email from David's dad, Bill. He reports that his wife, Twilah, continues to be ravaged by Alzheimer's, unaware of who anyone is, including her children and now her husband. She is not wanting to eat anymore. She was such a beautiful role model for me as a young wife and mother, it is hard to lose her this way. She was the epitome of the worthy woman of Proverbs, modeling kindness, service, and busyness for me at an impressionable time in my life. When David and I married, she would have been about 45 years old, and she had just finished up her bachelor's degree and was teaching school. At that time she still had 6 "children" at home, with 2 being married and gone. When we visited them there were always others visiting as well, whether it was other relatives or neighbors or Christian friends...always entertaining on a big scale. She was a great cook, skilled seamstress, and tireless homemaker, including working in her garden. She always took an interest in our children, reading to them and teaching them new things. Over the years our relationship became somewhat distant, but that does not change the positive impact she had on my life. Furthermore, Bill's example of service to her in these last years is a beautiful picture of commitment and honor.

Should I rename this post?? For the record, I think I will rename it "Two sweethearts: Cosette and Twilah".

Well, a whole new world has been opened up to me...the world of pet rescue. I am happy to announce that I have a new little companion , a schnoodle (schnauzer/poodle mix) whom I have named Cosette. She and her siblings were rescued from a puppy mill, and she was the final one to be adopted. She is so sweet-tempered and quiet. I didn't think there would be much difference in a puppy from a reputable breeder, However, it is clear Cosette is no ordinary 14-week-old puppy. She has not been exposed to either a collar or leash and has no idea what either of them could be used for. She is obviously not socialized with humans, although she seems unafraid once she is picked up. I have not seen any hint of a wagging tail yet or any apparent playful behavior. I was told to just work slowly to get her to trust me and then to slowly begin training her. So far, so good. She is beginning to watch me intently and follow me around in the house. She loves to sleep on my lap (which she's doing right now), and she did just great last night sleeping in a crate. I am hopeful that her training will go well, and she'll be adjusted and happy by the time school resumes in August.

The name, Cosette, comes from Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo. Although some of the story escapes me (I read it many years ago), Cosette was a little girl living the very bleak life of a servant, who became the ward of Jean Valjean; she grew into a lovely young woman, well-educated and happy. When I took my puppy home, her name was Sissy. I knew I wanted to rename her, but so many names came to mind, and others made very appropriate, cute suggestions. Then, when I was carrying her upstairs, after letting her explore the downstairs, I looked into her sad, little face. I said to her, "You're such a sober little thing...you little Cosette." I'm not sure why that came to mind...Victor Hugo's little character...but there it was. That is who she is. Hopefully she will blossom like her namesake.

I have begun the process of looking for a new dog. I loved Pansy's personality and size, so I'm looking for something similar to her in temperament, etc. I found a website, I think it is called Petfind, and one can search by breed in one's own area. I found one I really like this afternoon, so I submitted an online application to be considered for adoption...they seem pretty particular about lots of things, so we'll see how it goes. I'd love to have a dog all settled in to our home before school starts in the fall. There are three little sisters, Schnauzer/poodle mix, that look and sound just perfect...any one of them would do, but I am partial to the runt named Tinkerbell.

We had a great vacation last week in Pennsylvania. We had a campfire every night, complete with s'mores and pudgy pies and all the trimmings. On Thursday the girls went for a trail ride, and I simply adored my beauty named Bridget; she was oh so gentle. Faith's ride was named Lil, and Kait's was Blaise...but we knicknamed her Ole Methane for obvious reasons. The men fished themselves silly. I reread Eclipse and started a book called The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing...so many books, so little time. Kait and I ran a couple of mornings. David and I hiked on Friday, intending to go about 3 miles, but ending up going about 8, due to some less than perfect navigation and map-reading. We did see a few bear paw prints, which really motivated me to walk very briskly.

So many plans for the next 2 months, including gardening, sewing, canning, reading, swimming, and visiting with family, especially those fabulous grandkids!! Maybe taking a trip to DC and TX, depending on how everything works out.

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I got a call from the animal rescue group where I saw the dog I was interested in. Unfortunately, my 1st choice has been adopted, but...I'm super excited that they have one more female, a mostly black schnoodle (schnauzer/poodle mix), and I am going to get a call from the foster home soon, so I can go visit her. She sounds really sweet...fingers crossed!!

Evan is starting to generalize some of the things he's learning in my class. Today we went to the dollar store across the street from the school. We found little white boards and decided to buy one for him. One was green and one was red. Patty said, "Which one do you want?" We both expected him to point to the one he wanted...but...he independently went to the color screen on his talker and said, "Red." We almost cried! It was completely unexpected. Later today I told the speech therapist about it, and she had the same reaction. It's such an amazing thing!

I ran my longest run in several months today. I went out to the trail and ran for a little over an hour. My ipod said I ran 5.13 miles, but I know the calibration is off, so it was probably between 5.5 and 5.75. I feel good!

And I'm enjoying my current grad class, Reframing Learning...reading a lot of good books and doing a lot of thinking about how kids learn.

And...16 more days of school left!

Ran my fastest ever 5K today...32 minutes 48 seconds...if one can believe the electronic timing devices. That would put me at under 11 minute miles slightly, and I am quite pleased with that. When I started running in earnest last year, I had a goal of 12 minute miles, and that seemed like my limit. Now I am wondering how one determines limits, and wonders which will increase faster...my endurance and speed or my age, which will then limit my endurance and speed, presumably. I was pretty pumped that the prizes were trophies. I know that a new water bottle is really more practical, but that shiny trophy has a certain appeal. I got a little sparkly red and gold one for taking 2nd place in my age b racket today. I'm really good with that.

I'm sore, but not because of the run. Yesterday I bowled for the 1st time in a long time, and my right shoulder and glute and my neck are pretty achy from me trying to bowl with correct form while actually knocking down pins. I did really poorly. But I had a great time with church friends and grandson Solomon, who scored higher than me, although he did have the bumpers raised on his lane, making me feel slightly better.