I'm baaaaack! Actually I've been here all the time

Hi! For you three that follow my blog, I have been MIA only because my two beautiful 10 and 12 year old great-nieces from Eugene, Oregon, Karson and Britt, have been visiting for 2 wonderful weeks. Moms, how do you do it? They kept me hoppin' morning till midnight. First, 12 hours of rides at the Fair. Then, visits to every body of water in Nevada County. 1st, Scotts Flat Lake of course for kayaking and swimming. Lost Mine Lake for dunking dogs and hanging out. Dixie's "High Camp" for pool swim, and our back yard for hot tubbing. Then camping on the Yuba for 2 days, and visiting various swimming holes there, then repeat, repeat. We also decided to celebrate Harry Dog's 15th birthday, which we billed as "Harry's Happy 100th." We baked and assembled appetizers for a day, then invited 13 adults, 5 kids and 5 dogs for a big birthday bash. Off to the dollar store to get personalized doggie prizes. The Doggie "guardians" had to compete in games such as "pin the nose on the weiner dog" "tennis ball hunt" and word scramble using obscure dog breed names to win their dogs prize. The girls asked about each dogs personality to choose gifts, and here's what we came up with: Bonnie the Dalmation likes her night walks, so she won reflective sticks for Kent to stick on his coat and her collar. Frankie the Beagle likes anything that squeaks, so he can run in circles endlessly driving everyone nuts. He got a rubber beer can with a very loud squeaker. Pretty Maya the American Eskimo loves to sit on your lap, lean against your chest, and look up as if to say, "aren't I pretty?" Do you want to pet me?????" So Maya got a new brush. Jackson the Retriever lives for tennis balls. His mom won him a tennis ball connected to a big rope, so you can actually get the ball back from him to throw again. Duffy LOVES her long walks, but does work up a powerful thirst. So she won a portable water bowl that hangs from her collar. A great time had by all. Adults nibbled and chatted, kids and dogs ran and played. Harry seemed a bit overwealmed, so he retreated to his stroller to avoid being stepped on. At the end he was presented with a "cake" made up of hard boiled eggs stuffed with cottage cheese and yolk, with a birthday candle atop each, one per dog. He seemed genuinely happy and interested when we opened his gifts, which were cookies, steak bones, a new winter jacket and assorted toys. Thanks to all Harry's human and dog friends. This memory will last a lifetime!

Thebloggess.com

Dixie just turned me on to the above blog. It is twisted, but laugh out loud twisted. Ladies, if you are having trouble getting the man in your life to help around the house, read todays entry. Masterful . . .

Accident by the store?

Saw a wrecked jeep today on our 8am walk. I am told it was the result of a DUI involving 3 teens at the Pasquale/BQH intersection. Careful out there folks. There are lots of reports of people shooting the 4 way stop there doing 25-35 mph. Don't know if that was the case this time, but be aware. Some people around here think a stop sign is just a "suggesion" like they think 25MPH speed limit is a suggestion. I still see cars whiz up and down the big hill at 40-50. Scary.

MOVIES

The 3rd and last "Friday night movie" at firehouse was a great success. The Womens Club has been hoping to attract the preteen-teen crowd, and succeeded, with about 30 movie watchers last week. Sharon Hogan & family provided the movie set up, Barbie Feyh donated the CrackerJacks, and Carol Carter collected food donations for food bank. I only made it to the 2nd night, but it is just great, with the almost full moon rising over the firehouse, and bats darting about overhead. Folks even brought their pooches. Brings back memories of sneaking into the drive'ins of the 60's. Please continue this tradition ladies!
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Speaking of movies, Dixie, Phil and I went to see Julie & Julia on Sat. night. Cascade Shores was well represented with us, Chuck and Marvina Jaffee (Chuck is the Union movie reviewer),Karen and Skip Hatton, but it was a full house and I think the Hatton's ducked out to another movie. As you may or may not know, this is actually two stories meshed. First, it's about Julia Childs living in Paris and attending the Cordon Bleu in the 50's, to become a chef as so to teach french cooking, which eventually led to her writing a VERY famous cook book, MASTERING THE ART OF FRENCH COOKING, not to mention one of the first TV cooking shows, and a parody on SNL by Akroyd, no less. Simutaneously, it's about a woman named Julie, who in the 90's pledged to cook all 524 of Child's receipes in one year, and wrote a blog about the project, that eventually became a book and then this movie. Whew. Anyway, as played by the genius Merle Streep, Julia Childs is incredibly quirky and funny, and Amy Adams as Julie is cute as a bug & inspirational in her dedication to the task. You know a movie hit the mark when the whole audience gives it a standing ovation, which they did. If the subject interests you, see it. I smell an Oscar Nomination for Streep (what's new).

Grandparent Baby Boom

Well, there are 2 sets of new proud grandparents in the shores. Olivia Diaz & Ernie Malamud welcomed Ava Olivia Kerns on 8/8/09, 7lb3oz, 20". What a patient wait that was. Little A.O.K. is the daughter of Olivia's daughter Leslie, & hubby Keith Kerns. First child for both. Congrats.
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Caroline and Mike Inglis welcomed their new grandson last week, first born to their son Joe and his beautiful wife Katherine. Don't have the stats on him, but I saw pics and he is a beautiful healthy boy named Ben (what a strong name). That makes 3 grandkids for Caroline & Mike. Contrats to all.

Cascasde Shores Community Flea Market/Yard Sale

CSHA has changed the date of the annual community yard sale at the Firehouse to Sat, 9/19.
If you want a space, call me at 265-8680. $10 gives you a space, $15 will give you a space and 6' table. Kids can have a space for free (if you want to encourage the little ones to sell the toys they don't play with anymore, clothes that don't fit, sports equipment). If you would just like to donate items to the CSHA booth, call me, and we can arrange to drop off/pick up. We will advertise on KNCO, the Union, and posters, and will provide free coffee and pastries in AM, and Hot Dog/Hamburger/chips/drinks will be for sale. It's a really fun day, and a great way to meet the neighbors and barter or buy cool stuff.

Saving animals, one at a time

Last Saturday I volunteered at Sammie's Friends 5th anniversary celebration. After speaking with Cheryl Wicks, who started SF, and Susan Wallace, who started Scooter's Pal's, I finally understand the difference between these 2 organizations, so I'll share it with you. Cheryl, who has worked tirelessly to reduce the euthanasia rate for Nevada County Shelter, provides funds, thru donations, to get medical care for shelter animals so they can become adoptable. She also helps family pets when the family cannot afford vet care. She also takes thousands of pounds of pet food to N. San Juan and the town of Washington, to feed "underpriviledged" pets.
Susan Wallace, (you may remember, a few years ago her carpet cleaner savagely attacked her with a knife, burned her house down, and killed 2 of her 3 dogs in the fire) started Scooter's Pals in memory of her deceased pooch. Susan takes animals, mostly dogs, from the shelter that are deemed "unadoptable" perhaps due to breed, age or behaviour. She rehabs them, finds foster care, and tries to help them find permanent families. She is kind of a "last chance saloon." Yes, she will even take on the 15 year old poodle with cataracs, etc. Bless her soul.
Anyway, if you can help either of these organizations with time, money or volunteer at events, they would love to hear from you. It is incredibly rewarding. I am planning to "babysit" dogs from Susan when their foster parents go on vacation, etc, & work at the "adoptathons."