A New Normal

We are trying to create a new normal as we go on without Scout.  Mom and I have been walking a lot more.  We normally walk at least three miles a day.  That may not seem like much, but we are walking in a very hilly area and the temperatures have been high with high humidity.  We do our longest walk early.  I hate to admit this, but I am getting OLD.  Mom is wearing me out. 

This past weekend, I got to go for two rides!  Saturday, I went with the folks to the post office.  We are not allowed to receive mail here at the park, so Mom had our mail sent "General Delivery" to the post office.  We had a heck of a time finding the post office as it was hidden down a side street.  It took Mom forever to come back to the car because the lady had the post office was very talkative.  Mom said she was sweet as could be, but she works alone and is lonely.  Mom asked how long they hold "General Delivery" mail and she said only a few days.  Mom told her that with their hours being so short and her not having a car, it is hard to get to the post office. The lady told her to fill out a "hold mail" card and that way no one would send her mail back.  Mom never knew that was an option, so now we know for our future travels.  We now use the scanning mail service that Escapees offers, so Mom knows if there is anything important that we need in the mail.  If it is just a letter, it can be scanned opened and you know what it says.  This time, our mail had medication, so it was important we received it.

The folks dropped me off after the post office ride and they went to the Amish Marketplace.  They were disappointed in it.  The prices were higher than the grocery store.  They really liked the Amish butcher shop they visited in Indiana and hoped this one would be the same.

Sunday, the folks had planned to visit a museum.  The temperatures were supposed to be in the high 90's and they decided it might be best to stay closer to home.  We have a generator that kicks on if we loose electricity and that way I will not be without air conditioning, but they were still concerned to leave me.  They decided to take a trip to a state park and they said I could go.  We left early on Sunday morning before it got too hot.

Where are we?  We are at Rock State Park. 

This is the King and Queen Seat.  A ceremonial gathering place of the Susquehannock Indian. It is a natural 190 foot rock outcrop.

Mom and I didn't climb too far, but Dad did.  He said it would be easy to fall off.  Actually, last week, a boy did fall off a cliff at this park.

Here I go.

I am rock climbing!

Mom said that was far enough, so I am coming down.

The view from the top.  Dad took photos.

 

We then hiked to a waterfall.

It was a fun adventure, but it wore me out.

We heard this morning that Dave The Dog sent his Mom a sign.  It was a rainbow over their house.   Miss Scout hasn't sent us a sign yet.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Getting Less Treats But More Adventures

Another Friend Is At The Bridge

Thank you for the comments concerning Scout.  We are doing okay and trying to keep busy. I went on an adventure today, but I will tell you about it later this week.

Yesterday, when Mom turned on the computer, she was shocked to learn that one of our greyhound friends had died.  We just found out that he had cancer.  Mom cried for his family.  Do you want to hear what is strange about his Mom and my Mom?  Well, Mom met Miss Patty, his Mom, when she and Dad visited Petco to look at greyhounds.  That is where they met Jack.  That is not the strange part.  BOL!  When Mom adopted Scout, Miss Patty adopted Blue.  Blue and Scout rode into St. Louis together.  When Jack died, Miss Patty's dog, Roy died.  Then, I was adopted and a week later, Dave was adopted. Dave is white like me.  Scout died and three days later, Dave died.  Okay, maybe it doesn't seem so strange, but it does to Mom.  Oh, did you notice that both of their names are "Patty"?

Dave was only 7.   He and his family recently moved to Florida and he enjoyed the beach.  He even had a pool in his backyard.  He was very close to his sister, Blue and he was loved by everyone who met him.  We heard he was very popular in his neighborhood.

Dave and his sister, Blue.  They loved each other.

At the beach.

Dave on his 7th birthday

Dave was a cool dude!

Dave "The Dog" Luter  - 6/8/08 to 7/18/15

You are missed Dave.  Please say "Hi" to Scout for us.  Send your Mom a sign.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Learning To Be A Solo Dog

Scout - 11/19/05 to 07/15/15

Scout is gone.  She passed peacefully last night at 8 p.m. in a dimly lit room with three sofas and a fireplace. I couldn't have asked for nicer surroundings for her final moments.

My all time favorite photo of Miss Scout

When the vet told us that Scout had about eight weeks left (which was exactly right), I told Scout she could have whatever she wanted.  Boy, did that girl listen.  She demanded treat after treat. Peanut butter was her favorite for taking her meds.  I thought cheese might be a good change, but unfortunately I didn't buy her Kraft cheese this past weekend and she let me know that the new brand was not up to her standards.  Homemade frosty treats were her all-time favorite and she had so many in the last few days. She even ate two on the way to the vet.  She also dined on chicken last night. I thought my sign that she was ready to leave us would be when she quit eating, but that didn't happen.  The girl had a huge appetite.

Her favorite toy.

When I was looking for a girl to adopt, I told the group I wanted a petite, fawn girl.  Somehow I ended up with a 82 pound, brindle girl.  She was very much a tomboy.  She came with the name Scout and refused to adapt to the name I wanted to call her which was Katie.  In the end, she won and she remained Scout.  She was also known as Baby Girl, Girlfriend, Miss Scout and Scoutie.  I am sure there are a few other nicknames that I am forgetting at the moment but those were the ones she heard daily.

Give me treats!

 She hated walking when the sun was out.  We called her our vampire dog because she was happiest walking at night.  She loved playing in water and she loved sand.  Her favorite camping place was in Alabama because there was a huge dog park and her whole yard was sand.

Playing with her little brother.

Relaxing in Arlington, TX.

I remember when we first started taking her camping.  She was dragging as we walked through the campground.  I thought she was ill.  Nope, she was walking slowly in hopes that someone would stop to pet her. She did that on every walk. She loved people and being told she was beautiful.  She especially loved blonde or gray-haired ladies.  I think that her foster Mom most have had light colored hair.  One time, we were camping and we ran into Nancy, an old co-worker of mine.  Well, Scout must of thought that she was her foster Mom, Debbie, because she actually put her dirty paws on her shoulders.  I was so embarrassed. She had never done that before.
 

Scout's first day of full-timing.

Cadillac Ranch

Memorial Weekend in Arlington, TX.

Scout was a full-time RVer for the past three years, two months, two weeks and two days.  She didn't really enjoy the driving part, but she liked exploring new locations and meeting new people.  She hated Arizona.  I am glad we never stayed there for long.  It was too hot and too much gravel for her.

Fun Run in Abilene, KS

Scout was thrilled when we bought our latest motor home.  It has a king sized bed with a ceiling fan above it.  She spent her days roaching on the bed with a big smile on her face.  We kept the bedroom a cool 70 degrees just for her. No, she was not spoiled.  LOL

Happy girl!

I was so happy that she made it home to see everyone one last time.  The swelling on her head had actually almost disappeared and she looked great.  I think she also felt great that week.  We were beginning to think the vet was wrong about her dying, but only a few days after we left home, the swelling returned.  Her body began to fail her and we knew it was time to let her go.  Scout and I had many talks about the Rainbow Bridge and how wonderful it would be.

Pretty girl!

The house now feels empty without our brindle girl.  We no longer have to step over her bed which blocked our walkway in the bedroom. There are no more treat crumbs in our bed.  Joey and I are trying to create a new normal for our day.

Posing for Mom - one of the last photos of her.

I hope that Scout has found Jack and her foster Mom, Debbie by now.  She will be missed and, of course, never forgotten.

The Brindle Kids - not happy about scarves that Mom knitted for them.  Wow!  They definitely looked alike.

Together again.

Love ya Baby Girl.

Patty,

Mom To The Greyhounds; Jack, Scout and Joey 

A Day Trip To Gettysburg

Yesterday, the folks drove to Gettysburg for a few hours.  We are only 36 miles away, but it takes 1.5 hours to get there.  What is up with that?  Mom says there must be a better way.  GPS took them on back roads.  Mom said the views were nice, but she wanted to get there.

I stayed home.

They ate lunch at Garryowen Irish Pub.  It is a restaurant that has high ratings among reviewers.  Mom immediately liked the inside. 

The folks started their lunch off with an appetizer. They chose a Scotch Egg.

It is a hard boiled egg wrapped in sausage, breaded and then deep fried.

  The folks said the Scotch Eggs were good.

Mom ordered a Irish Whiskey Burger.  It had whiskey cheese on it.  The onions rings were in a beer batter.

Dad had the Whiskey Sausage Sandwich.

They said the food was good, but we didn't get to try any because THEY ATE IT ALL.  :::sigh:::

They then headed to the Gettysburg Museum of History.



These people were on a tour and they were slow.

The museum had a lot of bullets and other items from the Civil War battle in Gettysburg, but they also had other items.

Locks of hair belonging to George and Martha Washington.  It is in the center of the photo on the pillow.

Abraham Lincoln's wallet.

A lock of Lincoln's hair.

Foot stool that belonged to Hitler.

Yes, JFK's boxer shorts. Is nothing private?

I guess not because this is Marilyn Monroe's bra.

This is a gun found in the water at Normandy Beach.

Elvis' hair brush.  Seriously?  Mom thought his brush would have been nicer.

One of Elvis' prescription bottles.

A pillow that Jacklyn Kennedy had in the White House

There was a lot of serious things in the museum, but Mom likes to find the off the wall items.  They said it was a really nice museum and it was jammed full of items.  American Pickers has bought several things for the museum.

The folks spoke to the owner and he said he has been receiving threats because he carries Confederate items. He said he has been placed on some sort of a watch list.  Seriously?  It is history folks.  He has T-shirts that say "I would rather be historically correct than politically correct".  Mom told him he needs magnets with that on it.  He said he hadn't thought of that, but he is going to order some. 

The folks said that there is a lot to see and do in Gettysburg, so they will be returning. 

On a sad note.... Scout is getting worse.  I don't think it will be much longer before she leaves us for the Rainbow Bridge.  We had a treat party today. Scout still loves treats.  We also had fried chicken for lunch.  Yum!  Mom made a ton of frozen treats for us to enjoy.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Thinks Treat Parties Are A Ton Of Fun