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IT'S FRIDAY, MY FAVORITE DAY!!

After a tearful goodbye to Bob and Jeanne in Arizona last Friday, we headed home with three long days of driving ahead of us and with Stanley the Bassett Hound riding shotgun and watching the cactus fly by. We had to spend the night in hotels that accepted dogs but it was not hard to find them. We also stopped at many rest areas so Stanley could relieve himself. Unfortunately, Stanley just sniffed around because he was used to being off leash to do his duty and I left it on because I was afraid that he would follow his nose and get away from me. Most of the time, he slept in the back seat and was well behaved.

We arrived in West Linn Sunday afternoon and spent the night with Lara and her family. Stanley was the center of attention and the granddaughters fussed over him. They really liked the dog and the feeling was mutual. On Monday - President's Day - Leslie took advantage of the day off and brought Ashtin and Paige over to visit. It was a nice finish to our vacation to have everyone together with us that morning.

After making a few stops we were glad to finally get back home. We had a couple of nice days and I was able to take Stanley for a walk. He got the lay of the land in Wheeler and sniffed out a few places like the bakery, Waterfront Park and got introduced to everyone at City Hall. He seems to be adjusting well for a desert dog being thrown from a dry environment into a wet one! He doesn't like water very much and when it is raining he doesn't spend a lot of time finding a place outside to do his duty. He managed to bark at Tom and Jerry, the two feral cats that had adopted us and I haven't seen hide or hair of those two since then. I guess they smelled a dog and decided to move on. A few raccoons made their presence the other night and Stanley let them know who rules the territory around here. We'll see who wins that battle.

We are making some adjustment with Stanley. Stanley is a morning dog and has been getting me up around 6:00 a.m. He is still on Mountain Time but he is getting better. The first couple of mornings it was 4:30 a.m. He has also discovered my rocking chair and whenever I am gone, he sneaks into my chair even though he knows better than to be up there. Dave got this photo while I was at a meeting on Thursday. Stan is wearing the black shirt to keep him from scratching the stitches from his cyst removal. He'll get those removed on Monday. I also have to be careful not to leave any food too close to the edge of the counter as - even with Stan's short legs - he can jump up and grab the food with one sweep.

It feels great to be back home and in our own bed. Like I said, it is nice to get away but it is always nice to get back home. I have been busy all week catching up on paying bills, doing laundry and cleaning the house. I made it back to my water aerobics class too and that feels good to back in that routine again.

After all my bragging about not catching a cold for the last two years - even when Dave was down a couple of weeks ago with a bad cold I managed to stay healthy - it finally caught up with me. I don't think I will be as sick as Dave was but it sure broke my record for staying healthy all winter. I think part of the problem was that when I was in Arizona my sinuses were acting up because there was so much pollen around. It didn't help to come back and be greeted by a couple of granddaughters with the sniffles either. Anyway, I think I should recover quickly.

We are going to have my nephew, Mark and his wife Brenda down for a visit. They should be arriving today and will be spending the night. I am looking forward to having them here. Other than that, the weekend is clear for me and I hope to get plenty of rest. Dave has to return to the Rose Garden on Sunday for a game broadcast.