Snow or Spring?

As January comes to a close, and February comes our way, we have yet to have any real snow fall here. At this point, I am not sure if i want to wish for snow, or simply start wishing for Spring. I did so want to see our newest puppy play in snow, significant snow, and not the mere trace we got several weeks ago.

All we seem to get is rain and more rain, which only adds to the mess around here. 16 paws can accumulate a lot of wet and mud. Not that snow is any better, as we then have 16 paws that need to be cleaned of snow they can easily bring in the house. It never ends.

I am not happy with this time of year. Every thing seems so bleak. The yard is barren and not as appealing as when everything is green and lush. I miss sitting on my deck. I miss being out working in the yard and my gardens. So if I can't have a snowy yard to look at, and a snow filled yard for the dogs to roll in, I want to wish for an early Spring.

"Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me
stopping here to watch his woods fill up with snow." ~Robert Frost

My Stay in Grenada

Enough about Caitlin. This is about me. My time spent in Grenada was wonderful. I stayed at the Grenadian Rex, which was a resort not far from the campus. In fact, it was a mere $15.00 taxi ride away! =/ The resort sat on 20 acres of gorgeous, tropical land, with the Caribbean sea a few short steps from my room. The view from my room was nothing short of spectacular and I could see over into the port of St. Georges.

The beach proved a delight (not hard to imagine of you know my love of sand and surf), and while relaxing, I was able to get a ton of reading done. (nothing strenuous, nothing required). We did spend a day at the pool, but after a day of being pecked in the head by a stupid black bird, I never went back.

My room was pretty, although a morgue slab might have proved more comfortable than the bed. The service was a wee bit slow, and I had to remind myself I was in a place where "Island Time" meant something to those who worked there. So I made an effort to relax more.

The food wasn't bad at the hotel. Nothing exciting. However, I did manage to find a good place on the campus called the "Sugar Shack" to have a roti and had to indulge in eating them several times during my stay. I cannot even begin to express how delicious these were!

I took an island tour with the other parents (I met some very nice people!) and visited several historical places, the rain forest, and a rum distillery! Cait and I also visited the huge outdoor fruit and veggie market, where Cait did some major shopping.

My week flew by, and I left the island feeling sad to leave Cait behind, but excited and so very proud of her! (And I wasn't going to mention her name).

Paging Dr. Cait, Paging Dr. Cait!

It's official! She's landed in Grenada, has settled in, and has been inducted into Vet school through her White Coat Ceremony, in which she pledges to uphold her professional obligation to the world of Veterinarian Medicine.

The ceremony was awesome, and I could not have been more proud of her! I know that Caitlin will be committed to her role as a vet student and will carry this through when she completes school and begins her practice. She has been afforded an incredible opportunity and has marched into it with enthusiasm. I look forward to sharing as much of this journey with her as I possibly can from a distance.

Goodbye and Good Luck Caitlin!

A New Year, new beginnings, new challenges! I leave in a few short days to take Caitlin down to Grenada and I am so looking forward to sharing her new adventures with her! In a previous post Caitlin Heads to Grenada, I expressed how proud I am of all of her accomplishments, and excited I am for her as she begins a new chapter in her life.

Her bags are packed, all three HUGE duffel bags! She has managed to take as much as she can, and still meet the weight requirements Air Jamaica has in place. How she did, is a mystery. I'm just glad she made space to take the things that mean so much to her, like photos of her pets, and of course, her family.

Her first week will be filled with orientation and fun things to do, like Island tours and barbecues! There's even activities for the parents, so I, too, will have something to do while she is off getting settled. She has been communicating with others already down there, so she has a good idea of what to expect (thankfully). Her roommate hails from Arizona.

Caitlin will not have time to share her adventures with all of you, so that will be my job. I will take you all on her journey as she works her way through her first semester in Grenada! Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers!

Bright and Beautiful: Our Madison

Last year Caitlin enrolled Madison, one of our Goldens, into Obedience class with the goal of becoming a therapy dog. After two additional classes, Madison is now one of the Bright and Beautiful Therapy Dogs. Her sweet disposition lends her to fit the role beautifully.

She spends her therapy time at two libraries where she enjoys children reading to her. OK, she just sits patiently and has at times even dozed off, but the kids are thrilled to read to her. She and I will begin a program at our town library and I am excited to be a part of such a great program. Madison is too!

The program is a spin off of the Paws for Reading program which uses service dog teams and registered therapy animals and their handlers to help improve the literacy skills of children in an effective and unique manner. The kids get so excited to see the dogs. There are those children who merely come to work through their fears of dogs! No matter the role she plays, we are very proud of our Maddie!