Buttons' Big Adventure

 

It's been awhile since my mommy, Nola, has written anything on her blog; so I decided *I'm* going to write something for her.  Since it is my post though, I've taken the liberty of changing the title of her blog to one that suits me better.

As the title of my post states, I had a big adventure the other day.  Usually my mommy goes to work and leaves me home. Yesterday though, she took time off, but still went to work; and took me with her!

We got up really early and got ready, then mommy put me in the car and we left.  Down hills, and on straight roads mommy drove while I rode in the seat next to her.  We were going along quite nicely, when all of a sudden mommy had to stop.  Lots and lots of other cars were stopped too.  Mommy said there was something called a "wreck" and we were stuck for awhile.  I knew then I should have went potty before we left, like mommy said.  I was a good boy though, and didn't have any accidents.

Once we got past the traffic, mommy drove the rest of the way to a place she said was called "Gateway".  I don't know what that is, I just know we got out of mommy's car, then got on something even bigger that also moved; mommy said it was a train.  I got to sit next to the window and watch out the window.  It was definitely faster than sitting like we had earlier.

We rode on the train until mommy said it was time to get off.  That's when I finally got a chance to really stretch my legs and walk.  It was kind of scary though, because it was dark, and there was lots of noise and things.  I was brave though, for mommy; I didn't want her to be afraid, so I pretended I wasn't.

During our walk, we met lots of nice people, including a man who had a really cool squeaky toy.  He talked to me and told me I was cute.  I heard that a lot throughout the rest of the day; not that I didn't already know I was, of course.  It was nice hearing it from other than family though.

When we got to mommy's work, she picked me up again and carried me; I guess it's frowned on to let puppies walk around in the building; oh well.

We visited a nice man named Earl, and made him happy because we stopped by.  Then we went to mommy's department and waited for the rest of her team to show up.  I got to meet everyone, and though I was a bit shy, really I was having a lot of fun. Who wouldn't love getting lots of attention from everyone they meet?!  One of mommy's co-workers even shared his water with me, because I was thirsty; that was so nice of him.

After a little bit, mommy took me outside, but I was too excited to take care of business; there was just so much to see and do, I didn't want to miss any of it!  We met a lot more friendly people while we were outside; I think mommy must have told them my name, because they all seemed to know it.

We went back to mommy's department, met some more people, then took a walk to another building downtown.  That was a little scary, because there were so many more cars than earlier, and lots more people.  Again though, I was brave, for mommy.  I pretended to play, so mommy wouldn't know I was afraid.

In the new building, we met mommy's friend, Patty.  Again, I was shy around her, but I didn't bark or growl at her, and eventually I did let her pet me.

When we left, mommy and I went back to where we'd gotten off the train earlier, to catch one back to mommy's car.  On our way, we saw the same man that had the squeaky toy, and he remembered me!  He even called me by name; it made me happy and I wagged my tail at him.

On the train, instead of setting on my own seat, mommy let me sit in her lap.  I tried to stay awake and look out the window, but a couple of times I did doze off; but not for too long.

When we got back to mommy's car, she said we were going home, but first she had to get gas for the car, and food for me.  I really didn't care what gasoline was, but I definitely wanted to be sure mommy got my food!

Mommy got my food at this store that lets you bring puppies in, and mommy doesn't have to carry me; I love that store!  Mommy got my food, and on the way out, she said I'd been such a good boy that I could get a new toy; YAY, I love toys!

This is the toy mommy bought me; his name is Moo Cow.  I love Moo Cow, because he squeaks a lot.  He's my new favorite toy and he's all mine!

When we got home, I wanted to play some more, so mommy played with me, and then mommy's "Josh", (that's what mommy calls him), came home and he played with me too.  Lots and lots of play for me yesterday!

Then all of a sudden, I woke up.  I don't remember going to sleep, but when mommy noticed I was awake, she called me "Sleepyhead", and asked if I'd enjoyed my long nap; as a matter of fact, I did!

I got to play with Moo Cow some more; then I took another nap, this time in mommy's lap.  I was such a sleepy puppy, but oh what fun I had on my adventure that day!

Ghosts, Spirits & Poltergeists

Halloween, the time of year where witches, ghosts and goblins have their moment in the spotlight.

Most people acknowledge that both good and bad witches exist in this world.

When it comes to ghosts, spirits or poltergeists however, you have believers, skeptics, and those who ride the fence on the subject.

For those who are unsure of the difference in these three entities, here's a quick explanation:

1. Ghosts are the dead who haven't crossed over to the other side yet.
2. Spirits are the souls of those who have crossed over.
3. Poltergeists are ghosts who move things and are noisy.

While I'm skeptical of some things I've seen, or been told, for the most part, I'm one of the believers.

This is due in part to the things I've experienced over the years of my life. Looking back, I now recognize things I didn't as a child, like footsteps in the hallway, when no one was there; things like that.

The first time I actually realized I'd seen a ghost was when I was in my late teens, early twenties. My dad worked nights, my brother was in college, so it was just my mom, me and the two toy poodles we had at home in the evenings.

The younger dog, Skippy, was the son of the other poodle, Tinkerbell. The two were inseparable, and would play all the time. Even when Tinker developed a heart condition, she'd still play, until she'd cough and wheeze. Then one day Tinker died. Skip was upset and depressed, naturally.

That night, my mom and I were sitting on the couch watching television, with Skip sleeping between us. All of a sudden I heard familiar wheezing and coughing, looked from where I was sitting down the dark hallway, and saw a bright light the same size a Tinker, which is where the sound was also coming from. I didn't say anything to my mom, and eventually it stopped.

Next night, same thing. By the third night, I told my mom what I was seeing and hearing. To my surprise she said, "you too"? She'd been seeing the same thing as me, but hadn't said anything, so as not to scare me.

When my dad was home in the evening we wouldn't see or hear anything; only when it was just my mom and me home at night. During this time, Skip, (who had been perfectly healthy), started coughing and wheezing. We knew it wasn't him though, as when we heard the sound, and saw the light, it was always at the end of the hallway, and Skip was always asleep between us.

A month, to the day that Tinkerbell died, Skippy died. Since that time we've never seen the light at the end of the hall, or heard any coughing or wheezing.

There are other experiences I could share here, like when I go looking for something I need. I can know exactly where I left it, yet, it won't be there. Usually when this happens, something else I'd been looking for previously will be what I find instead. It's like things are getting moved, then brought back in place of the current item I'm looking for. It doesn't happen all the time, but it is more than a rare occurence at my house.

At least twice I've had bad experiences also. Like lying in bed, awake, one night and all of a sudden feeling like someone was in the room with me. No one was, though suddenly it felt like someone was sitting on my chest, so I couldn't breathe or move. I couldn't talk, or move, or breathe. In my head, I yelled, "get off of me, now, leave me alone"! As soon as I did, the weight was gone and I could breathe again.

I could go on, however I'm pretty sure there are already some skeptics out there not believing what I've written; I'm okay with that. I tend to try to find the loopholes and missing pieces in stories I hear also. I think it's because there have been those who have scammed others before; it makes people naturally wary of things they don't understand.

I do have friends who are also believers though, like my friend Patty. More than once since her mom has died, she's had incidences where she knows her mom was there for her. Not just a feeling of her mom's presence, but little things that have been moved, or whatnot, when no one else was in the house to do it. It gives Patty a comforting feeling to know her mom is still there for her.

Another friend, Sandy, who's also lost her mom, has had several experiences where she knew her mom was with her. I was there one of those times as well.

We were at a casino, and Sandy was playing a slot machine that had been one of her mom's favorites. Someone came up and began talking to Sandy about the machine and other random things, just out of the blue. Sandy said something to the person about the machine having been her mom's favorite, though she thought her mom probably wasn't with her at the moment, because she'd been losing money. Right, EXACTLY as she finished that sentence, the machine she was playing went crazy. Turned out Sandy had won $90 from the machine, and had actually come out ahead after all. She and I were both positive her mom had something to do with it.

When telling a co-worker, Doug, about writing this post, he told me of an experience he had at his current home. Seems he had a radio in his garage, and though no alarm was set, the radio would come on blaring at midnight. Not every night, usually about once every two months, just randomly; always at midnight.

As I stated earlier, I don't expect the skeptics to believe any of what I've posted; it's not a matter of trying to convince anyone. I've simply shared my experiences, and those of friends, for others to consider. What better time of year to do that than Halloween?

A Long-Time Friend

(Today's word will be in ALL CAPS, BOLD, ITALIC, and STRIKETHROUGH.)


No matter who they are, everyone has had at least one special friend in their life; that person who's always been there, through thick and thin. That person who, though you may not hear from them very often, you still know they're thinking of you, just the way you think of them.

I've never been one for having lots of friends. I prefer having those few friends like I described in the last paragraph. Fortunately, in my life I've had some wonderful friends, those that I think of often, though I don't see or talk with enough, and those I see more frequently. Despite the time spent with, talking, emailing or whatever, each of these friends is special in their own way and will always have a place in my heart.

Marc, Peggy, Geri, Denise, Dani, Pam, Patty, Sandy, and the friend I've known the longest, Diane. There are other friends as well, so hopefully if any of you are reading this, please know, you're not forgotten in my heart; my brain just hiccups sometimes!

Back to Diane. As I said, I've known Diane the longest, since 7th grade at Hockinson Jr. High. We were both the new kids that year, which is part of how we became friends.

Over the years we've shared several experiences. In high school Diane ended up having a frog collection, because of a nickname she was given..."Freddy Froggy" I won't go into all the details here of how the name came to be, because it's a bit complicated.

She was maid of honor at my wedding, and I remember when her first daughter was born. Of course those are two major events that have happened in our lives; there's so many other things we've shared growing up through the years.

Diane has lived in Arizona over the past few years, so we haven't seen each other in awhile, though we do keep in contact on the phone and through Facebook.

Another special thing about Diane is, today happens to be her birthday. Because of that, I decided I should write a blog for her, to CELEBRATE her special day.

So, happy birthday Diane Herz! I hope you have a spectacular day and I'm sure glad you're my friend!