Oh, well, the dog I posted pictures of will not be ours - the woman who has him wants him to be able to run loose, and we don't have a place for him to do that.  She just lets him out to run free and then he comes back, but we aren't able to do that here - especially not with a dog that isn't ours for 30 days.  There are some dog parks in the area, but not where Betsy could take him every day when she is working.

So, that woman, as well as the woman who is the trainer we are working with, will keep looking for another dog.  If the Lord has a hearing dog in His plan for Betsy, I am confident He will show us the right one!

I promised Betsy I would post these pictures of another potential hearing dog that we met last week.  We haven't heard yet whether we will get him for the 30 day trial period or not, but he is cute!  This one is an Australian Sheepdog, and he is about 13 months or so old.  He is an Aussie Rescue Dog, and one who seemed like he would make a good hearing dog.  The only issue that the woman who visited us had was that we do not have a fenced-in yard for him to run in.  She seemed very concerned about that, although Betsy told her she walked the last trial dog 2 1/2 miles a day.  And our trainer seems to think that walking, along with the diligent training he would be going through would be enough to keep him active and occupied.  But, we haven't heard a thing, and Betsy only has seen him for an hour or so and is not attached to him, so we will be fine with whatever the decision is.

                                   

                                     

                                    

                                     

I had a wonderful, but exhausting weekend!  I went to a smocking workshop all day Saturday.  No pictures because I have a hard time getting pictures of people - no one really likes it for some reason when I take pictures - and I didn't know these ladies very well.  I didn't even try; maybe next time!  There were about 8 of us.  The workshop concentrated on garment construction - putting together the little girl's dress or whatever it is you are smocking,  using techniques like putting binding on sleeves and collars, piping, inserting cording, covering buttons, etc.  I didn't have anything ready to work on those things, but I watched as our teacher demonstrated everything, and I have a hand-out for later.   Meanwhile, our smocking guild's project this year for ourselves is to smock a nightgown, so I started working on that.  It was lots of fun, and I am starting to get to know these ladies from the smocking guild.

Saturday night, the kids and grandkids were all here for dinner because Suzanne had come home for the weekend.  All except Betsy, because she was still involved in the play that Roanoke Children's Theatre has been doing these 2 weeks.  Today, between church, then the Roanoke Deaf Fellowship that I try to attend on Sunday afternoon, and then the small group Bible study that Jim and I are in, it was a busy day!

Mommy had a church music meeting this morning, so this Grandma had both grandchildren for a little while!  Megan looked so adorable in red, and Charlie was so cute playing with his toys, that I just had to show y'all!

                                    

                                    

                                    

                                    

                                    

                                    

                                    

These blocks belonged to his mommy and his aunts many years ago.  After piling them up, he started putting them in a line and changing the line around -

                                    

Then he put them all in the basket and did the next logical thing - turn the basket upside down!

                                    

                                    

Before I knew it, Mommy was back and taking them home.

I took care of Megan this morning while Charlie went with his mommy and some other friends to pick strawberries.  First she had nap time -

                                           

And then awake time!

                                           

Time with Aunt Betsy -

                                           

                                           

And with Aunt Betsy's friend, Stephanie -

                                           

Today, Megan is 2 months old!

                                         

Grandma had time with Megan too, but nobody took a picture of that!

Last weekend was the annual Sidewalk Art Show in Roanoke.  I had never been to it before, but on Sunday, before the showing of  "Honk!" downtown, I strolled around the art show.  I was very impressed by how the center of town was transformed into this wonderful art show!

                                        

                                        

                                        

                                        

                                        

                                        

There was a booth with quilts -

                                        

                                        

It was a very busy weekend!  I have lots of pictures - too many for one post.  So, I'll start with the tea room. 

For many years, our little town has had a lovely tea room called Petticoats and Petit Fours.  It was always nice to go there for a special lunch, and the tea room also had a lot of parties, showers, special celebrations, even rooms for children's parties and teas.  The tea room closed on Saturday, but I was able to be there one last time with my friend, Barbara.  Barbara's birthday is in June, but we decided to celebrate it early so we could go to the tea room.

                                  

                                  

This was our table -

                                  

The menu cover -

                                  

                                  

Some ladies in the next room were having a baby shower -

                                  

Barbara -

                                  

Her daughter, Lindsay, was our waitress -

                                  

                                  

We had a lovely lunch, and then I snapped some pictures of the outside of the tea room -

                                  

                                  

There were no other customers who came in or had reservations after us on Saturday, so we were their last guests, although the baby shower guests were still there when we left.

Then, the Roanoke Children's Theatre production of "Honk!" has been going on all week.  It is such a good show!  Betsy has a couple of roles, and she is assistant stage manager.  Her friend, Megan is the stage manager.  I have already seen it a few times!  It is a musical, and it is the story of the ugly duckling who is really a swan.

                                   

The stage -

                                   

                                   

After the show, the cast greets people in the lobby -

                                   

                                   

                                   

                                   

                                   

                                   

I'll post about the Sidewalk Art Show another day.  Tonight, Megan and Betsy had a few friends over.  I managed to get this picture of some of them before they told me NO MORE PICTURES!!  Stephanie, on the left, is a friend of Betsy's who has stopped in for a few days on her way from NC, then next is Megan, then Kendall, who is in Honk! with them, then Betsy.

                                   

                                   

                                   

                                  

We have had a nice Memorial Day - lots of things going on around here!  Jim and I spent most of the day cleaning out our storage room and gathering things for a yard sale next week.  The neighorhood where Kip and Joan live has a neighborhood yard sale every year, and often I take some things over there to sell. 

Then a trip to the nursing home - my mom is doing about the same.  So far, in the 3 1/2 months since her last fall, hospitalization, rehab, and now nursing home, she has not wanted to talk to my brother on the phone - too tired, too weak, etc.  I often offer to call on my cell phone from her room and let her at least hear his voice.  Today was different!  I didn't ask, I told her it would be so nice for him to hear from her ON HIS BIRTHDAY!!!   She isn't really aware of what date it is, so she wouldn't have known it until I arrived.  So, I called him (we had planned this beforehand, he and I), and they chatted a minute. 

So, Happy Birthday to my brother, who we call Rosey (well, my mother doesn't call him Rosey), who is 61 today.

Then, back home, we cooked hot dogs and hamburgers and moose sausages on the grill.  Betsy has had a friend staying with us - her name is Megan.  Megan goes to Roanoke College, and she and Betsy have both been working with the Roanoke Children's Theatre on their production of "Honk!" that will begin this week.  Megan is the stage director, and we love having her here!  She might be ready to go home after the scheduled month is over, but I'm not sure I want to let her go.  She has been a joy to have, and she and Betsy have had a wonderful time together.

So, here they are at dinner on our porch -       Betsy -

                                

Megan -

                                

Jim -
                                

                                

                                

Then the girls left to go see a movie with some friends -

                                

I blogged the other day about reading mysteries this month.  I went to the library to find some more to read, and I found another series that I think I am going to love!!  The author is Sharon Kahn, and the series is about a Rabbi's widow, Ruby.  The first book, which I have already finished, was so much fun to read!  The main character reminds me soooo much of my Jewish great-aunt Celia.  Aunt Cele - we called her - would have us all laughing hysterically with her funny stories about every day life.  She cooked wonderful kosher food, and used every Jewish/Yiddish expression there is.  She loved Jim, and when we married, she would make special food for him if she knew he wouldn't like the Jewish food she served!  I laughed and laughed all the way through this book.  This woman in the book has a dog named Oy Vay! 

Time to go start the next book!  The first one is "Fax Me a Bagel" and the next one is "Never Nosh a Matzo Ball."
                         

Saturday was our annual HANDS ( Hearing ANd Deaf Signers) picnic.  There were over 100 people, and lots of food, and a wonderful day of visiting and chatting with friends.  Here are some of the pictures -

                                     

                                     

                                     

                                     

                                     

                                     

                                     

                                     

                                     

                                     

                                     

                                     

                                     

                                     

                                     

                                     

                                     

                                     

                                     

Hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day!

                                     

So many people are on Facebook, but we don't know how to find each other!  I have a Facebook page too, and if anyone wants to be a Facebook friend with me who isn't already, please message me on here privately, with your name and, if it is a common one, your e-mail address so I can find you!

Not much new here this week - I babysat a little for my grandchildren, I spent a lot of time yesterday with some Deaf friends, getting ready for our local Deaf and Hard of Hearing group picnic on Saturday, I keep trying to avoid housework, and I have been doing some cross stitch - a stamped cross stitch pillow case that doesn't require skill or counting, and I am still reading that 6th book in the mystery series.

Every year for the past 5 years, Betsy and I come up with a silly alliteration for our summer reading.  It all started that summer after she graduated high school, when her senior year reading was so intense, and I was reading along with her, because she was home-schooled, after all!  So, that summer we started with the Mad Mystery Month of May!  That meant that we read only mysteries in May.  Then we went on to something about June and July and every summer we have come up with something.  I have them all written down somewhere.  Last summer, I was reading books and plays from her college curriculum, all having to do with drama and theater.  I didn't enjoy it much because I am not that into plays and drama, for my reading material, anyway!

So, this summer, after her last semester of college, we decided to do our May thing again, and then continue the rest of the summer with fun and light reading, with mysteries or other fiction.  We don't necessarily read the same books, just the same topic.  We have allowed ourselves one exception each - mine was the story of a hearing child with Deaf parents that I had reserved at the library, and had to read when it came in or miss out.  Hers is a sort of textbook about hearing dogs that she is reading now.

Otherwise, though, here is what we came up with:

The Mad Mystery Month of May

and then -

We will be Spending the Summer Slackfully Skimming Selections of Scandals and Semi Serious yet Satisfying Stories!

We found a delightful mystery series set in a chocolate shop in a small town in Michigan.  There is always a murder, of course, but otherwise, these books are light, clean, and enjoyable.  The author is JoAnna Carl, and it is all about chocolates!