My Dear Friend, Spooky

Yesterday we had to put down our dear dog, Spooky. Spooky was a Weimaraner & Matt & I's first "baby". He was a gentle, protective, loving & happy dog. We loved him much. He helped raise our kiddos.

I remember when we brought Hamilton home from the hospital, my mom was going to babysit so Matt and I could get dinner. Mom came over and we left. Spooky then gave mom and gentle bark and laid by Hamilton's bedroom door. He was going to protect that baby! It didn't take much to get mom in the room with Hamilton - a few Teddy Grahams - but Spooky had made his intentions known & we all took comfort in that.

He guarded the kids outside when they played. One day I was busy in the flowerbeds and Hamilton slipped through a crack in the fence. Spooky went NUTS and would not quit until I went to see what was the matter. When I retrieved Hamilton Spooky gave him kisses and stayed right beside him the rest of the day.

Spooky was with me when I miscarried our little girl. He stayed with me, and I believe, he wept with me. He was always with me when I cried about whatever (I'm a bawl-bag sometimes). He would come put his head in my lap and bury his head in my armpit.

He was big. He smelled like a dog. He barked when someone went walking down our street. His toenails made marks in our hardwood floors. He occasionally tried to take food off the table. He ripped a screen off of the back door, and when he was a pup, he tore our phone line off of the house & chewed it in two. Three times.

But I loved him.

We all did.

There's a hole in the family.

We all miss him greeting us with his nubbin-wagging tail.

We miss our Spook-Dog, our Spook-a-Duke, our Spooky.

These are not very good pictures of him, as he was sick when we took them, but this is our precious Spooky.

Understanding...Need to Clarify

Ok, so in my previous post "Blizzard 2011" I posted something that then I did not understand, but now - I understand clearly. Crystal.

Beer in people's grocery carts. Lots of it. Cases of it. Beer isle in store - very bare by the end of the day last Monday. I made fun. I giggled inside. I scoffed. I shunned. I blogged.

I'm sorry. Very sorry.

I now understand the value of beer. And, lots of it. Next time we are forecasted 18 inches of snow, my cart will be full of beer. Cases. I, most certainly, will bump into my Pastors, folks from church, my child's teacher with a cart full of beer. I will be proud of my cart, and if their cart is not full of beer, I will suggest that they hurry right over and fill theirs, too, as the supply will surely be dwindling.

5 straight days without leaving my very small, old town property. One two year old. One 5 year old. One 7 year old. One husband. One large dog with something wrong with his leg. One pesky Basset Hound puppy. 21 + 4 inches of snow. Dwindling groceries. Way too much Nick Jr.. Ice Dams. Multiple Ice Dams. Water running down our painted, sheet rocked walls & dripping down the inside of our windows & then freezing. ALL good reasons to have beer. Lots of it.

A can an hour, and I think I may have dealt with it all a tad bit better.

Don't judge me.....

Gotta run....freezing rain & snow in the forecast for tomorrow....hopefully there's more beer available than we have snow plows in this little town! Meet you in the beer isle at Reasor's!

Blizzard Goings Ons

My dogs, Spooky (the weim) and Murphy (the basset.) We cleard them a path shortly after the snow stopped. Spooky, who is 10 and has a hurt leg, is less than thrilled. Murphy is still a pup and loves the snow. He runs in it, although his feet don't actually touch the ground. Cute. Stinky, but cute.





















These three little guys are my munchkins that relentlessly bothered us all day to go outside. Once the temperatures reached double-digits, I could take it no longer. It was worth the 10 minutes of peace to spend 20 minutes getting them bundled up, 30 minutes peeling off clothes and getting them re-dressed, 20 minutes getting hot chocolate ready & 2 loads of laundry. I caved. They were out for all of 10 minutes. The baby made it to the back of the yard, started crying & Matt had to carry him in.
















This, my friends, is our very own Ice Dam. It's really fun. It formed after the storm, and allows water to seep into our walls on the interior of the house. Our sheet rock in the kitchen and bathroom is mushy. Water that melts on the top of our roof, rolls down & under the ice & into our home. Cozy, no?


We are full of excitement here at the Roberts house! The kids are driving us nuts, I have a sinus infection, though I'm unable to get to the doc, and we have a hurt dog that needs to see a vet. Oh - and NOTHING sweet in the house. We've been on a diet. THIS IS NO TIME TO DIET FOLKS! I NEED CHOCOLATE & I NEED IT NOW! I'm going to try to find something to make with the Almond Bark left over from Christmas.....I might just resort to gnawing on it....


Despite our major home damage, we really are enjoying being together. Matt's been off work, and we've really been snowed in. There's no place open to go & even if there was, there is no way to get there! I love our little family & am thankful for this time to be snowed in together.