Today, Murphy was rather mild-mannered, listening to our instructions, then promptly lying down on the floor as if to tell us he simply was not going to make things that dreadfully easy for us!

As you can see, Murphy is just downright cute, so how could I ever yell at him? And yes, in the end, our model was greatly rewarded with cookies!  Mmmmmm!

Michelle’s friend, Jacob, came over and we went out this afternoon, stopping first at a Chinese buffet in Geneva.  My, oh my, I ate too much!  I usually don’t overeat at buffets, but I kind of ate a bit too much today!  I sat across the table from Michelle, so I kept annoying her by taking pictures.  I was hoping to get just one good one.  She got tired of me and the camera, though….

Ummm…the photo above was taken before we left, obviously! I got the pretty Argyle sweater she’s wearing for her for her birthday.

After we ate, we headed on over to the outlet mall in Waterloo.  We walked and walked and walked some more!  Michelle had said she wanted a pair of fashion boots to wear under slacks, so we looked for those.  As we passed by the Clarks/Bostonian store, I told her she might try looking there.  She was reluctant, thinking it looked too “upscale”. 

Lo and behold, the store had boots just like she wanted.  The problem was,  they didn’t have her size.  She was a little disappointed, but one of the girls there told her they can order them directly and they will be shipped to the house. How cool is that?  No extra charge for shipping, either. Michelle was pretty happy.  I also found a really cute little purse there for a great price.

We looked around a little more,  then decided to start for home.  Mark wanted to see the Sabres/Ottawa Senators game, so we wanted to get home before too late.  We stopped at Wegman’s along the way and I picked up a Friendly’s Reeses Peanut Butter Cake for Michelle’s birthday.  WOW!  What a cake that is!

We got home a bit late, but watched the game as the kids watched a movie in the basement.  All in all, Michelle had a good day, but we can tell she isn’t 100%, as she looked pretty worn out by the time she went to bed. 

So, on this day, I am so thankful for our Michelle.  She has accomplished a great deal in her nineteen years and we a proud of her!  She is a blessing in so many, many ways. 

I am also thankful for the Sabres win over Ottawa!  This game was a real nail biter. The game ended in a 2:2 tie,  so we went itno overtime.  No one scored in overtime, so it was time for a shootout.  The first two Senators got the puck in, as did the first two Sabres.  Then there were three Senators who failed to drive the puck in….same with the Sabres.  Another Senator. Then, the Sabres’ Derek Roy……INTO the NET!!!  Sabres win 3:2!

We “borrowed” a car from a dealer yesterday to see how it might work out.   One of Mark’s goals is to have a car that if he decides to go out by himself,  he will be able to without depending on anyone to help him in and out of the car.  For this reason, he had considered a minivan,  but then decided we might be better off with all wheel drive.  I think there are few minivans with AWD, and if they have it, they might be pretty pricey.

We borrowed a 2011 Subaru Outback and it seems like it might just work out.  The trick is to put the backseat behind the passenger seat down.  Mark can then transfer into the car, then reach out and disassemble the wheelchair and put the pieces on a blanket in the backseat.  It is a little tricky, but we think it just might work.

Mark and I went out this afternoon to Penn Yan.  I wanted to make a recipe from that awesome book  I bought, called Slow Cooker Revolution.  The recipe called for 4 teaspoons of Curry Powder, but like Mother Hubbard, my cupboard had none!  I wanted to drive the car, since I hadn’t tried it.  Mark agreed to take a spin to Oak Hill over in Penn Yan.

We were surprised at the fuel economy of this car…it is rated 22 MPG, city, and 29 MPG, highway.  Well, since there are no “highways” between here and Penn Yan,  but hilly, rolling country roads,  we were surprised that the average miles per gallon is about 29.4 since we got the car!  We have been driving backroads and that means some stopping and starting, just like city driving!

We got home later than we thought we would, and I hurried to make my Curried Chicken in the crockpot.  Instead of taking several hours,  I turned the cooker to high and left it there for an hour.  The chicken was fully cooked in about 3 1/2 hours. (I turned it back to low for the last 2 1/2 hours. ) The recipe turned out well and everyone liked it.  Another winner! LOVE that book!

Well, one photo tonight…..this one was taken for my daily photo journal…..Murphy, the model.

Oh, and one funny true story from this morning….

Ben said he got bored last night, so he decided to make a “man” sitting in the chair in the living room.  He used some tubes to make legs, covered by a pair of his gray socks.  A pair of Michelle’s boots on the legs.  Shorts and a shirt, stuffed with pillows, and a pumpkin on top for a head.  The pumpkin wearing a baseball cap. 

I carried Murphy downstairs as I do every morning.  As I rounded my way off the stairs and turned toward the living room, poor deceived Murphy just about had a heart attack, seeing that “MAN” in HIS living room.  My eyes had been a bit bleary…plus, it was on the dark side….but the first thing I saw when I looked up was the pumpkin head.  Murphy!!! What a nutty little dog…..trusting his eyes instead of his “sniffer”! It was very comical, though! (Sadly, Ben took his effigy apart this afternoon before I photographed it….it really was pretty good!)

I got a later than planned start, but it was “that kind of day!”.  The skies were bright blue, the temperature, mellow, and the sunshine was generous! I don’t know if everyone feels like I do, but when I get a block of time to take pictures, I am so happy!

I stopped at a graveyard not too far from home to see the marker for one of our neighbors.  Barbara was such an amazing woman!  She seemed like nothing could get her down.  They had built a cute log house across the street from our house a few years before we moved here.  Barbara was always knitting something and she encouraged me to take up the needles!  She got sick a few years after we moved in and they moved to Henrietta.  Barbara began to suffer memory loss and slowly, she became totally at a loss….I cannot imagine her husband without her…..he loved her so dearly.

I didn’t have a huge amount of time, so I was off once again.  I did have to stop at a vineyard to take a photo of the remarkable grapes dangling in bunches like prize jewels!  Oh, how I love grapes!

Once again, I dared not linger, so off I went!  It is a shame not to have an entire day when everything was as beautiful as today!

I knew where my destination was, but wasn’t exactly sure how to get there!  As I drove down the country road, it soon became obvious that all I needed to do was follow “the trail”.  The area I refer to is Mennonite and Amish country.  Many Mennonite families have moved to this area and the houses, farms, and scenery are vastly improving! 

Soooo, you might be wondering,  What is she talking about?

I wanted to photograph this….

and this….

I didn’t photograph the church, but it is a large, plain white building.  It is surrounded on three sides by stalls where families “park” their horses and buggies.  It is so beautiful to see.  As I drove past the building this morning,  the doors were open to let the fresh air inside.  I could see a small room separating the sanctuary from the road outside.  On the dividing wall were pegs and the ladies hung their black bonnets there.

I believe this is a Mennonite church.  I am unsure how the Mennonites are divided.  I know the Amish have many “flavors” as one of my Amish friends says,  but I do think the Mennonites have Old Order and more progressive orders as well. 

I began making my way back homeward, but had made a mental note of a particular farm where I saw some miniature horses in a field.  I love horses and these were so little…they caught my eye and I wanted to see if I could capture a few pictures of them.  The farm where I saw them was a Mennonite farm, so I figured I could snap away without any problems.

As I was taking photos, I saw a figure walking toward me.  I looked up and saw a young fellow coming my way.  I told him I wanted to take some photos and he was agreeable.  As I snapped away, he talked about his little horses and told me all about them.  They belong to him and he absolutely loves them! He even told me about how he used one of them to take his two younger sisters to the schoolhouse up the road.

5 month old Firefly and Chess the mare

These horses are quite tiny….Chess, the older mare, cannot stand more than three feet tall!

As we talked, I could see the young man’s shepherd in the distance.  He told me she had puppies and when I asked to see them, he took me to the pen where they were kept.  OH MY!!!!!

Yeah..CUTE!  There were seven of them, total, but it is impossible to capture all of them together!  They were so sweet!

See that little pup in the center?  She was described by the young man as “comical” with her half and half face!  She was also the first of the pups to be claimed!  They will be going to their new homes this week as they are eight weeks old tomorrow.

The pups were kept in a very nice area near the barn and as I looked around, I saw little calves in pens.  Someone once told me these calves are designated “veal calves”, but when I asked,  the fellow told me no, they are isolated so they will not pick up any sicknesses or diseases from their mothers or any other animals in the herd.  He said they will be turned out with the others in a few months when they are strong and healthy.

My, they were so cute, too!

Two days old!

Five days old.

I had promised to be back home again around ten-thirty. As it was, I didn’t arrive back until eleven.  What a wonder-filled visit….totally unexpected, but so much fun!

Oh, and as an aside….the young man told me the reason he was not in church was because he was minding a cow that was going to calf today!  Ah, life on the farm….

Last Sunday, we had planned to take a little trip as Michelle begins college soon.  Tomorrow soon!  Yes, tomorrow is Labor Day and the United States of America rests and pays tribute to its laborers.  However, Rochester Institute of Technology begins their fall classes on Labor Day!  One of life’s mysteries, I guess….

But I digress.

Michelle went with her boyfriend, Jacob, to his church picnic last Sunday at the county park located just a couple of miles from our house.  She came home early at four,  and off we went on our little adventure. 

We drove to Allegany State Park where we stayed until Friday. Although we had planned to relax, we were busy every day! It was very nice, though! The weird thing in all this is that I really didn’t take many photos.  This was our little niche in the world from Sunday night until Friday noon.

I always end up chuckling about us spending time at campgrounds because of the fact that we live in the woods.  Most of the folks I have met at campgrounds are city dwellers who are so appreciative of the fact that they can escape to the sanity of a less stressed and hurried lifestyle, only if it is for a couple of days sometimes!

On Monday, we explored the park a bit.  Ben remembered how we visited Thunder Rocks this past winter on the snowmobiles and he wanted to return to see them now.  I am not sure we have rock formations like this around our area, so I forget how massive they are until we visit them again! (Hoping you don’t mind seeing our kids over and over!)

Fly Tweetie, fly!

After our stop at Thunder Rocks,  we passed by Science Lake.  Not sure how the lake came to have that name, but it sure is pretty. There were a couple of young men fishing there….the lake has trout in it. Please forgive so many photos…I could not choose which to show.  As you can see, this was a day of perfection, weatherwise!  It could not have been a nicer day!

Science lake is a manmade lake, thus it has a spillway to keep it from getting unruly!  That was quite a drop!

After visiting Science Lake, we were on to see the bear caves.  Yes!  There are many black bears living in the park, although I saw n’ary a one. Drat!  I would love to have some bear photos.  There is an area where campers take their trash that is filled with several dumpsters.  The area is surrounded by electric fencing to discourage said bears from pillaging!

I remember as a child seeing bears at a dump area of the park.  People would drive there in cars and throw food from their windows to feed the bears!  Yeah, hard to believe. 

That little hike to the bear caves was pretty strenuous for this “picture-taker”!  I was getting tired! We had to take out Little Bear (Angus) along for the walk, as Mark refers to him as a bear cub!  He enjoyed the cruise through the woods, too.

On Tuesday, we went to visit with my family.  It was another beautiful day and we really enjoyed the time spent together until dusk when the mosquitoes came out for their bloodlust fest!  These days were so much fun, but passed by much too rapidly….

Front: Mom, Dad, Mark, me and Fritzie   Rear:Randy, Ben, Michelle

We got to the museum and entered.  I looked at the venue and was a little disappointed as it seemed there weren’t as many fiddlers attending this year.  Perhaps I am wrong, but it seemed like there were fewer groups listed.  When I mentioned this to Mark, he said he thought the venue seemed a bit more sparse than in the past as well.

We listened to some music and then walked around the village.  This is one of my favorite things about visiting the museum. I never tire of seeing the people, animals, and buildings!  There is always something interesting there. Along the way, there are tents here and there with people teaching others a little, as well as “jam tents” like the one below.

We entered the village near the barn. In a large field, this little one was enjoying munching and walking around.

Off in the distance, a man in the blacksmith shop was giving a talk.

Behind the barn was a pair of oxen. They both refused to turn around so I could see their faces!

I really liked this photo of one of the men that was in the barn. There were all sorts of antique tools there that visitors could inquire about.  This was taken during a lull….I thought he was looking rather pensive.

Outside the front of the barn was a small space where some ducks and geese gathered around a small pond, a wooden tub filled with water, and a small puddle where they seemed to like diving their heads into! (must have been some good eats under the water?)

I really liked that black and white duck!  It was enjoying the little pond. Carly’s huband, Jeff, and the girls, had gone into a mercantile to look at goods sold there.  They caught up with Carly, my family, and I, back at the barn.  We went out back again to see the oxen.  This time, they were “hiding” behind some bramble.  This was one of my very favorite photos of the day…

We walked on up a hill to the village green. It was quite hot and I think we were all getting tired from the heat and bright sunshine on us!  The green was lush with places to sit and rest and just observe.  It is a fun spot, as it is interesting looking at folks from the past and today, mingling together.

A few years ago….when our kids (now 16 and 18) were small,  I remember a photo I took of a woman with a callilope.  When we heard similar music yesterday, we had to get up from our resting spot and take a look!  This man said he and his wife have differing opinions on music, so I wondered if the woman I saw all those years ago was his wife!  (Will have to see if I can find that photo…did not have a digital camera then!)

This man had a great face to photograph!

After this, we all headed back out to the parking lot….we had coolers of food for a picnic!  We sat in the shade of a pine tree and ate.  Afterwards, we headed back into the park but I left my Nikon camera behind.  Now, I wish I would have taken it!  I just had not taken many photos, so I thought I would only take the little Canon.  I will look at the photos from that and perhaps post one more Genesee Country Village and Museum entry! 

We had a very nice day. A nice day, indeed!

Our Scottie parties are not as elaborate as they once were, but we do try to celebrate!  After all, life without celebrations gets pretty hum-drum! It is fun getting the pups all excited and watching them.  They are sometimes just like little kids! Okay, so maybe not,  but they definitely have individual personalities.

Angus (above) was so cute.  Mark and I printed the little birthday hats from the internet, using card stock.  I stapled cut rubber bands for the stretchy part to hold the hats on.  Now, let me tell you….Scotties do NOT like to wear party hats.  When I first put Angus’s hat on his head, he rubbed it against the chair and popped it off.  I told him NO ice cream and cookies if he did it again! I put his little hat back on and told him, “stay!”  The little fellow took everything to heart and patiently sat there for about five minutes while I got Murphy’s hat on his head!

Since it was Murphy’s birthday, he got to sit in the booster seat.

Each Scottie got a tiny scoop of vanilla ice cream and a doggie “cookie” on top.  The boys both sat by the table, waiting for me to deliver their goodies! At one point, the two boys went nose to nose…..

Angus: Mon, wee brother, are ye aware you’ve got a stick in your beard?

Murphy: Mummy will take it out before she starts taking photos, donchaknow?

As soon as I set the bowls on the table, I told them they could dig in! Of course, the birthday boy didn’t need any convincing from me!

Angus is a much more “dainty” eater….not inhaling his goodies!

While Murphy really gets into this yummy fun!

Angus enjoyed his goodies, right down to the last bite.  Both boys licked all the ice cream out of the bowls first. Angus wasn’t able to grab the cookie with his teeth, whereas nothing misses Murphy’s teeth!

And, once Murphy finished his bowl, he leaned over and checked out Angus’s bowl as well!

What fun it is having a little party with the Scotties!  Happy Birthday, Murphy!  And wishing you many, many more!

While I am at it, here is the photo that did not upload the night before.  These ducks were at Darien Lake Park.

Okay, so back to last night. After my frog photo,  I walked back to the campsite when what should happen to be parked directly kitty-corner to our site?

Yes! That is a Scotty camper that is a 2010 remake of a camper  produced in 1963. As I looked at it,  I noticed Scottie statues placed here and there. Sure enough, guess what ELSE was there?

That is Flora,the Wheaten Scottie,  and her brother, Murdo, a Brindle. On the Scottie forums, when a Scottie lies down with his legs straight out like that, it is called “froggin’”!

I spoke to the friendly couple who owned the camper and pups.  They were so happy to hear about our Scotties, too!  They are both of Scottish descent and Frank plays the bagpipes!  Of course they would have a Scottycamper and two Scotties!!! It was so fun talking with them.  They gave me a card and we are going to keep in touch.

Before we left this morning,  Bonnie and Frank came over and took a picture of Michelle and I with Angus and Murphy!  I really enjoy camping because one often meets such nice people!

Of course, Angus wanted to get into the swim as well.  Literally.  This Scottie loves the water.  He loves to swim.  I had hesitated to purchase a life vest for the wee wonder, as I wasn’t sure he would ever get any use from it.  I guess he is proving to me that such a purchase would be just grand!

As soon as he hit the pool, Michelle let him go on his own power and he gleefully paddled away.

Yes, Michelle was right next to him, stepping out of the way just long enough to take a picture. Of course, the antics continued on. And on….

Ben convinced Angus that he could easily swim to a float and hop on. Watching this sequence was so funny!

First, he latches on….then, begins to pull himself up…

He then pops the tail end out of the water….at this point, he looks like a sea lion coming up…now if we could teach him to clap his paws and utter, “arf,arf”!

Finally he’s on! As we know, that calls for a good SHAKE!

Oh, the humor of it all! Then, as if that isn’t enough, the lad spots a s-q-u-i-r-r-e-l in a tree.  Suddenly he hops forward and takes the most awesome stance!

It was getting late and I was hungry!  I had a hankering for a good fish fry, but I wasn’t about to slave over a hot stove.  Yes, today’s temperature rivaled yesterday’s. We do not have central air and the house was stifling hot….Michelle called in an order down to a small diner in Woodville and I would go pick up the meals.

I was getting ready to leave when Michelle snatched Murphy from me.  I called her, asking what she was going to do with the boy and she just walked away.  I had to go in the house for a few minutes and when I went out to see how everyone was doing, Murphy was…..well…..

Wait a minute….Murphy HATES the water.  He sure looks comfy on that float, though! Michelle removed him from the float and decided to check out his “doggy paddle”. Oh glory!!!! That dog acted like a two-year-old child.  He did this rotating paws thing where he slowly paddled one paw, then the other.  It looked like he was slapping his paws on the water.

As though realizing he was the brunt of a joke, he turned his body backwards.  I couldn’t tell whether he was seeking approval from Michelle or me,  but it just added further to the laughter!

You must understand, Murphy is my pup, through and through.  He shadows me and is intimidated by new things if I am not there with him.  Michelle and Ben then did such a funny thing!

Yes, rub-a-dub-dub, two Scots in a tub!

It was getting late.  I needed to pick up our supper and I wanted to make sure everyone and everything was okay on the homefront before leaving.  Of course, when I mentioned leaving,  Murphy would have called out, “take me! take me!” were he able to speak! Michelle took  the boys out of the tub and Murphy began to make his thoughts known as he started swimming toward me.

When I called him and clapped my hands, the little fellow kicked into high gear and moved headlong at a most impressive rate, with very impressive splashes!

The little fellow wanted desperately to go with me to escape the pool madness!  How could I tell him no?  I removed him from the pool and before I could even grab a towel to wipe him down,  he was off running into the front lawn, rolling about like a big ole happy pig in the mud.  With that,  I got into the car,  called Murphy, and when he hopped in, we were on our way.

We had a good dinner, then everyone decided they were shriveled enough, they got out.  Yes, the insanity of the day called for Ben,  Mark, and Michelle taking their dinners on the pool rail while I sat at the table on the deck eating mine. What a totally fun time we had with the Scottie boys today.  Funny how much happiness those two bring!

One more shot of Angus.  My favorite of the day! 

Angus,  with the very, very brave heart!

Well, I tried to make the best of it today.  Mark and I went to Canandaigua this afternoon, so I got a couple of pictures there, too.  So, I will just let the photos do the talking….it is too hot to talk!

And there you have it!  It is 11:24pm and for the first time today, I am feeling comfortable.  That is because I took a cool bath and am lying down with the fan blowing on me!  If I didn’t know better,  I would think we are living in Florida!

Keep cool!!!