Two for Tuesday

I know this looks a lot like teamwork.

But really it's Bailey (the chocolate lab)

being a dock diving dog and a fast swimmer

getting the stick first

and Bindi (the yellow lab) sitting in wait

and going to steal the stick. 

Sometimes Bindi even pushes Bailey under because Bailey

won't give up the stick.

Dogs are goofy.

Day 7: What Makes You Happy

This is how I view happiness:

The straight line would be what I would call "contentedness" with the peaks being the absolute highest happiness and the troughs being the lowest low.  Most people have many contented moods, not to high, not too low but just right.  When I think of "happy" that's what I think of.  So here's a list of things that make me feel warm, fuzzy, chipper and content:

*The sound of spring peepers
*Sitting in a chair on the beach with the sound of the waves and the sand on my toes
*A good book- read while under the covers on a cold night
*Stargazing
*Rain on a tin roof
*A spontaneous hug from my kids
*Getting a great photo
*Laughing
*Dancing to the radio
*Rubber Ducky floats
*Crab hats
* People in crab hats and/or rubber ducky floats or any other odd article of clothing
*Lunches/dinners/drinks with friends
*Baby chickens
*Ducks
*Throwing sticks for the dog so she can jump off the pier to retrieve them
*Working in the garden planting seeds
*Weeding the garden and seeing all that I've accomplished
*Riding a horse



But the number one things that makes me "happy" would be spending time in Deltaville/Mathews

The Beach

Wednesday was a real doozy of a day.  

Just take my word for it.  

Things started going bad the moment I stepped in the door at work and little by little they got worse and worse.  However, because my major resolution is to remain in a positive attitude (don't laugh, I can do it), I tried to focus on things that make me think in happier terms.

Like the beach.  

Doesn't matter which beach, any beach will do.  

This photo happens to be from Haven Beach in Mathews.  

One day, I'm going to sit in one of those chairs sipping wine out of a red solo cup.  

With or without company.  

Doesn't matter.  

I just want to sit and listen to the waves and the gulls, feel the sun on my skin and watch the water. 

 Or take the kayak out for a spin around the creek.  

My favorite time being the evening when the stingrays are out feeding on the sandbars.  

There's nothing like getting on amongst a school of them, feeling them bumping the kayak and watching them fly through the water.

 Or throwing endless sticks for Bailey and watching her fly through the air as she leaps off the dock.

Or walk the beach and explore.  

See what pieces of flotsam and jetsam I can find.

Take hundreds of photos.

And not give a damn about anything else.

So yes, Wednesday was bad, but each new day brings the promise of being something different- something better. 

The Incident

Down Deltaville, we spend a lot of time playing on the pier with the dogs.  My dog Bailey is a water nut and launches herself off the end of the pier for sticks, pine cones or sometimes even for the joy of jumping off the pier.  While my mom and I were out at the store, my dad, Big Sis, Big Sis' friend and the Brat Child were at the house.  The kids were throwing sticks for the dogs while my dad chilled in the hammock. 

Unfortunately, the Brat Child thought it was okay to run down the dock carrying a handful of sticks.  He didn't realize that this made him dog bait.  The dogs went running after him, and Bailey knocked him off the end of the pier.

Big Sis ran down the pier, tossing her cell phone on the dock before jumping in after the Brat Child.  My dad was right behind her, though I'm not sure how he made it from the hammock up at the house down to the pier in the time span he did. (I'm wondering if he might be Flash in retirement or something.)

Anyway, back to the action... when Big Sis went in, she realized the Brat Child was actually treading water and keeping his head afloat.  Not something he had really been taught, just something he knew how to do from being in the swimming pool and not wanting his ears to get wet (he has ear issues).  Big Sis grabbed the Brat Child and helped my dad pull him up onto the dock.  My dad tried to pull Big Sis up, but he nearly went in too so she swam down to the shallow end and climbed out. 

Yes, Big Sis got stung.  She also lost a pair of white flip flops.  Our dog Bailey actually went and retrieved it, but my mom's dog Bindi took it from Bailey, swam further out and then let go of the flip flop.  The other flip flop is apparently still stuck in the muck of Sturgeon Creek.  She broke her cell phone when she threw it, but thankfully I was smart enough to have it insured so she had another one waiting for her when she got home from vacation (being the second phone she has broken, she can't get another replacement for a year).  I'm proud of her quick response and smart thinking.  My dad said it was god she went in because he didn't see where the Brat Child went in, just heard the splash.  I'm also proud of the Brat Child who was able to tread water and, while scared, did not panic.

The Brat Child must always wear a life jacket on the pier from now on. 

And he isn't happy about it.

Dogs

Deltaville is full of dogs.  Big ones, little ones, dirty ones, clean ones, fixed ones, broken ones.... all kinds of dogs.  Here are some of the dogs from our family:

Murphy was our Golden Retriever who passed away before the age of 4.  We are certain it was from eating raisins which we learned were toxic to dogs- after the fact.  Yes, those are goggles she is wearing.  She was not fond of the water unless it was bathwater warm.  She liked to ride in the kayak (but I have no pics of that).

This is Bunches who is not owned by anyone in my family.  She lives somewhere across the creek and swims over when she hears other people playing/swimming.  She has spent a lot of time swimming with the dogs and kids.

 

My dog Bailey.  She is a Chocolate Lab and no, she was not on her way to scrub the tub.  She is a water freak.

  

She is the first dog we've owned that has actually willingly jumped off the pier.  Watch out if you're swimming!

Look at Bridget's face! 

Bailey with my mom's yellow lab Bindi.  I sense a theme. 

My sister's dog Saoirse (Seer-sha, Gaelic for freedom) She is the resident lifeguard and gets upset if people start jumping off the dock.  She has been known to get in the water and "rescue" us and will drag us back to shore if we grab her tail.  Funny, but the incessant barking can be a bit much. 

Between the kids and the dogs... vacations are a hoot.