McAnulty Christmas Letter 2012

I hope you have all had a very Merry Christmas and shared wonderful time with people you love. Here is this year's Christmas letter, dropped at the post office just in the nick of time on Saturday, after issues of printer ink depletion and clerical incompetence resulted in wasted stationery and in ugly photocopies and family members receiving the copies that were upside down on the stationery. (Note to Will: Get next year's letter composed and submitted to the editor (me) by December 1, 2013.) Yes, Will really does write this annual tome. I merely edit, meaning I add a few commas, correct a few factual errors and allow others to remain if they make me laugh. Possibly I also delete some of the things I don't like and occasionally I may improve the wording just a bit. (My own comments are added in a different font.)

Dear Friends and Family:

Not much is new around here, just the same old camping, fishing, sight-seeing, photography,

hiking, video, boats, tents, trailers, Traegers, Salmon, Steelhead, flowers, rivers, family, friends –

 you get the idea. I was ordered to compose a one-page letter this year. (Fail.)   

Let’s start with some of my highlights and end with LeAnn’s. The fish catching was not as good this year, but the technique was much more polished.  Fishing for Springers (Chinook Salmon) on the Willamette up in the Portland area was fun but very cold and wet.  About that time, I was feeling that it would never stop raining.  Rivers of water running past the house in the morning necessitated rain pants and rubber boots just to go out and get that dog walked.  Water across the road, wet dog smell, and “will it ever stop raining?” flavored all that was done and said in my small world.  Finally a fishing trip, then more rain.  It seemed like I would never get completely dry. 

I became accustomed to the smell of a wet dog.  It helps to breath deeply through your nose; after the first few light-headed minutes you don’t notice the smell.  LeAnn, however, is able to smell a wet dog from as far away as her desk at work.  Poor Zeek. 

The rain finally stopped for the camping season. After putting up with me through the spring, LeAnn advised me we would take the trailer over to a wedding in Ontario and perhaps she would ride home with friends while I camped on my own for a while.  She is a very smart girl, knowing that I am far easier to get along with when I am not along with.  After the wedding, I continued east, spending some time in Central Idaho visiting my sister and cousin, then returned to Oregon by way of Oxbow with several days over 100 degrees on the Snake River where I grew up. Next, off to the Metolius River for over two weeks, where LeAnn joined me.  We enjoyed almost daily hikes in the surrounding area,  family coming and going, and a good bit of time watching the river go by.  Zeek didn’t seem to smell so bad and he was genuinely happy to see LeAnn when she joined us.  I too had grown to miss her a lot during this exile.  I have been keeping a log of every night in the trailer since purchasing it in May 2008, which totals over 380 days.  I think we are getting our money’s worth.  Zeek continues to be a great camping partner. 

After all that camping, it was off to a family reunion/oyster pig-out/40^th anniversary party for LeAnn’s oldest brother Galen and wife Carol at a rural setting near Logsden.  Many pictures were taken  and lots of small girls tried to talk to me. Some of the pictures were in focus and none of the little girl voices were heard by me.  LeAnn has the skills to be a very good Aunt, well supplied with gum and hugs.  About all I have to offer is the retrieval services of a dog that never met a person he didn’t like.  If I could have heard any of the little girls, I think maybe the only thing they said was, “Can I play with the dog?”  I did learn one thing about little girls.  If one is afraid of a dog, teach her to command the dog to sit.  With that ability, she will turn into a power hungry monster that wants only to force your dog to sit every time she sees him.  Poor Zeek, if he weren’t a dog he would make a good husband. “Sit, Zeek.”  “Yes dear,” I hear him say.  At least I think it’s him saying it.  Sometimes what Zeek is doing and what I am thinking get a little confused.

LeAnn informed all the immediate family early this year that her birthday on 12-12-12 was going to be a big deal.  Normally I approach her birthday day with a mixture of fear, happiness and trepidation.  After hearing this proclamation, all my usual emotions were multiplied exponentially.  All good husbands know (and I am trying to learn) that there are many places you can screw up, and birthdays and anniversaries are especially fraught with peril.   So when LeAnn let me know she was planning the party, I was so relieved that she easily made the last few maneuvers finalizing the trip to Hawaii.  Yep I am in complete control of this house. 

I thought for a little while I had gotten the best of her. With gentle prodding, LeAnn agreed to watch Zeek while I went elk hunting for a week in November.  Yep, LeAnn the non-lover of dogs was going to spend over a week taking care of a 100-pound often-wet Chocolate Lab that poops at least twice a day.  It was a short lived triumph after I learned that the payment in lieu of this miracle was a get-whatever-you-want shopping trip to the most expensive clothing stores in the entire Northwest in the company of a girlfriend with expensive (but excellent!) taste.  (Oh brother! We got BARGAINS!)

Of course, things went well with Zeek. He is such a well-trained dog with few bad habits, but LeAnn’s dark side sometimes emerges when you least expect it.  With my guard down on the trip home, I sat with my hunting partners eating breakfast in Enterprise, Oregon when I saw that she had struck.  It was a time bomb placed on Facebook: photographs of my loyal dog dressed in a sweater and PINK scarf.  The horror of it all nearly finished me.  Alone and unable to defend himself, he fell prey to the twisted manipulations of LeAnn.  I had nearly recovered by the time I went to the dentist a month later, but suffered a severe setback when confronted with a shocking slide show of the Zeek scarf pictures on the flat screen in the examining room. On the positive side, LeAnn and Zeek have now solidified a special bond that is hard to describe.  Nick will take care of Zeek when we go to Hawaii in January to celebrate our 30^th anniversary. LeAnn is going with me to Hawaii.  It could be a long time before I leave her alone with my dog again. 

The birthday celebration was great and enjoyed by all. The first day was our immediate family for an excellent dinner cooked by Craig on the 11^th.  The second was her extended family birthday on the great day of 12-12-12, where the love and generosity of 22 family members fulfilled her plans for a very special day. 

Nick works for Coastal Farm in their corporate office here in Albany as an IT specialist.  He travels in Oregon and Washington when need arises and spends a fair amount of time on call.  This job suits him and his computer skills keep getting sharper.  The problem is, his advice is costing me money.  “Hey you should get this or that” turns into “Now you really need one of these. “

Eric is enjoying working at a Verizon Store.  His appearance has changed drastically, as he now wears a tie at work, makes sure his shoes are polished, regularly gets haircuts and keeps the beard neatly trimmed.  If you haven’t seen him in a while, you might not recognize him. His mother loves it.

Craig and Stephanie work together at a business in Tangent and share an apartment with Nick.  For brothers who used to fight a lot, it’s amazing how friendly they are now. They all come home for a big dinner on Sundays, and the house is loud for a few hours until they depart and it settles back into the quiet empty nest it has become. Quiet, yes, but never boring.

LeAnn continues working in the Memorial Middle School office. She loves her coworkers and has mentioned several times lately that her job would be perfect if it wasn’t for all the stupid paperwork.  Still forcing me to go on hikes whenever she can, she is excellent company and is looking and feeling great as she maintains her weight loss with regular running and exercise classes. LeAnn was recently published in the local paper with a story and photo she submitted about some bears we encountered in Canada.  If you are familiar with her blog you know the story.  If you are not familiar with her blog, well, it’s your loss.  There is some great stuff in that thing and it will fill in the blanks nicely if you are not close enough to hear the stories first hand.   http://wlenmusings.blogspot.com

                  Um, Will, that’s kind of an abrupt ending. Are you really going to stop there? Aren’t you going to tell them about your blog, http://willsententia.wordpress.com (in which you really should write more often)? Or how much we enjoyed the Central Oregon reunion of your retired Albany police co-workers from your rookie days? The stories were pretty entertaining when you guys weren’t talking about your hearing aids and medications. And what about…oh never mind, you were supposed to keep it short.

      We are so blessed with health, family, friends, love, the beautiful world we live in, and the joy that comes from trusting the Creator of the Universe. May your life also overflow with these blessings and many more through the upcoming holidays and in the coming year!

Love, Will and LeAnn

My Bear Story

A few weeks ago, I saw that the local newspaper (Albany Democrat Herald) was soliciting favorite outdoor stories and photos. I immediately thought of my bear encounter, so I paintakingly whittled my blog entry down to the requested 250 words. It appeared in Monday's Outdoor section.

They expertly cropped the photo to appear that I was much closer than I actually was! But it made me remember that I had never posted the whopping 18 seconds of video I took of the bears playing just before I snapped the photo that appeared in the paper. Here it is.


Words fail me to describe the awe and joy I felt to watch them romp around!


If you click the newspaper link below, you can see how much they improved my photo!

Outdoors 2012: 'Prvileged to watch them play' : Oregon Outdoors

My 12-12-12 Birthday Party!

It's here and gone, the last repeating date in my lifetime, 12-12-12, which just happened to be my 54th birthday. I wanted it to be a day to remember, to be surrounded by people I love, and to give gifts instead of receive them. I sent invitations to my family members inviting them for cake and ice cream. I told them I wanted them all to bring me a gift, but I was very picky. The only thing I wanted was $12 to donate to the Duane Troyer Uganda mission trip fund and to surprise him at the party. I also had just seen a Wish List in the paper for Sunshine Industries, where my sister Linda works, so I listed some of those items, in hopes we could collect at least 12 things to donate. I also threw out a few ideas of fun things we could do to stick with the "12" theme, like at 6:12, walk around our loop 12 times, have 12 kinds of cake, and stay til 12 midnight.

In spite of that, 23 people filled up my house that night. Even more delightful, most of them were wearing purple! I hadn't received that memo, but just happened to be wearing purple pants! I started things out with a 12 hunt: list things they could find 12 of in my house (without opening doors or cupboards). (Didn't want a bunch of people opening my fridge to see how many eggs I had!)

There's Duane and Rachel working on it together. My guests found all kinds of things, but my sister Jean was the only one who noticed I had 12 nativity scenes, and no one noticed that the word "Joy" could be seen 12 times (on my plates, napkins, wall decorations, kitchen towel, and a holiday planter). I also had 12 poinsettias and sent one home with each family. Merry Christmas to them.

My sister Linda was a very special guest. She beams with delight when she is around family.

These lovely ladies in purple, my nieces Venisa and Serena, enjoyed some quality reading time from my selection of children's Christmas books. Hmmm, were there maybe 12 of those?!

Anisa made me a special gift, my very own sturdy, practical, large bag with handles and everything! And 12 of her wonderful crocheted dishcloths plus some fuzzy purple socks inside!

Finally I gathered everyone around to watch me open my cards. I was so excited and amazed as each envelope contained $12! There was even money from Venisa's in-laws, and from people I didn't know (Venisa's college friends who've been praying with her about Duane's support)! When I finished, I had $132. I got my purse and opened it, babbling about counting how much money I had. I counted out $132 of my own and wondered what I could do with so much money.

Then I asked Duane to come up and help give me some ideas. I put all the money in a bag and told him I wanted to give it to him for his Uganda trip. He was satisfactorily surprised!Then I gave him a hug and stole his awesome purple stocking cap. A few guest came late, and we ended up with $300 for him! We also have three bags and more than a dozen things to take to Sunshine Industries.

I loved the hat, but my sons forbade me to wear it for the group picture. Something about it sticking up too far and blocking whatever.

Back row, left to right: Kevin, Serena, Galen, Nick, Craig, Eric

Middle row: Will, Anisa, Carol, Doug, me, Stephanie (w/Craig), Molly (w/Eric),
Jean, Rachel (w/Duane), Mom

Front Row: Duane, Chavon, Cody, Linda, Venisa

My dear husband got the camera all set up on the tripod and we organized ourselves quite nicely, but he had to fiddle with it a bit to get the timer set up, and the natives got a bit restless. There was a bit of pinching and tickling going on, and possibly some claustrophobia as well. The first attempt failed. Will is not one to hurry, and he thought he had time to walk sedately to his spot in spite of the frantic urging of his sons. He didn't quite make it. I felt a warm glow, not just from all the body heat around me (or a side effect of my advancing age), but from realizing how much my family loves me to put up with the prolonged invasion of their body space. They stayed in place for the next attempt, which found Will hustling over and grinning as if  he'd been there relaxing all along. My youngest nephew Jamison wandered off during this never ending photo shoot, so he's the only guest not pictured.

But he wandered back in time to be caught in one of the sibling/spouse photos.

Will sent me a gorgeous bouquet with 12 purple balloons, and the children enjoyed them. After tears resulting from a balloon slipping up to the vaulted ceiling, Uncle Will kindly employed a slip knot to keep it on a wrist.

Several wrists actually. Jamison wasn't so sure he liked it tied on.

So I just have to share my fun decor. I made 4 groups of three "12" posters. Each group had a theme This one was "Christmas Joy" and included 12 pictures, old through recent, of family at Christmas.

This one was "Youthful Adventure Joy", with 12 pictures from our hiking and skiing adventures in days of yore.

"Birthday Joy", with, of course, 12 pictures of family birthdays.

And 12 pictures of "Family Joy", old and new group pictures.

So you may be among those thinking, "She is really nuts, obsessing about this crazy 12-12-12 birthday and throwing herself a party."  I detected this attitude from my dear children, who seemed to think my party invitation was hilarity inducing. So maybe I shouldn't have enthused, "Sometimes I just have the best ideas!" Oh, well. It was fun planning it, and even more fun sharing it with my generous family, who kindly puts up with my eccentricities all year long, just as families should. Hmm, I wonder what my next great idea will be?

Winner of Tea and Trouble Brewing!

It was really fun reading all the comments about your "flawed and scatterbrained" moments in response to the review of Tea and Trouble Brewing by Dorcas Smucker! I can totally relate to the stories of getting lost because of bad directions (or getting lost in general!), the cheese ball on top of the van (only I ended up chasing important papers all over the street), forgetting things in motel rooms, finding interesting items in the refrigerator (or dishwasher!), leaving out an essential ingredient when cooking, blaming your child (or husband!) for losing something that you safely tucked away, leaving water running and forgetting it, locking yourself out of the house (or car!), leaving the kitchen for "a minute" and burning something.

The Cozumel "snake" story was hysterical! I can just imagine how easily that could happen, and how foolish, yet relieved you would feel!

But forgetting about one of our darling children? Love for our children is all-consuming;  their health, happiness and survival are of utmost importance to us. I'd like to say that at least I never forgot about any of my children. I'd like to say that. But I have to be honest, in case this is read by my dear friend who knows that I left one at a park once, oh so many years ago. I blame my husband, of course. When you come in two vehicles, it's hard to keep track of who has what children. I'm pretty sure that's why the little guy was forgotten. As Vivian wrote, "Thank God for guardian angels who cover for our foolishness."

This merry-go-round of life gets to spinning so fast that sometimes even the most important and precious things can get overlooked or momentarily forgotten.  It doesn't seem quite fair that some of us are so much more scatterbrained than others. I'm amazed (and sometimes envious) at how "together" some people are. But fortunately, God has blessed me with a husband whose calm, practical nature keeps me steady, and who actually finds me entertaining instead of annoying.

But I digress. Who is going to be so excited to find out she won an autographed copy of this funny, thoughtful book that will bless and challenge her? And the winner is.....Lacy Kennedy! You're going to love it, Lacy! I will get it to you within the next week.

Thanks again to all of you for sharing your stories - even those of you who were too scattered to remember any! If you are unable to buy the book, be sure to check out two of Dorcas Smucker's previous books (Ordinary Days and Upstairs the Peasants are Revolting) from the Albany library.  They are upstairs, way in the back corner of the non-fiction section. I checked them out and enjoyed a fabulously lazy reading, tea-drinking day last Saturday! I returned the books on Monday for others to enjoy!

Here's how you can purchase this book:  Send a check for $15 to Dorcas Smucker, 31148 Substation Drive, Harrisburg, OR 97446.  You can also purchase her previous books, Ordinary Days, Upstairs the Peasants are Revolting, and Downstairs the Queen is Knitting for $15 each, or get all four for $40, postage included. 

If you want to pay by credit card, the books are also available on Amazon.

Reading is one of life's pleasures, and reading something that inspires you to be a better person and makes you laugh at the same time is like rich icing on a delicious cake! If you know any other authors that write like that, please leave a comment with their names and book titles!

True Love

Sleep was elusive last night, but just as I was finally dozing off I heard it – that scratching noise in a wall that causes every sense to become alert and your hair to stand on end. “Mice,” I silently scream. Scritch scratch, scritch scratch, over and over.  Calm down, I’ll ask Will to set some traps tomorrow. Is it in the linen closet just outside our room?  How many must there be? The noisy activity goes on and on. I can’t take it!

My husband’s deep breathing assures me he is sleeping peacefully and I’m hesitant to disturb him. But my own slumber is impossible as the invading colony of mice (or worse!) continue their racket. I gently pat his arm. He is unresponsive. I quell the urge to elbow him sharply, but increase the speed and intensity of the arm pats. Finally I hiss his name and he rouses. He sits up. Yes, he hears it. The sounds diminish. He once again reclines, saying it has stopped and he’ll take care of it tomorrow.

I choke back my selfish protests. His even breathing indicates he is quickly dozing off again, carefree as a child.  Alert and fearful, I lie wide-eyed on my back to take advantage of both ears. Sure enough, the “scritch scratch”  soon resumes. I gently pat Will’’s arm, whispering that I hear it again, This time, he leaves the comfort of the bed. Armed with a flashlight, he slowly advances into the hallway, listening for the source of the sounds. I lie motionless, stifling the hysterical giggles that well up within me. He investigates for a few minutes, then returns to report that the sounds are coming from the storage space in the eaves of the bedroom across the hall.  He has a live trap in the shed and he’ll set it tomorrow. “Tomorrow?!” I hope I didn’t whine.  Ok, he’ll do it tonight. Oh, I wouldn’t want to make him go out in the cold tonight. I’m sure tomorrow’s fine. No, it’s ok, he’s up now anyway.

He even took his clothing into the bathroom in the hall so as not to disturb me as he dressed. He uttered not one harsh word, not even a hint of complaint or annoyance. This man is a gem. I have never loved him as much as I do now! This even makes up for his “compliment” when I returned from a run in the rain earlier that day and he remarked admiringly,  “You’re turning into a tough old bird!”

This, my friends, is true love. Though rodents invaded my dreams for the remainder of that long night, they will not invade my home as long as my protector is there working night and day to keep them under control. The scene from one of the night’s many bad dreams, where two rats are in my kitchen and I watch in horror as guests treat them like they’re house pets, will never be a reality because of my husband, my hero! I truly don’t deserve him! 

P.S. And it just keeps getting better. My iPhone headphones were in a my pants pocket when he did the laundry today. As I wrote this, he untangled the huge knotted mess they were in when they emerged from the dryer, tested them, and they work! Amazing!

Tea and Trouble Brewing

Aging. Ants. Birthdays. Boys. Humor. Hope. Family. Faith. Mountain Climbing. Motherhood. Perfection. Pets. Travel. Tea - yes, of course, tea. Tea and Trouble Brewing, the latest book by Dorcas Smucker, covers these delightful topics and many more. As a faithful follower of her blog, "Life in the Shoe,"I click on the newspaper column link she posts each month. This book is a compilation of these columns. What a pleasure to read them again, one after another, because reading one column is never enough!

One of my favorites is “Imperfect Moms.” Dorcas confesses to forgetting her son’s birthday and to other maternal misdeeds. When Mother’s Day and it’s accompanying appreciation comes, “I feel the gnawing teeth of regret and the sense that maybe I don’t deserve the gratitude because of everything I got wrong.” But remembering the months her family spent in Kenya helping at a school and an orphanage for boys, all of who would have given anything for a mom, it’s obvious that “an imperfect mom is indescribably better than no mom at all.”

“If not having a mother is like being at sea level, and having a perfect, smiling, patient mom who never forgets to notify the tooth fairy is like being at the top of Mount Hood, then having a flawed and scatterbrained mom who makes the kids pack their own lunches and who punishes the wrong child now and then is actually about at Timberline Lodge.” This sentence makes me happy for two reasons.

Reason 1:  I love a well-written, long, complex sentence!  (Long, meandering sentences are more likely to flow from my fingers!) Each phrase in this long sentence adds an essential layer as it builds to the logical and satisfying conclusion!

Reason 2:  A flawed and scatterbrained mom might be a merciful description of myself. I was once so outraged by the insolent disrespect expressed by my middle-school son at the dinner table that I impulsively tossed the contents of my full water glass in his face. There was also the humiliating call from the elementary school secretary, “Your son came to school in his stocking feet today. Could you bring his shoes?”  But hey, at least I never forgot any of my children’s birthdays!

An empty nester now, I sometimes look back and wish I had done some things differently.  I appreciate the advice from Dorcas,  “Give yourself some grace: We are allowed to make mistakes.” Think about it - Timberline Lodge is pretty high up on the mountain, after all!

Speaking of mountains, the chapter, “Climbing My Mountain,” contains one of my favorite paragraphs, which I continue to ponder. “It is strange, the things we classify as impossible, tucking them into that box in our heads without ever asking why we put them there or who we could ask for help or what would happen if we tried or why we’re afraid of only partial success.” (Oh, look, it’s another wonderfully long complex sentence!) The chapter concludes with wondering what mountains may be next... “Perhaps real ones like Mary’s Peak or Black Butte, or maybe those large impossibilities that loom in the imagination as enormous as Cape Perpetua but can be conquered quietly, step by slow determined step, breath by breath, up and up.”

By now, you can understand why my church’s women’s retreat planning team is very excited that Dorcas is going to be our retreat speaker in February 2013. SACC women, you won’t want to miss out!

Challenging, entertaining, amusing, heartwarming, and thought-provoking….this book is just plain fun to read. I have to stop writing about it now.  But wait….

How is keeping your marriage healthy like fighting ants?

How is a Beaver football game like an Amish church service? (Dorcas was raised Amish so she knows what she’s talking about!)

If you want to know the answers, you’ll just have to read the book!  Dorcas has provided me with an extra copy to give away to a lucky reader. To get your name in a drawing to win it, leave a comment on this blog, sharing a “flawed or scatterbrained” parenting moment. (If you’re not a parent, any scatterbrained moment will do!)  If you’ve never experienced a flawed or scatterbrained moment of any type, leave a comment sharing the secrets of your success (please!). If your comment is a long, meandering sentence, it may possibly find it’s way to the top of the pile when I do the drawing! (Don’t worry, no one expects ordinary folks like us to craft a long sentence with the flair Dorcas has mastered!) You could also share the link to this review on Facebook for an extra entry in the drawing! Check back here next Tuesday for the results.

If you’re not the lucky winner, you can purchase this book by sending a check for $15 to Dorcas Smucker, 31148 Substation Drive, Harrisburg, OR 97446.  You can also purchase her previous books, Ordinary Days, Upstairs the Peasants are Revolting, and Downstairs the Queen is Knitting for $15 each, or get all four for $40, postage included. 

If you want to pay by credit card, the books are also available on Amazon.

(Two of these books, Upstairs the Peasants are Revolting and Downstairs the Queen is Knitting, are also available at the Albany Public Library.  If you check them out and read them, I have no doubt you’ll want to buy some to give as Christmas gifts!)

(Oh, guess what! I inquired if there was any possibility that this book might come out as an e-book or audiobook, and Dorcas confided that she is looking into the possibility of both! Stay tuned!)

Up, Up and Away!

Here's a blog draft that I just realized I never finished after uploading the photos! I posted some pictures on Facebook and never got back to doing this part. I have a few beloved and far flung family members who aren't on FB, so it is my duty (and privilege!) to share important family events here just for them! (You know who you are!)

On September 14, my brother Doug's wife Anisa and their son Duane got to take a hot air balloon ride, offered as a thank you to farmers (Anisa's dad) who allow the balloonists to land in their fields. I got up bright and early and went to Timber Linn Park to watch as they prepared to launch. It was a gorgeous morning, and excitement was in the air! Anisa, Doug and Duane are standing there making sure the right kind of air fills up the balloon correctly or something like that.

Ready for lift off!

There they go! The proud husband/father/my brother Doug is busily taking pictures in the right foreground!

Such a beautiful sight in the blue early morning sky!

About a dozen other beautiful balloons were taking off as well.

The poor unfortunate souls who were slated for the balloon ride below didn't get to go anywhere that day!

They headed out toward Tangent, and I stopped at home to refill my coffee cup. It was so fun to see their balloon floating by from my patio and to know who was up there! (Look harder, it's that little tiny speck above the trees! It looked closer in person!)

I followed their path and watched them land in a field a few miles down the road.

They had a great time in spite of perhaps a few fears!

The crew and my brother Doug hauled the balloon over near their vehicle.

It slowly drops down as it deflates....

And down....

Down, down!

Will's cousin Juanita was visiting from Idaho, and spectating was very fun and cheap entertainment for all of us!

It was so interesting to watch how they put it away.

They had to sit around awhile to help get out the last bit of air. Duane obliging provided his trademark pose!

They all helped carry it back to the vehicle. It appeared pretty heavy from the gasping and grunting that accompanied it.

Poor Zeek and Belle  (Juanita's dog) had to watch from afar.

I would love to take a hot air balloon ride someday.