This week has flown by. My friend Kelly came down from Northern California to visit family and friends here in Ridgecrest. It was a short three day visit, but those of us who love and miss Kelly packed as much into our hours with her as possible.

There was a special joy in all of this for me, for not only did I get to spend time with Kelly her visit also provided an opportunity to meet with my Gateway buddies still teaching. As a retiree, I often see other retirees, but often miss out on visiting with friends who are still in the classroom. This made the leisurely almost three hour lunch on President day with the Gateway Gang an exceptional treat.

Then on Tuesday, when they all went back to their classrooms, I had Kelly all to myself. We started out with breakfast, then a long walk around her old neighborhood, a quick lunch with the same teachers that we had such a leisurely lunch with the day before. Then as they headed back to school for their afternoon classes, Kelly and I headed to the movies.

Oh yes, it was a wonderful visit and made me realize how much I value the friendships that come from shared experience and how grateful I am for being part of a profession that values support and respect in such a loving manner.

The photo below is from that long leisurely luncheon on Monday.

Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone. It is true I have completely lost my mind to puppy love. LuAnn and Lucky have been very forgiving for all the dressing up and fussing for their Valentine photos. At a cost of $24.00 at Wal-Mart, a half hour of staging, a short period of dressing puppies, and five minutes of photographing (before all hell broke loose), I have created my e-mail valentine.

The puppies are in puppy class now and have completed the first two lessons. They can kind of walk on a leash, sort of sit on command, and are very good at something called “Watch Me”. Their instructer refers to their class (it isn’t private, but they are the only two presently in the class) as her slipper class since they remind her of furry slippers.

Today, I watched Bob and the puppies romping in the backyard and could not help but smile at all the fun they were having. Our decision to add two Maltese to our family was a good one.

Officer Down. Two words on a news broadcast that fill me with apprehension and dread. Today two LAPD Officers were shot in the line of duty. One is dead and one is in critical condition. My prayers and thoughts go out to the families of these brave members of the SWAT team.

As a mother of a Los Angeles Police Officer, I react to news broadcasts of an officer down with fear and trepidation. My daughter has had two close calls during her career and although for awhile now she has been working in Public Relations, I know that she can be called out at any time.

So how do I react. First, I listen for a pronoun. There is a moment of breathing easier as I hear “he” was taken to the hospital. That moment is quickly replaced with a moment of guilt. Some mother, wife, child, will soon hear about the loss of their loved one.

I e-mailed Kristi today at her office in Parker Center. I told her I knew what a sad day it was and I wished I could send her hugs by way of the internet. The short reassuring message she sent back, made me feel hugged. I am discovering that e-mails although not as reassuring as the real thing, are hugs that can be typed and read when needed

Tonight, I lit three candles. One for Officer Simmons who is no longer with us, one for Officer Jim Veenstra who faces many surgeries, and the last one for all the Officers who are mourning the loss of one of their own.

As I write this there are tears in my eyes, and I pray that Officer Veenstra finds the strength and fortitude needed as he goes through so many surgeries in the next year. I pray that Officer Simmon’s family finds comfort and guidance through the long process of grief . Finally, I pray that my daughter remains safe and out of harms way as she continues to serve her community with pride and dignity.

In my last post I talked about a sweet old dog named Watson and although Watson has not yet found a family to adopt him, I received this wonderful e-mail from a caring friend at the Basset Ranch

What a WONDERFUL blog post - and Ol Watson is sitting right here, thinking of course that he is a Big Dog - (we don’t tell him differently) snuggled in among the hounds here at the house.

I do suspect we shall see Kristi around, and Watson is such a love. Granted, that tongue up the nose in the middle of the night took some adjusting to, but ah well, it is a Dogs Life here at the ranch, and we aim to serve.
One never knows where the perfect home comes from, and it would be so wonderful if it came from your blog - I know Kristi is heart broken, and one just never knows what the future may hold…..

Hugs to all…..

I have been busy making Memory Book pages and playing with our puppies who are now three months old. Where has the time gone? Our house is a series of gates and pens, toys and beds, and chew bones scattered here and there. The decision to bring home two puppies was the right one for us. Waking up to those adorable faces is well worth every moment.