See You In September...

A Picture Worth a Thousand Words.     

"See you in September, see you when the summer's through..."  Lyrics from a song by that title, way-y-y-y back in the late 60's.  Yes, I just dated myself.  I did it again, didn't I?!

So much of a cliche to ask the question about where this summer has gone.  Yet where did it go?  Oh I know the calendar tells us we have 3 more weeks.  But you know as well as I do, Labor Day weekend is the official end.  It's also the time when folks who live locally enjoy quieter times at the nearby lakes and beaches.  You can almost hear an audible sigh of relief as the last out of state vehicles drive away and life returns somewhat to normal, whatever normal may be.

September does look to be busy as I stand on the brink of this new month.  I'm heading to the doctors later this afternoon to find out what's going on with my leg.  A very good friend was in the hospital and then was released.  Grandchildren return to school. A month of field trials, hunt tests, birthdays, and anniversaries. And of course what all bird dog owners look forward to - opening day, one month from now.

Speaking of hunting I was surprised when a journalist contacted me about doing a story revolving around our family, hunting, and our Brittanys.  She is writing for a monthly publication with a distributorship of @265,000.  The interview was yesterday and many photographs have been mailed to her for review.  I am quite proud of this opportunity. I mean, all we ever did was simply live our life together as a family, John and I doing the best we knew how with our two children, loving, guiding, sharing, and yes sometimes disciplining.  A lot of our lifestyle we took for granted back then and it is humbling to realize that our relationship and the dynamics of it throughout the years, especially pertaining to hunting, actually has value to others and is interesting enough to write about.  Times have changed, children have grown, I'm getting older too (says another favorite song, "Landslide") but I am thankful to God for the foundation that we laid, through Him, on behalf of our children and grandchildren. And we definitely are a hunting family.

I heard from our daughter yesterday who said "mom, I just want you and dad to know we are going to have banana splits tonight before the kids go back to school tomorrow - just the way we always did!"  I bet she has no idea how much that meant to me.  Something that we simply 'did' to take the edge off of the excitement of the first day of school - our very own ice cream smorgasborg right there on the dining room table.  Several varieties and flavors of ice-cream, a wide array and assortment of toppings, sauces, whipped cream, bananas, cherries, and more.  The kids could simply dive in and have at it.  What fun! 

It is miserably hot and muggy. I abhor this weather.  It makes me feel miserable.  Even so, now Hurricane Earl looks as if it could be a concern to the East Coast.  As much as I long for rain and winds, that is not the way for them to arrive.

On another note, I saw God's hand at work recently, perfectly orchestrating a situation for His purpose and for the best possible outcome.  There is something to be said for being in the right place at the right time. All things are possible, we just have to believe.

I actually saved the show update for last - which is kind of funny when you think about it.  This past weekend Pam, Julie, and I were in Springfield Massachusetts for the shows there.  Bullet showed himself very well and Julie enjoyed some excellent grooming tips from 'Darlene'.  She actually gave me my very first ringside handling tip years ago with Treasure, and she was right on.  Dawn retouched my grooming for Pippin before going into the ring. And Miss Paris was really 'on' all weekend and clearly happy to be on the end of a lead held by Pam.  Pippin came home with another point towards her show championship and two first place wins in Open with Dawn handling her.  Paris went Best Opposite Sex and earned another grandchampion point. Bullet placed 3rd in Open Dog and Julie did a fine job handling him.  That is it for shows for a couple of months.

And that is it for me for the time being.  Take care and God Bless you and yours always - and you know how very much it means to us that you are interested in All Things Brittany, John, Ann and our crew