Scallops – yum!Fresh crab legs! Yum!!Dig right in! Enjoy!!Chef John at the Continental Divide here in Ennis, MT is a master!Bob enjoyed his Rosé, tooMeantime our daughter, DeAna, in Switzerland, was enjoying some yummies at her choir party. And…… our daughter, Laina, was enjoying the opportunity to celebrate her grandson’s first birthday with a trip and yummy food and fun rides In DisneyWorld. Happy Birthday, Leo! Winnie the Pooh is a favorite Disney character for many of us. Kenny wishes Leo a Happy 1st birthday while he celebrates his 2nd! Yum!!
What “Yum” have you experienced recently? Tell me about it!
If your pet could talk, what would be the first thing it says?
Karen Kelly posts the cutest Boston Terrier images!
Our Kenny looks very much like this Boston. And at 2 years of age he still is very much a puppy! Even though he has calmed down some, his energy level still creates a challenge at times.
Occasionally you can see him resting on his favorite blanket, but usually he is up and about looking for mischief!
What would his first words be? “Tummy rub!!”
How about your pet? What would the first words be? Kenny’s other “first words” would be: LET’S PLAY!
Every morning I interact on WhatsApp with my daughter, De, in Switzerland and bonus daughter, Laina, who lives near Baltimore. We exchange love, lives, pictures of our loved ones, and weather reports.
Laina & Leo
Leo’s parents are happy about sharing his face on social media. Laina, his grama, knows how to make him smile. He’s such a happy baby.
DeDe, our daughter in Switzerland, is thoroughly enjoying being a Grama. This is not Ethan, because his parents don’t want his photo on Social Media But you can see where Ethan & DeDe go for walks
And that baby up there looks a lot like Ethan did at that age. He’ll be 2 end of October. We hope to go there to celebrate with him. We were there for his one week birthday! But two years is a long time not to be able to see your great-grandson. He won’t know us 😩
Here’s Lacey, Laina’s granddog. He was the “flower dog” in his people parents’ wedding. A real companion now for Leo!And here is our Kenny, a thoroughly spoiled Boston Terrier, soon to be two. Kenny has calmed down a lot, but he still doesn’t understand what’s his to chew and what’s not!!
It’s not like he doesn’t have enough toys and chew sticks of his own!
Why does he abandon them and go after our stuff! Ah, pups! Such a challenge!Look how big Lacey looks next to little Leo!
Kenny loves Yak Sticks. Do you know about them?
That little piece is what’s left of one 10x longer. If you have a dog, you may wanna give these a try. Kenny loves ‘em. Best wishes training that active pup, huh?
Only thing harder to train than a pup might be a baby… or a husband?
Hah! I can’t get this guy to stop shouting “No” when Kenny is biting at his slippers. It’s a game. Sigh!
The dog trainer told us “No” is not understood. It’s just paying attention and giving his positive attention for negative behavior. Oh my! We’ve spent two years reinforcing bad habits. Help!
Time for a walk to the neighbors. Isn’t this the cutest baby?
We seldom see moose in our neighborhood during the day. They sometimes come down out of the mountains at night to nibble on our evergreens when their natural habitat up in the Gravellies or the Madison Range is snow covered. But this guy showed up in broad daylight.
Just sitting outside my kitchen door !
He had a ragged spot in his back and a bum leg. Probably had been injured by some other animal that attacked him.
After I got Kenny back inside, Bob & I chased the young moose off to the neighbor’s. He was nibbling on our trees! Fortunately, after I contacted the neighbor and explained, he called the animal protective services. Hopefully they came to help… I don’t want to think about how.
Yay!! Today’s snow is an answer to prayer. We have desperately needed the moisture. Isn’t it beautiful?
That’s our house behind the snow-laden trees.
And our Kenny absolutely loves it!
Crazy pup!!
Have a beautiful Thursday afternoon/evening, my friends.
I attended an art workshop this week. We all painted butterflies. 🦋 Mine’s not as good as I had hoped, but I had fun doing it. That’s what counts, right?
Today our 9 1/2 month old pup, Kenny, received a new toy in the mail from our bonus daughter, Laina. She seems to find just the right things for us and for Kenny, and manages to send them just when we need them most. Cookies and a book for Bob. A special message and gift for me… her timing and choices are perfect! Kenny really is enjoying his new toy:
Kenny is so playful! He heard this video and it really set him off!
I hope you are having a lovely, playful start to summer, too. Kenny wears himself out and then goes to sleep. Cheers, my friends!
Happy 2nd day of Summer. I hope you’re having beautiful weather. Our rainbow tonight as beautiful as they come!!
God bless you and give you peace. We need peace in this world. Let’s create it in the corner where we are!
God bless you all… and pray with me for peace in this troubled world.
T is for Trouble! KT is for Kenny Trouble!! How long do you think it took Kenny to remove these 8 tassels?
Where did they come from?
Oh, my poor pillow!! Four tassels gone from each end!!!
I was up in my sanctuary having my peaceful time in prayer, Bible study, and devotionals. And Kenny?
He was barking at Bob to come play with him!
Bob didn’t see him sitting by the door asking to go out. A dump in the floor was the consequence. Oh my!!!
Kenny sure can get into trouble when we don’t pay attention to him.
We need to keep our noses alert to Kenny trouble!
How about you? Do you spell trouble with a capital T when you’re ignored?
Yup, me, too!
Facing Trials
In the journey of faith, we encounter various trials that test our strength, resilience and patience. The Bible reminds us that facing troubles is part of life, and rather than shunning them, we can embrace them as opportunities for growth. These challenges, while tough at the moment, can refine our character and deepen our reliance on God. By reflecting on Bible verses about troubles, we can find encouragement and hope, realizing that God walks with us every step of the way. Our “Oh My!” can change to “Oh Thanks!” as we turn in prayer with those trials. God, will You play with Kenny?
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” – James 1:2-3
“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” – 1 Peter 5:10
Ah yes… God will make us strong and steadfast. But God, will You restore my pillow? And what about this rambunctious Kenny? Oh my, will You send over a playmate for him? Oh, and while You are at it, will you send over a buyer for our kayak? It’s too heavy for Bob to manage it these days. We took it down from its hooks on the garage ceiling… and it’s sitting outside waiting for the right person to come and buy it … and enjoy many years of kayaking fun (just as we have).
Kenny would love to go out on Ennis Lake with it. Wouldn’t you? Oh my! I need to do my French lesson and this pup wants to play. Come play with him!!
Sending playful fun your way. Hugs, too… from JanBeek
Playful KennyNot just any dog……can make this guy smile like this!
Yup, in our house, the best pet is a Boston Terrier …
Yesterday we had him neutered. Coming out from the anesthetic, the cries were so pathetic!Today he is having digestive problems… but currently he’s resting. Thank God!Here’s Lacey! My family in Maryland thinks this is the best pet ever!
Today’s prompt was: You’re writing your autobiography. What’s your opening sentence?
“I want to die with all my marbles intact!”
Intact and sparkling!
Yesterday my friend, Keri, brought her one-year-old Boston Terrier over for a playday with our pup, Kenny. Watching those two play, I knew for a fact that play is an essential part of life. If I want to keep all my marbles right up to the last day of my life on earth, I have to do as Kenny and Livvy did: play together and refresh together, too!
Play and refresh
What else is important if I want to keep all my marbles? Reading! Learning!!
While the pups were playing, Keri and I chatted about our lives. She shared that she has a 93 year-old dad. He is a voracious reader. He’s got all his marbles intact and shining! What a gift, huh? That’s what that CJ Box book is: a gift! We received it in the mail yesterday from our Bonus daughter, Elaina. My husband, Bob, age 86, also is a voracious reader. He’s read every CJ Box book there is… and this is the latest. Just out! Just here. Bob can hardly wait to dig into it!
What else is important for a long, sparkling, coherent life?
Stay connected! Connected to what?
If you know me, you know I was gonna take this message to God, His Word, and the Holy Spirit! Yup, therein lies the secret… Make sure it’s not a well-kept one!!
Share your love… Share God’s love in you… Share the Holy Spirit’s Wisdom in you… PLAY, REFRESH, READ, STAY CONNECTED.
May you LIVE LONG and Keep all your marbles intact and sparkling!
What would the first sentence of your autobiography say?
“We cannot escape the frustrations of this life. It is wise to lean on the Lord for help and guidance…”
Message from When God Thinks of You, He Smiles, a book of 365 devotions from Broadstreet Publishing. I received this as a gift last week from my “dear bonus daughter,” Elaina. Each page has a scripture, a commentary, and ends with a prayer. Boy Howdy, I needed this one today!
“Don’t worry, because I am with you. Don’t be afraid, because I am your God. I will make you strong and will help you. I will support you with my right hand that saves you.”
Isaiah 41:10 (NCV)
Ah yes, reach your hand out. Touch me. Assure me. Encourage me! I am frustrated and need to remember no one is promised a seamless life. But the strange thing is: I invited this frustration into my life!!
What was I thinking? The dead of a Montana winter is not the time… not the time to get a new puppy who has not been crate-trained, let alone house-trained!
Oh, I can be all smiles when he’s in my lap and feeling lovable and wanting to be cuddled! But, believe me, Kenny is a 6 1/2 month old 12 pound ball of energy who has decided his crate is his bathroom and our floor is his toilet – – Help!
My devotional today said, “Prayer gives us strength when trials… come our way.” Believe me, I have prayed at length about this pup! The devotional said, “When you struggle, it doesn’t mean your faith is lacking. Even when you faithfully follow God… life can still be rocky.”
I need to put this pup struggle in perspective! It’s not life or death. We will survive. Count your blessings, Jan, because he is smart and will learn… and you are smarter and can teach! Be patient!
I may have told you earlier that my friend, Terry, sent me this book: “How Dogs Think.” The cover photo looks just like Kenny must have looked at 2 or 3 months… and the subtitle of the book is: “Inside the Canine Mind.” It’s a TIME special edition. Surely this will have some good advice to add to all the things my friends are saying… and Isaiah said it, too: “I will make you strong and help you…”
The prayer at the bottom of the devotional today was: “Gracious One, thank you for the faithfulness of your love… I don’t want to spend my life worrying or full of fear. Empower me and encourage me when I struggle.” Amen!
