Gotcha Day | Peaches Prattlings

{February 14, 2025} February 14th…a bittersweet day

I say bittersweet because there is much sweet and a little bitter.

Let me start with the obvious, February 14th is Valentine’s Day, also called Saint Valentine’s Day, or the Feast of Saint Valentine. It began as a tribute to a martyr, but it has transformed into a cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of love and romance in many parts of the world. No shade to anyone who celebrates and enjoys the sentiment, I, myself am a sucker for romance. When I can shower my loved ones with love, what could be wrong?!

There was the St Valentine’s Day Massacre in 1929, when Chicago’s Northside Gang lost seven of their members, on the plus side, sort of?, it inspired the Paper Lace’s 1974 song The Night Chicago Died. On the happier side, Valentine’s Day has inspired countless stories, movies, tv show episodes, books, songs, and a feeling of joy.

For me…aside from showing my loved ones how I feel, there are three things that stick in my mind. One, I was a part of from the beginning, one I wasn’t there for, but I can wish them well, and one, I’m getting to the point I can smile. I’m going to share, happy, sad, then happy, that will be a good way to end this post.

My friend JCT and her husband celebrate their wedding anniversary today, isn’t that wonderful?! A day about love and they get to wish each other love and happiness on a whole different level. I’ve known JCT and JT, yeah, I just realized that myself!, for 16 years! WOW! I met JCT when I started working for a company that hired me as a trainer, my first official software trainer gig, and it just went from there!

I met her and two other people I am still good friends with today. We traveled together to different locations training for a soft drink company, she and I hit it off like gangbusters. I still remember her calling me that Thanksgiving about 12am, could have been later, telling me that she was going to Walmart to buy a laptop for Black Friday. I thought she was nuts, but why not, I’ll come and keep you company!

I ended up hanging with her while her husband was at some other store getting some other Black Friday deal. After we took our winnings with us, I introduced her to Waffle House! And a tradition was born! NO! That was my one and only Black Friday middle of the night waiting for a deal experience, thank you very much! No, it was let’s go to Waffle House! Once I left Georgia, I didn’t always have access to Waffle House, so…when I would visit Atlanta, someone, didn’t matter who, and they would take turns, someone…was taking me to Waffle House! Y U M!

I met JCT, then met her husband, JT, then their daughter, STY, she was about 8 or 9 at the time, wow! and JCT’s mom, who has become another mom to me. And now, they are my extended family and I love them for it. When I visit Atlanta, they are on my list of people to see and crash with, they welcomed me in and the door is always open. And mom keeps trying to fatten me up with some amazing, wonderful, and tasty Chinese treats, again…Y U M! Happy Anniversary JCT and JT, here’s to many, many, many, many more wonderful years together.

Next, I don’t know if you remember me telling you about the passing of a dear friend of mine, AGM, on Valentine’s Day. Kind of fitting, he was so very loved and when we all came together for the funeral, it was a definite celebration of his life and how much he loved and was loved. I still think about him and as time passes, it gets a little easier to smile when thinking about him.

Well, when you think about his life and when we were younger, it’s easy to smile, at the things he did and said and how he made you feel. And that’s what I’m doing, as we speak, I’m sitting here, writing about him and I’m smiling at the memories from high school, running and jumping up into his arms, he was so much taller than me, but who wasn’t?! Sometimes he’d catch me and twirl me around, other times, we’d fall to the ground…always said he fell for me every time.

AGM, I miss you, and I love you, thank you for being in my life and a part of it, and letting me be a small part of yours.

The last, I said would be happy… is Gotcha Day for SDL and Miss A! That is the day the adoption was official and they were officially a family. And me, of course! I became Auntie George the second I found out about Miss A! SDL and I had been talking about adoption for so long and it took a long time getting there, but she got there. I’ll never forget the day SDL sent a picture to her mom and I saying ‘how would you like to see your potential granddaughter/niece?’ oh boy…did our hearts melt!

I knew SDL’s parents from a few of their visits, but as soon as the adoption process got underway, a new family was born, yes, they adopted me too! It was me, mom-mom, pop-pop, and auntie D who went to the airport to pick up SDL and Miss A and oh wow, did we all melt into the floor when they got off the plane! And they have been stuck with me ever since!

SDL, Miss A, and I have had some grand adventures! Whenever I visit Atlanta, I am at their house, sometimes for a week, sometimes it’s my home base, then we’ve gone on some great trips! They visited me when I was on the road, traveling for work, New Orleans, we visited Elvis together, NYC, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, last year we went to London, there are more adventures in our future, and you know I’ll tell you all about them! I could go on and on, but I have to end this post at some point!

Today is a very special day, there are people in my life that bring me such happiness and joy just by existing. My husband, my family, who are related by blood and marriage, my kids, grandkids, my friends who are my chosen family, I am going to get cheesy…I want to send love into the universe, I know I tell them every time I see them, talk to them, text, I never want to let a moment go by that I don’t tell them how much they mean to me, today and every day.

I started to say some very cheesy things and while that’s me, I just want to say, I love you all, thank you for being you and allowing me to be me, yeah, that’s cheesy enough. Happy Heart Day to all!

{April 13, 2024} Gotcha Day

It’s Bee and Ruby’s Gotcha Day! For those of you who might know be in the know, because if you’ve never adopted a human or animal, why would you! So… ‘the gotcha day is the anniversary of the day on which a person or a pet joins a family by adoption.’ Isn’t that great! I gotcha in my family now!

Miss A’s gotcha day, you may remember, is February 14th, how perfect is that! And Ruby and Bee’s gotcha day is April 13th, we officially adopted them in St Louis in 2020, shortly after we moved there. As you know, Mollie didn’t leave Hawai’i with us, we knew she probably wouldn’t be when we moved there, and sadly, we were correct. After we moved to St Louis, we were walking around Creve Coeur Lake thinking, and talking about it, “wouldn’t it be nice to have dogs again, to walk around the park with us”, I told PSM when he was ready, let me know. And shortly thereafter, he said…I’m ready.

So…I went online to see if I could find another American Foxhound, that’s what Mollie was, and let me tell you…not easy to find. As I was looking at different shelters, I found Five Acres Shelter and I saw Bee, who had similar features to Mollie. I only say this because everyone always asked me if she was a Beagle when they saw her, honestly, if you didn’t know the foxhound, she looked like a beagle that had exploded, meaning, much larger!

I said…ooh! And when I clicked on her link, she came up with a friend…Ruby. The site said they were so bonded they hoped the two would be adopted together. I showed PSM the pictures and although he was only thinking about one dog, he said go for it. I filled out the application, put down his brother SM as a reference and we got a call from someone at the shelter to interview us. About 30 minutes later, we got a call from his brother “So…you’re thinking about adopting a dog, huh?” Wow, they move fast.

Even faster, a few minutes later we were setting up a meet-n-greet with the foster mom. She wasn’t available on Saturday or Sunday, did I mention this was Friday? What about Monday, sounds good. Since we were both working from home, remember, this is when everyone was at home working because the Covid stuff just started happening about this time.

Monday, we went to the shelter and met both dogs, what doll babies they were! And all of a sudden, maybe 15/20 minutes later, PSM said yes and I was signing paperwork and we were dog parents again…. Um…with no provisions at home, oops. On the way home we stopped at Petco to get dog beds, the foster mom gave us one bed, we call it the burrito, it’s actually sitting under my desk right now! It’s a brown oval bed they both love sleeping in! She also gave us one blue bear, we bought a few toys, food, a crate for both of them, treats, and a bed that fit in the crate, yup, we’re good to go.

We got home and brought them into the house, they sniffed every corner, oh yeah, we closed the master bedroom door, there was a giant oriental rug in there, the foster mom told us Bee has a tendency to sometimes go inside…and normally only on rugs/carpets, so we’d have to keep an eye on that. They settled in pretty well, found the beds to snuggle on and we laid down with them at different times, and we took them out back to their new yard, lots of room to run around.

I’d say they got used to us and their new home pretty quickly…they spent most of their time laying out in the sun out back. They also decided they needed to protect the yard, which I was finally able to cure them of that, ‘you’re ok, no one is invading your backyard! If anyone walked by…oh brother! So…I decided no barking before 8am, some people like to sleep! We would get up and take them for walks between 6-7a, then back home and they’re free to roam the house and back yard. And Ruby has finally realized the fire brigade didn’t need her help alerting the neighborhood!

We didn’t know what breed Ruby was, we just called her an attention hound because she’s so very needy and clingy, it fit perfectly! Then someone walked into the house to do some work and said “That’s a Redbone Coon Hound!” And boy howdy, is she! And they are needy, clingy dogs, that’s all there is to it! It has nothing to do with separation anxiety, that’s just the breed!

We’ve been lucky, there have only been a few instances when they tried to run away, a few in St Louis, and only once here in PA, I’d say that’s pretty good. I think the time here was because Bee was following her nose…they eat everything! Oh brother, a new smell here, no wait, a new smell there, no wait, a new smell…oh boy howdy!

Overall, we have gotten so lucky with these two, they are pretty well behaved, that’s what people keep telling us! They do great at doggie daycare once a week, they love meeting new people, they are not barkers, except occasionally, and they’re pretty good about meeting other dogs, it’s hit or miss, as with anything, and they do listen, for the most part. And…great snugglers, as you know I let them stay with me on the bed on occasion, and they love it! They get on the bed, circle a few times and then they’re out for the night, they snuggle up next to me, and into me, little hot boxes, and they keep me company all night. It’s a nice feeling.

There are so many more stories I have, but we’d never get out of here!

{April 24, 2021} Yoga…brunch…hair…dog…movie…

Yup, that was my Saturday, what’d you do?! Details, details, coming up!

We started with hot yoga, of course! New instructor, for this class, for us, and for her, this was her 6th class ever, very cool. The nice thing…it was a a 730am class, so…even though we set alarms for it, just to be on the safe side, and also we are tired of missing class and getting charged $15-$20! If you cancel less than 12 hours before the start time, they charge you $15, if you just don’t show…$20. I get it, you’re a business and there could be people who weren’t able to attend because there might not be spots available. They are pretty good about it if unforeseen circumstances happen, they don’t charge you, but if we oversleep, that’s on us, and that’s happened, pook.

Overall, it was a decent class, she’ll get there. Listen to me…ha ha! I did like her playlist, all the instructors have different taste in music, I’ll tell you about it some time. Most of the time, it’s us and one or two other people, this morning there was a decent sized class. And it was pretty even, there are some classes where it’s me and a few guys, but more classes are a whole bunch of women, and PSM! We’re also starting to get to know people, recognizing them when we’re in class together, which is impressive when you actually can’t see their entire face because of the mask! One of the guys, who we now know, was taking the next class, it’s a restore class, he’s a beast! wow! PSM said we’ll do that one day. Huh? My response this morning [of course we’ll do it, you know I’ll take the class with him!] was “Breakfast will restore me…now!” ha ha.

That seemed to work…off to The Shack we went! I’ve told you about one of our favorite breakfast places a few times. We shared a veggie omelet with french toast and an english muffin. Beauty…seats at the bar! We have sat at a table only twice in this particular location. Once because DLP was with us and once because there were no seats at the bar, go figure! At other locations we can never seem to get a seat at the bar! But…our favorite bartender was there and we’ve become friendly with her, she’s really nice and a lot of fun to talk to. We talk about life, kids, and now, she’s getting married! She and her fiancé have been working out and you can really tell! She is doing much better than I did before our wedding! You go!

Today we told her we just came from hot yoga and she said she always wanted to try it, she thinks her fiancé would do it with her. Lightbulb! This coming week is customer appreciation at the studio, all the St Louis studios and…we can bring a friend for free! We asked if they wanted to come and try a class! She said definitely! Wah to the hoo! She was telling us her child’s drop off schedule, we figured evening class…And…we told her there is usually sustenance after, especially if we do an evening class! She perked up even more on that one! Score!

After breakfast, we headed home. PSM went to run an errand with the trailer and I decided it was time for some color in my life, so I pulled out my latex gloves, just looked up latest gloves and it turns out they are called medical gloves, which makes sense since they can come in different materials, and went through my color options. Since my hair is short, I haven’t used the entire bottle of anything I used last year. It’s funny, I was just thinking I should have done this two weeks ago when we had the dog’s Gotcha Day! I had just started coloring my hair around then, too funny! My go-to right now is still Splat, it seems to work for me. I decided to go with Midnight Blue, well, I think that’s the color it is, who knows, this one isn’t on the bottle like some of the others! Either way, I think it came out great! Matches my bike, ha ha!

Then we had a doggie scare! I happened to walk into the living room, with about 15 minutes left to go on my hair and I see Bee, the beagle, sorry for what comes next…eating her own puke, ugh, ick, and everything else you can think of. By the way…they do that, fact of life, still gross! I stopped her immediately and cleaned it up, as I was cleaning it up, she started licking things. Licking things is not unusual for our dogs, they lick our faces, we love the kisses, they lick the grass, Bee licks the street for worms, they lick the area rugs, mostly checking for food, the beds they sleep on, the ones in the living room sometimes have crumbs from their treats, they lick our legs, pants, arms, that’s a little odd, but that’s them.

What this was…different. She was licking everything as she was trying to clean the entire house, licking incessantly, like she had an insatiable thirst. She licked the floor, not just the floor, the corners of the kitchen, the crevices, the area rugs, you name it, she licked it. I watched her for a few minutes, then I put her in the crate to see if I could stop her from going crazy and making herself sick. She proceeded to throw up in the crate and then try to eat it, I stopped her, was able to clean it up, get the bed out of the crate and when I closed the gate, she proceeded to lick the tray in the crate and the crate itself. At this point, I am on the phone with the vet. I had first called PSM during all of this to see if he had any ideas, nope, so vet it is. Turns out…dogs will do this when they get nauseous, trying to help whatever is making them nauseous go away.

While I’m on with the vet, she stopped, then started again, then stopped. They told me to bring her in, even though I thought she was done, better safe than sorry. I told them I had to get the dye out of my hair first and I would be up there. Of course this happened! I proceeded to go as quickly as I could to get the dye out, let’s just say, it looked like I murdered a Smurf in there! OMG! The one thing I always forget…wear gloves when you’re getting the dye out of your hair, just like when you put it in…my finger tips were a little blue!

Ruby is now running back and forth from our bedroom to Bee, very sweet and worried sister she is! I got leashes on both of them. By the way…Bee is now sitting in the crate looking at me as if she had not a care in the world! Got them in the car, luckily the vet is only a 5 minute drive up the road. I called and eventually they came out to get her. Then Ruby and I waited, and waited, and waited. They finally called, she was acting like her normal self, sniffing the ground, not licking, and sounding like a pig looking for truffles! The vet said they couldn’t find anything wrong, didn’t feel anything in the way, she even lost a pound! Go Bee! They gave her an injectable, to be on the safe side, and sent me home with a 4-pack of pills in case this ever happens again! I wish I could have gotten a video so you could know what it is if it happens to you! While Ruby and I were waiting, PSM showed up with a smoothie for me, he’s so sweet! He took Ruby home and after a while, Bee came out, happy as a lark and we went home!

Bottom line…Bee is FINE! Wah to the hoo!

But wait…the day’s not over! We got home, we were hanging out and I thought someone deserved a little something’-somethin’ and for me…the dog mom, is not an extra goodie, but time on the bed, snuggling with me and it worked like a charm! I got Bee, then Ruby on the bed with me and they snuggled while I played games on my phone and watched some Midsomer Murders! What more could you want.

If it was me, and it was, I wanted more! PSM came in and asked “What time does Mortal Kombat start? Ooh? Movie date? I’m in! I found a showing in the AMC IMAX theater, purchased tickets, selected seats, and put the dogs up, even before you can say ‘popcorn please!’

We got to the theater, ordered popcorn, water, and a box of Butterfinger Bites. Did you know Butterfingers were introduced in 1923?! Wow! I can tell you my box of treats was fresher than that! ha ha. PSM got a beer and we were ready to go! We found our seats, settled in and watched previews, which…I looked at PSM and asked him if Mortal Kombat, which I’ve seen the original movies and knew the answer to my question, was a horror movie, to which he replied no, and my next question…”then why are all the movie previews for horror movies?!” That made zero sense.

The movie started, and I will share details on the movie in another post, but…all I have to say is WOW! La La La LOVED it! I can’t wait to see it again! More details later.

After the movie, home to walk, feed, and hang out with the pups, grabs some dinner and chill, tomorrow’s another day! And we have a motorcycle ride in our future! Cannot wait!

{April 13, 2021} April 13th is Gotcha Day!

We’ve talked about Gotcha Day before, when I talk about SLD and Miss A. This time…April 13, 2020 is the one year anniversary of the day we adopted our furry friends, Bee and Ruby! It’s our Gotcha Day!

We hadn’t started chatting again until December, so you wouldn’t know about our Gotcha Day, you just know we adopted these two, so let me tell you about it. One thing…As I started looking for photos to post, I’m wearing the same sweatshirt today that I was wearing that day to adopt them, what are the odds?!

Sit right back and you’ll hear you a tail, a tail about a fateful meet, that started with a phone call, about eight furry feet! About eight furry feet! [OMG! LOVE! go ahead, you know the tune!] The Beagle was a short little thing, cute, and sweet, and chunky. She had a tail that never stopped, and she stepped with a spring! She stepped with a spring!

The Hound was a bigger dog, long, and sleek, and red. As soon as we met her, on our knees she did rest her head. On our knees, she did rest her head! If not for the pictures of these two, our hearts might be lost. Our hearts might be lost.

When PSM said he was ready, a dog we should get, I started searching and searching, on the inter…net. An American Foxhound was the search request that I entered. Was the search request that I entered. Who knew it would be these dogs who turned out to be the best. Turned out to be the best.

Five Acres Shelter had the pups to view, we submitted an application, on Friday, April 10th, two thousand and twenty [not twenty two]. Two thousand and twenty [not twenty two]. The dogs were so bonded, the shelter made a request…adopt the dogs together, they would be the best. They would be the best. The shelter called us quickly, an interview we did do, they even called PSM’s brother for a reference about us too. For a refernce about us too.

We spoke with the foster mom, she told us she loves these dogs, and hopes they get a good forever home, to rest their furry paws. To rest their furry paws. We made a date to meet, on Monday April 13th. Who could blame us if it was love at first sight for those eight furry feet. For those eight furry feet!

We quickly signed the papers and then paid the fees. Someone took our photo and we were ever so pleased. It was official, the dogs jumped in the truck, we couldn’t believe our luck. We couldn’t believe our luck.

To the pet store we went, to buy some supplies, we weren’t quite ready for the dogs, the timing was a surprise! The timing was a surprise! At home they settled in, as if they’d always been there. And so began our journey of having two crazy, wonderful, goofy, silly, loving, and [sometimes] smart dogs. Having two crazy, wonderful, goofy, silly, loving, and [sometimes] smart dogs.

And there you have it folks, April 13, 2020 we grew our hearts and our home by adding two dogs. As I may have sung, and by the way, I was singing the entire time I was writing, I had to get the melody right, I hope I did, and I hope you enjoyed it! As I was saying, as I may have sung, two crazy, wonderful, goofy, silly, loving, and [sometimes] smart dogs. If you have dogs, you know what I mean.

They really have brought joy into our lives, it was hard when we lost Mollie McDougal, she was such a great dog, but we knew there was love for more pups, and I honestly can’t remember which dog I saw first, Ruby or Bee, but the website said they were so bonded, they were hoping they would be adopted together. And that’s all it took! Ruby is a gorgeous dog, you should see her run! Wow! And Bee, well, Mollie, who was an American Foxhound, looked like a giant beagle, people always asked if she was one! Bee does look a little like Mollie, same coloring, but Ruby has more of her temperment, very gentle.

They are smart, we’ve trained them to do some things, one of these days I’ll get some video of what we’ve been able to do. They listen, some of the time, but what they do, is give lots and lots of love, and kisses, very smelly dog breath kisses, and what more could you want?!

Check out when they play fight, you would think they were trying to kill each other, they stop…look around…keep going! What they have…is each other. When they sleep together, they are always touching, butts, faces, paws, something is touching, and it’s touching.

So…April 13th is our Gotcha Day. We celebrated by going to Starbucks for two pup cups, which they la la la love! They are about dixie cups sized cups of nothing but whipped creme and they go crazy for them! We don’t give them anything but dog food, dog treats and veggies [yes I said veggies!] for the goodies, and every once in a while…pup cups. We take them in the convertible with the top down and they are happy as can be! And… they know where we are and what’s coming!

One of the nicest things that happened today…I got a text from their foster mom with a picture she took the day we adopted Ruby and Bee and the message “Happy gotcha day to your babies! Love, their foster mom, C 💙” Wow! That really touched me! She is a very nice and caring woman who fosters dogs. We texted a few times after we adopted them, I would send her pics to show her how they had settled in. I texted a few pics today to show her how happy they are! What a kind thing to text us on their gotcha day. Thank you!

Happy Gotcha Day! Who adopted who?

{February 14, 2021} It’s February 14th…That means so many things!

For most people, it’s Valentine’s Day, the day of love, in all sorts of ways. So, to you, who celebrate, I say Happy Valentine’s Day! Wait, let me say it in a few different ways!

Traditional Chinese: 情人節快樂 Qíngrén jié kuàilè
Russian: С днем Святого Валентина S dnem Svyatogo Valentina
Scottish Gaelic: Latha Valentine sona dhut
Samoan: Manuia le Aso o Valentine
Kazah: Әулие Валентин күні құтты болсын Äwlïe Valentïn küni quttı bolsın [nod Miss A!],
Hebrew: יום אהבה שמח
Greek: Καλή Ημέρα του Αγίου Βαλεντίνου Kalí Iméra tou Agíou Valentínou
Welsh: Dydd San Ffolant Hapus
Vietnamese: Chúc mừng ngày lễ tình nhân ❤ ️ 🌹 🌷
French: Joyeuse saint Valentin
Hawai’ian: Hauʻoli lā aloha

Don’t get too excited, Google Translate is my friend! HA HA It truly saved me in several countries we have visited! Ok, so Valentine’s day, if you celebrate it, enjoy it!

For one of my best friends, JCT, and her husband, it’s their wedding anniversary! What a beautiful testament to love. Happy anniversary to you my seester friend, I hope today today is just as par-fect as you two! [They are a golfing family, har har har]

For two very special people in my life it’s Gotcha Day! This is the day that Miss A’s adoption by SDL became official in 2011! O M G! We often have chats, trying to remember what life was like before she came into our lives! Don’t remember!

For me, it’s a day to tell the people you love that you are thinking about them and you love them. If I didn’t reach out to you directly, please know that I am thinking about you and I la la la love you! I am spoiled by mty dad, he sent me flowers and…I got the most amazing hand painted cards, one of them…I even thought about turning into a tattoo! O MG! I am such a daddy’s girl, thank you!

One great memory, I can’t go without sharing with you…I told you a few weeks ago that this was the 6th anniversary of my first date with PSM. What you didn’t know, or maybe you did, six years ago, this weekend was our third date and he took me skiing! We actually skied on Saturday, 2/14/15, pretty cool, right?! When we first started emailing, he came up with six ideas for a first date, what guy does that!? and skiing was one of them. On our second date, I mentioned it, and he said…”since you mentioned it…” ha ha ha. So…Friday, 2/13/15, I received a dozen roses, a little while before he picked me up, with Molly, his [and my soon-to-be] dog, and we drove to the ski house he owned with his brother in New Hampshire. That was our first road trip, of sorts, and we discovered how much we had in common, especially with random music selections, come on, how often do the Animaniacs come up when talking about music! And…as you might say, the rest is history.

Whatever February 14th means to you, maybe you tried to kill yourself doing a power yoga class, ha ha, or should I say, hint hint, I hope it was the best Sunday, or Valentine’s Day, or Anniversary, or Gotcha Day, or whatever…I wish you love and happiness. Wait, I do that every day, why is it so special today? Just is!

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