I'm home for the weekend and catching up on the latest happenings...

Grandpa Basil was found in his usual position of authority, guarding the door to the upper deck

while Garnet slept contentedly under the quilt stand.

Beth and Craig had been here to pick up Jed, Sunny and Weylin's boy.
Jed was picked by Craig well before he was born. He wanted a red boy to be a
sister to Samantha, a Daisy/Weylin daughter from their January litter. He
got his wish as this boy is certainly the reddest boy we've ever produced.


Beth held Khloe so she had some attention, too. She was too young to go home yet and was awaiting the arrival of her family in two more weeks. They were good buddies who ran and played on the good days out side with Philip ever on the watch.

There was a constant competition between Sunny, Pansy and Maggie over who was the mother of these puppies. Both of the pups had more than enough mothering to last them a lifetime!

Sunny loved her babies so very much and was sad to see Jed finally leave. He is her last puppy as she will be spayed on Monday and resume her place as Queen on Philip's lap...if the others allow it!

Time to go and Khloe gave Beth a big good-bye kiss. If Beth had her way, she would have taken every puppy in all the litters! She has an unlimited amount of love and neurturing for the breed. Craig made a big leap by adopting another one as he already has a Brittany and raises show rabbits. We chuckled when he learned the lesson that one cocker is never enough!

So now it is November 26th and Khloe's turn to meet her family. Here she is being snuggled immediately by her new daddy Greg. He lost his little girl, a childhood love two years ago and Khloe was nervous that he might not like her.

As you can see, Greg loved her immediately and claimed Khloe as his own.

Gpa Philip had her all bathed and trimmed as best he could since Gma (me) is the one who does the grooming. Nanny Janice was there, too to add the bow and make sure everything was recorded for the blog. Gpa Philip forgot that Charlie is her father and introduced Weylin as her father (really the grandfather), so that was all that was in error. Of course the paperwork and pedigree showed the correct father and I'm sure the Richards knew that, too.

So here there are......Greg and both his favorite girls.....Khloe and her new

mommy Kerrie. She is tickled pink that she gets to go to school with her Mommy on the

days Daddy Greg is off at the NYC Fire house being the hero we know those boys to be.

rest of that story.I'm so proud of my family and promise to be good. I just have a lot of wiggles to get out and some more training telling them when I need to go out. I love playing outside and hope we get to do that in my new home. For now, I'm vacationing with my new grandparents and am a complete surprise to Grandma! Stay tuned for the story.

Can't you feel the love?

Sunny (left) and Maggie (right) were always in competition to take care of

me. They needed to see that Daddy has taken over that job!

So Pansy, Sunny and Garnet got on chairs to watch the final good-bye. That's old grammy Iris's butt you see as she walked away from it all. After all, she 13 years old today (27th) and she's seen it all over and over. Guess we're off to have a birthday party for her.

Oh yes, in case you are worried that Gpa Philip is all alone while I'm gone for treatments,

I think this photo will settle your concerns. It's a constant battle for the best spots on his lap/chair. Little CC is sure to have the pillow under his elbow. She spend the night with me and is my shadow today. Life without a cocker.......how empty and boring.

Until the next report.......have a safe and happy holiday season.

Mary

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all....

This morning we awoke to a gentle snow fall, the first of the season. The ground is covered, and the snow is still falling. Jane' chickens have headed back into the trees for warmth and the horses are chowing down on their morning hay an oats. The men have gone out on 4 wheelers to claim their hunting spots for Monday's opening day of deer season. Jane and I are working on our Thanksgiving dinner........steaks on the grill! We had our turkey dinner on Sunday for my sister's visit and have pigged out on left overs all week. Now we've planned on a good ole summer grill out on the back deck. LOL...once again Mother Nature is chuckling. Hope you all have a wonderful day of family/friend fun, good food and a lot of thankfulness. I know my cup is overflowing. All is well here and I plan on keeping it that way. Tomorrow I plan on going back home after my procedure for the weekend. I miss Philip, Janice and the mob. Thanks for all the prayers, cards and good wishes. I can sincerely feel every bit of it. Hugs........Mary

A message of love from Cheryl Dawson....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H17edn_RZoY&feature=player_embedded

Here's the Hunter gang.....

Jane, me, Sam, Scott and Sarah

What a fabulous family to be living with for any reason. They are full of fun, energy, activities and love. I am truly blessed. Procedures at Geisinger are going well. Saw the main doctor yesterday and he is pleased with the controlled side effects. Jane is on top of everything and I'm being very spoiled.

Kim, Mr. H and Mrs. Beasley (Bee) came by for an overnighter. Pictures are posted on that blog, as well as updates on Mrs. Beasley's activities in her new home. http://mrhreportsfromtheroad.blogspot.com/

More later. Am off for another procedure...which is like watching that three-eyed machine from War of the Worlds swirl around me zapping gamma rays.

If I come out of there with three eyes and speaking strangely, you'll know I've crossed over to the dark side.......then run away as fast as you can!

M

Ukulele......now Walker with his new Momma Lois

As you can see, this boy has found his loving home. Lois is a mail carrier...and we all know I have a soft spot in my heart for them! Keep the photos and stories coming. Love the name Walker. That's a first for SBG. Mary

Nitro reporting in..............

Hi Mary,

We were finally able to get some pics of Lucy and Nitro. They both move so quickly, it has been quite the challenge. As you can see, the only time I can get Nitro in a shot is when he is about to fall asleep! In the pic of the 2 of them cuddled together, they are actually both on top of me. All three of us had been sound asleep, but Nitro popped up when Fred started taking the pics. LOL.

I think it will be evident, from the pics, that Nitro is a happy boy and quite spoiled already. Especially when you see that he claims every pillow on the sofa as his own for his napping corner.

The outdoor shots were just taken this morning during a beautiful sunrise! Lucy taught Nitro how to get a piece of corn out of the cornfield. He seemed as fascinated with it as she. The only thing I can determine is it may have the scent of deer on it. The cornfield is filled with deer every morning. I let them run and play with it, but take it away when they actually try to eat it! The shots with no dogs, were my “missed” attempts, but I included them because they show how beautiful a morning it is!

Mary, you know we are thinking about you, and wishing you many, many beautiful sunrises!

Love,
Fred, Cindy, Lucy and Nitro

Loved the photos! Thanks for sharing! GMa Mary

Day One

Good Morning. Thought I'd post the above photo of Tully after her arrival home. That photo tells it all and exactly how I felt after yesterday. I was very pleasantly surprised to find no side effects after the morning and evening dose of chemo or the afternoon radiation session. I only felt like a wet noodle and found myself asleep more than watching my favorite TV shows! So off to bed I went early and had a very good sleep. This morning I felt well and was able to eat breakfast without feeling nauseous. Yippee...so far so good. Life with the Hunters is one laugh after another. Forgot what it's like to be in a house with two teens and their friends. All the labs and Wau Waus, chickens and horses......seems normal, too. I get a big kick out of the family wanting to be together when I take the chemo pills. They all salute as the three bombs are dropped on the enemy! Sam's heading for Air Force Academy after High School, so is really into this attack/defence show! I'm loving it, of course.

Now this afternoon, Kim is bringing Mr. H and his mom Bee, now Mrs. Beasley for a visit. Life is good. Hugs! Mary

And on this day when I leave to begin my new adventure....yet another loving email arrives. Thank you Lord for the Blessings you have given us.

Dear Mary, I hope that you remember me. It was a day last January that I lost my beloved buff Cocker Andrew. As I looked through the websites to try to find another sweet puppy. I found you and your gang. I was so taken with you and the love that radiated from each little face that I knew I had to contact you. I had my heart set on a black Cocker like I had in my childhood. So, you put me on the waiting list and we waited! A neighbor happened to have a litter with two black Cockers. And my Barney was one of them. You understood and wished us well. I asked you for your recipe for the scrmabled eggs and cottage cheese. You were so kind. I always knew that when we decided to have another Cocker, it would be from you. Now, I see that is not to be. But, I never stopped watching the puppy announcements, the births, and the happy cocker faces( and tails!) the hellos and the good byes, I read your blog faithfully. I met a new friend in Mr H. and now Kim. I watch as their travels take them to many places. I want to thank you for all that you have done for me. For all that you seem to do for others through your work with these little angels. As you face serious illness and treatment, please know that I have my hands together in prayer for you and for Phillip. Thank you for letting me be a part of your wonderful SBG Cocker family.Sincerely,Mary Alice MargesonHornell, NY.

Boomer meets a friend........

Size isn't everything! Boomer loves everyone. He has no fear of dogs bigger than he is. After all, he was raised in the middle of the mob and his Uncle Weylin towered high above him!. Andcheck out his new black & white checked collar! Wow.....wait until brother Nitro see that one. Being a racer, he'll be needing the checkered look for his race days watching his idol, John Force who is #1 Champion for 2010!

Good tip from Lois of Sunset Oaks Cockers......

http://sunsetoakscockers.blogspot.com/2010/11/easy-pumpkin-pops.html

Typical scene out Jane's front window.......

Time here is winding down, getting packed and organized for the move to Jane's.

Iris finally got her grooming done this am and was very pleased with herself (once the nail clipping was over) that she, too, looked as good as the others. Now Basil......well, he'll wait for Butch to return. Just too strong for me to handle.

Beth and Craig will be here on Friday to collect their boy Jed......what a handsome red boy he is. Good thing I'll be gone then as I told Philip he has that dark red color that could produce or even be sable like his Pop, Sunny's Dad. Then I'm reminded that I say something like that about all the babies looking for a reason to keep them. Keeping the stories and photos coming is what makes it possible to let them go. Khloe's family will be coming to look her over on the Friday after Thanksgiving. If she proves to be "the one" they are hoping for, she'll be the last to leave. If she isn't, we will announce it here and then contact those who were interested in adopting her, too. Too bad photos aren't warm and fuzzy like the real thing!

Back to work......Me and John Wayne are burning daylight!

M

It was a very busy weekend here at SBG....tears, hugs and well wishes...

Tilly meets Cara....more photos with Marge, too later....Nanny Janice

delivered her...see the shadow!
Tiffany and Belle have a long trip back to Long Island. By now
Frankie knows that Belle is his.......can't wait for the rest of that story.

Our precious blind Ruby met and loved her new mommy Bunny. She sent along a bag of

goodies from her gardens/kitchen and a bunch of photos of the beautiful home Ruby will be sharing with her other five cockers. What a lucky girl Ruby is to have this angel find her.

(Tilly was busy running around under everyone's feet. She loved the grass!)

Outrigger's family came to claim him and of course he was a big hit. Two of the children are

back in the van ready to go home. Looks like Laura Thurston will be in charge of the children as Tim will have his baby boy cocker he's wanted for so long. His new name is Doogan!

Nitro and his Cindy....tears of joy were flowing freely as this race minded boy tore all

over the yard and deck showing off. Nitro Force (named after John Force Racing team)

will live up to his name for sure.

Max with his Jenn & Tom... such a gentle and sweet lover boy.

Charlie (sticking out his tongue like all boys who get their photos taken) and his new

family.....Michelle, Devin and Marc Crews of Crews Cockers...watch for future

puppies from this studmuffin!

Boomer with his new Mommy Jodi and Daddy Rick.

Boomer is a gift of love in memory of our boy Jett who passed

over the Rainbow Bridge this summer.

Birdie has a new family.....Lois and Ralph Lelii of

Sunset Oaks Cockers. What great friends they are. Birdie is in

for a lifetime of being spoiled and cherished. Watch their web site for her

future litters.