Dear Jon!

Today has been great, but I am tired tonight because I didn't sleep well last night because I couldn't quit thinking about going out to New Mexico to see Cindy for a few days. Yesterday, after getting off of the phone with my good friend is when I started thinking and worrying about it.

On our way to town yesterday, to meet Carol for lunch, I mentioned it to Tony. "Why don't we go see Cindy for a few days? It would be a lot of fun and a nice break from the heat." Tony shook his head sideways.

"Nance, we can't both be gone that long from the rescue ranch with the burn ban in effect. This place is a tinderbox and I would be worried the whole time that we were gone."

"Well, maybe I could drive out there, even though it is a hard twelve hour drive. It has been almost two years since I've seen Cindy."

"The thought of you driving out there to New Mexico, all by yourself, isn't a good idea. I'd worry about you the whole time that you were gone..."

During our fun lunch with Carol I casually said, "I'm thinking about driving to New Mexico all by myself, to see Cindy. What do you think?" Carol's jaw dropped to the floor, then she smiled and looked at Tony and then me.

"I think you should do it! Even though I know Tony will be worried about you the whole time that you are out there." Tony nodded his head in agreement.

"But what if you have car trouble or get lost like you always do?" Tone asked. 

"Well, I could take Mama along with me, for protection, and then board her at a nearby kennel for a few days until I'm ready to come back home? And I won't get lost, Tony, because I'll have Garmina with me to give me driving directions. Heck, Tony, you're forgetting that I used to hitch-hike back and forth from Crested Butte, Colorado to Fort Worth all of the time, with Boomer, my first Great Pyrenees, when I was young and I never had a single problem." Carol and Tone burst out laughing. 

"Yeah, I know, but you're not young anymore, Nance and you're going on your fifth Pyrenees," Tony teased. "And you keep reminding me, all of the time, that you can't believe that you're fixin' to be sixty-years-old."

"I think you and Mama should hitch-hike out there! Don't you, Tony?" Carol joked, as we burst out laughing, again, as the people in the restaurant smiled and stared at us, wondering what was so funny.

"No way. Only a crazy person would pick up an old gray haired lady, like me and besides Mama's nine and a half and she's too old. I could walk out there I guess. It would only take me about seven or eight months round trip..." Then we changed the subject and talked and laughed about something else.

And that is why I didn't sleep well last night because I am kind of scared to do it, but at the same time I feel like I should do it to prove to myself that I can do it—so as of this morning, while I was walking four miles, with Leslie, I added "Drive to New Mexico" to my bucket-list.

By eight o'clock this morning I had washed and dried a load of laundry, walked four miles and had a delicious breakfast ready for T., when he returned from the Old Timer. And then I sat down behind my laptop and did paperwork all morning.

At eleven forty-five, right before lunch time, the phone rang and I let Carlton take the call. "Hello, Nancy. This is Ronnie, I don't know if you remember me. I gave you an outdoors massage last year and Marcie and her friends, Paz and Debora."

"Hello, Ronnie. This is Nancy and yes I do remember you, because I will never forget that outdoor massage with all of the traffic and strange people coming through, while I was laying naked under a sheet. What's up?"

To put it in a nutshell: Ronnie's daughter had rescued a sweet kitten, but she was allergic to cat hair and they did not want to take it to the pound, because it was so sweet. Two minutes later after I called Hoegemeyer Animal Clinic and talked to my good friend, Dr. Craig Janssen, about the kitten crisis, I called Ronnie back and told him that we could take the kitten and that the clinic would adopt it out for us and to please drop it off at Hoegemeyer's. Problem solved. 

After lunch I spent the rest of my day doing paperwork with the exception of checking my e-mail only once. My good friend Jon Wolfmueller sent me this e-mail and it made me smile because I am now officially out of The Art Of Racing In The Rain book.

"Hi Nancy,

Next time you are in town come in.

I have 2 copies of THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN.

1 regular and 1 large print for your older friends.

Jon

Wolfmueller's Books 229 Earl Garrett St.

Kerrville, TX 78028

830-257-7323

www.wolfmuellersbooks.com

Business Hours: 9am - 5pm, Mon - Sat"

I was so thrilled about the books, I wrote a short, dear Jon letter and shot it back to thank him and Sandy for finding the books for me and I told him that we would be seeing them sooner than later.

Early this evening Ellen Cooper, our dear friend, good neighbor and rescue ranch volunteer, came by to drop off a full pickup-load of free dog food, for our dogs, that she had picked up for us in San Antonio today and she was just in time because we were going to have to go buy dog food tomorrow. Thank you, Ellen! We love You!

And, by the way, last night I did watch Babe, because of Little Ricky's passing and I really enjoyed it, because I knew that I loved that movie, but had forgotten the story.

Y'all have a great evening!