VERY high, VERY low!

At 50 years of living with fits of rage and denial, I was diagnosed with BI-POLAR disease. It was 10 more years till I realised the other symptions I was carrying. Since the time of my youngest memories, it hurt in my joints to do everyday activities. I did not know it was a disease, I just thought everyone had this problem, and they were stronger willed than I was.

My mom and dad always complained about hurting, that reinforced the feeling other people were infected, but better at handling the problem. The Doctor we used did not help my problems. He was more interested in seeing us a lot, it was needed to pay for his camp in the mountains. I had a lot of ear infections, different Doc, ripped out the skin in ear canal that was hanging from infection. He was on vacation one year, we sent to another Doc, he said whenever water in ear canal dip q-tips in campho phenique, clean ear canal. After a lot of bad years that stopped my ear problems. Another Doc using unnecessary appointments.

In my DNA from both parents, a lot of alcohol  problems, smoking, caffeine, junk food, and risk takers. Mary has been trying to change my bad habits the last 47 years. She is slowly breaking my bad habits. I always wanted to marry a nurse. That's another story!

My brother Dick, when we talk every couple of weeks, we comment we do not have good genes to pass on. And today is a great day, neither of us were in the obituary page this morning. Seems all Caldwell's are sarcastic!

The gym teacher 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grades rode me hard because I would not climb the rope to top and touch the steel beam it was hooked to. About 6 feet was as high as I would go. Four years of harassment, I was scared of heights. I did not jump off the high board in swimming till the last year of school. Anything over 6 feet high was my limit. No ladders, no climbing trees, other guys climbed wire fences to break into places we were not allowed. NOT ME!

In gym, I did not do good in cross country running, crab walks up hill, track, soccer, basketball, any time running, jumping just hurt too much. He flunked me in 11th grade. My senior year I had two gym periods every day. He degraded me, encourage others to do it too. I just took it.

Again I thought everyone had this pain, I was not strong enough to work through it. I was not good enough. It did not scar me. Later I would be stronger because of it. I never hated the teacher. I felt sorry for him and those that harassed me.

After graduating, I worked 3 years as a maintenance helper, at a cardboard plant one block from home. I went to post office to pick up the mail, last half hour I took outgoing mail to post office. Nine hour days, five hours every Saturday. Saturday the last hour I had to get orders from the five maintenance guys for lunch, they worked all day. I drove and picked up their lunch. went for parts, and help fix machinery.

When I lost my license 6 months they had an office guy do the mail. Saturdays the maintenance guys took turns getting  their lunch. They liked me and did what was necessary so I did not lose my job. I always did what told as well as I  could.

At Christmas we got frozen turkeys from the company. We had 4 sales offices between Lancaster and Philly, I took their Turkeys there. I liked my job, but knew I should learn a trade. My dad was a Great mechanic. When a place shut down, he always had a new job in days. After 3 years I got a job as electrician helper. This would change my life. A guy afraid of heights, working off scaffolds, ladders, walking cement block walls 25 feet in the air. Stay tuned, more to come!

Thoughts in my head, not words! how we met on new pages.

I don't hear words in my head, it is more like when I wake up there is an idea but I don't remember myself putting it there. When I got the idea for - lloydsrides.org- it was a moment decision I will never forget. I felt Lloyd was talking to me, but I heard no one talking. I had talked to the boy and his mom at the BlueBall Fire Co. I had a senior moment, I did not get their info. I want to give him a ride on my bike. Failure number one.

I did not communicate with Marcy for a couple months. I knew I could not do this myself. I sent an e-mail, she jumped in, she knew I have memory trouble, but the recent treatments are helping. Marcy is the soul of - lloydsrides.org - I am Bi-Polar, my mind races at a million miles per minute. Every now and then, she has to slow me down. Patience Pants!!

Having Marcy as my backup is very important to - lloydsrides.org - I say my ideas at a bad time, or something I should not tell. My wife Mary has put up with this for 47 years. Some of my ideas were great, the majority of my ideas totally idiotic.

Yes, I have my Patience Pants on. Mary started that out on our Grandson Kyler when he was about 5 years old. Now 7, Buddy as we call him, needs patience pants more than I do. Since we got Buddy Holly it confusing for both boy and dog. I yell Buddy, they both think I am yelling at them.

pics 2 with descriptions

 My 1961 comet, 6 cylinder, 3 on the tree! Baby moon hubcaps were hot in 1965.

Bought this new Schwinn bike 1964 for my paper route. Old bike wore out!

 My 450 Honda at the shore. I had to take my shoe off and put the

side stand in it, to keep it from falling over in the sand.

 My 400 horsepower Pontiac

 1962 Pontiac again.  6 houses in this row now a parking lot for Belmont Shopping Center. My older brother went down there after they tore the houses down. I got one brick and lots of memories.

 I like sleepers. I kept stock hubcaps, Just had the back end about 2 inches above the front. In 1967 gas was around 40 cents a gallon. I was spending $150 per month running the loop route.

My 1961 Mercury Comet. Baby moon hubcaps come later.

My RingMaster model airplane days, where I met Bob, my mechanic for my racing car and bikes.
Souped up engines, the planes did about 60 Miles Per Hour. With 52 foot control wires, you
learned fast to concentrate on the plane and not look at the background whizzing by and get dizzy. The
Decal read - Flying Dutchman - Now it is only radio control Planes. I don't think they even make
52 foot lines and  plane kits for bellcrank control anymore.

My 1967 Mercury Comet, I traded the 400 horsepower Pontiac for a luxury car.

My cowboy phase

       

 My racing vette I built. 1/24 model. but everyone thought it was real size.

 Motorcycle Dave at end of summer 1966 heading from Manheim, Pa to

Southern Illinois University, to learn how to make crowns and single teeth.

 LLoyds Hemi V8 Desoto. That is where I got the race BUG!

 My 450 Honda I bought in 1969. 1967 Mercury Comet under tree.

 Very Handsome Kid!! I was introduced to wheels at a young age. Thanks Lloyd!

 Edith did not know I would be a dare devil like Lloyd!

 My hardened attack puppies, practicing the attack move.

 YES; they practice day and night. Sometimes under my chair at my computer. If I close the door, Buddy Holly cries to come in. He gets stepped on and kicked a lot. He is always at your feet.

Mary says I am his human. I cannot use the toilet alone!!

Buddy Holly, compact and deadly.

 They attack any burglar, unless they have a dog bone

in their pocket like the Federal Express man.

 My Superhawk before chopping.

 Mary says there is hope for me YET!!

Ring Master with McCoy 35 engine. My flying wing had a Fox 35x, with missile mist it
would run about 40,000 RPM's. We made our fuel, Very heavy on the missile mist.
Like today, nitro methane, 3 times the horsepower of gas alone.

9/8/18 E-town Cruise In

only cycle till about 12:00

My stand

This is Barry's car, like my 400 horse racecar

Barry's car again

 Barry and his 1962 Pontiac. I worked with him at Philips surveillance cameras. 

Barry bought this new in 1962

 My stand

Barry's 1962 Pontiac again

I will take pic of the pics of my race car and send to you for story on my 1962 Pontiac I had

Not Me, MOM!!

Bob the mechanic's Mom, before she died told me she always worried about Bob when he was with me. She said you would try most anything with a motorcycle, and I knew darn well Bob would follow you.

Bob and I liked to ride hard and fast.18, or 19 years old, nothing can happen to you. Whenever we stopped to shoot the bull that is what we said. Another saying was, did you see so and so was on the front page, (local youth fails to negotiate curve). Again. We rode around the loop route, a favorite stopping place was at the edge of the Merit Gas Station at the alley that was the loop route's bottom connector.

The loop was one block wide. We would run fast and hit the back brake and slide up to the curve. Unfortunately when I locked up my back wheel, it was on the smashed coke can that some car flattened. My bike spun wildly, I don't know why I did not dump, my heart was pumping about 300 beats per minute. When I hit the curb with my wheel sideways, my heart stopped for 2 seconds. I managed to hold the bike upright for some reason.

The guys all yelled, and slapped me on the back yelling, Hoss, some guys drive car as good as you, but no one on a bike comes close. Thank you GOD! The side road had an alley splitting the block in half. A stop sign was there, the cops watched for us not stopping, so we all waited 10 seconds when we stopped. Make the MAN mad!

One night Kathy was with me on the bike. I had a 4 foot sissy bar, a bar behind the seat so the passenger does not fall off backward. I tell everyone lean back on the bar so they are leaning with the bike. New people will lean opposite the bike leaning. That can dump you.

I met Kathy one Sunday afternoon walking the loop with her sister Jane. I told them both to jump on my bike, we rode to the outside of town, I told them I be back with my car. I knew where Lancaster meets Manheim Township the cops hang out. Three on a bike is illegal! The three of us rode rest of the day in my car.

Sometime later that night Jane went home. I went home and got  the bike again. Later that summer Kathy was on my bike again. She always leaned on the sissy bar. I stopped at the stop sign at the alley, waited my 10 seconds, and popped a 3' wheelie taking off. I heard a snap, the tubing of the sissy bar broke, but hung on like a hinge. Kathy slid down the sissy bar like a ramp. Luckily the guy behind us saw her fall and did not run over her. That was 50 years ago. TIME FLIES!

Bob and I ran the loop one more time and decided to run up route 501 for a ride. Bob followed me on his bike. We go through Lititz, and the road is straight for about 4 miles. There is a long sweeping curve to the right. There was a tractor trailer in front of us. I swung wide to pass, yes over the yellow line, a car was approaching in the oncoming lane. I thought we could make it. Wrong, there was enough room as the trucker saw us in his mirror and pulled over to give us room.

The driver looked familiar. It was my Mom and Dad. What are  the chances of that? When  we got home my Dad was at the kitchen table drinking a coffee. When he saw me and Bob coming in he got up and went in the room. Mom said, some young punks on motorcycles ran us off the road, you and Bob don't drive like that do you. We both said, NO MOM!!

Dad knew it was us, he did not want Mom to see him laugh at us! Mom always said I get my daredevil ways from "Dadz". That was her name for Lloyd Caldwell!

Kathy and Barb tell me to take my pants off!

NO it was not what you think! Kathy waited outside her parents house near one of the main cross roads of the Loop Route, for me to stop and pick her up on my bike most nights.  Across the street was Speed's sub shop, a main hangout for Looper's! Kathy liked the excitement of riding with me. I did a lot of wheelies.

One time I was in my car and saw a buddy wheeling like I did. Wheelies are all balance. On my Honda 90, I could wheelie for a whole block. My buddy was beside me, and stood the front wheel about three feet off the road. He looked over at me for the thumbs up. I gave it to him, we both laughed. I looked front, the light changed to red. I hit the brakes.

He kept watching Kathy and me. Yes, his front wheel hit the trunk lid of the stopped car. I was pointing front, but he did not stop. He fell off the bike, he stood up, I yelled, "You OK?" He put the thumbs up this time. Kathy and I had a good laugh.

 Another night I picked Kathy up on my bike. We made about 12 runs of the loop. Out to McDonalds several times to ride thru the Golden Arches, then back to town. We were headed on the northbound leg of the loop. Turned left in the alley. Stopped at stop sign 10 seconds where sissy bar broke and Kathy slid down to road.

Turning left at south bound leg of loop there was a left hand road coming up with a car stopped at the stop sign. In 1966, no turn signals on bikes yet. I was in left lane, with my left arm giving my signal and started my turn. The driver was not looking at us. He started pulling out.

Someone in the car yelled. All I could do while leaning over for my turn was to hit the rear brake hard enough to slide the back wheel out of the path of the turning car. We went down. I told Kathy when she started riding with me, when we go down, on the ground side put your foot down, and on the side that's in the air, jerk your leg up high so it does not get hung up on the bike. With the back wheel sliding Kathy listened, good girl, she just stepped off standing up.

Me on the other hand, because I saved us hitting the car bumper by holding my right foot on the rear brake I was caught in the parts of the bike that were sticking out. My left leg was caught between the bike and the road. My left knee and ankle were bleeding a lot. We got up and hopped on my bike.

The idiot took off. Kathy said, "My sister lives close, we will go there and patch you up".

Barb was in the kitchen, Kathy ran in first to get the first aid kit and tell Barb what happened. This was first time I met her sister Barb and husband Butch. Kathy told them I was an intense biker! The girls directed me into the living room. Barb and Kathy yelled to me, "Take your pants off!"

Butch laughed, "ALL RIGHT!!" It took a lot of patching, but finally the bleeding stopped. Yes, it was my left knee, the one I would damage bad in another bout with the road, again not my fault, and Titanium knee installed. So much for meeting Kathy's family. When I met Kathy's mom and sister Jane, things were very calm!!

Bi-Polar Biker

Yes, I am Bi-Polar, I discovered I was after my surprise 50th birthday party. Yes, Mary got me good. I had no inkling she planned my party. People kept appearing, I was happily surprised! Mary is terrific at keeping a secret, I am not. After I picked my lower jaw off the floor and put it back on my face we had a really great day.

After everyone left, I went on my computer to unwind. I love hearse's, I always wanted to get one. No I am not fascinated by death. Just like the looks of a death coach. I look at hearse cars a lot. I was looking at death coach clubs. When up popped a site that asked, are you fascinated with Death. I answered no, I just like the vehicles. It said, take this questionnaire. I did. When finished it said you are Bi-Polar, see a professional for diagnosis. I talked it over with Mary. She made an appointment for me.

The shrink said after tests, yes I am. He gave me pills. The horror started. I saw him every 2 weeks. Some pills did nothing. Some made me so sleepy I could hardly stay awake even at work. Finally after several times he found the right mixture that started to help my moods. He said Bi-Polar means you swing from very great highs to terrible lows! Most people swing from high to low every couple minutes. I swing from second to second. I am checked about every 6 to ten years now. If Mary feels my medicine is working I stay at this level. In twenty years I am on my second batch of pills. So far so good.

When high I can do anything, I am smarter than anyone. When low, I am nothing, everyone is better than I am! When I'm down is when thoughts of suicide happened in me. I grew up a risk taker. I am an adrenaline junkie. The dose of adrenaline makes me higher that anything else I tried. Booze, caffeine, pain pills or diet pills I got from Doctors. The diet pills made sleep unnecessary, I could stay awake 3 or 4 24 hour periods. The Doc would not give me any more pills when I used 3 months worth in 4 weeks.

Working all day, working on the race bike, and race car was great when I did not waste time sleeping. Bob my mechanic spent a lot of nights by my side too. He was putting the bike transmission together one morning about 3 AM, he was so tired he forgot to put the needle bearings in third gear. When I raced the next day, when I hit third gear about 60 MPH the trans locked up and threw me off.

He & his wife stop in every summer, he mentions it and we both laugh. Luckily we got over that terrible time. Bob worked at the local cycle shop. The head mechanic raced too. Bob picked his brain about how to get more horsepower. Then he would put the improvements in my bike. A Barnett racing clutch, washers in the screws holding the pressure plate against the clutch disk, less slippage. Changing the activate clips on the needle valves richer. More Fuel=More Horsepower!

I was getting about 20% more power. About 80% less clutch slippage. We adjusted the valves every 500 miles, and change the oil every 500 miles too. No filter, keeps oil clean, no deposits of gunk. Castrol oil, better lubrication, better performance.

I weighed 200 pounds, Kathy rode with me a lot. I raced with her on back, outside town. Other bikes the same size engine, single rider, we would pull away from them. At the bike shop the manager Lyle asked, "How is your bike so fast?"

I learned to keep secrets! I kept winning.

Maingy Mutssss !

We lived in a double wide trailer on a cement block basement for 10 years. It had alunium siding, and a shingle roof. But still built cheap. The daughter across the street,  in her early twenties never said anything when I said hi. I figured she though she was better than we were. Our dog barked a lot when anyone across the street was outside. One night she yelled, shut up you Maingy Mutt, I just stared at her.  This was dog number one we had. We were cruel to him, we found out later. We kept him outside in a doghouse I built and insulated. I even put on a clear plastic flap so he was out of the wind. We had him about 2 years. The boy other side house next door was a little retarded. At birth water on the brain. He would let our dog loose, then catch it and bring it back. I would give him a couple dollars, till I saw him letting the dog loose. I went out front just in time to see a cars tire wack the dog's head. He died instantly. So much for dog number one.

We build our dream house with a 10 acre woods 60 feet from our back door. The farmer sold cornfield acerage for houses, and put an incasement on the woods so it cannot be developed. We love it here, going on 33 years. Mary wanted another dog after Jeffrey was born. I hesitated. She says don't you want your son to have a dog. Of course I gave in. Happy Wife, Happy Life!!

Another insulated dog house with a flap to keep the wind out. Like the other dog, when we let it run it went wild. We had trouble with the dog biting anyone who came over to it. We told everyone stay away from dog. That just made the dog madder. Finally we had to put the dog down, we could not control it. In its third year was its last.

Now I realize it was my fault. If you have a pet, it must be played with, not chained away from the house and people. The two Mutts we have now are lucky, they are in the house, sleep with me, and are spoiled rotten. Like me they eat too much. Us three are over weight. A sign of easy living.

Yes, I love these dogs, even though the Shitzu has a lot of accidents. He bit Mary's finger when she was trying to get aluminum foil out of  his mouth. This week he bit me too. Both really just a nip. I have a hassock beside the couch and a book shelf. We cannot see in, it is his man cave. When not sleeping on my legs. I have restless leg syndrome, they like the movement.

I told Mary, tomorrow we must move his man cave and find his stash of aluminum foil. Mary & I both eat Klondike bars, me Reese's Peanut Butter cup, and Mary Klondike Heath ice cream bars. I always make a ball from my foil backed paper. Mary puts hers in the trash flat. Of course Mary's not at fault for not rolling her wrapper in a ball, it is my FAULT. See line above again, Happy Wife, Happy Life.

It is close to 47 years since we said I DO! It took a long time, but I learned the lesson well! SEE above a for 3rd time!! HW, HL

Poisoning Sophie!

Yes, I did that to the second love of my life. Mary got me Sophie in July. She was 10 months old when we got her. Mary put a bow on Sophie, with a note that read, For Bunny, a young female to sleep with! Yes, after 45 years, Mary absorbed my weird sense of humor.

When we first got married, Mary was delivering babies at the hospital. The older Nurses with no small children worked so the mothers with young children could be home to open the presents from Santa. Once our kids were in their teens it was Mary's turn to work. For 46 years she worked every other weekend.

Every morning I take the medicines that have kept me alive. Both sides of my families have a lot of bad things passed onto us. High blood pressure, hardening of the arteries and colon cancer, just to name a few. I think that is why I married a nurse, I did not do a good job of taking care of my health, I needed a good woman to keep me in line. Yes, Mary is really good at keeping me healthy; and in line!!

Mary gets home about 6 am. I got up at 5 am when Mary worked nights. I wanted to be sure she got home safe. There are several hills in the 4 mile drive home, and their are no guardrails. If someone slides off the road from ice, the vehicle will roll. Yes, I am an OLD Knight in RUSTY Armor.

Sophie got used to going out at 5 am every morning, whether Mary was working or not. When Sophie heard the garage door going up, she would go nuts. She still does, to this day. She knows MOM is home. She waits at the door to the garage till I get there and open it. She shoots down the 5 steps, and around to Mary's open door for her head rub, now knowing Mom is home safe.

So, it's Christmas morning. Mary and Sophie come in the kitchen. I am having coffee, and something for breakfast. I grab my pillbox, with day and AM or PM stamped on the flap. Just what us old fogies need. I pour the pills into my right hand and get ready to pop them in my mouth. Well, when the kids were little, she had me put my pills in my mouth one at a time. When our youngest child was in high school, I started popping the whole amount at once.

This time, guess what? Three pills missed my open mouth and I heard them hit the wood floor. Sophie was right there and scooped them up. The others went down my throat, so we had no way of knowing what Sophie had ingested. Was I killing my best friend? (Best friend after Mary, of course.)

I panicked, told Mary I would call the animal hospital near the train station. I got on the computer quickly, got the number and punched it in. Mary said, "Settle down, even if she got your blood pressure or Bi-Polar pills, it takes time for them to dissolve".

The hospital answered, I told them how  I stupidly took my pills. I told her what the pills were. She paused, saw the Doctor, he said give her 2 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide, spread some newspaper for her to vomit on so you can see what went down.

I put Sophie on the enclosed porch on newspapers. I held her mouth open and Mary poured the hydrogen peroxide down her throat. About 30 seconds later she started to heave. She threw up twice, bringing up her complete bowl of dog food that she'd had about 10 minutes before Mom got home.

I called the hospital saying, "Thanks, how much do I owe you?" She said no charge, and the Doc said to tell you hydrogen peroxide is OK for making young kids vomit, too. Then she asked if I found the pills. I said no, because she had a bowl full of dog food in her belly, I did not feel like running my fingers through it.

YES, now I put one pill in my mouth at a time again. Mary said take your pills over the sink and put  the stopper in, then you will find ones that miss your BIG mouth! I still find it hard to believe Mary was quiet and shy before she met me. Couldn't be that she changed because of ME????

Christmas morning was Happy after all.

Corvette Nomad Wagon!

Read about the Corvette Nomad, a combination sports car and station wagon that never made it into production. The prototype has been lost to the dust and rust of time, but this custom reproduction is nearly identical.

They Torture our Puppies.

I told Mary I wanted a dog to be my service dog so we can visit the Lebanon VA Hospital for my new charity. Our son Jeff has a Beagle, JuneBug. I said I wanted a female Beagle. I heard females listened better than the male dogs. Like humans, female animals cause less trouble? RIGHT??

Mary told Kyra our first grandchild. She scanned several sites for rescue digs. Kyra gave Mary the dog's info and phone number. $150.00 for 8 month old boarder collie-beagle. Mary arranged a pickup, they lived about 150 miles away. Then told me.

We met them half way, and left that coming saturday. We got a cage, one months worth of food, and pest treatments, stainless dog dish, and her favorite blanket in the cage with removable water tight bottom. We made the spot they said, found them, they had a 1 year old and 3 year old boys. Just said they cannot keep the dog. The little guys hugged their dog goodbye.

We left. I said in blog before I wanted to name my dog Bossie after dog I grew up with. Mary said it will confuse the dog. Keep her name, getting used to new home hard enough. Now Sophie was ours. We would stop at burger joint to get lunch. About 1 miles from trade off spot, Sophie started crying. Mary said stop, and got in middle seat, Sophie in cage where 3rd seats folded down. Mary put her hand on the cage.Sophie stopped crying.

Mary grew up on farm, used to animals. We made it home. I took Sophie out on leash to relieve herself. She was fixed, and all shots done. Mary said how about getting underground fence. I called, most a little over $1,000.

We have a half acre yard. Joe the dog guy said he would stop out. 2 days later he was there. I asked him about dog trainers, he gave me the named of a few. He asked how much training? I said my Charity is to stop PTSD Suicide in Veterans and First Responders. He said he was a Veteran, and gave us a Great big discount. He liked the idea that Sophie would visit the Lebanon VA Hospital.

Mary got me a training book at a yard sale. I tried, not much progress. Mary and I both 70 years young, fixed income. We will get the money for Sophie to be my Service dog YET!

One year later, a friend of Jeff has a friend with a Shitzu dog, cannot keep it. She has 4 kids, and taking her sisters kids, trouble getting help. Gabby asked if we want another dog. Mary said tell them to stop in, we see how they get along. Buddy came for a visit.

He can stand under Sophie and not touch her stomach. We said yes, she gave 2 bags of food, toys, stainless food bowl, and favorite blanket. They stayed about 2 hours. She kept calling him Buddy! When they were walking out the door, Jen says, oh by the way, his name is Buddy Holly! I am a 50's and 60's Rock and Roll guy. Mary a country Gal.

Just like Donnie and Marie. Did you know Marie not her real name. I don't remember what her first name is, but they said it would not sound as good as Donny and Marie. Yes, worthless things I remember. Kids names, birthdays, anything important I get wrong.

When I was single on my sun visor above the dash of my car I fastened a tablet and pencil. When I was on a date I wrote the girls name so I would get it right. My friend's girlfriend gave me the idea. She got me a blind date with her friend, the girl said I kept getting her name wrong.

Now the TORTURE! We live on a cul-de-sac. Five houses. We are at the circle. straight ahead of the road coming in. Everyone spins around the circle to go out, or in. Mary and I are sitting at the breakfast bar, every morning coffee, Mary cereal, me PB&J or Mary makes omlettes. Mary says we have Sophie  24 hours, and she did not make a peep yet. YES 20 seconds later it started, and has not stopped yet. BARK!!BARK!!

After Joe installed the dog fence, we started letting her out the front door. Joe followed the border of our yard, about 2 feet before the line. Sophie was outside the second day of learning how far she can go. The Fed-Ex driver stopped out front at our driveway. Sophie ran over. As he came up our driveway, he reached in his pocket, gave Sophie a dog bone. He always rubbed her head. She was ecstatic.

The recycle truck guys asked why she carries on when they stop. I told them, now they give biscuits too. so do trash guys. Trash guy, long hair, full beard, every day rubs Sophie's head! The UPS guy was next, gave Sophie a biscuit when they deliver to us. Now any sound from out front, Sophie and Buddy Holly go nuts.

We build a Cape Cod house 34 years ago. Low, big windows in front. Sophie can stand and see out the front windows. As you come in the door, Mary has a lazy boy chair right by the door jam, with a 3' by 3' coffee table right at the window. She likes to set at night and read  paperback books. The first night after getting the table, she has a green cover for the table, and a table light on the table for reading at night.

Of course, Buddy Holly uses the table so he can watch with Sophie for the Biscuit Guys! The first night Mary left a stack of paperback books and a candle in a glass jar, on the middle of the table, Buddy Holly's table, how could you do that Mom?? When Mary came down the steps, her books, and candle were on the floor. Now Mary is careful not to let anything but the table light on HIS lookout stand.

The final nail in my coffin to stop both dogs from going nuts every time a noise is out front!! The Fed-EX guy went past our road to the other circle. The hounds were outside going crazy. The driver saw them in the front yard, I waited by the door to let them in. Both dogs we don't leave out long in the cold or hot. This was July, very hot. I watched as the driver came back, turned down out road, something for us? He stopped at our driveway, stood up, threw Sophie a biscuit, then the same for Buddy. Sat down and drove off. One biscuit thrower told me they always throw the female a biscuit first. Her DNA set up to get food for babies. First time they throw, female always fights for food.

Yes, Sophie and Buddy sleep with me on a lazy-boy couch, I can push the button and recline. I cannot sleep unless my shoulders higher than my body. 

I will try to find my pics of our two dog night. In old West, if cold you sleep with one dog. If very cold night, you sleep with two dogs. If really frigid, you sleep, with a Three Dog Night. Yes, that is how the rock group got its name. Yes, I remember everything unimportant!!