I thought I would show you a couple of new cottage additions before the Arf story…Thank you Rebecca for the cute little shelf. As you can see, I put it to good use.
Kip put some floating shelves up for me. I’m still trying out different pictures of the kids and grand kids.
Wow! That angel shows up bright in the photograph!
Muddled thinking…
Jamie called Brad when she got to her parent’s house just to let him know she had arrived safely. She was planning to have a bite to eat with her dad and then they were going to the hospital to see her mother.
“Was that Jamie on the phone?” Miss Bessie asked. “How did she sound? Is her mother doing better?”
“She sounded tired and she hasn’t seen her mother yet. They’re going to the hospital after supper.” Brad was tired and worried. He felt like he’d said goodbye to his best friend.
“Miss Bessie, I am really at a loss here. I want to be there for Jamie, but I don’t know how I can help her. I don’t know that much about her relationship with her parents. All I know for sure is that Jamie is an only child and her parents travel a lot. That’s one of the reasons she decided to stay here for her internship. She was lonely at home because her parents were never there.”
“Well, if you ask me, I think Jamie is at a loss too. This came out of the blue and she must be pretty confused. She has no idea what she’s facing and she might not know for a while.”
“I want her to know that I’m not going anywhere.” Brad said. “I want to ask her to bring her parents here. I mean after her mother is stabilized. It’s an option I hope Jamie might consider. Do you think I should suggest it to her, Miss B.?”
“Well, Lord knows there are enough people around here to help take care of her mother which would take some of the load off Jamie and her father.” Miss Bessie thought for a minute before continuing. “I think if I were you, I would tell her the part about you being there for her no matter what. Then you should add that you would be happy to go there for a few days if she needs you to help out. That will kind of ease you into the possibility of moving them all here. The whole thing must be gradual. You can’t force the issue, Brad. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”
“Yes, Miss Bessie…it’s called manipulation, but I’m not a very patient guy. Once I’ve made my mind up about something, I want to forge on ahead. But what you’re saying is that Jamie might not be ready for that.”
Arf: Miss B is sure a talker and Brad is sure a thinker. What they don’t know is that Jamie loves Brad and if he backs off too much, he might miss his chance. This is his defining moment. (I heard that on Lassie.)
Annie: You’re exactly right, Arf. That Lassie is one smart dog. What do you think of Clark?
Arf: I think he’s trying really hard to fit in here, but he’s got a lot to learn about ranching.
Annie: I think he’s kind of lonely. I went with him and Brad to do the chores at Jamie’s farm. He whistled all the way over there. It made me crazy, but I figured out it was because he couldn’t think of much to say. Brad was really quiet too, but we know what that’s about.
Arf: Keep your ear to the ground, Annie. We’ll figure out something. We need to spend some time with Katie, too. She’s really doing great, but she still can’t run. Let’s go see if we can talk someone into a bone. Is it hot in here or is it just me?
Arf still usually slept in Katie’s room, and Annie spent the night in the kitchen by the stove. That night she thought she heard music. It wasn’t very loud, but she was sure it was the sound of someone singing. She decided to go in search of the source and found herself in front of the door to Clark’s room. She knew she wasn’t supposed to paw at the door, but she wanted Clark to let her in. It took a while, but he finally heard her.
“Annie, what are you doing here? Do you want to come in and listen to me play my guitar? I sure hope I’m not waking up everyone in the house. I really don’t want other people to hear me, but you can if you want. I’ll play a song just for you.
He played a song called Ol Red. It’s about a dog falling in love under unusual circumstances. Clark sounded just like George Jones.
Annie: After listening to Clark play and sing, I knew exactly what would be a real special thing for him to do. He should go with us to the nursing home next week. Those folks loved to watch Katie and Arf dance, and they would surely love Cark’s singing and playing. Now, we just had to get him over being shy about doing it in front of people.
I slept beside Clark’s bed that night. Every once in a while he reached down to pet me. I’ll sleep here every night if he wants me to.
Those 70ish Girls 