Writer Friends – OLD THINGS NEW

Now that we are halfway through June, I guess it’s time to share What I Learned in May. I actually had company most of the first part of this month and we’ve been vacationing together in places where my Internet was sooooo . . . slow that I gave up and decided to wait until I was home sweet home again 🙂

May began with some great news which quickly turned into some very surprising news about the new pup we had been hoping for, waiting for, longing for . . . especially the hubs, who is the biggest lover of cute puppies I know!

The news? Danny, the name the host family had given our new puppy, would be ready to come home with us the first Saturday of the month. Hooray!!!

We had plans to rename Danny of course, as that was the temporary kennel name, and the name we had chosen was Charlie, in memory of my dear Irish daddy. It was love at first sight when we saw this photo of our soon-to-be pup.

Then came the surprise!

The night before we were to pick up our little Danny/Charlie, the breeder (Best Goldendoodles) left an urgent message on our recorder saying that Danny with a “y” was actually Danni with an “i”. Yes, our boy pup was suddenly a girl! What???

This breeder places all his mama dogs in host homes where they are hand raised with families instead of in kennels. The host family had named all the pups and the breeder assumed that Danny was a boy by the spelling of the name. He apologized profusely and offered to let us back out of the deal, or to take the little girl at the price he would normally charge for a male. You see, female dogs are usually more expensive than male dogs. 😉

What did we do when we learned that Danny was Danni? Are you kidding me? How could we pass on a sweet face like this? So Danny, who’d become Charlie, became CharliGirl.

And she has planted her little puppy self firmly in our hearts.

Sasha wasn’t sure about this little fluff ball when we brought her home but she has grown quite fond of her as well.

The month of May was perfect. Warm days and pleasant nights, with plenty of rain to cause all the flora and fauna to burst with new life.

As my plants began to wake up I was happy to see many of the plants that I’d previously planted thriving, but, because of the drought last Summer, some of my plants didn’t pull through.

Those that I planted two years ago though, seemed to come back better than ever.

I learned, from talking to the locals, that it generally takes about 3 years for plants to get a strong foothold in the red clay dirt of Upstate SC.

I also learned that Charli is a photo bomber. She seems to know what I’m doing when I pick up the camera and takes every opportunity to jump into the picture. I have a feeling you’ll be hearing a lot more from this little girl.

During the month of May I got to travel to Winston-Salem, NC to spend a few days with some other writer friends, Holly Barrett, Mary Geisen, and Debbie Kitterman. These are dear friends I’ve previously traveled with, done a Podcast with, and with whom I recently collaborated on a series about Perseverance.

This is Holly’s screened porch where the four of us spent hours in hours in deep conversation (and eating food of course).

When I knew we were going to Holly’s I asked if we would meet her mom Rachel Solomon, who is a bit of a celebrity. She has several U-Tube videos at GrayHairTalking.com, and two books she has co-authored with Holly.

NOTE: You can purchase Rachel and Holly’s books by clicking on the pictures below. If you make a purchase from my site I receive a small commission but it does not make the cost of the book any more expensive to you.

A 30-day devotional

And a 12-week video driven group Bible study.

Upon meeting Rachel I learned that not only is she a woman of wisdom but she is pretty darn cute too. Crisp blue jeans, a flowy flowered vest over a white shirt, a trendy bob and red lipstick. It was a delight to share a meal with her and her hubby Tal.

Holly’s home is on the property of Crossnore School & Children’s Home.

I learned that their mission is to grow healthy futures for children and families by providing a Christian sanctuary of hope and healing. They do that by offering residential homes on campus for children in foster care, community-based foster care and adoptions, educational services, and therapeutic services.

I also learned that Crossnore has a working farm . . .

. . . with a sweet Farm Store where they sell a variety of gifts and home grown goodies.

I was especially attracted to this old cabinet with its great patina but it wasn’t for sale! Reminder to me: Pin this to my Furniture Painting Ideas board on Pinterest.

While at Holly’s, Holly, Debbie and I visited Old Salem which is a village settled by the Moravian Church. Many of the original shops and homes are still in place. It was fun to see people dressed in period costume and working in the shops. They were so much in character that at times it was hard to tell if they were employees in costume or if they really lived and worked there.

Warning: About a gazillion pictures follow. If you like pictures, great. Otherwise breeze on through to my final May moment, which was a real treat!

I learned about the Moravians at every stop along the way but I won’t make this post longer than it already is by sharing that with you today.

And last, one of the highlights of my trip, the chance to meet a much admired blogger friend face-to-face. Richella Parham of Imparting Grace is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. I learned that not only is she as wonderful as I always suspected she was, but she’s written a book, and she brought along a copy for each of us.

Click on the picture for ordering information.

This book, A Spiritual Formation Primer explains the disciplines and attitudes of becoming more Christ-like. I’m sure that Christ followers of all degrees of maturity would benefit from reading this book and I’ve added it to my own Summer reading list!

Well folks, that’s all for May. I learned quite a lot, which is good, because learning helps keep one’s brain young. At my age I need as much help as I can get!

Upward and onward, into the lazy days of Summer!

Blessings friends,