I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore. (Third Times a Charm)

Charlotte had her first Google Hangout with her 4th grade class a couple of weeks ago. That's when she found out she wasn't going back to school this year, and she wouldn't see her friends from school for months instead of weeks.

She had a bit of a meltdown. That's understandable. When her tears dried, Charlotte told us, "Well, the one good thing about this is that we can get a dog now."

Our plan was to get another dog after our June trip to Canada. When we had to cancel that trip, we told Char we'd look into getting a dog when school was out. Well, as Charlotte pointed out, our timetable had changed. 

We started by checking the websites of local animal shelters. They were all but empty. We're not trend setters. A lot of other people had the same idea. Dogs had become hot commodities. That's great for the sheltered animals, but not so great for us. 

We had to broadened our search. Daphne found a trio of Great Pyrenees sisters in a shelter in Mason City. Daphne filled out the online paperwork, and we were later pre-approved to adopt one of the females. We drove the two hours, signed in, and socially distanced ourselves for 35 minutes in their parking lot.

Turns out an employee accidentally crossed off Daphne's name on the sign-in sheet, and the shelter didn't know we were there. Another family had beaten us to the punch while we were waiting for our name that wouldn't be called. Charlotte had talked non-stop on the way to the shelter about dog names and dog activities. On the way home, she said nothing and silently cried. Breaks a guy's heart.

Daphne then found two Great Pyrenees brothers in a shelter in Ottumwa. She left several messages on their answering machine, but our calls were not returned. One brother had disappeared off their website during the night, but the other remained. That shelter opened at noon, so we adjusted our schedules to make sure we could leave the house by 10:30. We pulled up to the shelter at exactly 12, but the place was buzzing with activity. They had opened an hour early! Another family was already with the remaining brother, and we actually watched them walk the dog past us into the office to adopt him. Why not twist the knife when you remove it?

We tried to drown our sorrows with some loose meat sandwiches from the Canteen Lunch. 

The sandwiches were good, but not that good. Charlotte still cried a bit on the way home.

Craigslist was also a bust. We checked out a few ads, but the dogs were either already gone, or the ads were scams. So frustrating. 

We decided that rescuing a dog was not in the cards right now. We also needed to broaden our search even more. Daphne bought a one-month subscription to puppyfinder.com. After a couple of disappointments, we found a family in Great Bend, Kansas with six Great Pyrenees puppies. We exchanged a few texts, and before we knew it, they were holding one of their females for us. Charlotte shed tears of joy when we told her. Melts a guy's heart.

We'd be on the road for 13 hours to get to Great Bend and back. We have zero interest in staying a hotel right now, so that's about as far as we could go. Char agreed to NOT complain about the length of time spent in the car, so we went for it. On Friday night we made sandwiches for the trip and packed the car.

We were on the road by 5:10 on Saturday morning, and we arrived at 11:45. This time we were there first, and we could choose from the available three pups. Honestly, any of these girls would have been perfect.

We picked the one that looked the least like Maggie. We didn't want a "clone" of our last dog.

The ride home went much faster even with a few more stops.

 We spent quite a bit of time debating what name to give our new Monson. We decided to call her Ellie.

She inherited some of Maggie's old toys, and I bet she'll grow into them pretty quickly.

This isn't how I imagined we would get a new dog, but we'll take her.

Who's a Big Girl?

Maggie is, that's who. In fact, she turned 10 years old on Saturday!

She celebrated at the Downtown Farmers' Market. There were all types of treats to eat. Some were found on the ground; some were purchased by Mom or Dad.

She got a lot of attention from strangers, too.

Speaking of years passing, it is hard to for me to believe that my dad has been gone for almost nine years.

 He did not get to meet Charlotte, but I am sure Grandpa Barry would have thought she was a hoot.

Downtown Farmers' Market 2014: Going to the Dogs Edition

Finally! May is here, and the Downtown Farmers' Market has opened. For six months we can travel downtown on Saturday mornings to walk the streets, buy the food, and pet the dogs.

Daphne and Char like the sweets.

But I'm all about the meat. You can't see it, but there are two types of cheese inside this Käse Wurst, and they're waiting to squirt up my nose when I bite in. The pretzel bun is a great compliment.

Unless the place is crowded, I'll stop by Chef Steve's stand for a kabob. Charlotte's beginning to like these too, and she'll take a few bites while the kabob gets passed between Daphne and me. It's really comforting to watch your child enjoy the same foods as you do.

We start at the parking ramp and then make our way down the southern side of Court Ave. Before turning around at Walter Street, we stop and get a BLT Pita. This too gets passed around. I used to think the combination of thick bacon, fresh greens, chopped tomato, garlic, mayo, and pita bread couldn't get better. But I was wrong; this year they added avocado. I'd tell you how good this tastes, but my mouth is full.

Yes, Char enjoys the food, but what she really loves is the dogs. On the opening morning of the market, it was like a big dog show. And by that I mean big dogs.

Char calls this "dog sniff".

Daphne's dad had a Newfoundland just about this size, and we couldn't pass by without giving this Newfie some love.

Our dog Maggie is Great Pyrenees, but this big guy weighs about 60 pounds more.

Char was really intimidated by his size.

Charlotte got to give this tall guy a treat.

Do you see that black strip of fabric across the dog's nose? It's part of his Gentle Leader, and it acts as a leash for dogs that pull too hard when you try to walk them. Maggie has one, and it has made a night and day difference when walking her. She can eat and drink when she's wearing it, but some people will mistake it for a muzzle, and avoid us. If you see a dog wearing a Gentle Leader, you can assume he's strong, but don't think it means he's dangerous.

Before we left, Char sat on this giant Dutch Letter sign for a rest. I said from behind my camera, "Hey, give me a smile." This is the pose she struck.

Where does she learn stuff like this? I asked her, but she won't tell me.