. . .an extension of the Orange Moon Cafe
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| Ellie Jean Louise Davis |
Let me take a moment to explain exactly how we became to be "beagle people".
It was love at first sight for our daughter. As we struggled trying to agree on a name for this beagle, our son - who had just finished the School of Infantry with the United States Marine Corp (where Marines are called "grunts")- thought that was the perfect name for this puppy. Grunt it was.
We were now officially "beagle people."
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| Emmie and Sparrow |
Grunt slept with Emmie and sat beside her during the day when she did her homeschool lessons. In every sense of the word, they were best friends. Unfortunately, when Grunt was three he died in an accident. All of our hearts were broken, but especially Emmie's.
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| Gruntly and Gimli |
The loss of those two puppies so soon after the loss of Grunt, caused us to wait a long time before getting another dog. But one day in August, close to my birthday, Glen told me to sit in a chair in the Living Room and close my eyes. Emmie sat in a chair next to time. Glen came in and put a gift bag in my lap. I was shocked when I looked inside and saw a tiny tri-color beagle. She only weighed 3 pounds, but immediately she filled my heart.
Baby Sparrow
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| Sparrow |
Sparrow was such a sweet dog. She didn't have the desire to roam that Grunt did. She was happy to sit at her window and watch the world, or sit on the porch and enjoy the sunshine. Everyone in our family loved Sparrow. She was with us for thirteen years. She passed away five years ago from congestive heart failure.
When Sparrow passed away, there was a huge hole in our hearts. We had not thought of getting another dog, but as the days passed the idea began to grow on us.
I followed beagle breeders online until I found one that treated her puppies just the way I would want my puppy treated.
As we began to think more seriously about a new dog, we began discussing names with our daughters. We decided to keep part of Sparrow's name as a tribute to her. But we needed the name we called this puppy to be just for her, but to have some history with our family as well.
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| Puppy Ellie |
One night while driving to dinner we discussed this with our girls. We thought of characters from old television shows we liked. The name Ellie popped up more than once. I liked that because Ellie is a nickname for Eleanor which, in Hebrew, means "God is my light." So, Ellie it was. Her official name is Ellie Jean Louise Davis.
The breeder I followed had a litter expected in March. Mrs. Lisa was so good at posting pictures of all eight of the puppies in the litter each week. I picked Ellie out before I had ever seen her in person. I tried to pick the puppy that looked the most like Sparrow, which is ironic since, as she has grown, she doesn't look much like Sparrow did as an adult.
Then on the first of May we drove to Louisiana to pick up our sweet little puppy. Like Sparrow before her, everyone loves Ellie.
That was five years ago and Ellie is an established member of the family.
We brought Ellie home in 2020, making her a "pandemic puppy". She was with us all the time then because just about everything was shut down. Now she goes almost everywhere we go. She even goes with us on vacations, which was something Sparrow never did. Ellie is a great car dog and a great hotel dog!
She seems to be content just about wherever she goes.
Ellie may think she was blessed when we brought her to live with us, but the truth is she blesses us so much more than she could ever know.
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| Ellie Jean Louise Davis |
This picture was taken early in the morning, shortly after we had begun a kayaking trip. Each time we started a trip around sunrise, I would tell myself, "I'm not going to take any pictures of the sunrise." But as the sun began to come up, I couldn't resist. Still, the camera never captures the beauty and magic of the real thing.
This photo was taken in our backyard in 2007. I had just gotten my first digital "Smart Camera" and was trying it out. I was so thrilled to see the bee on the blossoms that I took several pictures before he flew away.
I have been thinking of advice I would love to give teenagers about to branch out into the world.
I realized I would want to relate my thoughts to something teenagers could respond to well. There are few things more dear to a teenager than their first car. In fact, fifty years later, I still remember my first car, a Volkswagon Hatchback. I loved that car.
With the car in mind, here are my thoughts:
1. At some point, you have to put gas in the car.
You have to keep putting into relationships, even familial ones, to keep the relationship. People naturally gravitate toward those who willingly invest in their friendship. It doesn't have to be anything grand; just a conversation or sharing a meal can help a relationship go far. Without input and action from both parties, a relationship will not last.
2. Washing the car isn't enough maintenance; you must take care of the inside parts as well.
Superficial things will not foster a long-lasting relationship. There must be a true connection, sharing of thoughts, hopes, dreams, and even just day-to-day things to keep a relationship alive. Knowing you thought enough to touch base with that person on a regular basis will go far in keeping the relationship alive. In addition, there has to be a mutual acceptance of the expression of thoughts and ideas. Even if you don't agree on everything, you can agree on the things you can.
3. If you don't put it in gear, you won't go.
Relationships do not run on autopilot. You must consciously engage the other person. This is not done by emojis and trite phrases. This is done by actively seeking out the other person for the sake of knowing them better. Even someone you have known all your life, such as a family member, will have different thoughts, desires, and interests over time. You want to know who they are today, not years ago. One of my great regrets in life was not asking my older family members about their lives before me. I wish I knew more about what they did, why they made the choices they did, what they found to be difficult, and how they overcame it. Now it is too late.
4. Each car needs the proper maintenance for that particular car.
No relationship is the same as any other in your life. Each is as different as the cars on the road. What one relationship needs to thrive may be completely different from what another one needs. Just as people are different, so are relationships. As we seek to know our friends and family better, we will become more aware of what each one needs most in their relationship with us. If our attitude is to give to the relationship rather than to take, the relationship has more of a chance to thrive.
5. You and the car will become a team.
You are the driver; it is the engine. Both of you need to contribute to get to where you are going. If you think of your relationship with your car as a team, you will take better care of your car, and your car will respond appropriately.
Think of your individual relationships as small "teams." You both work together to promote and foster the friendship. You both want the relationship to grow, be stronger, and be better. Recognize the importance of the other person in the relationship as essential, not only to the relationship but to you personally.
6. Having said that, at some point, you will get rid of your current car.
Most people who have lived many decades can look back, often with regret, at relationships that were lost simply because there was no continuing. Sometimes this is because someone moved away, or there was a change of schools, jobs, or location. The commonalities were no longer there, and the relationship was lost.
No relationship is permanent. Friends move or change, and loved ones age and die.
I remember when I graduated from high school, I never imagined I would not see my fellow seniors again. I don't know why it didn't dawn on me that many of the friendships would no longer exist without the confines of school to bring us together. It was the same when I graduated from college.
In the now almost 50 years since I graduated from high school, I have seen only two of the people with whom I graduated. At that was only a few isolated events.
You want to nurture each relationship so that when it is over, you think of it with joy, not regret.
7. Some cars are to get you from point A to point B, and that's it. Some cars are a joy to own and drive.
What you get out of a relationship is in direct proportion to what you put into it.
Some cars are to get you from point A to point B, and that's it. Some cars are a joy. I remember driving that Volkswagon Hatchback up a particular exit off the interstate. Because the engine was in the back, the weight gave a different feel as I sped up on the interstate ramp and I always loved that feeling. I never enjoyed driving another car as much as I loved driving that one.
Some relationships are deeper and more meaningful than others. Some should be more meaningful than they are to you right now. To be truthful, some should not even exist
Some relationships draw you away from what you should be, what you want to be, to something you may likely regret later. Not everyone needs to be drawn in. Listen to the advice of those put in your life to guide you. There is no need to choose heartbreak unnecessarily.
8. May you always have wonderful friends and lasting relationships.
May you always value and cherish your family members. May you develop lasting friendships that you maintain all your life. May you know few disappointments through the relationships in your life. May those you hold close bring you joy.
Drive wisely.
On Monday, we had a wonderful surprise!
We were taking Ellie into the backyard, and as soon as she turned the corner of the house, she went literally berserk! She was wagging her tail rapidly and went straight to the red kayak propped up against the wall of the house. I find difficult to describe the sound she was making. It was like a shriek, a whine, and a bark all rolled into one.
She was at the end of the kayak, trying to get between it and the wall. At first, I thought she might have found a cat there, but then I realized she only made that sound for one animal.
Thinking he might be a little hungry after his brumation (hibernation for reptiles) I went to get him some food.
We have not seen Percival since October, 7th of last year. I knew then he was nearing his brumation period because a few days earlier I had found him nestled in the leaves underneath one of our orange bushes. But I knew something Percival didn't know. I knew Glen planned to pull up that bush in a day or two. I uncovered Percival and spoke to him. I brought him some food and that was enough to encourage him to seek a new hiding place.
I don't know where he was all winter, but I suspect he was close. At the most, he was in or near the creek that borders our neighbor's property
Last Spring, we first saw Percival again on April 14th. But the soil is warmer now than it was then, and our highs this week will be in the 80s, so I suspected we might see him sooner this year and had been looking for him around the kayaks each day.
For those of you unfamiliar with Percival, he is the Box turtle who lives on our property. He is also a primary character in our children's book series "Ellie & Percival." If you would like to read how Ellie first found Percival, how he got his name, or how he became a member of our family, you can read that here.
It is amazing to me how much our family loves this turtle. Especially Ellie. She encounters other turtles, sometimes in our backyard or in the schoolyard where we walk each afternoon. Then she just casually looks and sniffs the turtle and goes back to her business. But Percival truly is her friend. We look for him, feed him and try to make sure he is safe as much as we can without disturbing his turtle way of life.
Everyday now until the fall, Percival will be a part of our lives...a part that we love.
There is a wonderful experience with Ellie that happens quite often. As the evening winds down, so does Ellie. She hops up into my chair, wiggles herself across my lap and tucks her face in underneath my arm. It isn’t long before she is asleep.
I love these moments, this beautiful, sweet dog deciding to take a before-bedtime nap in my lap. I feel her whole weight on me, and I know she believes herself to be in the safest place she can be. I rub her velvety ears and whisper to her how much I love her. She and I both enjoy the moment immensely.
There are times, however, when Ellie wants to be in my lap that are not sweet, cozy moments. Like Monday.
On Monday, we had thunderstorms for most of the day. A peal of thunder in the distance and a crack of lightning sent Ellie scurrying to my lap in record time. I held her close and reminded her that she was safe, but she would continue to tremble in fear until well after the thunderstorm passed. Even chicken could not distract her; she wouldn’t even look at it! I do have medication to give her, and it helps to take the edge off her anxiety, but I feel so helpless when my sweet puppy is so scared.
Ellie’s behavior reminds me so much of our Christian lives. When everything is going well, we enjoy the nearness, love, and mercy of the Lord. We “rest in His lap,” as it were, knowing we are in the safest place we can be. We feel loved and protected.
But when trouble comes, we have a different response. We hear the thunder, we see the lightning, we feel the pouring rain, and we choose to believe there is nowhere safe. The lap hasn’t changed. The arms holding us haven’t changed. The words to us through the Scriptures have not changed. But we have changed. We choose to see the lightning, to hear the thunder, to feel the rain. We also choose not to feel the comfort offered to us in the Scriptures. We choose not to believe that the Lord is exactly the same as when things were going well. Only what we choose to believe is not true. We are presented a lie by our enemy and because our eyes, ears, and feelings seem to agree, we believe the lie. The truth of the matter is God has not changed.
“For I am the Lord, I change not.” Malachi 3:6.
“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever,” Hebrews 13:8.
If walking by faith is a choice, and it is, then let us believe that our Lord is just as near, as protecting, loving and caring of us in our troubles as He is in our times of comfort. Let us mark His word in our hearts and cling to them – and to Him-, in our sorrows. It is then we will realize He is a “very present help in trouble…our Refuge and Strength.”
Today is Ellie's 5th birthday.
She was one of eight puppies born to "Baby D." The breeders, Jeff and Lisa Michel of Jeffco Kennels, were so good with these puppies and with the prospective owners. They frequently posted pictures of the growing puppies to keep us updated on their progress. Mrs. Lisa not only gave us great instructions for our new dog but also gave us everything we needed for a successful transition. Then, before we left, she held her up and said the sweetest blessing over her.
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I cannot begin to express the joy and blessing she has been to us. I love how she runs to greet us when we come home and how she snuggles as close as she can at bedtime. I love playing with her, taking her for walks, and just being with her.
When we brought that 3 pound 3 oz bundle home, cuddled up in my lap most of the drive from Louisiana, I already loved her, but I had no idea what a huge part she would play in our lives. She just fits in so perfectly. I also didn't know she would become the main character in three children's books I would write.
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I could not have asked for a better dog to join our family.
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| We love you, Ellie! |
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| Ellie and her mask |
The schoolyard where we walk Ellie in the afternoons often has at least one of these discarded on the ground. Ellie will pick it up and carry it around in her mouth as if it were some small animal she had just flushed out of a bush. If she drops it, she hurriedly picks it back up as if I might rush to grab it. She will carry that mask the whole time we are at the school or until she starts tearing and chewing at it. Then I have to take it away from her. While we find fewer and fewer of the masks these days, she found one Saturday.
At one point, I noticed she had stopped just carrying it and was tearing at it with her teeth and claws. I told her to stop, and she did, and then I called her to me. She trotted over like the good girl she is. I was surprised to see she had left her mask behind, but often she tires of playing with them.
The next morning, I noticed she seemed just a little "off." She ate her breakfast well, we took a walk outside and she did all the things a dog needs to do. We went to church, and when we returned, she still seemed off. As the afternoon progressed, she just appeared uncomfortable to me. After being a nurse for 46 years, I can pretty much tell when someone isn't comfortable, even if it is a canine. I prayed often and fervently for my little puppy. (I know she is an adult dog now, but she will always be my "puppy".)
We have a small group meeting in our house on Sunday afternoons and weekends I noticed Ellie was not there. Ellie is a very sociable dog. She likes to be in the middle of the action, usually sitting on someone's lap if she can get away with it.
I found Ellie sitting in her bed in front of the window in the back bedroom. I did a quick nurse's assessment of her. Her color was good, and her heart rate was fine. Respirations were normal, tummy was not distended or tight. Then it caught my eye.
Lying on the floor near her bed was a wad of blue...something. As I looked closer, I realized it was a blue surgical mask. I picked it up to spread it out, and from the odor, it was obvious it had been in contact with gastric fluid. I watched Ellie carefully for the rest of the night, but she was "right as rain."
Yesterday and today, she shows no signs of distress from trying to digest a surgical mask. Of course, it is obvious she will not be allowed to play with one again.
As long as I can remember, I have always liked rainy days. In fact, it was a rainy day when we went to the hospital in labor with our first baby. I remember telling Glen I was glad it was rainy because I liked rainy days.
As I sit here, watching the raindrops falling from the oak trees, making concentric circles in the puddle our sidewalk has become, I find an inexplicable sense of pleasure. For one thing, I won't have to water the flowers today.
But there is a price to pay for enjoying the rain. For one thing, we didn't get to take a long walk this morning. And the schoolyard will be too wet and soggy for Ellie to sniff around there today. In a couple hours, her internal clock will tell her it is time to go for her favorite activity of the day. I'm afraid she won't understand why we aren't going. She will give me a mournful look with those beautiful caramel-colored eyes, and I will not be able to make her happy. This disappoints her, and it hurts me.
That's the way it seems to be sometimes, isn't it? For one person to have something they want, someone else will be disappointed. Looking back at my life, I am amazed at how many things that seemed disappointments at first turned out to be something totally different.
As a high school senior, I decided to go away to college and study journalism. A family member discouraged me from this choice, and I decided not only to stay in our hometown but to change my course of study. I never thought of becoming a nurse, but the thought popped into my head and seemed like a good idea. That brief blip of thought led to an excellent 46-year-long career. One might ask, from "whence cometh" that thought? I know the Lord was leading my thoughts that day. God knew he needed me to be in Mobile to meet a particular, handsome young man. He knew He intended us to marry, have children, and minister to others together. It was a quick decision, without much thought involved, and I have thanked the Lord for it more times than I can count. What seemed like a big disappointment at first turned into the greatest blessing of my life.
I am sure, just like I will feel toward Ellie this afternoon when I have to disappoint her, that the Lord hurts when He has to disappoint us in our hopes and dreams. But He knows He has something better, something greater for us. It is up to us to believe the Scriptures, "But as for God, His way is perfect" (2 Samuel 22:31.)
This Christian life we lead is a walk of faith, not sight. We can't see the path ahead of us, but we can trust our way to the one who IS "the Way, the Truth and the Life," (John 14:6.)
These thoughts bring to mind the lyrics from one of my favorite hymns, "Day By Day."
Day By Day
By Linda Sandell
I was thinking about this photo yesterday. We were driving home from walking Ellie in the schoolyard, facing the almost full moon in the eastern sky. It was about the same time of day and in the exact same location as when I took this photo.
This photo really surprised me. I thought I was taking a picture of the moon, and I was, but when I got home and looked at the photo on my computer, I noticed for the first time the dragonfly I had also captured. It made this photo even more special to me.
It just goes to show that often, when the Lord gives us something, He often gives us something so much more. This is always true, because He is always giving us Himself.
We all like to belong...to something, someone, some idea.
But if we have trusted in the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we belong to Him.
"I am thine..." Psalm 119:94
No truer words could be spoken. Indeed, we were "bought with a price".
"For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." I Corinthians 6:20.
Glen and I were discussing this concept yesterday. In fact, he had just given a message about it, and I told him I was going to "steal" his idea. That is because it reminds me of two different instances with our youngest granddaughter, Evelyn.
When Evelyn was in Kindergarten, they were going to celebrate "Grandparent's Day". We had been to this celebration when her brother was in Kindergarten, and we were looking forward to having a similar experience with Evelyn.
Now, Evelyn had never been effusively affectionate to us, but she is a shy girl. Being a shy girl myself, I knew not to push her. But nothing could have prepared me for the response we received when we walked into her classroom.
When we arrived, and sat by Evelyn at her seat, she never spoke a word to us. She wouldn't even look at us. She turned her head away when we tried to engage her. Our feelings were hurt, and frankly, we were embarrassed. There were many grandparents there interacting with their grandchildren in happy, loving ways. We were the only ones being shunned by our grandchild.
Almost a year passed, and we were at Evelyn's house. We were going to sit with her and her brother while her parents attended a church event. I was going over Evelyn's schoolwork with her while Glen talked to our son Noah nearby.
Evelyn pulled a paper out of her bookbag and said, "This is about grandparent's day. But my grandparents can't come because they live too far away."
It was this statement that made me realize that Evelyn knew her maternal grandparents, which she called "Grandpa" and "Grandma" as grandparents. Glen and I, whom she called "Granddaddy" and "Grannie Frannie" (I didn't pick it out, but I guess it was inevitable I would be called that), she did not think were grandparents because we were called something different.
I asked her, referring to Glen, "Evelyn, did you see that man talking to your father?"
She nodded her head.
"Well," I said, "that man is your father's father. And I am your father's mother."
Her eyes opened wide. Immediately, she made the connection I was hoping for.
"Then you are my grandparents!" she exclaimed.
"Yes, we are!" I laughed.
"Then I want you to come to Grandparent's Day!"
I assured her we would be there.
Evelyn thought because we were not "Grandpa" and "Grandma," that we were just some kind people who were with her family a lot and gave her presents on birthdays and holidays. Imagine her disappointment on Kindergarten Grandparent's Day when she was expecting her "Grandpa" and "Grandma," and these two interlopers appeared instead!
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| Grandparent's Day |
When we realize that we belong to the Lord, that we are bonafide sons and daughters, our attitudes should change as well.
We belong to Him.
We were bought with the precious blood of His Son and we now are His children as well.
This realization should change us as much, or even more than Evelyn's realization changed her. We are children of the Living God and loved more than we can ever even begin to imagine. Let us embrace that truth and live in it as fully as we can in this life. God loves us and has made us His children.
"According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved."
Ephesians 1: 4-6
During the day, she comes to me with one of her stuffed animals in her mouth. I know what she wants. She wants me to play tug-of-war with her for a bit and then chase her down the hall to the den. I will chase her around the chairs a couple of times, and then another round of tug-of-war will ensue.
After a little bit, I will tell her to drop the toy, and she promptly does. Then I throw it on the couch, or in a chair, or across the room. She will retrieve it and the process starts over. Ellie loves this game, and I enjoy playing it with her. Sometimes, however, she waits until I am in the middle of something to bring me the toy. It is hard for me to tell her to wait, and I know she doesn't like it either.
In the late afternoon, Ellie starts hanging around me more. She knows this is the usual time we head to a nearby school so she can walk around the schoolyard. She loves that activity. I know it is good for her to have time to smell as much as she wants, so I love it, too.
I love how when Ellie wants something, she comes and sits in front of me with those beautiful caramel-covered eyes unwavering in their attempt to gain my attention. If I take too long to pay attention to her, she will gently touch my leg with her paw. If I ignore that, she becomes a little more insistent. Usually, during the day, I love this. But at night, after dinner, I am often in a quandary to know exactly what she wants. Well, of course, she always wants more food. But if I fed her as much as she wanted, I would have to roll her around the neighborhood instead of walking her!
One activity that Ellie does not want to see me preparing for is her bath. I usually have to carry her into the bathroom. Once in the tub, she cooperates with everything I need to do, but she clearly doesn't like it. As soon as I have finished and give her the "OK", she is off in a flash. She also pouts for a while, but by evening, she has forgiven me.
Ellie is a source of sweetness and love to everyone who knows her—well, except that one neighbor she always barks at when she walks around the block. But everyone loves Ellie, and she deserves it!
