The Sign Says Come In We're Open

People had been calling Grandma B wanting to know if Marleewood would soon be open. Two (2) families wanted to use the Community Room for a birthday party. Grandma B called the other Grandmas and Aunt Nat to see if they would be available tomorrow to help set up the tables and decorations. Aunt Nat said that she would be glad to open up the Photography Studio for the party.

Everything was all set up. 

Like always, Marlee's friends and family pulled together and got everything ready for Grayson and Kaysyn and their families.

What are some of the fun things that happen at a birthday party? Let's see, people that we love come to help celebrate if they can. Sometimes we get a cake or a pie or something that we love to eat on special occasions. Sometimes we get a present or two (2) for our birthdays if your family can afford to buy you something. Some people can't afford to buy presents so they give you big hugs and sometimes cook you something special for your supper. Do you know why birthdays are celebrated? Because everyone is so very happy that you had entered their lives the day that you were born. They loved you when you were a baby and they love you still.
Oh, and sometimes they sing Happy Birthday to you. Do you remember the words? Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday dear Grayson and Kaysyn for today's party. Happy birthday to you. Usually when people hear that song they smile because it brings to mind happy memories and don't forget pictures! Pictures that you can look at even years and years later.

This month Kaysyn was one (1) year old on her birthday. She got birthday cake all over her face didn't she? Her mama and daddy and some friends helped her celebrate. She did get some presents too. Isn't she a lucky little girl? Aunt Nat did such a good job of taking pictures, didn't she?
Grayson had his family and friends there for his birthday party too. What fun he had. His friend, Tate, was there as well as his family. His birthday cake had a fun center candle that when it was lit it started to get big and spun around. Everyone laughed and sang him Happy Birthday too. He also was lucky and got some gifts. His family likes to take him out to a cafe to eat sometimes. A couple of years ago they took him to a Mexican restaurant and he got to wear a fun hat. He had so much fun. He is so lucky that there are pictures for him to look at when he wants to, isn't he?
Thanks for coming to the birthday party today. See you again next month for either a birthday party or a Valentines Day Party.

Whitlee Jo

Once all of the roads were cleared and people could come to town they also started dropping by Marleewood to see if it was open yet. Marlee and her Grandma B had decided to take a few days off. The sign on the door said CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. People were not happy about that at all. They knew that the Holiday Shop was closed until closer to Valentines Day. They also knew that the Photography Studio was also closed for awhile, but they wanted to meet with their friends and have snacks. They loved the Community Room and do crafts and have fun. Well, they were not a bit happy. They went to the local cafe and complained. They also talked about it at the local grocery store. Everybody wondered why Marleewood was closed.

I have the inside scoop, folks. Marlee's mama had gone to the hospital to get a new baby sister for Marlee.
This is how the story goes.
One day after Marlee and Grandma B and Stashia all got home from Mrs. Liz's house, Marlee and Grandma B were making doughnuts. Marlee loved her snuggly new housecoat, so of course, she wore it while she was helping.
Marlee was happy to make something new because she needed new recipes for her One More Bite Cooking School. She hadn't taught lately because of the holidays.
After a little while Marlee's daddy came in, helped himself to a doughnut and a cup of coffee. He said, "Marlee, how would you like to go see your new baby sister?" At that time Marlee was neither here nor there about a baby sister, but she loved to go places with her daddy so she got herself ready and away they went to the hospital. It sure seemed to Marlee that it was an awfully long walk to see her sister, but she held her daddy's hand and they walked and walked and walked.

Well, they finally got to where her daddy said that her mama and baby sister were. She crawled up on her mama's lap. She looked down into that little tiny bed and Marlee thought, "Well, this isn't anybody I can play with. I remember you guys telling me I was going to be a big sister and have a best friend.  There is no way I can play dolls and make up with her like I do Emma."
Marlee's parents could see Marlee was not quite sold on her tiny little sister yet, so they had Marlee hold her on her lap along with her mama. She also got a teddy bear with Big Sister on it and a cookie.
Grandma B and Marlee's other grandmother(Lollie) came to visit too. This new baby is Grandma B's and Lollie's and her Papa's granddaughter too.

Whitlee Jo
and Papa

 Never fear, Marlee, it was worth the long walk. You will soon have a best friend for life.

Marlee, "B", and Whitlee Jo

Whitlee Jo
January 16, 2019
8 lbs. 1 oz.
21" long

Marleewood will soon be open again. Just watch for the sign.

Lollie and Whitlee Jo

Stashia's Rescue

With Addison's help all of the dogs in Stashia's location had been alerted when Stashia had pushed against her collar in what she called a cave. What she was actually in, was the snow fort that Mrs. Liz's children had made while they were having a blizzard party.
What the C.C.C. did not realize was that the local cafe was not only serving breakfast to the linemen and Sawyer's grandpa, but their conversation was all about Marlee and her friends being snowed in at Mrs. Liz's farm. They had gotten directions to the farm and had started to plow out the roads as fast as they could. People cannot travel like dogs can. Dogs can cut across the fields if they aren't too bad. They also did not have the tracking alert system that our rescue dogs did. The dogs knew exactly where Stashia was. She was in the snow fort at Mrs. Liz's farm. Chase, Mrs. Liz's big dog also had a button on his collar. Buddy, of course, knew that, so Buddy stopped running. He sat down on that cold snow and pushed the button for Chase with his  front paw against his collar. Chase's button told him exactly where Stashia was. He got Bella and took her hand and pulled her towards the door. Oh it was so cold and snowing like crazy, but he knew that he needed Bella's help. Bella knew that Chase was not fooling around. She got her hat, coat and mittens on and out they went. Some of the children followed as well as some of the grandmas. They were curious as to what Chase wanted.

Buddy was a smart dog and signaled for his friends to gather around. He told them that Stashia was at Mrs. Liz's farm and that Chase had gotten the alert and she would be inside soon. It was just in a night's work for the Rescue Team. They nuzzled each other a bit and headed straight home before they too would have to be rescued.
Marlee's daddy had stopped at the cafe and had heard that the roads were being cleared out by Mrs. Liz's farm so he headed out that way. By the time he got there the linemen were working on the electricity, Sawyer's grandpa had gotten there, and even some shoveling had been done. Marlee's daddy scooped her up and made sure that Stashia was taken back to Grandma B's Mini Farm.

When you do something to help someone else you just feel so good not only about your ability to help, but a relief that your friend or neighbor is safe and sound.
Stashia was safe and warm. She probably will go visiting again someday, but I don't think ever ever in a snow storm. Let's hope not. Oh and Marlee, well of course, she and her friends made it safely back home. Marlee loved her best friend so much, but she was never aware that she had been in danger trying to rescue her from the storm.
As for Buddy, well he was warm and comfy and getting ready for a rest, but Stashia was so exhausted that she just flopped right into bed with Marlee for a well deserved nap. They are forever friends, aren't they?
We must always remember our furry friends when it is cold or very hot outside. What do they need? The same as we do, don't they? Food, water, and shelter. Oh oh, I almost forgot, we also need good friends.
Speaking of friends, we will see what is going on at Marleewood soon.
                                       

Stashia Finds A Shelter

Stashia was so cold! She had to keep going though. She had to find Marlee. She was only two (2) years old and so little. The wind was blowing the snow in her eyes, so Stashia bent her head down so that she looked at the ground. Well, the ground was fast disappearing. The tire tracks that had been made a few hours ago were long gone. For just a minute the howling of the wind was so loud that Stashia couldn't hear anything else. Soon she was moving so slowly that she thought for sure that she would never make the trip to Mrs. Liz's farm.
For just a short minute the wind let up just long enough that Stashia caught sight of a huge cave. She had at long last found some shelter out of the storm. She was still cold, but at least she could see. Stashia didn't know it, but she was already on Mrs. Liz's farm. The "cave" that she was in had been made by her children just that day when they were out playing in the snow. If only Stashia knew how very close to Marlee that she was, she wouldn't be so scared.
Suddenly Stashia felt something kind of tickle against her neck.
It probably was her imagination, but she did what dogs do. She jumped and leaned up again the wall of the cave and growled just as loud as she could. She did not realize it, but she had just pushed the little button or tracking device on her collar.
Addison answered the call immediately. She looked at the map and saw that Stashia was close by Buddy's house.  It was actually some of the dogs' night off. Friday nights were good for their humans to have treats on hand so they were looking forward to a cozy warm evening with the folks that they love. In fact, Rox had just had a bath and was relaxing. She could not possibly face the "guys" with a bad hairdo. "Oh well, she sighed, I'll just put a coat on and get that girl back home where she belongs. I know she would do the same for me." She did just that and began her search by following the alert on her collar.

 Zeus was watching television with his guy, and Buddy was laying on the couch. They were all having a wonderful evening.  They knew that it was snowing outside and were very glad they were in the house where it was nice and warm.
Some of the dogs were receiving the "trouble alert." Addison was doing a good job or I should say, she was trying to. She had had a problem with two (2) dogs. They were having an argument for goodness sake's. Yes, even dogs can have disagreements. Kinley and Macie had given Addison some trouble for awhile. Kinley had lost patience with Macie. He told her that she was too small and was being foolish. Oh my, Macie hadn't liked that at all. Addison had put into practice what she had learned at PreSchool and all was well. However, poor Stashia is freezing cold and her little feet were starting to hurt. She needed help and needed help fast.
If only Mrs. Liz and her kids would come outside. Now was the time for her children to play in their snow fort, isn't it? They would be able to help Stashia.
But close your eyes and imagine the sounds that you heard the other day. Didn't you hear a snowmobile? I think help was going to be coming just in time. That snowmobile of Sawyer's grandpa is a long ways away. Let's hope he gets to Mrs. Liz's farm quickly.
In tomorrow's story we will find out how the C.C.C rescue team had also alerted the humans that are on their way.

Addison Stopped An Argument

Addison had learned a lot about playing well with others when she went to pre-school. She had learned how to share, and how to become a friend to some of her classmates. She was old enough to see that people even her age didn't always agree on things. She noticed that at lunch time some people would argue over who got the biggest piece of pizza. There were sometimes disagreements on the playground too. Sometimes the teacher would have to have a talk with them and decide on how best to settle the argument. It seemed like it always worked out. The teachers had such good ideas. Well, she needed to think of a good idea tonight. She really had her hands full with providing a warm home for dogs and cats that needed shelter.
  Kinley and Macie were arguing about who should go out in the snowstorm to help Stashia. Kinley had even gone so far as telling Macie that she was being unreasonable and didn't have time for her foolishness. Oh my goodness!

Addison and Mia

 It took Addison a few minutes to find out why they were disagreeing. Addison discovered that Kinley was trying to protect Macie from being out in the storm. He thought she was just too little and would get lost herself. Macie thought she was always being left behind because of her size. She wanted to be an active part of the C.C.C. because she had been rescued once.

Macie

Addison picked up Macie and loved on her and told her how much she loved her. She suddenly came up with an idea she thought just might work. She asked Macie if she would like to help her with the alert system. Macie just stared at her. She couldn't believe her luck. She was going to get to help with the search for Stashia. Addison had solved the argument and also kept Macie safe. She quickly let Kinley out the door and went back to work.
She was quick like a fox and went back to her desk and alerted the rest of the dogs in Stashia's area. Macie sat on her lap and smiled a cute little dog smile. She was needed.
Buddy went to the door immediately and whined to be let out. He had felt the alert vibration on his collar. He was needed!

Buddy

Buddy

"Oh, I just hate snow. I told Stashia not to go too far away from home, but I had no idea she would go out in a snow storm. Well, I had better get going and find my friend."
Addison had alerted Finn even though he was on the outer region. There could be a chance that Stashia had wandered into his area. He looked out his window but couldn't see a thing. It was a full blown blizzard in his area. His alert was so soft he could hardly feel it. He had to turn this search over to Zeus. So he in turn alerted Zeus. He knew he was closer to Stashia.
When Zeus's alert went off he thought, "Now what am I supposed to do. Good grief, my young human, Lucy, has me all dressed up in this crazy outfit. How can I show my face to the other rescue dogs in this outfit?"

Finn

Zeus

Zeus had no choice. The way the button on his collar was buzzing this was an emergency. He had to go the way he was. There was no fooling around in this kind of weather. Out he went to join the search. He met up with Turbo. Now they were a strong team and would find Stashia for sure.

Turbo

Charlie

There was a hold up, however, that Addison, nor the dogs were aware of. Charlie (the dog in the bottom picture) had a device that could turn off the alert system. He was in a very bad mood and didn't feel sorry for anyone that would be out in this weather. He just felt mean all over. You know why? Because his human was a Weather Lady at HVMO-TV Channel 2. He felt like she could have prevented this storm. It just wasn't right.  He picked it up and was about to push the Off button when his human, Abby, picked up the remote and looked him straight in the eye and said, "Charlie, you know I don't control the weather. All I do is forecast it. Stashia is in trouble, now what are you going to do about it?"
Charlie felt terrible for being so mean. He barked and barked at the door. He wanted to be on his way to join the rescue team and help deliver Stashia back home safe and sound.

Buddy Was Part Of A Canine Call Center

Buddy and Stashia had had lots of fun one day when she had been over to his place. They had become friends.  Stashia had told Buddy about Marlee and some of the trouble that she had gotten into because of her never ending adventures. Buddy felt sorry for her, but his family was pretty grown up and out of trouble.
 They talked about the strict rules that their humans had for them. Stashia said, "I know it, Buddy. When I get back I am definitely going to be in trouble. Grandma B doesn't go for mud and weeds in my fur, but I just have to get out once in awhile." Buddy told her he knew all about it. He said, "When my lady sees me all muddy she is going to make me take a bath and probably put one of those football blankets on me."
As Stashia was leaving he did warn her about going too far away from home. He showed her what he had under his collar. It was a  tiny little button that if he was in trouble all he had to do was roll on the ground or push up against something and it would alert all of the members in the C.C.C (Canine Call Center). It would show his location and dogs close to him would come to help him. Stashia sniffed at his collar and told him that she would like to have one. He immediately went to his special stash, dug one up and nudged it under Stashia's collar. That little button attached itself to her collar so it wouldn't come off.
 Stashia smiled to herself. It was good to have a friend. It was a beautiful day so she and Buddy played for awhile and then she went home to face the music. Sure enough Grandma B was not happy with Stashia. She leaned up against Grandma B to say, "sorry", but knew that she would go visiting again someday.
The C.C.C was well organized. Addison was an important part of this whole Call Center organization. She answered all of the alerts when there was a missing dog in her area. She determined what dogs should be notified if a dog was lost or needed help of any kind.
Stashia had heard talk that her best friend, Marlee and Grandma B and their friends had gotten snowed in at Mrs. Liz's house during the snow storm. She was worried. She knew that sometimes Marlee gets in a pickle during her adventures. Stashia was almost always there when Marlee needed her, but this time Grandma B had made her stay home. She watched out the window as the sky got darker and the snow was coming down hard. The wind was blowing so hard that she could hardly see out her favorite window.


 Stashia started to pace around the house. Her wrinkles were getting deeper and deeper. "I just have to do something. I have to go help Marlee. There has to be a door open so that I can get outdoors." Stashia searched the house from room to room. She finally found that Grandma B hadn't closed the back door all the way. She jumped on it as hard as she could. Out she went into the cold windy night. She had to find Marlee.
It wasn't long before Stashia realized that she was lost. She couldn't see where her house was or where she was going. Stashia was scared for the first time in her life.
What did Stashia forget?

Help Is On The Way!

When they woke up in the morning the house was not cold, just a little chilly. The grandmas were looking through their bags of groceries for something nutritious for the children to eat for breakfast. Marlee loved her breakfast in the mornings. She usually had eggs, pancakes, sausage, or biscuits and gravy, or whatever her mama or grandmas gave her. This morning, however, there was no stove so they figured they would have to make do with sandwiches.
After the children finished eating they wanted to go back outside again and play in the snow. It was still snowing, but again the house was fairly warm because of the fireplace.
Mrs. Liz and the grandmas bundled up the children and out they went. Mrs. Liz needed to check on her animals again. As she was getting her own coat and hat on she saw something outside. "Look, she said to the others, the linemen are on the poles fixing the electricity. Oh, we are so lucky."

Yes they were lucky, but there was a good reason for their luck.  When a bad snow storm comes it just doesn't snow on one farm, does it? It also snowed on the small town where Marleewood is.
The local
cafe' where Marlee and her family sometimes goes for meals was open. Sawyer's grandpa was there having breakfast with some linemen that were on the road fixing the lines for people that didn't have electricity. They were talking about Marlee and her friends being snowed in out at Mrs. Liz's farm. They wanted to know if anyone could help them out with a snowmobile, or snowblowers or something. Immediately, men that were there spoke up and asked for directions to the farm. Help would soon be on the way. Once again small town friends were ready and willing to help their neighbors. Marlee and all of her friends will be back in their nice warm homes, safe and sound. They would have fun stories to tell their families someday, wouldn't they? Mrs. Liz's husband was on his way home too because the main highways had been plowed out.

 Aunt Nat and Natalie had so much to talk about on the way home. Natalie had fallen in love with Marlee and her friends and family. She had serious thoughts of quitting racing. We shall see how that turns out.
We will find out about Baby Whitlee Jo soon, but I think all is well.

Stashia

Buddy

There was something else going on during the snow storm though that no one knew about. Marlee's very best friend was lost. Do you remember who her best friend is? Yes, you are right.  Stashia, Grandma B's wrinkly dog. Well, Marlee's best friend had decided to go on an adventure of her own. She had wandered off one day when it was nice outside and found a new friend of her own. Grandma B wasn't happy with her because she had gotten all dirty. Stashia, however, was a dog and sometimes dogs just need to make "dog friends" and go exploring. Buddy was her new friend. Buddy lived close to Marlee's hometown. He also was an "inside dog." He actually hated snow and thought that it was something very very disgusting. It was cold, and wet. But like I've told you before, dogs in our stories can communicate (talk) to each other and to little folks like Marlee. I think Stashia will be very very happy that she has become Buddy's friend because she was out in a bad snow storm all alone and very lost.