The Rock Wall

Sunday after church, Kimball called Adrian while we were still in the church yard because cell phone reception is good there. I pulled the car into the shade and just sat back to let them chat. Suddenly the conversation on Kimball’s part took a turn I didn’t like – something about Penny, Adrian’s seven year old miniature Schnauzer. I could tell the news got worse.

When Kimball got off the phone, she told me the story. Friday night Adrian and Cain went to visit some of his relatives in Mississippi. They went to an event and left Penny alone at a relative’s house. Some other relaltives had come to the house and let the little dog escape. Adrian and Cain came back about a half hour later. They started searching the dark streets but when they found her, it was too late.

We have an idea that Adrian didn’t tell us sooner because she couldn’t bear to talk about it.

We called her at noon Monday to see how she was doing. She works at home so she really misses her constant companion.

I called Adrian Tuesday and she told me she was doing better. Said the first day was really rough. And she had been puppy shopping. Cain is allergic to most pets so Adrian looked Tuesday at Aussie-Doodles and Golden-Doodles, designer pooches that weigh about 35 lbs. She will wait for them to design something smaller and maybe less expensive. And, yes, Cain gets to weigh in on this. Penny was his companion when Adrian was on the road.

Adrian told me Tuesday that she named Penny after our big black cat that ran our house for several years. We still miss that cat.

-I did something a little different on my report of the school board meeting. I could only partially hear what the board and superintendent were saying, but my tape recorder was on the head table and caught it all. I took the extra time to transcribe their conversations to let you “hear” what they are thinking. I found it quite interesting. Hope you do.

– Kimball went to Bill and Lynda Bishop’s 50th and Lynda sent some cake home to me. When she asked for a favor this week, I agreed and told her she had used up some of the anniversary cake. She wrote back that there would be more. During their ceremony she said she asked Bill if he wanted to go for another 50. He said he did – 50 days. And if they make that, they will try for 50 more.

They were just two of the many friends, relatives and acquaintances I saw when I went to take photo at the Sac Osage annual meeting. I enjoy events like that seeing everyone. Chatted with my favorite MU professor, Ag Law teacher, Donnie Levi. It was at 7:40 a.m. but I was always there and wide awake. I remember once he said I had the best test paper but not the highest grade. I ran out of time writing in the margins about things that applied to the questions. Ask Donnie when you see him about his attractive nuisance example. No, not the blonde bombshell. The steam shovel bucket with the bail left up.

When I first walked up and started taking photos, Randy Newman was on stage. He started giving me instructions on picture taking. I told him I was hoping to get his good side. Soon I was looking at his hip pockets.

– I almost forgot to tell you about Kimball’s latest venture into the literary world. She told me she had read about faces. She told me I have a resting Bulldog face.

She told me that several times she had been told she has a fierce expression when she relaxes her face. She calls it her resting female Bulldog face, or something like that. KL