Tom's Cataract Surgery Update /festival photos/ reminder

Tom's cataract surgery was yesterday, and he's having a tough time with it. Turns out, the center of his pupil has a scar on it, as it dried out, and his eyelid pulled off the cells that were trying to develop over it, and heal it. So, this morning we went back to the eye surgeon (regular follow up appt.), and the surgeon gave him a lubricating gel to put in his eye, to keep it moist. He said it's felt like sand or something under his eyelid, and it's painful. His eye is all red from the irritation, and he's been unable to read. - Quite a difference from his other eye experience. Of course, dry eye will cause problems. It should be better tomorrow (we hope)... as he has to go back to work.
- More Photos from Baltimore's Federal Hill Street Beat Festival- (where we went on Sunday) can be seen here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=109548&id=50902848550&l=5cf6474b3c  (we're even in a couple of them).
- REMINDER - Halloween is only 5 weeks away, so start planning now!  - Tom told me "no superheroes this year!" He said he wants me to do something really different. I told him I don't want to be anything other than a superhero. Would you?

A Great Doggy Weekend Out!

This weekend, the weather was perfect, so we took advantage of it with the dogs. Sunshine with temperatures in the mid-70s made for perfect dog walking time, and outdoor adventures.
2 HOUR DOG WALK - On Saturday, we took Dolly the weimararner and Franklin the dachshund on a  walk for almost 2 hours! Close to our home is a walking trail that leads to a park with a pond. It was all once part of the Belair Mansion estate (back in the 1800s). The pond is now separated from the mansion (run by the state as a museum where events are held) from a neighborhood of homes built in the 1960s.  We walked around the neighborhood and to the mansion on the way back.    (PHOTO: Doggy Vendor Banner at the Federal Hill Festival on Sunday)
 GHOST CHILD OF THE BELAIR MANSION - I (Rob) always manage to find ghosts somewhere, and when we had visited the Belair Mansion last year, I sensed the ghost of a little girl running around in what used to be her nursery.
  I told Tom about her, and he insisted that it wasn't the mansion that I sensed the little girl in, so he bet me five dollars!  

  Well, when we went to the mansion with the dogs, and explored the backyard, we found the family cemetery in the back, where the little girl, Anna Ogle, was buried. I sensed her on the grounds (headache started), and Tom lost his bet!  I told him, when it comes to ghosts, don't bet with me! :)
(PHOTO: Steve, Tom and Franklin at the Federal Hill Street Beat Festival on Sunday)

(PHOTOS: We had lunch at Panera Bread and here Franklin is sniffing Rob's coffee, and then Franklin and Dolly are sitting pretty hoping for scraps from the table) .
 

ALAN JACKSON CONCERT! - On Saturday night, we saw Alan Jackson (one of Rob's favorite country music artists) in concert. He was FANTASTIC!  It was a great concert- and Tom enjoyed himself, too. Alan writes a lot of his own songs, and has a nice, reserved personality - very warm and inviting. Tom and I were singing along through much of the concert, too. During the concert, Alan had large screens behind him, showing videos to his songs and showing live footage of him while he sang them. Sometimes, the cameras would take shots of people in the audience singing or dancing. During Alan's hit "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" the camera panned into the audience and caught a larger woman jumping up and down, um, shaking everything like jelly, and Tom and the women sitting next to him all burst out laughing! - New artists Kelly Pickler opened for Alan Jackson, and not only could we not understand her singing over the bass of her band, but she sounded like she was screeching over them.

SUNDAY DOG ADVENTURES! 
Our friend Jeff joined us for our second dog's day out.
Baltimore's Federal Hill Street Beat Festival was in full-swing, so we went up to check it out. Rob helped conceive a "Dog Day" part of it, and worked with his friend Jane (who does the marketing for the neighborhood). Rob gave his ideas to Jane, who worked with a woman named Vanessa- who followed through and organized the event.
 Vanessa works at the Federal Hill sign company and made the "DOGGY VENDORS" Banner using a photo of Dolly as a puppy, with her siblings (Taken 4 years ago at the Weimaraner Rescue that we adopted her from).

Federal Hill Street Beat Festival!

The Federal Hill Street Beat Festival on Sunday in Baltimore was a lot of fun for us, our friend Jeff, and our dogs Franklin (the dachshund) and Dolly (the Weimaraner).
(PHOTO RIGHT: Tom and Franklin, Rob and Dolly take a break in the new doggy vendor area of the Street Beat Festival).

PHOTO: Our friend Jeff (left) stands with Dolly  (the weimaraner) who is telling him that HER photo is on that "Dog Vendors" sign. It's a picture of Dolly and her sisters and brother from when she was a pup at the rescue in Tennessee. The Federal Hill Festival used this picture to advertise the new dog vendor part of the festival. We were so proud! Tom and Franklin stand on the right side of the sign. Notice Franklin smiling  and looking up at the sign!


PHOTO: Dolly (left) and Franklin (right) meet a beagle at the Street Beat Festival's dog area. Look at the beagle's wagging tail. They were happy to meet.  There were a good number of dogs at the festival, too. Dolly and Franklin managed to get a big bag full of treats from daddies Rob and Tom by the time they left. Franklin also got a brand new leash.


PHOTO: Steve (left) and Jane (right) working the festival. They posed here with Dolly (the inspiration for the advertising). Steve was taking photos of people at the festival for Federal Hill's Historically Hip Blog (http://historicallyhipfederalhill.blogspot.com/) Jane works for the entire community, and organized the festival (and all of the others). Federal Hill Main Street, Inc., is a Maryland corporation, is one of the seven nonprofit urban revitalization programs created in Baltimore City in October of 2000. Modeled after the National Main Street program, (created by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1977), Federal Hill Main Street's purpose is to revitalize this urban business community in ways that will meet the needs of the community and support the small businesses while preserving the neighborhood's unique and historic character.

2 Great Charities Needing Immediate HELP!!

  Tom and I (Rob) support many dog-related charities, but when it comes to our friend Fran, who has been an elemetary school teacher for over 30 years in Baltimore City, we try to help out. I've spoken at Fran's school on science topics a number of times.  The abject poverty that the kids attending face when they go home is horrendous. Most are too poor to afford clothing (so Fran uses her salary to buy them necessities), and most live with single parents or grandparents. The school is in a tough part of town, and has little funding, so Fran writes proposals to get grants to get things for her students. Here's one that needs EVERYONE'S help, too:

  1)  Fran's school needs donations for projects at school #98. They desperately need some musical instruments for PreK through 2 grade. Help at: classroom project "Let The Walls Ring ": http://www.d...onorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=312882&utm_source=internal&utm_medium=email&utm_content=project&utm_campaign=TellAFriend
This and all other projects at DonorsChoose.org have been submitted by public school teachers who seek resources that will help their students learn. Contributions are tax-deductible and donors hear back from the classroom they choose to support.

2)  Local Animal Shelter in DESPERATE need of dog beds! The Prince George's County Animal Shelter moved to a larger facility in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, and the economy has forced MANY families to abandon their pets (as stupid and tragic as that is). Kuranda Beds, a local Md. company  builds comfy kennel beds, and provides the ability to DONATE BEDS DIRECTLY (no administrative costs) to the Shelter! Beds are only $52 each (including tax and shipping). Go to www.kurandabeds.com (http://kuranda.com/donate/2645/) click on "Donate a Bed" and Select "Prince George's County Animal Management Group," then from the From the Drop Down Menu, click on "MEDIUM SIZED BED" - The shelter is in DIRE NEED of them.  Thanks!

 

Nap Time!

Tom and I say often that when we come back to Earth the next time, we want to come back as dogs that have the same life our dogs have. :)  In the evenings, we usually spend one hour or so winding down and watch TV (or reading a book) after laundry, dinner, dog walks, etc.  Here are a couple of pictures from Thursday night of the dogs relaxing. Dolly (the Weimaraner) always waits for one of us to get our of a chair so she can get up and curl up to nap.Franklin jumped into Tom's lap while he was sitting in one of the two TV watching chairs, and promptly fell asleep!

Susan Boyle Returns with Amazing Version of "Wild Horses" (old Rolling Stones' song) -

Jeff sent me the link to the video of Susan Boyle's first U.S. performance "Wild Horses." It's apparently an old Rolling Stones song (I don't remember it), but her version choked me (Rob) up! Enjoy!

A Doggone GREAT Mystery!

Rob just finished reading a GREAT mystery called "DOG ON IT" by Spencer Quinn. It's told from the perspective of his Dog, who helps him solve mysteries! EXCELLENT book!

SUMMARY From Publisher's Weekly: Set in the Valley of an unnamed Western state, Quinn's winning debut introduces one smart canine detective and his partner, PI Bernie Little of the Little Detective Agency, who's pretty quick on the uptake himself. Chet, a lively mongrel with one white ear and one black ear, serves as the book's narrator, communicating with Bert via doggy methods that verge on the telepathic (I wagged my tail, that quick one-two wag meaning yes, not the over-the-top one that wags itself and can mean lots of things). Wealthy divorcée Cynthia Chambliss hires Bernie, a former cop, to find her missing 15-year-old daughter, Madison, whose father is a real estate developer who smells suspiciously of cat. (Chet's keen sense of smell comes in handy.) When Madison reappears and disappears again, her dad says she's just a runaway, though Bernie thinks otherwise. Chet must use all his superdog tricks to extricate Bernie from a mighty tight fix in a climax that fans of classic mysteries are sure to appreciate.

My Experience with Dr. Samuel Mudd's Ghost Haunting His House in Md.

Here's the latest adventure in my (Rob) encounters with ghosts and spirits. This one took me awhile to write up, and I've been meaning to post it since this past weekend.  Tom and I took our friend Laureen to the Samuel Mudd House on September 6, 2009 when she was visiting us from New Hampshire. - Rob

PHOTO: Laureen, Tom, Rob

   Samuel A. Mudd was a Maryland physician who was accused and imprisoned for conspiring with and helping John Wilkes Booth in the assassination of President of the 16th U.S. President, Abraham Lincoln. Booth killed Lincoln at Ford's Theatre on April 14, 1865 by firing a bullet into the back of Lincoln's head. Booth, an actor and southern sympathizer, broke his left leg while fleeing the theatre. Booth met David Herold after the assassination and they fled together through southern Maryland enroute to their destination in Virginia. They stopped at Mudd's house around 4 a.m. ET on April 15 where a reluctant Dr. Mudd set, splinted and bandaged Booth's broken leg. Further, Mudd arranged for John Best, a local carpenter, to make crutches for Booth.

PHOTO: Front side of the Dr. Samuel Mudd House, Waldorf, Maryland. 

   Henry Lowe Mudd, gave his Samuel 218 acres of farmland as a wedding present, where he built a new house for Samuel.

  Dr. Mudd's house still stands today as a museum at 3725 Dr. Samuel Mudd Road, Waldorf, Maryland 20601. Property consists of the House Museum, Gift Shop, Kitchen, Exhibit Building and some outbuildings located on 10 acres. Tours are given and there are some stories of paranormal activity.

  Tom and I took our friend Laureen to the Samuel Mudd House on September 6, 2009. The previous week, we had seen an episode of the Sci Fi Channel "Ghost Hunters" that featured their work in the Samuel Mudd House. During their investigation, they picked up an EVP, or electronic voice phenomena of a man's voice saying "I am innocent." Obviously, this was Dr. Mudd letting the Ghost Hunters know that he was not a co-conspirator with John Wilkes Booth in President Lincoln's assassination. The other incredible piece of evidence the Ghost Hunters found was the shape of a hooded figure crossing in front of them on their infrared camera while they were walking around outside of one side of the Mudd House!

   On September 6, when Tom, Laureen and I pulled into the driveway of the Mudd House, I instantly developed a headache. That told me there were ghosts around, and they were also outside (just as the Ghost Hunters confirmed in their investigation). I didn't sense any specific ghosts outside, so we went inside and took the tour. Our guide was an older woman named Georgiana. She was extremely knowledgeable of the history of the Mudd family and all of the artifacts in the house, and she had a good sense of humor. She would also confirm some paranormal happenings.

   The tour began on the first floor of the house. We walked in the front door which opened to a small hallway. The first door on the left went into the front parlor, but we walked past that and entered the second (and last) room on the left, the dining room. Tom, Laureen and I stood at the far wall of the dining room and my back was against the wall. No one was behind me.

    Meanwhile, Georgiana, our tour guide, stood in the parlor and explained that Booth came to Mudd's house at 4 a.m. on that fateful morning in a disguise, and gave a different name, explaining that he fell off his horse and broke his leg. The doctor brought him into the front parlor and set him on a couch under the front windows, where Mudd set Booth's leg.

   During Georgiana's talk I whispered to the entity that I was sensing "I know you're here, please give me a sign." Moments later, I felt two fingers tap my right shoulder! I turned and looked behind me and there was a bare wall, about four inches from my back. No one was behind me. I sensed that there was a male presence there with me, and the ghost had confirmed it through tapping me. I felt it was Dr. Mudd himself. I then asked the ghost to do it again to make sure I actually felt what I did. I waited for the confirmation, but it didn't take long.

  The tour guide then brought us upstairs, through a small hallway that connected to two bedrooms, the doctor's office and a door to the attic. We entered the front bedroom and learned Booth recovered in that room. I didn't feel anything there. We then moved into the hallway and I leaned against the banister that faced open air over the stairway that we climbed to the second floor. It was there that I received the second sign by way of a tap once in the middle of my back!

  The confirmation of tactile experiences in the house came immediately. When Georgiana took us into the second bedroom she asked "Has anyone been touched on the hand, here?" I told her about being touched on the shoulder on the first floor, and again being touched in the center of my back in the hallway. She said it has occurred numerous times in the house. In fact, she said that in that hallway where I was tapped, another tour guide was explaining about the house when the nearby door to the attic swung open and the guide felt a burst of cold air sweep past him. It was obviously a ghost, between the action of opening door and the cold air (ghosts draw heat and energy out of the atmosphere to manifest themselves).

PHOTO: Outside of Dr. Mudd's office where I was touched again, this time on the elbow. 

The last room upstairs that we entered was the small doctor's office. I took five steps inside the office and was at the doctor's desk next to a window facing the back of the house. There, I was touched on the elbow! When I walked back into the hallway, Georgiana asked me if I was touched again, and I told her I was touched on the elbow!

  We then exited the house and walked around the backyard, where Dr. Mudd's tombstone was located in a small wooden shed. However, I didn't sense any ghosts in the backyard, nor did I receive any further touches before we departed.

Have Something to Look Forward to: Comic Books and Ghost Whisperer

I always look forward to comic book day on Wednesdays  to get me through the week. I think that we all need something to look forward to mid-week, whether its going out to dinner on Wednesdays, or getting comic books. :)
COMICS AND SUPERHEROES- I still collect them, and they're written for adults. (there are separate ones for kids). It lLooks like another awesome week - with Blackest Night #3!! - Cap #3, Batman and Robin #4 and Batgirl #2 look great.   There's a new comic book coming out this week from Darkhorse comics called  "Beasts of Burden" - and the premise is dogs with intelligence solving spooky mysteries. Sounds right up my alley.  Speaking of, our dogs, Dolly and Franklin are all healthy again.   
GHOST WHISPERER - We got into the habit now of watching GHOST Whisperer reruns on the ION network at 8pm EDT Mon, Tues and Wednesday. LOVE that show (can't you tell?) 

Home Needed for Lilly- a sweet Blue Tick Hound

Our friends Sarah and Denis have 5 dogs, but they took one more in as a Foster dog- and are seeking a loving home for the dog!  I met the dog, Lilly, on Sunday, and she's extremely gentle, and about the size of Dolly (60 lbs), A mid-sized Dog. She's friendly, passive and sweet. If you know someone who would like to ADOPT her, please contact Sarah at the email below. Thanks, Rob

HELLO!  My name is LILLY and I hope that YOU would like for ME to come and take care of YOU! Even though I am only three years old, I am very, very good at loving and giving lots and lots of affection. I will teach you how to get the BEST ear rubbing ever. I'm very good at helping around the house too. I will follow you everywhere and keep you company. If you are chilly, I will sit next to you and lay my head in your lap for warmth. You'll get nothing but compliments on your cooking because I truly enjoy my meals. Shopping for fun girly things is one of my favorite things to do...or we could just go for walks. Meeting people is another especially fun thing I like to do I hope that you have a car...because there is nothing like going for a ride and letting the wind flap my soft, adorable ears. So if you are looking for someone to love you...love you and love you even more...I am your girl. Oh, just one other little minor detail. I am blind (or very farsighted)...but if YOU don't mind...I surely don't. I am very, very smart and I will learn my way around your house and fenced yard very quickly. If you help me learn your stairs, I will remember them and pretty quickly I'll be able to go up and down them all on my own. Children adore me and I love children too. Maybe you have another puppy dog in your family that will be my friend and like to play with me. I have the best time playing. Well, I guess that about says it all. I hope that YOU need ME to take care of you and love you. If you will be my eyes, I will be your heart!

For more information, please contact Sarah Noone Scheele at snscheele@verizon.net

Joke of the Week: Think Twice Before Making a Hard-Sell

Here's a great joke from Mom F. in Maine. She has the best ones ever!:
A little old lady answered a knock on the door one day, only to be
confronted by a well-dressed young man carrying a vacuum cleaner. 'Good
morning,' said the young man. 'If I could take a couple of minutes of your time,
I would like to demonstrate the very latest in high-powered vacuum cleaners.'
'Go away!' said the old lady. 'I'm broke and haven't got any money!' and she
proceeded to close the door. Quick as a flash, the young man wedged his foot in
the door and pushed it wide open.
'Don't be too hasty!' he said..'Not until you have at least seen my demonstration.' And with that, he emptied a bucket of horse manure onto her hallway carpet. 'If this vacuum cleaner does not remove all traces of this horse manure from your carpet, Madam, I will personally eat the remainder.'
The old lady stepped back and said, 'Well let me get you a fork, 'cause they cut off my electricity this morning.'

Annapolis Sightseeing Cruise -" EGGCELENCE" in Annapolis

Our friend Jeff's mom and dad are visiting this week from Maine, and we got together with them this afternoon for a great lunch at "EGGCELENCE" in Annapolis, Md. It's a really nice restaurant, with a friendly and great waitstaff and management, and OUTSTANDING food! http://www.eggcellencebrunchery.com/. Tom's mom met us there, too (his step dad was on travel), so we had a nice group for lunch. We highly recommend the restaurant!

After lunch, we drove to downtown Annapolis and took a 40 minute cruise of the Severn River listening to a narrated tour on the Harbor Queen.

The day was overcast and around 70F with a good breeze, especially on the open water. This is a picture Rob took of the Severn River looking to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.

This is our group! Front L to R: Tom and Rob/ Back L to R: Jeff, his Dad and his Mom.
It was a really enjoyable cruise and just long enough with some interesting tidbits of info about Annapolis, the Naval Academy (there in downtown Annapolis) and the Chesapeake Bay.

This is a nice profile pic of Jeff that we took on the boat.

The Naval Academy midshipmen practice sailing and other things on the bay. They were out practicing their sailing skills when our tour boat cruised past them.