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Mums

I could not resist buying these beautiful mums. I can't wait for the blooms to open, especially on the multicolor mum.

Photo Spot

I still love our stone walkway. It is one of the best improvements we made to the house.

Cooper and Otis like it too.

Happy Birthday Cooper !

Cooper has been with us for 4 years. He is now 11 years old. Cooper is an amazing dog who continues to  flourish in our home. Our diamond in the rough has turned out to be a true gem.

This is what Cooper looked like when we adopted him. Cooper's skin is now pink and his coat is soft and silky. The dog that did not want affection has disappeared. Cooper will often spend work days in our home office with me. When Coop wants to get petted, he will thump his tail, until you go to him.

Cooper has taught me patience. He reminds me that trust is fragile and cannot be rushed.  Cooper still has his moments of craziness. However, we now take his exuberance in stride. We no longer wonder if  a dog who survived a lifetime of abuse can shed his fear and be happy.  Coop is secure in the love of our pack. His sparkling eyes and wagging tail announce, "Life is good".

Wilton Jewelers

It is rare to find a business that I love and would recommend without hesitancy. Wilton Jewelers is a shop that I am thrilled with.

I have been to Wilton Jewelers several times over the last few months. Howard, the store owner, is a very nice and trust worthy person.

I have been amazed by the high quality work that Wilton Jewelers has performed. A mangled platinum band was restored to near perfection. A chipped diamond was cut and polished making this tired stone sparkle again, while losing very little of the carat weight. Earrings which had lost accent pearls were repaired and look beautiful.

Wilton Jewelers has a wonderful selection of jewelry. The display cases sparkle with diamonds, sapphires, emeralds and rubies.  If you ever need a reliable jeweler, I would suggest speaking with Howard at Wilton Jewelers.

King Crab

Stew Leonard's is running a tremendous sale on King Crab Legs. I love crab legs, but rarely buy this expensive treat, especially since Jeff does not eat seafood.

I left the store with 6 large legs. It turned out that this was too much crab for dinner for one. I ended up having crab salad for lunch the next day.

Both dinner and lunch were fantastic. The crab was sweet and juicy.  I do have to say that the Costco crab legs tend to be larger. However, their cost is much higher.

Photo by: Northwest Seafood

Chillin' Out

The dogs enjoying the new deck.

New Heating System

The heating system has been replaced. We were told that this high efficiency system should reduce our oil and electric consumption. I hope that is true.

The hot water tank is much smaller than the original one. Supposedly, the system heats water so quickly, that a bigger tank is not needed. The smaller tank is also more energy efficient.

The install took one day. Two plumbers arrived at 7:30 am and an electrician arrived at 1:00 pm. Cold water was available during the installation, which made being in the house much easier.

When the heat was turned on to test the system, Coop, Otis and I began to roast. Extra heat on a 90 degree day is a too much!