Wins and Losses…

Please don’t panic, but when I got to the lobby yesterday there was no sign of either of the puppies! I spent hours wandering through the archive sections,

and also, both my office and the Father’s counseling chambers, but to no avail. The little fluff balls weren’t anywhere within the lobby, leaving me feeling rather disheartened.

However, in the midst of my disappointment came several unexpected things, one of which is somebody’s puppy that must have been left here from Christmas Morning. Poor darling!

She’s missing her collar so I’m not sure of her name, nor do I fully remember exactly who came that morning. Perhaps, someone wasn’t prepared for taking a puppy home with them, and were afraid I might be disappointed if they rejected my gift. I get it! No offense taken, my friends. Whoever left her behind, was good enough to leave her in the lobby, where she would be safe and can be re-homed. If anyone is looking for a new baby to add into their family, I think she’s a Corgi mix of some sort. She is very affectionate and sweet natured from what I can see. She hasn’t stopped giving me kisses since I found her, poor thing… she must have been so lonely, and probably a good bit frightened. Quite honestly, I’m shocked and rather embarrassed that I didn’t even know she’d been wandering around in the lobby all this time! Now that I think about it, the puppies did seem to be eating a great deal more puppy kibble than is normal for such little things.

Anyway, if you hadn’t noticed it yet, the other discovery I made while searching for the puppies was my purpose! Do you know why it’s felt so important that I locate each and every one of the creatures lost to me? Within each one of those that are not visible to me at the moment, there’s a bit of me… things that I see in each of them that help me make sense of myself.

Somewhere while I was searching through the lobby for the puppies, God showed me that even without physically seeing those that are missing, the real me was still there in the room with Him. The things I write, the creations I invent are merely that… things, as adorable as they are! I am definitely learning more and more each day about the depths of my own heart… and how far God is willing to go, on my behalf. Maybe taking you with me, as I go in search of recovering these parts of what was lost to me (metaphorically speaking), there will be lessons to learn about His nature, which flows through my veins…

I believe!

***Go back and look at the picture of the woman with the puppy, for a moment. Look closely at the woman’s facial features and you will see the real me, or the AI version Avatar creation. It looks as if it’s an actual picture of me laying on the floor of a library with a dog. I gave my AI several actual photographs of my mother, myself, and two of my three daughters. This is the first time that I truly realized how much I look like my mother, as well as my girls! While you might not notice them, I can see exactly where my features are blended with my mother’s, and it’s amazing! If I’m being fully honest with you, it made me a bit emotional when I first saw the image.***

In search of the Barnyard…

I’ve been searching for the babes for days, it seems. While out searching in the woods last night, you’ll never guess who I found? The tiny mouse was cold, wet, and quite frightened when I got to her, poor darling. As there is no barn to take her back to, at least until it can be rebuilt, she’s sleeping soundly within one of my bags, here in my room.

I’ve been in a bit of panic over the last several days of searching for my lost ones, so finding our sweet Tilly fills me with hope for finding the others soon. While I realize that Brutus is a full grown dragon and can handle himself, Dinky will be terrified… and you know how Boomer get’s when his sister is scared, so he’ll probably be just as scared. I’ve plans to seek out Lilly’s family to see if she went back home, once she couldn’t find the barn. I haven’t heard anything from Pinion Valley, so I don’t even know if Squagon is still there or not!

Now you probably understand why I had to send my mini-me off in search of Eustace… I’m spread pretty thin, here!

I’m going to wrap this up, so I can head to the Lobby, in hopes of finding any clues about Bailey and Gabriel’s whereabouts… maybe we’ll get lucky and find them hiding in there somewhere. You know puppies like to hide in odd places, like behind furniture or underneath blankets, beds, or clothes left on the floor.

I won’t rest, you know… not until I have recovered those lost to me, down to the very last one, and not before!

Puppy Sorter…

Daily writing prompt
What’s your dream job?

I’m just sayin, if there were ever a giant puppy factory… I want the job of puppy sorter!

I would love to spend my entire day, simply playing with puppies to determine what homes they should go to. All those chubby little things with their adorable puppy breathe… talk about fun! I wouldn’t even require much monetary compensation (though I do expect fair wages), and the overtime wouldn’t even be an issue. Actually, it would be a great deal of fun to bring my work home with me! Though, I’ll admit that I might mistakenly keep a few stashed under my bed when I return to work the next day. One of the hazards of the job, I suppose…

Don’t forget your cookie…

I picked them out just for you!

Who Knew?

Hey guys, it’s me Gabe…

Bailey and I thought it would be fun to play dress-up while mom’s out shopping this morning. Everything was fine til we got to the goat. Who knew that a goat would look so ridiculous in coveralls?

Oh well, at least we look cute! And that was really what our goal was, any how. Why was looking cute such an important goal for us? I’ll tell you why, my friends.

When mom goes to the store, she gets food. When she gets that food, she then brings that food back to the barn. Our cuteness factor has two purposes:

  1. One distracts with cuteness while the other pilfers the shopping bag and makes off with the treats.
  2. Cuteness often produces goodies without even having to employ puppy ninja tactics.

Who knows, we might even get bonus goodies for making her laugh about the goat’s coverall catastrophe.

One can dream…

Monday Message…

We finally got to sleep in, with mom’s back hurting and keeping us up and all.  She actually slept all night long… and barely even moved!  I, being the older puppy (even if it was only by 12 minutes), felt some concern at first.  I insisted that Bailey lick the inside of mom’s ear just to see if she would move.  She did, but only to swat at her ear, nearly missing Bailey’s backside as she did so…

No worries… my sister slid down onto the pillow safely.  But, you have to admit that it would be pretty funny if mom’s hand made contact with Bailey’s bootie at just the right time, flinging her onto dad’s head.  On second thought, maybe not…

It’s really nice here, and we might both get kicked out of the bed… guilty by association, dad would say. 

Anyways, as I, Gabriel, seem to be the only one concerned about  sending you your Monday message (well, the only one awake), have taken the time to make breakfast for everybody. 

Help yourselves and enjoy the goodies.  I think I’m gonna snuggle back down with mom and sis for a bit…

Have a wonderful Monday!

Laughs from the past (U-Pick Pet Adoption Agency)…

This was my answer from two years ago, I think, but it still makes me laugh!  I’ve not made any changes to it, so you’ll have to forgive that.  Enjoy…

You pick out your pet… We help you find it… No more middle man!

Daily writing prompt
Come up with a crazy business idea.

Have you ever dreamt of your favorite pet, but either cannot afford the breeders fee or fear getting something you weren’t prepared to care for? Well not anymore! Here at UPPAA we aim to please any and all who employ our services. 

Other agencies only offer the service of inviting you in to view and adopt a pet with all the cleaning, caring, treating and rehabilitating that someone else did for you… no no no… that is considered false advertising around our offices!

Instead of having you come to the nearest breeder or pet shelter, we here at UPPAA employ only the most qualified representatives to collect you, equip you and then, back you up, while you find the nearest stray animal in your area. Upon locating said adoptee, our representatives will then assess whether or not you desire to, or are capable of continuing on in said venture. From your response comes the next part of the package we offer. Here is where we will simply wait in the car, as you approach and retrieve the pet you have selected. 

Photo by Spora Weddings on Pexels.com

**Stipulations are in place here that you must adhere to, in order for the completion of our services. Not only must it be very clear that these pets do not belong to some one else, but the pet must actually need your assistance. We will not, under an circumstances, be a part of nor participate in the willful theft of the fluffy white puppy living in your neighbors back yard! (this had to be added to our contract for a specific reason)**

Once you’ve selected and retrieved your new pet, following our rules and regulations, we will then deliver you safely home to begin your new life together. There is no need to come back to the office, as you’ve already signed all of the paperwork that enlisted and guaranteed our services, as well as paying all agreed fees, so you’re all good to go!

All of our fees, being quite reasonable, come with a money back guarantee! If, after a full 15 days of care, cleaning, feeding and rehabilitating your chosen pet, you are dissatisfied… we will be happy to come pick you up, return you to the adoption site so that you can put the animal back where you found it. We will also return your fee, minus the fuel. 

Our goal, here at UPPAA, is to ensure that you find just the right pet that you deserve, in the most real way possible, so that you truly appreciate who the animal is, where it came from, and what it might possibly be like from here on out! We are able to keep costs down here, by never having to hear why you didn’t know what you were getting into, or that this pet is nothing like what we advertised! We boast a perfect track record of no rehoming pets returned for the third time.

We have representatives standing by right now, waiting for your call at 1-888-PIC-APET. Our first 10 customers will get a complimentary catch pole.

**We are not responsible for lost or stolen common sense, nor are we obligated to provide first aid, physical assistance nor the picking up of poop… welcome to pet parenthood!**

Monday Messages…

I guess we weren’t supposed to dig here… mamma has a funny look on her face, right now. If she puts us outside for this, would you be so kind as to talk her into letting us back inside? Thanks!

Oh, and don’t work too hard because it’s only Monday, so you have to pace yourselves!

Monday Matters…

Mom is making us sit on these weird matts today. It’s not our fault for peeing and pooing under the big tree in the lobby last night… we didn’t know it would be such a big deal.

Apparently, it is!

Somewhere in the middle…

I think we all feel a bit discombobulated during the days following Christmas, and leading up to the New Years celebrations.

Somewhere in there, we might attempt a few days of ridiculously unproductive work, though many opt to use up their vacation days in an attempt at recovery, of any sort!

Personally, I’m opting to lay low this week, letting the Christmas vibes flow…

2025 will get here when it gets here, so there’s no sense in hurrying, I say.

Enjoy your leftovers, and hopefully a quiet weekend.

Hugs