Papa Stephen

I had to wake Rick up this morning. He is usually gone by 7:00. There was no sign of activity over there. He had finally gotten some pain killers and had a good night's sleep but too long. He has been doing well at work-they have already moved him from hourly to commission and he has earned $436.00. Prudy and Gary came over to walk his dogs yesterday. They are Mormons but Prudy has had recent knee surgery and is sympathetic to the pain-killer deal. And I guess if such a pillar of rectitude as Rush Limbaugh can't quit them they exert a strong pull. I stick with it though: a junkie is a junkie. As Prudy said, we need to get Rick beyond this first paycheck. To that end I had some good beef stew and buttered bread in tupperware for him when he got home late last night.

I have a BIG slow cooker and made six quarts of stew yesterday and moved most of it. New neighbors from Quebec (but English speakers): I tried to get cute and borrow a bowl, thinking to fill it up. She offered not much of a bowl so I broke out the tupperware for them. Doc Rosenberg stopped by with a fruitcake Jan made-soaked in Amaretto and "no yucky green things," very tasty. I was able to reciprocate swiftly with beef stew. It was above average stew-not my best but nothing to be embarrassed about either.

That Honey takes her work very seriously. After she pulled up her second stake I tethered her to the water post-concrete. I went out last evening to find the tether with her hardened steel collar at the end and both dogs gone. I summoned her with the training collar and they both came-they had obviously been having a ball. Time to come in and go to bed. I am trying to fix her collar this morning but it is probably time for a new one.