Well, I do genealogy, so suffice it to say I have been in my share of cemeteries! We have found, and I know you're going to think this is real strange, that we get "guidance" in finding the graves. Many times we have gone to a cemetery we have never gone to before, we drive around and finally decide to pull over, and wham! The headstones we're looking for are within a few steps! But this story is one I just have to tell: DH's grandfather had a brother who just kind of "disappeared" from records. He was last seen on the Edna, KS census with his wife and daughter, and then the next census year I found Martha, his wife, married to another man. I don't know if he died or if they divorced. I think I found him in Missouri, with a new wife, living next door to one of his married sisters. But I'm not sure. The reason is that his name was James Jones, and there are a lot of people named that. So, I found the probate records of when James and DH's grandfather's father, Tom Jones (eeek! See what I'm working with here?) died. It said that James was deceased and left one heir and that she, Effie Jane, had married a man named James VanAusdal. Through some detective work, I found that James VanAusdal was a druggist, and he ran a drugstore in Welch, OK. Curious to find out what had happened to James Jones, and hoping to find a descendant who could tell me, We went to Welch and found the place where the VanAusdals had had their drug store. We found a local who called his dad, who remembered James and Effie Jane's son, but not them, and didn't know where they were buried or anything. So, we went home with little more than we'd started out with. They did give me the name of the local undertaker, though, so I wrote to him and got a reply saying that the eldest son had been buried in Chetopa, KS. Well, that's just a hop, skip and a jump from Welch, OK, but a little further when you start out from Dewey. So on one Saturday we got in the pick-up and headed for Chetopa. Halfway there it began to get colder and started to rain. Icy rain. We forged ahead. After stopping at a Quick-Trip for directions, we easily found the cemetery, and it had a directory but the VanAusdals were not listed on it. And, modern stones were all mixed up with the old-fashioned ones so we really had no clue where to start. I finally decided to start at the back. DH would NOT get out of the truck! With an umbrella in one hand, I started walking the cemetery. My feet got wet. My jeans legs got wet. I was cold and starting to get tired. I said, out loud, "OK, Effie Jane, if you want me to find you, you better guide me to you cause I'm getting ready to head for the truck!" I turned to walk towards the truck and there, right in front of me, was a huge maroon granite stone with "VanAusdal" engraved on it in big letters! Behind the big stone were several smaller ones all lined up. Effie and her husband, their three grown children (who I found out never married and therefore that line died out with them) and Effie's mother, Martha Rodgers Jones Bonham. I guess I'll probably never find out what happened to James, except that he was deceased by the time his father died.

Thank you all for your kind words. I still haven't heard more about what specifically happened, I'm not sure they know yet. I know her beloved dogs and horses are being cared for while things are being figured out. My wife, who was out of town all weekend, reminded me that our friend had been having some "heart issues" over the last year, so maybe the flu wasn't a factor, or maybe she didn't have the flu at all, and it was misdiagnosed, or maybe it was a combination between the flu and the "heart issues"

Bestyears, I was keeping it vague because discussing dog training methods can be equal to politics! Try telling some of the militant rescue groups that you will be using a different training method than the one they strictly follow ... you will never get a dog from them! Here are two articles from two opposite theories that gives you an idea of how they think. 1) https://positively.com/victorias-blog/balanced-dog-training-theres-nothing-balanced-about-it/ 2) https://www.nitrocanine.com/blog/2015/06/12/in-defense-of-balanced-training/ With my rescue I started out with a purely positive trainer. It worked great in the house and yard as the dog is very food motivated ... BUT outside none of the training made a difference. Critters and the chase were a much higher reward than anything I could offer. I even tried carrying filet mignon! I was being dragged around town by a crazy dog ... even with the easy-walk harness the positive trainer told me to buy. The dog just walked sideways and pushed into the harness. The last straw was when on a walk the dog nearly knocked me, and my father, to the ground when trying to get a squirrel. I had to kick the dog to stop her lunging and get us untangled (my Dad also had our smaller dog on leash). I looked for a different approach and found "balanced" training. The trainer I found is slightly different from #2 above in that they do use food rewards. Happy to message you a link to the training program website and the actual trainer I used. We now go on off leash hikes and I get stopped regularly by people who comment on her behavior and level of training. I got so many questions that I started carrying business cards for the trainer!! One of those people actually contacted and used my trainer, even thought she isn't local. Do your research and choose the trainer and method that best works for you and your dog. The best method will most likely be a combination of several different ones.

What wonderful news, Allison! Rita, I can't wait to see your new house. Bacon Jam from Meathead, makes ~2 cups, takes 2-3 hrs (mostly reducing the liquid) 1 lb bacon 2 onions, thinly sliced 4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed 1 cup water 1/4 c inexpensive balsamic vinegar 1/4 c maple syrup 3 T packed brown sugar 1/2 tsp dried thyme or rosemary 1/4 tsp ground pepper splash of hot sauce optional Cut bacon into 1/4 inch slices and cook over medium heat until golden. Drain on paper towels. Pour off most of the grease, add the onion, cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add remaining ingredients, reduce heat to low, and cook until the sauce is thick. This takes quite a while, though hands off except for occasionally stirring, and works best if you use your widest skillet or sauté. Once it looks like jam, remove from heat and cool. Best at room temp or warmed. I usually double it and freeze jars for future use and/or presents. It was a huge hit last night. Nobody had ever heard of it!