I got a puppy for my 6th birthday and 27 years later I still have his picture in my office. When his time came and my parents made the decision to put him down, I felt a large part of my childhood was gone. I have had several dogs since Bruiser, but he was my mine, we grew up together and that made him the most special.

I am thinking about Bruiser today because my daughter’s 13 year old cat, Pie is sick. Over the last year we have watched her wither away from her highest weight of 16 pounds down to 8. At first we thought it was the stress of our adopted kitten, Pumpkin, but the past week we knew something more was wrong.

As I watch my daughter give up another piece of childhood on her way to becoming an adult I want to turn back time. Back to the day Sarah and I got lost in Alexandria, Virginia looking for the Petco that was having a cat adoption. To the days when Sarah would find Pie wherever she was and love her so much that she eventually started to trust humans. Back to Sarah missing her so much on senior trip that one of her friends was sure Matt would bring Pie to meet her at the airport. Back to the days of Sarah taking picture after picture of Pie and then showing them to me asking me, but really telling me “isn’t she the most beautiful cat?” Back to the days when Sarah got upset with everyone talking about how big Pie was, so she started saying she was a plus size model because she had such a beautiful face. But I can’t.

I know the day I said  good-bye to Bruiser was the day I grew up and I have a feeling Sarah will look back at this day as the day she became a young adult. I hope she always remembers she turned a stray kitten who was scared of humans into a sweet cat who loved all of us, but Pie Pie was her cat and she loved Sarah most of all.

Napoleon at Hyman's in Charleston

This past weekend my husband and I flew into Charleston on our way to Savannah for St. Patrick’s Day. We had some time so we went into Charleston for lunch at one of our favorite restaurants Hyman’s Seafood. I ordered a Bloody Mary and my favorite appetizer, the Napoleon. Thinking of my Pinterest board ” Best Food I Have Ever Had” and thinking of adding a new board, “Best Drinks I Have Ever Had” I took a photo with my Droid shared it on Facebook. continue reading…

Emory Patton

After 80 years in business J.T. Patton & Sons Turf Farms closed their doors today. Many people, including myself are very sad. When you grow up in a family business you don’t realize that you see the world differently then other people. I remember when I started to realize I had been given a special gift from the men who started and continued the business. continue reading…

With all of the discussion about Google’s new privacy policy, or lack thereof, two key points are not be discussed:

1. Google search and most of their products are FREE.
2. You do not have to use their products and services. continue reading…