I'm still resting up from my get-away, lol. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's ever felt this way.



First of all, I had a wonderful time! It was so relaxing and peaceful while I was there. I was visiting a friend who lives out on a farm, way, way out in the country. It reminded me a lot of rural Illinois where I had lived for several years after grad school. Couldn't get more peaceful!

On Saturday, I visited some local shops (including a quilt shop, of course), and then did some walking in the woods, down a narrow farm lane and through a small prairie-like area. Very peaceful. The day was perfect - sunny and mild temps and very, very few people around. I was way out in the sticks.

I took Cassie with me and she loved walking and running through the woods and down the farm lanes and so on. I was a little worried about taking her off her leash but she made sure she kept me in sight. If she couldn't see me, she'd stop and wait until I caught up or came around a bend. Then she'd take off again.



By Sunday evening she must have felt more secure and realized that I'd always be there so she took off on her own. We had walked down to a field pond through some heavy muddy clay and she went around the bend while I was distracted. I may have been taking pictures of the pretty yellow flowers, I don't remember.

Anyway, I started calling her, but no matter how loud or insistently I called, she wouldn't come. I've never seen her swim so I "knew" she wouldn't be in the pond but was pretty worried. When I rounded the final curve, there she was, in the pond swimming and splashing around with a big grin on her face. That water had to be freezing!



Back at the house while drying her off, I discovered she had burrs. I took a couple off with my fingers, but finally gave that up and used my little thread snips and hacked away at her fur. I took out 42 of the little suckers.




After a bath (and some of my best conditioner) she smells as sweet as she looks and is silky and shiny too. She slept very well that night!