Outside a small church in England, I saw what looked like three trees growing together and remembered a quote I once read on friendship by C. S. Lewis: “Friendship is the greatest of worldly goods. Certainly to me it is the chief happiness of life. If I had to give a piece of advice to a young man about a place to live, I think I should say, ‘Sacrifce almost everything to live where you can be near your friends.’ I know, I am very fortunate in that respect.”

It’s okay to go “nose-to-nose” with another dog that you don’t know if the other dog is a puppy. Jake is a 13 week-old Australian Shepherd mix. Oh, and Miss Pitt, the one that planted a big fat kiss on his lips the first time she saw him a few weeks ago at day school, was there, too. But there was no kissing this time around.

Near the end of the class and Prince Chipley begins to slow down but he knows how to sit, watch, and go to “place,” which is what he is laying on in this photo.

When I was a little girl, I would tell my Mom, “Where my Daddy goes, I go!” And I usually did. Don’t you love the bunny in this photo?

I planted Irises several years ago, and the first time they bloomed they were almost lying over on the ground. So, they were replanted and straightened. Who knows if this is right but a friend told me that every time you upset Irises, they refuse to bloom the following season. Therefore, I waited. After that, they were relocated yet again. And I had to wait another year. Then I got it wrong once more, and the Irises leaned pitifully. Ahhhhh! It was enough to tempt me to give up, but I hung in there. Finally this year for the first time, there were Irises at Pretty Hill.  And though I can’t remember much about the story concerning how they got here, I do know they were a gift from someone who had received them from an older lady that loved Irises. Whew! These guys have had a long and eventful history.

Sorry, Reba. I tried to take Cocoa and Chip’s photo together, but Chip would not cooperated. This is the best I could do. We took a short walk on the Silver Comet Trail late Sunday afternoon before the rain blew in. I totally forgot about the bikers that flood that place and fly by you. Chipley freaked out. He constantly looked over his shoulder to see if another biker was heading his way. When one approached, he begged to be picked up. I told my friend don’t do it. Instead, we would stop beside the path and watch the bikers pass and then praise him for sitting and watching and not freaking out too much.

One good reason for going to Dog School 101: Cocoa learned to deal with most of her fears there, and Chip will, too. In fact, on the way home, Sandy (Cocoa’s trainer) called to talk for a moment. Looks like Mr. Chipley will be heading off to his first class this coming Wednesday night. The best thing is this: the Princess Cocoa Joy gets to go with him.

So many questions are left unanswered at this point: Will he eventually win her heart? Can he conquer his fears of speeding bicycles, of runners that whiz past him without warning, and of baby buggies traveling side-by-side with Moms, who are too deep in conversation to care that he is just a little puppy who needs a great big hug? We’ll know soon; the adventure begins this week.

Trail bridges span small rivers and shallow gorges. But this is a place that you need to make sure someone else is with you and that you have your cell phone on your hip.