The Call: Bear One Another’s Burdens — Cheryl Caddie is 15 years old. There are times when she can stand and times when she needs to be carried. We’ll likely have to make a significant decision about her soon.

The Call: Licking Her Chops — Cheryl Sweet Caddie is 14 years old, the cataracts in her eyes have left her nearly blind, and she can barely make it up and down the stairs, but she still gets excited whenever food is within sniffing distance, and she does not like to get left behind when […]

The Response: A Lens that Seldom Sees the Light of Day — Cheryl Most days, it seems as though I’ve forgotten that I own a Lensbaby. I seldom take it out of my bag and attach it to my camera, because I have seldom gotten a shot with it that makes me happy. I look […]

The Call: Cherry Vanity — Cheryl It has been a long wait. We remodeled the front, first-floor quarter of the house in 2011 (in fact, this is what it looked like two years ago today). As part of that renovation, we changed a three-quarters bath into a half bath. Well, it got framed, drywalled, tiled […]

The Call: Pixie in Catherine’s Lap — Jessica Just a girl and her dog… Response: One Expensive Dog — Cheryl We got Caddie from the Denver Dumb Friends League when she was about 1.5 years old. It cost us about $100 just to take her home, but that was nothing compared to what we’ve spent […]

The Call: Nowhere to Hide — Jessica My floors are an absolute dirt and fur covered nightmare. I blame the dogs and the kids… It looks worse when the sun shines on it. As soon as I post this, I will go vacuum. Really. Response: A Galaxy in a Stream — Cheryl I blame Bridget […]

The Call: Snow Dog — Cheryl Caddie is nearly 13 years old and has arthritis in her back legs. When there’s snow on the ground and a stick to fetch, though, you’d think she was no more than two or three years old. The Response: Drying Pin People — Jessica “Quick Catherine, fetch some paint […]

The Call: Pixie — Jessica Pixie, my daughter’s cavalier spaniel, lies on her lap while she finishes reading her school work. My dear old dog, most constant of all friends. —William Croswell Doane Response: The Family that Plays Together … — Cheryl I’m very thankful that my kids are friends as much as they are […]

The Call: A Boy and His Dog — Cheryl I used to be a dog lover. Then I had kids. I’m thankful that Luke embraces the role and the dog. The Response: Love in the Fall — Jessica Embrace the long winter ahead. Spring will come but the only way to get there is to […]

The Call: Long Distance — Cheryl I have one older brother and one older sister. Maureen and I have always been close, and I was very thankful that our sixth child was a girl. With four brothers, Bridget needed a sister. Mine has been one of my closest companions, and I hope that Bridget and […]

The Call: India — Jessica Our black lab is a familiar site on the couch in the study. Even though we shoo her off and tell her no, she always seems to jump right back up. And since she always looks so sweet and comfy-cozy, I just don’t have the heart to make her get […]