Positively Tuesday-Loveable Pup, Friends, and Food

      Pup had an all day vet appointment yesterday between tests, shots, and his sedated shave due to his high anxiety. DD2 came in calling for him, as she had forgotten he was gone. Several times I found myself talking to him... and he was not there. I don't think it means we'll get another dog to replace him when sometime in the hopefully way distant future he leaves us, but it sure is a sign I need to love the little fellow up and appreciate him for the years we have with him. Too many friends in real and on-line life have lost pets and my heart hurts for them. I know our time will come, he's 10 already, but I'm hoping he's one of those long lived little guys. With that, I'll start our my week of simple pleasures, joys, and things that make me smile. 

1. All went well with pup and you can see his fancy new haircut. He definitely looks like a sheared lamb. He'll be slow moving for a few days and I will pamper him fully.
2. We had a lovely long weekend at the cabin, even getting most of Friday night to ourselves. Our friends joined us on Saturday and we had  a good time on the water with our boat. Yes, the boat has been a bit of pain, but if we can get a couple days like that a summer, and more once DH retires, I will consider it a good purchase. I'll add, it gets phenomenal gas mileage. We have not put gas in again after putting on the lake with a full tank and should easily make it through the rest of summer.  He'll want to start with fresh gas next year. 
3. A simple pleasure was that DH's friends wife is very into  DNA and genealogy stuff and had a long conversation with my mother-in-law who also likes to discuss these, and often tells the same stories over and over. It was nice to let them talk, and MIL's stories were new and interesting to our friend. I got the side stuff prepared while DH was grilling, not feeling like I had to  entertain every minute. My MIL later commented how much she enjoyed meeting her, as she had never met his second wife, though of course knew DH's friend since they were both 15. 
4. We splurged on the food items we made this weekend at the lake-steaks, a beautiful parmesan crusted chicken and wait for it-name brand potato chips. With all the splurging, it makes my frugal brain happy to calculate that I still spent probably  half what it would have been to take our friends out. We even had a meal of leftovers and there is plenty of wine and beer left for the next few weekends. 
5. While I'm on a food  pleasure kick, at the liquor store, I found little already mixed bottles of Chi Chi's margaritas. We didn't drink them this weekend, but I think I'll save for the weekend and pull out my fun margarita glasses. I love margaritas but I hate mixing them up as I never get the ratio quite right. 
6. Since we really didn't do any traveling for vacations, I am saying forget the Visa, and enjoying eating out if we feel like it, or splurging on little somethings last week and this. I'll make September a challenge month and call it good! 
7. There was a semi-emergency at work, but I didn't have to be overly sucked into solving it. It is nice to have good and reliable people to work with.
8. DD2 is done with her summer job now. She of course has plans most of this last week before school. She's also been crashing at her sisters some nights, including Sunday, but she came home yesterday and we had lunch together.
9. DD1 led her non-profit board meeting last night and it was a good and on point meeting. The other board members had some great ideas (with offers to help her carry the load) for her to add some social media presence and build awareness of the  mission. With the latest Covid Delta variant slowing things down again, programming needs to be delayed, but she's still making progress. One guy already had followed through and sent her some examples of his idea within an hour of the meeting ending. 
10. While I still have ripping down the deck and getting a new  patio poured is in our list, it was still a nice break having coffee outside yesterday and this morning. I need to give myself permission to start every morning, not just days off mornings, getting grounded to the day with fresh air and morning sunshine. 

     That is my week of  joys, smiles, and simple pleasures. I have this week to get things done, though yesterday admittedly was less productive than I wanted. Today is starting out better. Supper tonight will be my favorite chicken and rice, with broccoli and cheese hot dish (casserole to you fancy folks) and that will be one more simple pleasure to enjoy. Here's to you having a positively Tuesday.