Apple trees, puppies, and school

Ah! Springtime brings with it some lovely scenes, doesn't it? Our old (and I do mean "old") apple tree is just bursting with blooms again this year. (Last year I think we got 3 apples...tiny apples...due to the drought.) Typically, this old tree has been faithful to load us down with delicious apples at the end of every summer. I can hardly wait for some good cooked apples!! Aren't the blooms just beauti-mous? :O)

Ok, so that takes care of part of the title to this post, now onto the puppies. I was sitting in my chair yesterday morning about 7:00 reading. Hearing a noise, I looked out the window to see three itty bitty puppies running down the road whimpering. :O( Long story short, apparently someone had set them out. (This happens quite a bit around here.) By the time I got out on the front porch, they were down the road and around the corner. It wasn't long, however, before I heard them again. I woke up Miss Critter (Katie...just in case you didn't know) and as soon as she heard what I said about puppies, she leaped out of bed and flew out the door! When she got out there, only one was sitting in the road...whining and waiting. She picked the pup up and lugged it home. :O) She was ooh-ing and aah-ing over it, when lo and behold, here come the other two. They were so scared. :O( Anyhow...(I did say I was going to make a long story short, didn't I?)...so here we are with three pups on our hands...two females and one male. Hmmm. No, I don't think we need more dogs, do we? No, in fact, I'm quite sure we don't. So, because we have a neighbor who is in charge of our local pet adoption program, she came right over to pick them up...well...all except the little male. Katie already has two dogs, so Rachel gets the bright idea that she just HAS to have this one. After all, she's NEVER had a puppy before. Her dad agrees, so she sets about coming up with a name. Being the budding violinist that she is, she immediately names him Johann...as in Johann Sebastian Bach, the composer. Oh how she just loved little Johann. I mean, "he's just the sweetest little thing, isn't he, Mom?" she would exclaim. Two hours later, she is informed that she needs to go clean up sweet little Johann's "mess" in the yard. Oh, she does it allright, but before she even gets back in the house, she's asking, "Does anybody else want Johann?" Serious. Can you guess who has him now? :O) Bet ya can.

In the picture below, notice the look on Rachel's face...give this gal a violin and some Bach music and she's in hog heaven. Give her a puppy and it's like this..."Umm, you're really cute little puppy, but, um, you kinda stink and you're dirty, and ew, don't lick me! Guh-ross!"
Now, note the look on Katie's face. Yep, Katie and puppies...it's a natural. In fact, Katie and animals in general are just quite natural.

And now for a school update...achievement tests have been taken and we are in the final lap of our 2007-2008 school year!!! How close are we to the finish line, you ask? I'm glad you asked!! I'm happy to announce that, after today, we have FOURTEEN school days left!!! May 15th and we are finished! It's been a good year...we have all learned alot...and I already find myself planning for next year, but come May 15th, we are going to celebrate! :O)