Lee and Gavin Visit Shandy

That's Lee Rigby and her son, Gavin, reading a book in the SSR office. And that's Shandy sneaking a taste of Gavin's soy milk. Every time he put his cup down she was into it. But Gavin didn't mind--he's good at sharing.

Lee was one of the very first SSR volunteers and is still a big supporter of the programs. She now lives in New Hampshire with her husband, Graham, another SSR fan.

Thanks so much for visiting, Lee! Oh, and that's Gavin reading about the SSR values. Just kidding. He's actually pointing out the O's in every word. Pretty impressive for being 20 months old!

Holiday Pix

Shandy had a wonderful holiday. She spent more time than usual on the deck, enjoying the great weather and we took several nice walks through the park.

The sunflowers at the Botanic Garden are glorious right now and worth a trip. Although Shandy can only go to the garden for the December Reindog Parade (look for the SSR booth), we go quite regularly while she relaxes at home.

Getting Ready for Labor Day

Shandy's in her usual spot, under my desk, getting into holiday mode by taking it easy. No doubt she's saving her energy to gear-up for back to school time.

Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday weekend. Get out, enjoy, and read something fun.

Dog Visitors

As promised, here are Shandy's visitors from yesterday.

That's Guy Franklin's adorable terrier mix, Pierre, with SSR Board Prez, MK Czerwiec (aka Comic Nurse) and Pat's Lhasa's, Rudy and Ted.

Old and New Friends

Shandy and I just got home from work so we had a long day but it was great.

We had a fun reunion of the Hendricks Academy volunteers for lunch. Pat Simpson, one of the first SSR volunteers, and her husband, Doug, became RVer's last year and were back in town for a visit. They came to the office with the boys--Lhasa's, Ted and Rudy, and we were joined by Elaine, MK, Guy, and Pierre (see Pierre & Rudy's bios on the SSR website) for pizza and lots of laughs.

Then Brian Gregory, another old friend, stopped by to see the new office and visit for a bit. Such fun to be with old friends.

Finally, this evening was the volunteer orientation and Shandy met some new friends and potential volunteers. Hillary and Coquette were scheduled to be the demo dog team but Hillary was stuck in Philly on business so Shandy filled-in for Coquette.

Hope your day was filled with friends old and new! Tomorrow--pictures of Ted, Rudy and Pierre.

Missing Sabrina

It's a sad day for Shandy and me at the office today. We just learned from Sonia Ravin, that her lovely Sabrina died yesterday. Sabrina and Shandy were the matriarchs of Sit Stay Read and seemed to acknowledge each other as such when they worked together. No rowdy puppiness for these grande dames.

Sabrina's gentle, loving presence is a loss to the kids who won't have the chance to read with her. Our hearts go out to Sonia and the many friends who mourn the loss of this wonderful dog.

Teacher Orientation

Today was Teacher Orientation at the office so Shandy was a busy girl. She got to see her old friends and meet teachers from this year's two new schools.

In addition to being the official greeter, there were the snacks to watch over. She kept hoping for a piece of cheese to fall on the floor but she had to settle for a dog treat instead.

The teachers were nice enough to pose for a photo for Shandy's blog. Many thanks. Shandy and her friends look forward to being back in your classrooms again!