Mid-Atlantic Hoosier

Do you know what it's like to leave the home and bustling area you love and know so well and move states away to a small town with a different culture? If not, perhaps you have taken a weekend or vacation camping in a tent or even a trailer or RV. While some things are peaceful and fresh, other things are incomplete or require much more effort. You may have tried to pack lightly, but then realized you didn't pack enough. It's hard to prepare for the largely unknown. But, change is good, right? I didn't think I enjoyed much more than the basic conveniences in Maryland. I didn't buy technical gadgets and didn't even have a large screen TV. And I didn't mind. The appliance that I placed just after a washing machine in importance was a dishwasher... before a clothes dryer. Basic, time-saving appliances. Then, we decided to rent a charming apartment in the new town (old town for my husband as he'd grown up there). We placed our bench from Maryland under the a

I loved reassuring the little white ball of fur on my lap as we drove home. She shivered, not knowing where she was headed or who we were. This is the puppy we had put off acquiring for years. She wasn't the 10- or 12-pound poodle I wanted, nor the extra-large Irish Wolfhound longed for by my husband. But, we both agreed to feed her, entertain her, take her through puppy classes, and raise her to be a healthy canine citizen.  Only a few days before, my husband was petting the new black, male puppy next door. I ambled over and he said, "We need one of these!" I was a little surprised but confirmed with him that he would invest full parental care, rights, and privileges in a dog estimated to weigh just between 15 to 20 pounds. He was smitten! Who wouldn't be with a furry small hamster, puppy, or kitten? They capture your heart. When we drove to choose a puppy, it was in the next town, out in the country. We turned into a long gravel driveway and parked in front of the s