The height of the Fall Foliage in the Catskills this year
will prove to be the long Columbus Day weekend
of October 6th.

  If you haven't already made plans to get away,
you should consider this romantic gem
alongside the meandering Willowemoc River,
just 2 hours northwest of NYC,
managed by Andrea Plunket.

There are six very clean and cozy cottages.
You can look at them by clicking here. 

The Africa Cottage and the China Cottage have large indoor Jacuzzis
certainly suitable for lovebirds.

Imagine yourself unwinding in one of the three outside hot tubs,
sipping a complimentary pre dinner drink while watching the nature around you.

Ahhh ...

ZAGAT was right when they called it,  
"Rustic luxury and the feeling is pure escape".

The makings for a hearty and healthy breakfast,
{ fresh fruit, orange juice, coffee, milk, eggs, bacon, cereal, muffins },
is included in each cottage’s kitchenette,
so you can enjoy it at your own timing.

And there's daily Maid-Service, so you don't have to wash a dish !

You could even schedule a massage in your cottage
to get ready for your return to that concrete jungle.

Best of all, is the fact that your four legged friend is welcome here. 
You can confidently take leisurely walks on forested paths together.

  Have a look at   The Guest House B & B   website
by clicking this link:

http://www.theguesthouse.com/ 

It will show you everything you need to know,
including simple instructions on how to get there.

In the dozen years after the rainstorm,
I had attended college, traveled the US,
restored a National Shrine, modeled in NY
and long since filed thoughts of
the handsome man away.

I was 24, living in a walk up Studio
Apartment over an Italian Restaurant in
Manhattan and working for a
Motion Picture Production Company.

When the weather was agreeable,
I spent my Sundays, NY Times in hand,
at one of the many parks with my
3 yr old Alsatian Shepherd.  

It was on a day like that  I met the man
who was to become my husband.

Dom arrived to exercise his black shepherd
and asked if I'd like a cup of coffee from
the Deli across the street. 





We stood in the sun together, warming our hands around the paper cups as the two huge dogs
​happily lumbered in circles around us.  As if we had not seen each other in millennia,
we chatted until the city turned purple and gold. 
The now drowsy dogs by our side, we strolled up 37th. Street,
where we shared a spontaneous first kiss goodbye. 

Dominic always referred to the "37 th Street Kiss" as
the moment he knew we were meant to be together.

A year later our knot was tied.

TO  BE  CONTINUED... {  NEXT:  THE CONCLUSION ! }

Throughout that rainy afternoon
and into the evening, 
I went over the
mental pictures of the man
andthe umbrella. ​
I believed I would never
lay eyes on him again.

As I said my evening prayers,
​I added with great sincerity,

"Dear Heavenly Father,
in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,
when I grow up,
PLEASE 
send me a husband just exactly
​like that man."  






A gawky twelve year old, already towering over all my classmates and growing taller
by the minute, I was very uncomfortable in my body. Other girls, women on the streets
and fashion magazines all looked like they were put together nicely,
while slacks and shirts were forever becoming too short for my long limbs. 

I had serious misgivings that there could be any husband, { ever ... at all, ! },
in my future and decided to pester God with my earnest request on a daily basis.
It would certainly  take a miracle. 
In fact, I consistently petitioned God for two years, until, one evening,
in hopeless exhaustion, I told God,

"I won't be asking You for this anymore. Whatever Your will for my life is, so be it."  

It was a great relief to let go of this issue and concentrate on things I  thought I could do
something about; swimming, singing and school.  Despite my drive to excel, a few years later,
during a Junior Olympics competition, I was hospitalized with a life threatening illness that
warranted immediate surgery and consequently became bed ridden for what seemed an eternity.

Schoolmates visited regularly to bring homework and I kept up with my studies.
For many, many months, I watched the world go by from my bedroom window. 
The neighbors definitely had their schedules and I came to know the hour by their activities.  

Most every afternoon, I heard a Harley approaching.  In secret, I watched the man,
foreboding in his gear, as he maneuvered the giant red bike to its spot.
His actions were always the same; climb off bike, remove helmet, tuck helmet under left arm,
run fingers once or twice through hair, look around, light a cigarette and enter a nearby building. 
An hour or so later, the distinct sound of the Harley's engine clued me that he was leaving. 
I innocently wondered, without resolve, what he might be up to.

Eventually I became well enough to return for the last few weeks of my Junior year of High School.
My girlfriends and I walked to and from school together. It was a happy, fun time for me. 
We often spotted the Motorcycle Man on our way home and dared each other to say hello.
Of course, not one of us had the guts.  We were convinced he was a Hell's Angel and certain trouble. 
College was prevalent in our minds and we giggled and chattered about possibilities,
knowing that our little group would soon split up forever.

TO  BE  CONTINUED...

If you're a dog owner and a dog lover, then you've certainly checked out the lengthy and weird ingredient list on containers of dog treats.  You've also paid a small fortune for these questionable edibles, many of which are packaged here in the USA, but are created overseas in places where standards are not high; like China.  What are you actually feeding your beloved pooch ?  Will your devoted pet fall victim to poisoning while you're getting ripped off ?

When I bought my cute pup at a yard sale a dozen years ago, I never planned on having to make my own Dog Treats, and eventually, my own Dog Food !  Her mother was a purebred Chow and her father,  a purebred Dalmatian.  She looked like a black bear cub and I simply fell in love.

Thank God  for the nasty white stuff we call snow that first winter of Miss Abbey's life !  When she urinated blood, I ran to a fabulous Vet  who discovered she was suffering from food allergies.

I quickly learned that Dalmatians need to be fed a different diet than the average dog.  Their ability to process proteins apparently has been hindered by a great many years of domestication.  Chicken was the greatest culprit for her and I had to find an easy solution using healthy ingredients that didn't include chicken lips,{ OH NO !!! }.

Here's just one of my many tasty and nutritious Homemade Dog Biscuit recipes that I have made hundreds of times.  It's very easy, quick and  inexpensive.  I hope you try it some evening while you're watching TV.  Your dog, { like mine did }, will look at you in astonishment once he/she realizes you were making this especially for them and declare, "Wow ! You weally do wuv me !"