Riverside County Process Server

That would be my employer, Rancho Attorney Service of California, otherwise known as "RASCAL, Your Friendly Neighborhood Process Server". I've been working here since I was NINE weeks old. I'm now five and a half. I am the official receptionist and Vice President of Public Relations.







If you're looking for a Temecula Process Server or a Murrieta Process Server, or for one that works in those areas, please visit our website at Rancho Attorney Service. We're in the office Monday through Friday from 9:00AM until 4:00PM unless we're on an errand.

Should you call us at 951-693-0165 and get our voice mail, press 03 (that's zero three) during the message and you'll be connected to us immediately. We're on the job but probably just out for the moment.

(NOTE: If you're calling from New York, please remember that we're three hours behind you before you dial our number!)

See you later....

Mary-Margaret O'Brien
Vice President
Public Relations

BOR-ing!!!

It's that time of year. Around tax time it always gets sort of slow. Mom figured it out that if a month is divisible by 4, it's a slow month. April = tax time; August = vacations; December = Christmas and Hanukkah. ALWAYS the same. Never fails.

So we did a little of this...a little of that. I even got to go on a long walk but I was so distracted I forgot why I went on the walk in the first place. It's ok. I can hold it for a long time. I've got a big tank!

So...we're home and Mom's got a stuffed pork chop in the oven. She's never made one before so she's guessing on how long to bake it for. 325° for an hour? We'll let you know. If that doesn't work I'll share my chicken with her. I have plenty.

Love you guys....

Mary-Margaret

(PS added 4/1/11 - FYI, I played it safe and had my usual chicken and kibble. But for the stuffed pork chop? 325° for 50 minutes worked really well. Next time, though, we'll have applesauce with it!!)

The BEST Day of My Life!!

OHMYGAWSH!! We got to the bank this morning and all the ladies said "Look who's here, Mary-Margaret!".

"Huh?", I said? "Who?" And I saw this lady in jeans and sandals from the back and she sorta looks familiar and ....WHOOAAAA!!! My heart be still. It's GINA GINA GINA! She used to work here at the bank and she and I were very best friends. She used to bring me duck jerky, and bows and things. We even shared her water (although she started bringing it a bottle instead of having it in a cup by her work station after I helped myself one day!). I have MISSED her so much. I guess she missed me, too. We just ran into each others arms and started lovin' all over.



Mom said she wanted to get her cell phone with the camera so she started to leave. I just sat there on the floor with GINA and all my friends, and I said "Fine! Don't let the door hit you on the way out!", and I stayed. I didn't panic or anything. I was with GINA!! I think maybe I hurt Mom's feelings but....geez! It's GINA!!!



Mom did her banking stuff and said "Come on, Mary-Margaret! We have to go!". Nope! (I say) I'm not leaving Gina. I don't know when I'll ever get to see her again. I will stay here, thank you!

"Mary-Margaret! COME!", Mom says. Uh oh. I can tell the difference between her fun voice and her serious voice. Still...maybe I could squeeze a few more minutes out with Gina? Maybe? I mean, she gives the best belly rubs EVER!!

"Come on!", she says. "We have to go see Doug!". Oh well, then. I guess it's time to go. Doug is our accountant and he is another one of my VERY good friends.

I know exactly where his office is. As soon as we get inside the front door of the building Mom drops my leash and says "Go find Doug!". I skitter up the stairs and start to turn right on the landing and...(sniff sniff)...I smell CHILDREN! Making a quick "U" turn, I go to the left instead. When Mom gets to the top of the stairs she can't see me and hollers quietly "Where are you, Mary-Margaret?".

She hears some laughing from down the hall and starts heading that way. I'm visiting with the school secretary and some other ladies before I go hunting for children. Ooops. Here comes Mom. I dash off toward the classrooms.

"Get back here, young lady!", she says, and adds "We have to go see Doug!". Oh well, that's different. I forgot about that. So I go back down the hallway, poking my nose in all the classrooms, which seem to be empty for the moment, and I end up at Doug's door. One of his clients opens the door and I head for the cookie table. I've been coming here for about five years. I KNOW where the COOKIE table is.



Once we get into Doug's office I check the perimeter out. It's just what I do. I found another cookie but I think I've had my quota for the day. I go over to Doug and stand up tall between his legs so he'll know I want to get up. I have to check out his work and make sure all the numbers are right.

The rest of the day was pretty quiet. I had some lunch and caught up on my napping.
The excitement of the morning was way more than I'm used to. I think I tired myself out. Seeing both GINA and DOUG in one day made this the absolutely everly BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!!

Love,

Mary-Margaret

Ashton and Andrew

Woo hoo! You KNOW how I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE little boys? Just having ONE all to myself for a while is heaven, but TWO? And they were exactly alike. Twins. Identical twins like maybe 3 or 4 years old. I wish Mom had thought to take a picture of us all playing together.

At first we were all sort of shy. Then we started playing peek-a-boo. Then we played a few rounds of "slap paw" (where they try to catch my paw and I pull it back really quick). Then we did "Now you kiss me, now you don't!". That's when one of us tries to kiss the other and then we jump back. We played and played until we started messing with Mom's chair's hydraulic lever. Then we had to move away from her desk and we just played the staring game for a while to see who looked away first.

Oh, we had SOOO many games. I can't wait until they come back. I know they will because their Dad was really happy with Mom's work, and said she found more on someone than a government agency did. And he rewarded her with a mocha frappacino and a gift card from Starbucks. She loves those. Oh, and he paid her, too. But truly I think she was really touched by the frappacino. I don't get any because (I'm told) "They're not good for dogs!".

The way I see it is ANYTHING that she wants to keep all to herself isn't "good for dogs". Like I believe that one? Uh uh...nope!

Soooo....that was the best part of my day. Oh, that...and going to serve a subpoena. That was a nice outing for an office-bound pup!

Time for supper...gotta run. Later, guys.

Love ya, Grandpa!

Mary-Margaret

What Goes Around, Comes Around!

(reprint of sermon at Yorkie Brigade Chapel, Sunday - March 27, 2011)



Good morning! Welcome to Yorkie Brigade Chapel this absolutely fine and beautiful Sunday morning. In honor of our troops overseas, I'm wearing my battle gear. We salute you, defenders of human rights and protectors of democracy.

Today, our inspirational message will be about “Karma”, or “What goes around comes around!”, or some might say “Tit for Tat”. In all religions, since the beginning time, we see references to the Universe sort of balancing things out by giving back what one gives. In physics, it's "action = reaction". In life, it's "choices = consequences".

Joseph, for one example, was the 11th son of Jacob. He was his father’s most favorite son. He was treated especially well, he was given gifts that none of his brothers were, and he couldn’t wait to tell them all how special he was. He even had dreams where his parents and his brothers bowed to him and he blabbed about those to his big brothers, too. He was arrogant, self-absorbed and not very kind, and it’s not surprising that they didn’t like him very much.

One day, Jacob asked Joseph to go and check up on his brothers as they were out in the fields tending to their sheep. Joseph didn’t have to work like the others did, just adding to the resentment they felt. The brothers seriously thought about tossing Joseph into a pit and letting him rot there, but Reuben (the oldest) thought that was rather cruel and secretly planned to come back and rescue Joseph. When Reuben was away, though, the other nine brothers decided to sell Joseph into slavery and tell their Dad that Joseph was eaten by a wild animal.

Joseph eventually became a house slave for a wealthy merchant, Potiphar. He had plenty of time to think about his brothers and how wrong he was to treat them the way he did, so he worked really hard on being a good slave. Because of God’s grace and Joseph’s hard work and excellent ethics, he was promoted to head house slave. After a while, Potiphar’s wife decided that Joseph was pretty handsome and would make a good boyfriend. Joseph said “No, thank you!” because he knew God wouldn’t like that. So Mrs. Potiphar got mad and told her hubby that Joseph had taken advantage of her, and poor innocent Joseph ended up in jail.

While Joseph was in jail, he had a lot more time to think about things in general. He became even more obedient to God and was eventually promoted to head prisoner. He kept tabs on the other prisoners in case you were wondering what a head prisoner did. He happened to be pretty good at interpreting dreams, too. He even interpreted a dream for the Pharoah and kept Egypt free from famine. He was promoted again and made the Head of all the Land of Egypt by the Pharoah. He was a hero.

After ten years of being a slave, a prisoner and Head of all the Land, he reunited with his brothers and they worked out their differences. Joseph became very close to God during his trials, and he even looked upon those years as a BLESSING from God, rather than thinking about getting revenge on his brothers. Joseph was punished for being arrogant and obnoxious, and he was also rewarded for being honest and good.

(The whole story is found in Genesis 37-45 or thereabouts, if you want to read all the details. Or you could rent the movie musical, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”, starring Donny Osmond.)

Another example of “Karma” is Saddam Hussein. Up until a few years ago, Saddam had amazing wealth and power but it was never enough. He wanted more. He didn’t care who he hurt or killed in order to get it. He was just plain mean. His sons were killed, his palaces were destroyed, and his people didn’t like him very much. But instead of re-thinking where his life was going, he just kept getting meaner. So this arrogant, selfish man who once had everything but wanted more, ended up as a filthy, dirty homeless man living in a hole in the ground. In the end, he became everything he detested and looked down upon. And he was executed, too.

And then there’s my own personal experience: Sometimes we (me and Mom) worry about how we’re going to buy groceries, let alone how we’re going to make the next house payment. But then we hear about some poor pup in need and we give some money to help out even if we really don’t have it. And you know what? The next day we’ll get a retainer for a job that just about covers what we needed at that moment in time. One day, the money that came in was almost exactly to the penny what we needed, and was actually NINE CENTS more. And last week we thought we were totally broke and when we balanced our checkbook we were totally surprised to see that we forgot to record a rather large deposit. And we paused and said “Thank you, Lord!”, because we know where it really came from.

St. Francis of Assisi said: “For it is in giving that we receive” and we completely agree. When you have only a little to give, the act of giving is everly so much greater than when you have plenty to spare.

This photograph from Mom's very good friend, Debbie Traynor, seemed a good way to illustrate both the beauty and love that God has for us, while he also has the power to change our lives through unexpected and powerful storms. We see simultaneously the two faces of God in this amazing photograph, illustrating both reward and punishment.




We’ve been asked about sending around a collection basket at “Chapel”, but we stand by our founding mission statement that we will not ask for money or donations, or solicit, or advertise for anything or anyone. Chapel is a place for us to relax and bask in the glory of our personal deity, regardless of our religious beliefs. Chapel is a time for us to be grateful for what we have and for what we can share with others.

Now, let’s turn to our neighbors and wag our tails as a sign of peace, and let’s also say “Thank you for being in my life! I truly appreciate you!”

If there’s anyone here who has a story to tell about their experiences with God and prayer, please PLEASE volunteer to be a guest speaker. We’ll be happy to schedule you at your convenience, and we’ll even help you edit, if you like. (“PRETTY PLEASE???”  from Church Secretary)

Green beans and carrots will be served in the front garden by the newly painted fire hydrant, an art project designed and executed by our kindergarten puppies. Be sure to compliment them on their choice of passionate purple and sunflower yellow with red and turquoise “accent-idental” splashes on the sidewalk. Also, the Fachsie Dachsie’s Troop #411 will be holding a kennel wash in the parking lot as their contribution to a more beautiful world.

“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace!”

Amen

Blessings…..

Mary-Margaret O'Brien
Lt Chaplain - YorkieBrigade Chapel

Hello, Grandpa!

Hello! We just got home from work. It's about 6:30PM now. Busy day...lots of work. I met a really nice Shih Tzu named "Brady" tonight. He belonged to someone we served. He most definitely liked me, too. We "talked" to each other through the car window.

I love to meet other pups. Even if I don't actually get to see them nose to nose, I can smell where they've been. Sometimes, even if I'm all by myself, I feel like I'm in the middle of a convention with all those smells just wafting around me. We had time to kill before our last job so I got really familiar with the territory and the pups that live in the neighborhood.

Note - Mom always carries a pink plastic bag with her when we go walking together. You never know when you're gonna have to pick up something warm and squishy!

Love and kisses...

Mary-Margaret

Mary-Margaret OBrien - Week 11 of 12

Mary-Margaret OBrien

Please vote? Yorkies are non-partisan so anybody is welcome to support us. We keep losing to blind or deformed cats. They must have a pretty strong backing out there in the land of "pawlitics".

Thank you.

Mary-Margaret

No spiders today!

I went with Mom to get her car smog checked. I always go on "safari" there. Last time I found a big black spider in a corner. This time I found a red M&M and No! I wasn't allowed to eat it. Darn! I checked out every nook and cranny and there were NO spiders this time. Nope! None at all. Mission complete!

Earlier, we left the door to the office open all day until we left so I got to sit in the hall and greet people. I just LOVE greeting people. Some people laugh and tell me I'm very ferocious. I just laugh back. "Try me!", I say. "Make my day!". Then I flip over and get belly rubs.

Life doesn't get any better than that.

Love,

Mary-Margaret

"Wicked" Sunday

Thank you, Auntie Leslie, for taking my mom to see "Wicked" yesterday. That was the absolutely nicest thing anyone has done for her EVER!! She kept flashing on the costumes, the songs and the story as she played the CD ALL THE WAY HOME!! She's all starry-eyed and still enveloped in the magic. She says she understands why you've seen the show 21 times and and you just keep on going.

I left her a message on the carpet. She didn't mention she'd be gone almost TEN hours. She leaves me kibble, water and piddle pads, but I need MORE!! I need COMPANY!!! Oh sure, I could have barked out the window to passers-by, but it was POURING RAIN! Who goes out walking in a downpour, I ask you? HMMMMMMMMM????

I simply said, as clearly and concisely as possible, that I totally support her efforts to "Live life as a participant instead of as a spectator!". Rather profound, don't you think? Too many people just watch and comment without doing anything. And when it's all over, what do they have? I am merely suggesting that she take me with her next time. I know I would have enjoyed the music just as much as she did.

Emphatically and dramatically yours....

Mary-Margaret

Sunday Message - March 13, 2011

Happy Daylight Savings Time where ever you are!

Gooooood morning, everyone. Welcome to Chapel this 13th day of March, 2011. Yorkie Prayers have been in overdrive this past week and we've witnessed many miracles. We've seen Richard get well enough to go home to his Patti and Eleanor. We've seen Chi-Chi come back to her family with a good prognosis. Walter is as good as new and Esperansa had her 15th birthday yesterday - how many of you remember how hard we prayed when she had her mastectomy about a year ago?

We can ask God for little favors and we can ask God for miracles. He always answers our prayers in one way or the other. We don't always recognize an event as an answer to our prayer, but God is with us and we have to trust not only that he knows best, but that he also expects us to do our part, too!

This is an excellent example of how God works:

The Flood (author unknown)

The rain fell, the waters rose, and the river overflowed it's banks. Homes flooded and families began to evacuate. One man stopped at his neighbors house to offer aid. "Neighbor," he cried, "the waters are rising! Bring your family into my truck and I will take you to safety."

"No," replied his neighbor, "I will not go, for I believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and He shall protect me and my family."

The rain still fell and the waters still rose. Soon the man and his family had to go to the second floor of the house to escape the water. An Emergency Rescue crew found the family, and said "The waters still rise. Get into our boat and we will take you to safety."

"No," said the man, "My faith is strong! God shall protect me and my family and we shall come to no harm."

The rain would not stop. The waters rushed higher. As the man and his family clung to the roof of their house a helicopter rescue team flew over and dropped them a ladder. Again the man refused. "I do not fear! I believe in God, and he shall protect us. We will not go."

The entire family drowned.

The man, who, in life, had been a goodly man, found himself before God. "God!" the man sobbed, "I believed in you, and trusted you to protect me and my family. How could you just let us die like that? Why did you not save us?"

And God replied: "I sent a truck, a boat, and a helicopter - what exactly were you waiting for?"

We have been brought together by our common desire to believe in the goodness of our fellow creatures, to trust in the Lord's way, and to desire to make the world a brighter, lighter and more peaceful place to live in.

Thank you, Lord, for providing this forum for us to share and to learn and to LOVE.

Amen!

Please turn to your neighbors and wag your tails as a sign of peace, and remember to BE what you wish OTHERS to BE!!

Instead of coffee and donuts in our newly constructed Chez de le Chien, we are serving Birthday Cake, made especially for Esperansa, and created by our Assistant Pastor, a dog of many talents......Neeko S. Spaulding, Phd AND...ta daaaa...PASTRY CHEF. I took a peek earlier and it's an absolute work of art. See?



Don't forget to pick up your personal items (links, photos, advertisements, solicitations, etc) on your way out.

Blessings to all....

Mary-Margaret O'Brien
Lt. Chaplain - Yorkie Brigade Chapel

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Laura is our everly most FAVORITE person in the whole world, practically. She knows how to cut my mom's hair just right. We haven't visited her in maybe 1 1/2 years. Mom get all stubborn sometimes and figures that she can cut her own hair with sewing scissors or a machete or whatever is handy. AND...get this! She thinks she can color just as good as anyone with whatever is on sale at the supermarket. I'm the one that has to LOOK at her. It's MEEEEE that has to suffer.

Finally, today she says "I CAN'T STAND IT ANYMORE!" and she tries to find Laura. Some investigator, I say. She gives up and looks under "chiropractor" for Laura's hubby Earl and asks HIM for Laura's number. An hour later we are at Laura's new place of business and we're ready to boogie.

I have not forgotten Laura. She's one of my really good friends. I saw her face and I went absolutely wild with joy. She got all lovey-dovey with me too. Mom grabbed her 'Droid and took our picture. Can't you just FEEL the LOVE???

Oh yeah...and it doesn't hurt my eyes so much to look at Mom anymore, either.

Yay!

Love,

Mary-Margaret

The Unseen Sea

The Unseen Sea from Simon Christen on Vimeo.

We just thought this was pretty and wanted to share it with you. It's a time-lapse video of San Francisco over a year, with the mystical magical fog rolling in and out. That's all. Just sharing some beauty with you. No words are needed.

Love,

Mary-Margaret

Sunday, March 6, 2011 - The Seed of Love

(Sent out Sunday Morning at 12:30AM for any early rising members in Labrador, Greenland and Brazil)

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to Chapel on this, our fifth week of Sunday Inspirational Messages. We have a return guest at the pulpit....you all know him as the dashing, the charming and the irrepressible Neeko. Today he speaks to us in his professional capacity as Neeko S. Spaulding, PhD. Please give him a warm welcome.....

DR. NEEKO S. SPAUUUUUUL....DING!!

(cheers, applause applause....excited whispers among the parishioners...gradually quieting down as Dr. Spaulding approaches the microphone)

Hello all :o)

Pawsome Thanks for having Meee as your guest speaker on this Blessed Sunday.

I would like to give gracious thanks to our wonderful Chaplain, Gorgeous Mary-Margaret, for making our beautiful gathering possible.

Today, I am going to share my thoughts about Love and I would like to start with a quote from the Bible:
“Love is patient; Love is kind and envies no one.
Love is never boastful, nor conceited, nor rude; never selfish, not quick to take offense. There is nothing Love cannot face; there is no limit to its faith, its hope, and endurance. In a word, there are three things that last forever: faith, hope, and Love; but the greatest of them all is Love.”

The way I see it, is that when we are born, God plants the seed of Love in our hearts.
For that seed to grow, it has to be nurtured.
I'm so blessed to have Pawrents, Family members and Friends that shower Meee with Love so my seed of Love grows with each passing day.
When one is showered with Love, one can return that Love into the lives of others making them feel important and special.
By doing this we can make our world a better place.

The magical thing about being Loved is that we can overcome anything that life "throws" our way.
You know you are Loved when no matter how many mistakes you may go thru, the person that Loves you the most is always there with encouraging wordsand positive attitude.

Some may think that nobody Loves them when all they need to know, is that God always Loves us unconditionally. He is our Creator and He is always by our side. The depth of God's Love cannot be measured.
The beauty of it is that God always sends the right people into our lives to shower us with His Love.
When we are Loved we have that inner peace that is so important in our lives. It gives us tranquility to feel that everything is going to be alright. It gives us the patience to understand why things are happening the way they do. It gives us the power to not take offense when somebody ishaving a bad day.

I would like to conclude with Don Juan de Marco's quote:
"There are four questions of value in life... What is sacred? Of what is the spirit made? What is worth living for, and what is worth dying for? The answer to each is the same. Only Love."

May you always feel Loved so your seed of Love never stops growing ♥

(more applause....respectful yet enthusiastic)

(Mary-Margaret approaches the pulpit and stops Dr. Spaulding before he can leave)

Thank you so much for your wonderful Inspirational Message, Dr. Spaulding.
The Ladies of the Leather Collar have voted to present you with this lovely engraved circular tag to be added to your neckpiece - the YorkieBrigade Chapel "Sit, Stay and Speak" award. Note that it's engraved with your name "Neeko S. Spaulding" on the back side. This is the first ever award of this kind commissioned by the Ladies of the Leather Collar and is quite an honor.

(Dr. Spaulding blushes and finds himself speechless, but the smile on his face says it all for him)

We truly appreciate you, Dr. Spaulding, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to address us, and to remind us what friendship and love are all about.

Coffee and Danish will be served in the garden in the Chez de le Chien, courtesy of the Fachsie Dachsie Brownie troop #411.

Please turn to your neighbors and wag your tails as a sign of peace.

Bingo and potluck in the community center Thursday at 7:00PM. Don't forget to set your clocks forward next weekend or you'll be late to Chapel.
Volunteer speakers are being recruited and everyone is encouraged to share their story or present us with an Inspirational Message. The more we give to our community, the more our community will give back.

The congregation that prays together, stays together.

Blessings and see you next Sunday....

Mary-Margaret O'Brien
Lt. Chaplain - Yorkie Brigade Chapel
"Yorkie prayers are Angel's wishes!"
"Pups for PPL"
"A dog has lots of friends because he wags his tail and not his tongue." Anonymous

Last Sunday's "Sermon" (better late than never)

Dear friends, guests and others....

I usually post our Inspirational Message right away and because our "Church Secretary" had out of town guests, we are a little tardy. Tomorrow, we promise to be on time.

Reposting our message from Sunday, February 27, 2011:

Welcome, parishioners, to our Fourth Sunday in our Yorkie Brigade Chapel on this 27th day of February 2011. We have a new member that many of you will remember from The Battle of the Scottish Terriers, please welcome Colonel Minnie Mouse and her human, Carolyn.

Our special guest speaker for this morning is Madame Sausha Angel Johnson. She has volunteered to tell her story so that we may all come to understand and appreciate how fortunate we are to have found our "forever" homes, and to remind us that there are pups out there who are still looking for their families.

Please welcome to our pulpit........Mme SAUSHA ANGEL JOHNSON!!

(applause...clapping.......)

(Sausha steps to the microphone and speaks!)

For a time in my life, I had no idea what was happening to me or why. I tried to have faith but I felt it slipping away. I was in great pain and it seemed that I would have to complain to God because no one else could understand me anyway.

My people left me, shedding tears I didn’t understand. I was examined, poked, driven to a cold school, x-rayed, returned. And not fed. I was thirsty and no one heard my cry.

I tried not to despair; I thought a prayer; I hoped a prayer. I didn’t know my prayer was answered when a strange lady took me away with her. I was given food and water, petted and given a soft bed. I was alone in a strange place, but it was quiet and I could hear myself breathe. My prayers continued with less despair, more hope.

An event in a hospital terrified me but when I awoke, I was not in pain. The kind lady took me home with her again. Then within a month, she and her husband took me for a ride. They brought me to this place, and again I didn’t know my prayers were answered, but within a few weeks I knew I was at my last home.

And so I stand at this lectern to tell you, “Yes, Congregants and Canines, members of the Yorkie Brigade and guests, prayers ARE answered.” The smallest prayer is heard and answered; the most seemingly hopeless prayers are answered. Sometimes we do not understand when they are not answered in the way we wished.

For myself, I wanted to be returned to my first family and see their tears of sadness turned to tears of joy. Instead I live in a new world, but I know my prayers were answered because this is my family now.

Now I pray for others as I once prayed for myself. All of you here have it in your power to answer my new prayers: to live peacefully, to be kind to all animals and to each other, to give as you are able to save animals who, like me, were on the doorstep of death. We have many names: Piper, Walter, Gin-Gin.

I thank Mary-Margaret for asking me to speak to you today. Now I ask you, go in peace. And, if my most recent prayer is answered, cookies made by Corrine will be available to us in the social room.

(applause....applause......standing ovation.....)

(Mary-Margaret now returns to the pulpit)

Thank you, Madame Johnson. That was a wonderful reminder that we can't predict what the Lord has in store for us. We can only trust that things will be as they should be.

Before we break for our Sunday "Meet and Greet" in the Social Room (where we're serving calorie free cookies and milk this morning), please let me share a poem by a young man, Brennan Boyle, age 12. It's called

"Prayer for My Best Friend"

Bless his nose, so wet and cold
Bless his fur, so soft to hold.
Bless his tail, it wags so strong
When I tell him he may come along.
Bless those ears that stand so stout
Except when one’s turned inside out.
Bless those eyes so filled with love
That surely comes from God above.
For up in Heaven the Angels sing,
They fly with harps on silver wings.
But here on Earth there can be no doubt,
The Angels bark as they run about.

We would appreciate volunteers to share their words of inspiration with us on future Sundays. Please contact the church office or email me privately. Thank you all.

And now please turn to each other and wag your tails in friendship. Peace be with you all. Don't forget to pick up your photos and links on your way out.

Hope to see you in Chapel tomorrow, March 6, 2011. Neeko S. Spaulding PhD has volunteered to speak again. His topic will be "God Plants the Seed of Love in our Hearts". We are truly blessed to have such an inspirational speaker among us who so generously gives of his time. Thank you, Dr. Spaulding.

Blessedly yours,

Mary-Margaret O'Brien
Lt. Chaplain - Yorkie Brigade Chapel
"PPS for People"

A day at the spa!

This one's for you, Grandpa. We arrived at the "spa" at 9:00AM sharp and I was met at the door by my very good friend Madison. She's having a little set back with her disorderly nerves. I can't remember what it's called exactly, but she gets all loopy and sort of loses her balance. Her neurologist gives her some prednisone and other stuff to help her out. We thought she was getting better last month but she just started veering off to one side again and holding her head funny. Still, she's my VERY best friend and I give her lots of loving when I'm there. We both have peach colored bows today, thanks to Madison's mom.

When my mom went to pick me up she turned on her flasher showing that she was going left and as she started to turn some airhead coming the other way did a "U-ey" (u-turn) in the middle of the street and almost t-boned her. Mom squeaked like she does when she's rattled, and the other lady just glared at her like it was my mom's fault. It was most definitely NOT, but some people are just like that. The other lady was really snooty to Mom while she picked up her German Shepherd. That's so unnecessary. You'd think the lady would have just said "Sorry!" and let it go.

Oh well. See why I like being a dog? Hmmmmmm? I have a great life, no stress, regular meals, friends, treats, and I get to watch TV whenever I want. Oh...and now that Auntie Elaine has gone home, I have my very own comfy leather chair to sit in. See? Mom's even been muttering, "I wish I were like my dog!" a lot lately. Silly woman!!



Hope all is well in your world.

Smoochies and Scnoozles...

Mary-Margaret, your ever-lovin' Grand Doggie

Good-bye, Auntie Elaine!

We picked up my Aunt Elaine at the airport on Thursday night. Boy, she was sure lucky to get out of New York before the storm hit. They had a whole bunch of snow the next day. We had rain and hail, and there was snow down to about 2000' so the mountains looked like they were dusted with powdered sugar. And it got pretty cold here, too.

This top picture was taken on Sunday at Richie's Diner in Temecula. They're famous for their freshly baked cinnamon buns hot out of the oven. See how BIG they are? That took two whole breakfasts for Aunt Elaine to finish!!

Notice the second picture? I know how to keep warm all by myself. Yup!



We drove around a lot and on Sunday, the skies were blue and clear and you could see a gazillion miles way back to the mountains, just like my Aunt MaryElizabeth said. It was BEEE-YOO-TEE-FULL!!!

Aunt Elaine likes to cook. First thing she noticed in our kitchen was a bunch of cookbooks. She dusted them off and started looking for tasty recipes. Saturday, she made us macaroni and cheese from SCRATCH!! Mom says it was excellent. I'll take her word for it. Nobody offered me any. That's ok, though. I got some left over hamburger meat from their lunch at Mad Madeleine's Grill on Front Street. Oh YUM!!

Sunday night, Mom and Aunt Elaine had an "Oscar Party". They watched the whole awards show all the way through and had the best of times. They even cracked open a can of cashews and shared some with me. I just LOVE cashews!

I will be rooming with Aunt Elaine and her pup, Abbey Mia, in October when we go to Nashville to the Yorkie Ball. It's put on every year by the Yorkshire Terrier National Rescue, Inc., our most favorite 501(c)(3) charity (that means you can deduct your donations on your tax return if you want!).

I can't wait!!!

Love and kisses...

Mary-Margaret O'Brien

PS - Seven weeks straight I got beat out by blind cats. I'm entered again in the Bissell Contest but I'm not holding my breath.