Took my puppy Sunshine to the coffee shop with me, thinking that she and I could sit outside while I enjoyed a cup of coffee. In fact, I had asked one of the owners last week if it was okay to sit in their outdoor area with a dog and she said we were welcome and loved the idea.

So, knowing that I shouldn't bring a dog inside the shop, and not wanting Sunshine to stay even a couple minutes in the car in 90 degree weather,

while I got my coffee, I tied her to one of their outdoor wrought-iron-looking tables. After two minutes, I hadn't placed my order yet, but I thought I had better go check on puppy. Imagine my shock when Sunny was not there! And neither was the table!

I called, "Sunshine," and, "Sunny," but she did not come. A young family helped me look and the dad even went into the back parking lot and asked a trucker (who was unloading dog food for the neighboring pet store) if he had seen her. Sunshine was nowhere in sight. How far could she have gone with her leash tied to a TABLE? Someone must have seen her! How far could she have gone, dragging something that large behind her? She is only four months old and weighs twenty-two pounds!

Well, one of the coffee shop employees was kind enough to come out and help me look - and spotted the collapsible table flat on the ground behind a nearby car in the parking lot. There was Sunshine, still tied to the table, scared to death and hiding under the car! She wouldn't come out in spite of coaxing and I didn't have any dog treats on me. I had to drag her out!

Next, I picked her up and hugged her, and she clung to me, so glad to see her "mama." It must have been scary when that table fell and then followed her!

I should have learned this lesson from reading "Marley & Me," and from having seen the movie, but I guess I had to learn the hard way!

Sunshine is home and happy now.

What's so great about Lemi Shine?

Lemi Shine is a dishwasher detergent additive that has saved me hundreds of dollars! How is that possible? I was ready to ditch my four year old dishwasher before I found this product.

I live in Pasco County, Florida and have hard well water. I thought a water softener would be all I needed to have clean dishes, clothes and appliances. After a couple of years in my new home, I noticed that my dishes were not getting clean any longer, even though I was using the same enzyme-containing dishwasher detergent and a rinse aid and the same treated water. It sure looked like my basic building-contracter-selected (cheap) dishwasher was already giving up the ghost.

The film on my glassware was absolutely disgusting and nothing would remove it. I tried hand-scrubbing and soaking in various cleaning agents to no avail. Ugh, who wants to serve a guest or family member a drink in a glass that looks like it has never been washed? So, I did some reading and learned that recent environmental regulations had completely changed the formulation of nearly all available dishwasher detergents. Previously, phosphates did much of the cleaning work; now they are banned in enough places that it isn't really worth manufacturing the kind containing phosphates.

Then I found out about Lemi Shine. It contains citric acid and other ingredients that are safe for the environment. You use it alone or in conjuction with your favorite dishwasher detergent. I used it in an empty cycle to clean my machine, and then ran a load of clouded glassware. They emerged sparkling! I was thrilled!

Lemi Shine has other uses which are posted on its website: http://www.lemishine.com/. It is in a very convenient plastic container; it pours easily and you don't have to worry about getting a splash of water on it, unlike the cardboard containers used for most powdered detergents. I buy mine at Publix; check the Lemi Shine website of Facebook page to see where you can buy it. I highly recommend Lemi Shine!

p.s. Full disclosure: If you like my blog post, Lemi Shine may consider giving me some free product as a reward for sharing my opinion.