_      Do you know what a centenarian is? The root word is century, so it means a person who is 100 years old. Samme Darnell is a centenarian. Not a lot of people know a lady that lives to be 100 years of age, but I am blessed to know Samme. Her most famous book is called Sisters. This book is about her life with her sister and how they survived in the Copper River Valley in the 1920s.  I first met Samme when, at the age of 93, she drove all the way from California to Kenny Lake, Alaska. For several summers Sammie would come all the way from Thousand Oaks, California to her beloved Alaska. Here she worked on writing about this great state, road houses in Alaska, and stories about her family’s history. She would stay at our house and take care of our dogs while mom and I were off on our own adventures.

    If you had ever met Samme you would never forget her petite body and her white head with no hair out of place, tied up with a cute ribbon. Our dog, Honey, fell in love with her, protected her and never left her side. She loved him as well and spoiled him rotten. It seemed sometimes he was sad when we came back home… no more special privileges. She had a strong faith in God and every morning she would spend time in his Word. She believes she has lived so long because she has a strong faith in God.

    Over the few years I’ve known her, she has taught me to love life, be courageous, keep striving forward, and never stop seeking adventures. It’s been an honor to know this centenarian.

_ Unlike my obsession with being organized, my miniature labradoodle Emma is obsessed with anything that can be thrown or bounced. Emma redefines the meaning of obsessive - compulsive disorder or OCD. The dictionary says that OCD is an anxiety disorder that produces repetitive behaviors. This applies to some humans, but in this case it applies to my dog.

Emma has many tendencies that tell you she is OCD. When she first sees her ball, she drools and sticks her tongue out. As you toss and throw the ball, she goes into a completely different world. Holding the ball in her mouth, she won't let go unless you grab it. Emma is very anxious when I come home from school, and is always has a glimmer in the corner of her eye telling me she wants to play. The minute my shoe hits the floor, she brings a ball to me. Sometimes it looks like she is shaking, even quivering, in anticipation of the throw. Who could resist satisfying her urge to play? Not me.

Emma's OCD drives me up the wall at times. Then I think of how she has been waiting for me all day and how she wants my attention. I think it’s crazy that she can play for two hours non-stop, with only 10 second breaks to catch her breath. It wears me out! But what can I say? She is my one and only OCD dog and I love her.