So Hard To Say Goodbye

Friday morning we had to say goodbye to our sweet old girl, Lily. 

Waiting Impatiently For Spring

We've had some lovely warmer days on the mountain top recently, which have me more than ready to welcome spring with wide open arms.

But alas, the cold weather is heading our way once more, and I must try to be patient. 

Patience is not my strong suit. 

Molly's First Year

I can't believe it, but sweet Little Miss Molly has been in her forever home for a year now! 

September 14th is the day she came into our lives, and the day we have designated as her birthday. 

If you haven't read the story of how this sweet angel came into our world, hop on over to this post and catch up. 

That Rascally Monkey

I realized today that  I have very few photos of my home without that rascally Monkey in the picture.

Glorious Summer Weekends

The work week seems to take forever, dragging along, but finally it's the weekend - time for the happy dance!

Bear Update

I promised you an update on the Bear situation, so here it is. 

He was missing for a few days. I thought, perhaps, that he had moved on, since he didn't find any food around my house. 

The Battle of The Bear

I've been missing you all and wishing for more time to spend here. 

But life gets in the way sometimes. It's been super busy around here. 

The Garden in Early May

May is a beautiful time on the mountain top, when the earth is just beginning to truly warm up and we finally see spring starting to pop through. 

I love seeing the new growth every single day as I walk about my garden. It's such a promise of things to come!

Grab a beverage and come with me as we check out what's happening in my early May garden.

What I'm Loving

The Robins are back! The Robins are back! I'm so excited!

Coming Home

My favorite part of the day is coming home. I finish up at the office, drive the short trip home up my beautiful country road, and pull into my garage. 

I'm home. 

I put my key into the lock at the kitchen door and I hear the pups raising a racket downstairs. 

Love and Stinky Kisses

My sweetie has such a fondness for all animals. He rescued a tiny kitten years ago who is now his heart and soul - she's incredibly spoiled and has such a good life. 

And he spoils the heck out of my two pups - I don't think he ever goes off the mountain without bringing them back little surprises like a new toy, a Giants jersey, some treats. 

No surprise he was glued to the Westminster Dog Show last night. And as much as I said I didn't really care if we watched it, I was hooked also. Isn't it so interesting to see all the unusual breeds of dogs there are? I have never heard of many of them!

Via

The winner this year was a German Shorthaired Pointer named CJ - here he is in all his glory - what a cutie pie!  

My sweetie picked him as the winner. I did not. 

I like my pups small so they can cuddle up on my lap. I have a few favorite dog breeds that I have always thought some day I may take into my home. I don't say 'own' because, truly I believe our pets own us, not the other way around. 

Via

High on my list is a Papillon, which I have had on my radar since I was a child. The Papillon is considered the smartest and most trainable of all the toy breeds....and those 'butterfly' ears just melt my heart!

Via

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel captured my heart many years ago as well - they are such a wonderful little dog, extremely affectionate and well behaved. What's not to love? 

Via

I've always adored Yorkshire Terriers (Yorkies) like my friend Brenda has over at Cozy Little House. Just look at that little button nose....like a tiny teddy bear! 

Not that I'm looking for another dog any time soon, that's for sure. But there will be a someday, no doubt....and until then I will be ever so happy spending my days loving and spoiling the two babies I have at home. 

They own my whole heart. 

Adopt, Don't Shop

Hi Friends!!

Thank you sincerely, as always, for your visits and your many sweet comments - every single one is cherished and I do try to answer them all! 

My daughter wrote a very touching heartfelt post on her blog today. 

When I read it, I knew I had to share it here with all of my warm and wonderful readers just in case we may be able to help even one furry little baby. 

Meet Shannon, my youngest daughter!

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Adopt, don’t shop

Via

I saw this on facebook today and had my heart broken.

This poor little baby is considered “code red” because he still has not been adopted.

The staff and volunteers put this green Christmas sweater on him (two months ago) in hopes of having him swept away by a loving family. But he hasn’t been- the saddest part to me while reading it is that staff and volunteers say that he sits in his cage with his head down all day.

I felt such a pull and compelled to share. My blog is small, just getting started. But maybe one person in Miami will see this and tell a friend, who will pick him up. Or if that does not happen, maybe someone in another state will see this and adopt instead of going to the pet store, like they had originally planned.

  

Why does this happen?

Do you think people walk by and see him sad, not happy, jumpy, and enthusiastic like the other pups there and overlook him? Because if I saw a dog this sad while looking around, I would just want to scoop him up, bring him home, and make him happy again.

I wish there was a grant out there for people who want to own pets but simply can’t afford it.

Is there?  I don’t have knowledge on this, but maybe someone else may know.

I think this may be a big part of the problem- that people may see him, want him, but are just unable to afford it- or he may have special needs, like perhaps cannot be in a home with children, and the family who wants him has children.

 Bobby baby

 A few months ago, my mom was following this 8 year old Jack Russell named Minnie Pearl:

We saw her on the news and felt drawn to her- but as you may or may not already know, we have 2 Jacks at home already. [ Struggles of a Jack Russell post ]

We simply couldn’t take on another doggy, but my mom basically said that if she was not adopted in a few weeks, we would look into it.  But we are so happy to see she has been adopted! 

I just felt compelled to share my feelings. This struck me so hard this morning and I feel so passionately about helping these little babies that even if I reach one person, that is a win to me.

Via

*UPDATE - after I published this post, I visited the Miami Dade Animal Services Facebook Page and learned that Bobby was adopted!  The article about Bobby in his Christmas sweater must have gotten a lot of people’s attention. There was a line out the door at the society of people wanting him. Yay!

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Thanks, Shannon!!

I love a happy ending! There are many more pets out there that need our help. I also went on the shelter's Facebook page and apparently they are a high kill shelter as they get so many animals in need of a loving home. The good news is that they will deliver a pet - they have volunteers that drive  1 1/2 hour legs of a journey, relay style, to deliver pets to their new homes. 

There may be a little furry baby out there looking for you right now!

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Visit Shannon on her blog, TheGoodThingsComin

The Thankful Home

A few days ago I told you about a 7 day thankfulness challenge my daughter wrote about on her blog.

Her sweet words stuck with me as reminder to look around and appreciate the little things we take for granted on any given day. 

This morning I walked out of my bedroom bright and early....the dogs were squeaking to get out and it's Monday morning and I didn't sleep well.....but the sun was shining through the front windows and the house was cozy and warm and all was well with my world. 

And I started thinking about how lucky I am. 

Although things can get a little overwhelming when I don't have enough time off work I'm thankful that I have a job that I like and a boss I adore. 

The firewood tower is almost empty which means I need to bring in wood before work....but I'm so thankful for my beautiful fireplace that keeps my house lovely and warm. 

And strong legs and arms to carry loads of wood up a flight of stairs. I'm grateful for the exercise. 

The laundry that's piled up in my master closet right now means I have plenty of warm clothes to wear. 

And the pantry that I organized yesterday means I have lots of food to prepare for the people I love. 

The linen closet I also worked on yesterday is stocked with paper goods, toiletries, table linens, and fluffy clean towels all of which make my home cozy and efficient. It's the simple everyday things such as this that make me feel at peace in my life. 

The dog hair that I'm constantly vacuuming up means I have two wonderful little furbabies that I love sharing my life and home. And my furniture, which apparently is theirs. 

What about those puppy toys that I pick up ten times a day and throw back in the toy basket? I'm so thankful for those little furry brats - they wake me up at the crack of dawn because they just want Mommy to be able to enjoy a glorious sunrise!

The mess my daughters made downstairs over the weekend reminds me how thankful I am to be able to spend quality time with my two beautiful daughters on a regular basis. Someday I'll be an empty nester and I'll miss their silliness and their busy lives and their messes. 

I won't miss them waking me up in the wee hours when they come home, though. Nope. Mommy needs her sleep!

I am so very thankful for the sweet man that came into my life when I was going through a painful divorce and kept me sane and gave me strength. His strong shoulders supported me through many challenging times over the past 5 years and although we don't live together we do have a committed relationship and I consider him my partner.

My sister will be hosting Thanksgiving once again this year and my other sister will travel from Boston with her little family to join us. The only thing missing will be my parents, who are in Florida for the winter and no longer travel back for the holidays. I am eternally grateful for my wonderful family - we are so blessed.

And I am ever so thankful for the many people who have been stopping by my humble little blog. I feel as if I have a bunch of wonderful new friends and I love reading every one of your comments! They inspire me to keep sharing my thoughts and my simple little life with the folks in Blogland.

I am a truly lucky woman. 

The Monkey & The Moo

Remember yesterday when I showed you all the cool stuff I got at Home Goods? 

Well the Monkey decided that this little Moo Cow was hers and hers alone. 

And she's pretty much obsessed with it already. 

She gets extremely attached to her things. 

She'll hug it and kiss it and squeeze it all over....

And Heaven help anyone who wants to take it away from her. 

The Moo Cow even stuck around while the Monkey ate her dinner. 

Thankfully my old girl, Lily, was quite content to keep pulling all the stuffing out of Duckie.  Poor Duckie. 

I hope your evening was as much fun as ours!

Happy weekend, folks!

Things That Brighten My Day

Some mornings it's just hard to shake off a "mood" - this morning was one of those mornings. 

My older dog has this terrible habit of waking the house before dawn. She wakes my younger daughter first (she sleeps in her room) and after she gets out for her morning business she runs up the stairs and sits outside my door. Whining. Crying. Whimpering. It's beyond annoying and I don't know how to break her of the habit. If my daughter doesn't let her up the stairs, she sits inside my daughter's room scratching at the door and whining and being annoying. Either way, we don't get enough sleep. Ever.

And after a while it wears on you. Big time.

Today was one of those days. 

My older daughter is traveling (again!) - this time she's on her way to Egypt via Istanbul and I can't help but worry about her. So, it was a night of tossing and turning for me, and there will be many nights like that until she returns safely on the 23rd. Say a prayer.

I'm tired. I need a really good night's sleep.

Today I'm going to post some simple things in my world that always make me smile. In the hopes that they will brighten both my day and yours.

And I know they will. 

Autumn morning light on the deck - best place ever for my morning coffee

My sweetie got exactly 3 flowers on his hydrangeas all season....and he cut them and brought them to me!

Weekend mornings deserve cappucino

The morning light hits the green bubbly glass knobs in the kitchen and makes them glow

The best thing about my dog waking me up before dawn

A housewarming gift from a friend - it makes me smile every time I see it

My little monkey always manages to find the sunshine

The foliage in my back woods

My evening sanctuary

My old girl who won't let me sleep - she loves her new toy - it's hard to stay mad at that face 

Waiting for a party

My home, my haven

The blue jays come in one after the other now for their peanuts and entertain us to no end

The morning sun hits the trees right outside the kitchen windows and they light up the room

My little monkey is a big Giants fan!

Happy Things

Wow, that rain came down fast and furious last night! It was pounding my skylights and filling up the creek and watering the parched gardens and it was wonderful! I love falling asleep to the sound of the rain, I find it incredibly soothing. 

Thankfully the hole in my dining room was filled in before the storms started. And my new windows are all in with the exception of the guest room window, which has been delayed due to the weather. 

I'm so pleased with the way they look and can't wait to see them all trimmed out. 

There's a little work to do before the molding can go up - some Sheetrock to be repaired and spackled and some tiles to replace around the kitchen window. 

On a side note, I'd love to remove that tile counter top some day and replace it with a solid surface counter but that's not happening this year after all the other renovations I've done. I love the counter I put in my new master bath, it's a Silestone Lagoon and it's fabulous.  Someday.....

The view out the new windows has been wonderful, also - the birds and critters have been having a great time at my feeders. It's about time I got some real action out there!

These little goldfinches were the first birds to find my feeder and they have been regular visitors, along with my little chipmunk friend.   Their beautiful gold and black colors have already started to fade as they do with the shortened days.  The finches generally stick around all winter and in the spring when days start getting longer again they once again don their vibrant colors. 

I've just recently spotted this guy up on the deck. He drives the dogs mad when they see him through the window - they'd love to get out there and give him a run for his money!

I know some folks don't care for Blue Jays but I love them. They add such a splash of color in the winter months and they are always welcome at my feeders. I put out peanuts in the shell and now that they've found them they watch for me to refill the feeder in the morning and they land on it within minutes. They are so smart and will weigh the nuts to see which is the heaviest and then stuff it into their mouths, sometimes even stuffing in a second one!

He's picking through and weighing the nuts....

 Score!!