on the verge of snapping

I didn't do it...

2012-02-07T22:51:00.000-05:00

Hanz is such a worrier...then there's Bug with none. He's so pathetic it's cute.

Rufus (now known as Lucas) Goes Home

2012-02-07T22:39:00.001-05:00

I forgot to tell you...This pretty boy went to his new home on January 28th. He was SUCH a good boy here. I was sad to see him go.

His new canine sister is named Hazel. Hazel is a very pretty 6 year old with long eyelashes, long beard, silvery grey hair groomed in a nice Schnauzer cut. A dog that you would look at and want to hug and squeeze. But you can't, She's Queen Bitch. (I say that with a chuckle and affection) She is the bitchiest Bitch dog I've met....ever! Good thing Lucas is so laid back, it's the only way it will work. Not to worry, he will let her know when he's had enough, but the hierarchy was set right off. She's lucky she has good looks on her side cuz she's a little bitchy toward humans, too, but she loves her mom. Lucas also has a 13 year old canine sibling named Toby. A Dalmation/Lab mix. When Maryellen sent me a picture of her two dogs, I fell for Toby immediately. He looks so sweet.

Oh, The Life

2012-01-28T09:02:00.000-05:00

It's been a very busy week. I'm working on a pretty large room changing it from a golden tight color wash to a softer tan-er faux grasscloth/linen look. It's looking pretty awesome, lots of work. I, of course, forgot to take full room 'before' pics, but I have a sliver of the wall with the original faux finish. When I'm done I'll show and tell, hopefully the new finish will show up on camera.

Speaking of camera. ugh. I've been using mine with lines across the viewing screen for months now. I still hesitate sending it out because I do not want to be without it but those lines are really starting to annoy me. So send it out I must. I just hope they fix it and not email me telling me it'll cost X amount of dollars for a 'refurbished' one with their loyalty program. That's how I got this one because the original crashed to the ground and the shutter broke. But...

This is really what I wanted to share:

Cute puppies keeping warm. A typical scene around here in the colder weather. Lucas LOVES being in front the wood stove and is there 90% of the time. Hanz must have been feeling especially chilly, usually he's on the sofa -- and Bug! well, she doesn't sit still for very long and if I'm doing something, she wants to know what the heck it is.

Have a great day!!

Finger vs. Vegetable Peeler

2012-01-20T11:13:00.001-05:00

The peeler won.

I sliced the top of my pinky finger. From the center down about a 1/2". The first shave of the vegetable peeler on a grapefruit. In a flash! Slip! Shit! Ouch! Crap!

The deepest part of the slice? almost 1/4". Blood. Blood. and more blood.

I could probably use a couple stitches, but I did what my dad taught me many many years ago...no matter how deep the gash, (And my brother had one looooong deeep gash on the underbelly of his forearm) butterfly stitches will do the trick. So that's what I did...after if finally stopped bleeding.

I just sat down to type, forgetting about the finger and ended up with words missing the letter 'a'. This is not going to be fun. I have work to do and a lot of my work involves water cleanup, plus I can be a little OCD on washing my hands. Injuries on a hand is never a good thing.

Note to self: no more peeling citrus. Well, that probably won't happen -- SO -- get fingers out of the way when peeling citrus. Ahhhhhh, there we go.

Oh Snowy Snowy Night

2012-01-19T23:54:00.000-05:00

One of the most beautiful times to go out into the hot tub is when there is a light snow falling, it's midnight and all is quiet. The warmth the hot water gives you right to your bones, makes one sleep like a baby.

This was going to be one of those nights.

Until I got out there only to find that for some reason the water is 95 degrees and not 104 degrees like it's supposed to be! Aaarrgghh.

My toes are cold.

Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow

2012-01-15T11:06:00.003-05:00

Dear vintage Vitamix,

Oh, how I have adored you. It was a tremendously difficult decision to let you go. I love your look, your all metal construction, the hard work you've done for me over the years, but alas, I must move on, I was seduced by another. More muscular, stronger, faster. I couldn't help myself, I went to see it perform and I was smitten, (plus, it came with an extra pitcher for free and an extra year of warranty)...I could not pass it by. I was going to keep you on the side, as you are far better looking, but I cannot be a mistress of two, I am not capable of such disloyalty.

It breaks my heart, but you must go, another will find you and you will be loved again.

Ahhhh, my new love...

You have proven yourself to me time and time again, even though I've known you for such a short while. You are the best Christmas gift. Your swiftness and abilities have swept me off my feet, and I am better for it. I am glowing from the nectar of your cup. I was not being satisfied fully by 'the other' and you have filled me completely.

I think we will have a long, beautiful life together.

Happy Birthday Sweetie

2012-01-13T17:34:00.007-05:00

Yesterday was R's birthday. The BIG 5-0. I asked him if he would like a party with all his friends. "No, I'd just like to spend it with you." I asked him what he would like for a gift. "Nothing, except you." He's easy to please...the thing is...he MEANS it! How awesome is that?

So, I did what any decent loving girlfriend would do to start his day off right -- I made him pancakes.

Photo courtesy of Almond Board of California.

The recipe is from Elana's Pantry. They were AWESOME! I doused them with peaches simmered in butter rum syrup. Best pancakes I've ever made.

Since going grain free, R. is being introduced to grain free foods and so far, so good.

I sent him off to work with a refreshing, tasty and healthy smoothie.

And for dinner I made him one of his favorite dishes...nice salad, stuffed peppers, and roasted sweet potatoes.

For dessert I 'whipped' up ... there's whipped egg whites in the cake as well as the meringue :-) ... this flourless chocolate torte with cherry preserves from Martha Stewart.

It's the first time I've made meringue, and although the results weren't stellar, it looked pretty good and R. was impressed with me trying something new. But, we both agreed, the cake would have been better without the super sweetness of the cherry preserves and without the super sweetness of the meringue. A dusting of confectioners sugar (or not) would have been just fine. The taste of the cake was excellent and would have shown off better without all the sweet goopiness.

I did want to give him a gift other than myself, but what? As I was sitting in his man-chair pondering the thought, it hit me. A mug rug!!

When I started reading about mug rugs awhile back I thought, "why would you make one of those?" I didn't get it. A small placemat/big coaster for tea and treats. But as I sat there staring off into space, looking at the coffee table the other day, it came to me. See, R. doesn't like to put his morning tea and oatmeal on the coffee table for fear it may get scratched. So, he'll grab whatever else is on the table and use it as a coaster/placemat. It would only be right to make him his own little coaster-mat, otherwise known as a mug rug. I knew I would have to explain to him what it was when he opened it, and I could see he wasn't sure about the whole deal, he said he'd want to hang it as art, (he's sweet, and again, he meant it!) but he put it into use this morning and was pretty pleased to have it.

I had researched mug rugs before making it. I found a blog that noted this guy's name that had started the whole craze. It looked pretty recent so I figured it was a new thing that this guy thought up (because they said he did, why wouldn't I believe them?)

I was talking with my friend Lenore today, telling her the story of R's birthday and she said, "oh, a mug rug, my grandma used to make them." REALLY? I knew it had to be quite awhile back because Grandma is dead, and has been for quite some time. "Yeah, back in 1993." I thought that was pretty cool.

He tells me he had a GREAT birthday! Mission accomplished.

Loyal Dog Stories Will Warm Your Heart

2012-01-12T07:32:00.000-05:00

Playing my daily Freekibble game, today there is a link for 'more photos .' Sweet stories of loyal dogs. One especially gave me a few tears, the dog in Japan after the Tsunami, stood by the side of it's injured canine companion. Watch the video, see how it puts it's little paw over the head of the other? A definite 'awwww' moment.

Oh Oscar! You Retro God

2012-01-07T11:59:00.000-05:00

I found this as I thrifted around before Christmas. Oscar de la Renta scarf, excellent condition. Fun, pop, retro goodness. It would look great framed, and that may happen, but I'm thinking it will be more suited to someone's home with a graphic retro style, so it may end up on ebay. I really do 'dig' it, though.

My camera sucks when it comes to reds, guess I should get me a photo program to enhance/alter...this is brighter and more raspberry in person.

Theatre Going

2012-01-05T08:16:00.012-05:00

photo taken from the 'Norwich Bulletin'

Last night a friend invited me to see The Boy In The Bathroom at the Spirit of Broadway Theater, located in Norwich, CT. It is a very small venue, intimate and up close with the actors...all 3 to be exact. It starts as a story of OCD, but builds up to a much bigger picture of life, what it brings to us and how we deal with it. It was funny, touching and moving. It is a musical, as the actors sang their parts, but no dancing was involved. Thought provoking and philosophical. Very enjoyable. If you live in the area, you should see it.

Hey Look!!

2012-01-05T08:04:00.000-05:00

Wouldn't this be an awesome wall finish to do in your house somewhere?

I totally swiped the photo from The Linkster Blog.

I really need to do this somewhere. Probably in more subtle colors but this is very cool. Maybe grey and black. Pink and red would be awesome. Or orange and pink, very bubble gum. Lime green and yellow! Oh, how I could go on.

Rufus, Roofy, Cutie Boy

2012-01-04T07:48:00.000-05:00

Whatever you call him, he comes a runnin'!

This boy is sooooo good. Whomever adopts him will be lucky to have him. He's easy, wants to please (not a typical Schnauzer trait) loves walks and trail hikes, oh yeah, I already told you, and rolling in poop.

He was very good posing for the camera. He's just a love all the way around.

Lexie Goes Home

2012-01-03T23:44:00.000-05:00

Lexie got adopted today!! Woot Woot! The family went to Shelly's to meet Tandy and fell for Lexie. Who wouldn't? She's sweet, quiet and gives delicate kisses. BUT, don't be surprised if we find out that she's a DIVA. I have that sense about her, it's just waiting to come out when she feels comfortable enough. LOL.

She was snuggled up with Hanz until I took the camera out.

Staying warm by the fire and keeping her baby safe. Sometimes I catch a glimpse of her and I'd think it was Hanzie. This is one of those moments.

New Year's Beginnings...

2012-01-03T10:16:00.004-05:00

The good, bad and ugly, continued....

Monday morning was started by meeting with a client. I brought them sample boards of a faux finish I will be doing on the walls of their combined dining room/sitting room area. The finish mimics grasscloth. They loved everything about it, the color, the visual texture, they were very excited, which makes me happy.

R. had some tree work to do and thought he'd have assistance from the homeowner he was doing it for, but the guy had to leave. I got the call for help. I act as the groundsman on his jobs sometimes. This one would be pretty easy, I'd have to lower some limbs when he cuts them. It's kind of cool. He is like a monkey in a tree. This is the first time I was really nervous about him being up there. The way the widow makers (tree lingo for branches dangling from a tree) were up there and where they were and how far out on a branch that looked unstable, made my heart jump. I've seen him up in a 70 foot tree, at the top and it swaying after large branches have been dropped...no problem, but when he's precariously perched with only his rope tethering him to another limb...I get a little nervous. But all was well, we packed up and off we went.

The adventures for the day was to go look at a car an hour away and to bring Lexie to Shelly's. I've been searching for a new car for a few weeks. When I do research, I do it obsessively. If I'm on the computer, which ends up being all the time when researching something, I'm going from website to website looking for the best car for the best deal. Narrowing down which brand and style I want, then finding one that fits certain criteria. I used to just take what I could get but I wanted a white or light blue exterior and a grey interior. The latter being the most important. I don't do well with tan interiors visually, and with dogs....well, need I say more. The only acceptable thing in tan would have been leather.

I wouldn't normally be searching only two years after the last purchase which was this 1997 Subaru Outback,

but that one ended up not being a very good choice. It was a 'I need a car now' type of purchase because it had been a couple months since my car crash and I just needed a vehicle of my own instead of using R's. We've just had to put money into it what feels like every 6 months. Now it has other things going wrong and we made the decision to not continue wasting the money and to buy something else. Something else meant something newer than 10 years old. Totally out of my category of buying cars. Spending more than $5000 on a car is scary shit, but I need reliability and longevity. I finally settled on a Toyota Rav4, 2006-2010. I found a 2006 Sport with sunroof priced $3000+ below market value.

It's very clean inside which is huge for me. It has 55k miles on it, which does not bring it over the national average per year, and I'm comfortable with it. If you've been looking for a car, have you noticed how high mileage is on them and still how much they are priced at??? I soon as I saw this one online, I knew it was the one. The guy selling it was awesome, a little used car place in Williamsburg, MA. All of his vehicles look to be in excellent shape and priced under market value.

So with that decision made, and feeling good about it, we were off. Shelly was expecting me around 2-2:30 and we were running on time. The new dogs that came in have gotten quick interest and one would be leaving, so... I was bringing Lexie there because having an intact male and an in-heat female in my small house does not work. They were crated too much and Rufus was beside himself with desire. Off we went for the hour's drive. I got to meet the rest of the crew that came in and fell in love with Macie.

Her picture does not do her justice. She is petite, cautious and sweeeeet. I wanted to take her with me, but she is in heat, too.

Tandy is Queen B

Lizzy is a cutie pie

and Emmie is still with us and making progress

I had a hard time leaving Lexie, she was so good and so sweet, but maybe it's good so that I don't get too attached. ;-) With that done, we started home -- another hour of driving.

We got a mile away from Shelly's house and the temperature gauge was through the roof hot and the smell of the radiator was coming into the car, plus we had no heat...Yup, the car was over heating, but no steam was coming out from under the hood. We pulled into the Big Y parking lot. We had to wait for the car to cool before opening the radiator cap so we went in and bought some fried chicken parts and anti-freeze and went back out to the car to eat our snack. We were starving from not having any lunch, and truth be told, this was not our smartest choice of foods, it chewed and tasted old and it was way too fried.

When enough time had passed, the radiator was replenished with fluid and off we went, remarking on the good fortune of having just purchased a newer car. Funny how things happen. Although, this car is not dead in the water, it's good to know that the back up will be here in a couple days.

Happy New Year!!!!

2012-01-03T08:42:00.002-05:00

OK, I'm a few days late in my well wishes, but I do hope that 2012 is a happy, healthy and productive one for everyone.

My New Year's beginnings...the good, the bad, the ugly...

Sunday was a beautiful day but I didn't realize that until about 1pm. All morning I felt like I was walking in circles, needing to get things accomplished, but accomplishing nothing. I was waiting for information from two people so that I could schedule my day. Not knowing puts me into a wait and see funk instead of a go with the flow attitude and live on. I was also regretting my decision to not spend the day with R. and his girls, so the waiting and thinking I could have gone with them after all, made me cranky. I basically moved things around, packed some things up, moved things around.

My friend Toni took Rufus for the weekend, to get him away from Lexie. He was crazy boy with Lexie being in heat and really needed some time away from heightened hormone activity. He, apparently, is a very excellent dog. Well behaved, listens, comes when called, and can be off leash on the trails without going out of sight and comes back quickly when called. The down side to the 'off leash on trail' thing? He likes to roll in things. She thought he was rolling in some mud, upon further inspection -- found it to be poop. I got 'THE CALL.' "Help, there's a stream to rinse him in but I need towels." Off I go to save the day.

The friend she was hiking with is an avid exerciser so she had some Pantene Shampoo in her bag of tricks along with a towel. They rinsed him in the stream, doing a quick shampoo, and dried him off. When I came into the parking area where they were he was bundled in a pink towel shivering. It was very cute, really. I put him in the car and as I chatted with the girls, he dried off a little more from the sun, and wanted to get out of the crate to run around again. They were telling me of the whole event, dramatic effects and all and mentioned that they inspected the poop and it was diarrhea. Yikes! the way they said it, I looked at them and with caution, asked..."was it human?" "Yes, they thought so." DOUBLE YIKES!! Yes, you can freely gag with that one. He got a full bath when I returned home with him.

While talking with them I realized how beautiful the day was. I'm very good being a homebody, but with that, I sometimes do not take advantage of the beautiful weather because I get busy in the house. With this weather revelation I thought about what I could do outside for the afternoon. Well, it isn't very exciting to the average bear, but I went into the garage and organized it a bit and packed some stuff up for the thrift store. This is where the sewing machines moved to from the kitchen a few weeks ago, neatly lined up by my hero who did the unforgiving task of moving all those machines. It was a reminder to get on the ball and get them moved along.

Last week I picked up on the side of the road 7 boxes of yarn. The boxes were marked 'free yarn' so what's a recycler to do but put them in the car? But then, I put them in the garage. I went through the boxes and kept a few skeins but mostly cleaned up any added miscellaneous debris and boxed them back up, put them back into the car and off to the thrift store they will go today. It's so refreshing to clear a space.

Sunday night , when R. came home I was a bit off and finally admitted to him the disappointment of the day, that I missed not being with them on such a beautiful day, that I felt I didn't ACCOMPLISH anything. It's something I was holding onto for the day and it effected me with him...once I let my story out, I felt so much better and started to have a lighter heart. I told him about Rufus's adventure and my spirits were lifted.

We had some dinner and watched Grey Gardens. I picked it up from the library a few days before. I read about it a few months ago on some of the blogs I follow and knew I wanted to see it, but forgot about it. Interesting story. I'd like to see the original documentary made in 1975. I will have to look for it. R. thought it interesting and disturbing. I liked it.

Oh Looky It's Lexie

2011-12-31T00:04:00.002-05:00

This pretty girl has interesting color due to poor breeding. I liken her coloring to a very light caramel although she looks like a salt and pepper in the pictures. She has light brown eyes that will steal your heart. She is sweet, a little shy and a love. I am working on leash training and confidence building with her.

We recently got 8 dogs in from Maine. Not spayed, not neutered. I got Rufus and Lexie, and she is in heat (of course) and so is one of the other females. They came from a backyard breeder that had 17 dogs of different breeds and 7 horses, she was breeding them all. She seemed to have cared for them in an emotional sense but they were not clean, they had fleas and there were no records of vetting... Animal rescuers in Maine intervened, a friend through a friend thing, when her life turned upside down. They got the animals out of there as quickly as possible and called us about the Schnauzers. The sad part of this is that when she gets back on her feet again, the cycle may start again, I hope that it doesn't. The positive thing of it is that all the dogs seem to be of good temperament.

I will tell you more about Rufus when he lets me take a picture of him and I can include it in his story.

Gifted Revamped Wallet

2011-12-28T18:16:00.001-05:00

As I roamed around doing Christmas shopping, I happened upon a cute wallet that was perfect for R's 15 year old daughter. She had mentioned awhile back that she wanted a wallet and lately she's been into elephants and giraffes, and teal is a favorite color, so this was a win win win.

There was a problem in that it showed signs of use by being marked up with pen on the front tab and the back panel. The front flap had erasure marks on it where someone tried to remove the pen but they removed the dye instead. This is probably why it ended up at Goodwill. Physically it was in good shape. I should have taken a before picture but didn't think of it until I was done with the 'clean up.'

I really wanted to be able to give it to her because I knew she would love it. So I did what any crafty girl with paints would do...I painted it. I mixed a green for the tab and a teal that was similar to the one that existed, for the body, but brightened it a bit. I then added some pearlescent white and a little gel medium. I painted all the leather parts that were not part of the main pictorial image with two thin coats. Voila! Magic! Almost like new with a little broken in feel to it. The leather remained supple and I was one happy gifter. The giftee was pretty thrilled, too.

Wishing You Peace and Joy...

2011-12-24T23:02:00.001-05:00

My Job Is Done

2011-12-24T00:57:00.004-05:00

Presents are wrapped and under the tree and in a pile for "to Grandma's house we go."

The little nut in the photo is looking for the gift of me rubbing her belly.

See Ya Harley

2011-12-23T13:05:00.001-05:00

Harley had visitors today. As soon as Michael sat down Harley was right there by his side. He's a little turd...wanted nothing to do with me from that moment forward. I've seen it before, I can't take it personally. He knew what they were here for...HIM!! and he was making sure that they meant it.

Harley will now reside in New Hampshire with two dads and a cutie girl Schnauzer named Abby. He will go camping on the weekends in the summer, apparently to a sort of 'dog sanctuary' camping area of 100 acres, people and their dogs. He'll be in heaven. This couple doesn't care about his ability to use his vocal cords, Abby is vocal, too, and they don't mind it at all. Abby goes everywhere with them, and now Harley will enjoy the same, which I know he will be thrilled with.

It was so funny, it was a few minutes before leaving and Harley kept running to the door as if to say, "hey guys! let's go!!" His mind was made up and he was outta here!

He was here for 4+ months, I thought for sure I'd be teary when he left, but he was so ready to go, how could I have any sadness? He'll do great and be so thrilled to get the spoiling he feels he deserves.

A Morning Message from Olive (formerly Tink)

2011-12-14T08:51:00.002-05:00

What a nice surprise to open my email and find this little nugget sent me a picture and a message about how warm and cozy she is. OK, you're right, SHE didn't 'cuz she doesn't know how to set the timer for the camera so her mom had to do it. But she sent the note (yes, I taught her well on how to use the computer to send me a note every once in awhile, and she was a fast learner.)

She had her little friends join her for the photo. How cute is she??

I miss that girl.

Funny LOL Auto Corrects

2011-12-07T06:41:00.001-05:00

I laughed so hard, out loud, tears streaming down my face...the dogs came running to see what was wrong. Oh my gosh, how hysterical.

http://damnyouautocorrect.com/13603/the-25-funniest-autocorrects-of-dyacs-first-year/

Happy Living Room Walls

2011-12-06T22:37:00.006-05:00

Hey Cindi!! you silly girl, it's late, but they are here...

I went around once completely painting the design, brush washing the background and inside the leaves after drawing out the lines. It wasn't bright enough, so some more mixing of colors was done to change them a bit and around I went again. Oh, it took about 40 hours total and that doesn't include the base coat as I started with the blue that was there. I only did three walls, the fourth wall has a bookcase on it and I wasn't in the mood to take all the books off to move it out of the way. Eventually, when I create a new bookshelf system, that wall will be painted with the color wash background and the dots. Not much of the wall will really show, as it is a dividing wall the intention is for a bookcase to take up most of it.

I painted the board that's the back of the wood rack to match the walls.

The walls were this blue....

(this picture is from a few years back when the room was transitioning)

Then the outlines....

The top photo shows the correct color combination. It was hard getting some good color in the pictures.

I freshened up all the trim with a nice white I found I like from Sherwinn Williams. My front window sills show signs of dogs excited to see what's outside. Instead of trying to smooth out the scratches I decided to look at them as the signatures of those that had taken temporary residence with me.

Now, onto window treatments and hanging things on the walls. I'm still contemplating the whole sofa thing. ugh.

Coffee Table-Scape

2011-12-05T17:18:00.001-05:00

This set up changed every once in awhile when new colors were being mixed for the walls, but essentially, this is what it has looked like for about a month and a half. What I thought would be a 'quick weekend' of work, wasn't so, and I wasn't about to pick all this up each day (there's more you don't even see.) It was a few hours here, a few hours there, and a lot of hours in between that had to be put toward life and couldn't be put toward art on the walls.

I am happy to say that the coffee table now looks like it's supposed to, the wood pile is where it's supposed to be against the wall and not against the bookshelves, the sofa is pushed back to where it belongs. Other miscellaneous 'stuff' that has gathered has been picked up and my mind is remarkably clearer. The walls are done!! I'll show you tomorrow when I can get in some good pictures.

Sofa Disappointments and Cute Poodles

2011-11-30T11:00:00.002-05:00

After all that hemming and hawing over which sofa would I think I prefer, not one of the owners got back to me. Craigslist is a funny thing. Now, I ask, are there really that many people in my area looking for a vintage sofa that most likely has to be recovered? Did someone grab them to put in their Rec Room? Does anyone still call it a Rec Room?? Oh my, dating myself? They were between $100 -$250 dollars so they weren't really a 'hey let's get it and if it doesn't last we'll throw it out' kind of thing, or maybe they were. I knew the MCM would probably get scooped up pretty quickly because everyone is looking for that style now and the town it's in is a little more hip and chic and we also get searchers from NY. So, once again, I'm on the hunt.

Onto other delights....

This cute set was given to me by a friend, along with a couple other sets of salt and peppers. She was delighted to know that I had a person in mind for these.

Said person has a little white poodle named Misty. My friend and SPR's secretary/treasurer, Angela. She probably wasn't looking for any little tchotchkes but tough crap, she got them anyway. It was a surprise package and she was very delighted and found a perfect spot for them.

The Search Continues

2011-11-28T13:12:00.001-05:00

I've been searching for another vintage sofa for months. I love the one I have but it's not comfortable and I've decided to not spend the money on reupholstering it, as I feel it might remain uncomfortable. I like to be able to curl up on the couch with a book, legs tucked under, with dogs used as blankets. I will probably cry when I release this sofa from my grip but I am generally a function before fashion king of girl. It would look so HOT in the cheetah print I bought, but...

Today I took some time to peruse Craigslist to see if something was there. I found 4 different styles. I don't want to recover any right now, but when seen up close, it may have to be done. I don't mind any of the fabrics, except that they aren't really dog proof.

Mid Century Modern Coolness... (would look great in the cheetah print)

Lime Green Girlie...

Long and Lush Rustiness...

And, I Think This Would Work But I Have To See More Of It... (or a better picture)

I've inquired about each. I'll have to go visit each one and try them out to see if they are curlupable, napable, and dog snugglable. Cross fingers.

Which one do you like?

Who Me?

2011-11-22T07:12:00.001-05:00

A friend recently sent me a picture of Weezie that she took years ago. I love this picture. It was a nice reminder of how cute Weezie could be. She used to love to jump in the bathtub to get a drink of water. She got caught on camera before being able to make her exit.

Here she is a few years later in 2008 making herself comfy in the laundry basket. Funny girl she was.

40 Lab Beagles Rescued

2011-11-22T06:55:00.001-05:00

Clicking along and giving my daily dose of Freekibble, today's question is about The Beagle Freedom Project. 40 Beagles have been rescued from a lab in Spain. It's a heartwarming story, their sweet faces showing caution and wonder as they step out onto the grass for the first time ever....get the tissues, you might need them. (Click on the photo to be brought to the story. )

Goodbye Rexxie Boy

2011-11-16T14:36:00.002-05:00

Unfortunately, Rex did not come home with me from the vet's yesterday. This was a tough one for me. I had such hope that he would come around and break through what he was experiencing. In the end, it was his time, too short for this delicate little guy. His body was not cooperating with my plan. We gave him what we could medically, and gave him even more in love and devotion. He will now rest with peace and no further pain.

Sweet Rex

2011-11-15T07:13:00.001-05:00

I've been working with Rex trying to get some weight on him. He's such a sweet boy. He finally put on a pound...then lost it. Very discouraging. He has good days with very little clear vomit and other days that hold more excitement, which cause vomiting more often. His trachea must be killing him. Although he was diagnosed with acid reflux I believe it's something more that isn't being found. Something that can't be explained. He is a bit lethargic these past two days and his bowel movements and eating habits have changed to something that doesn't look like a good sign. We have a vet appointment this afternoon.

Do You Play Freekibble?

2011-11-15T07:04:00.000-05:00

You can have a daily email sent to your inbox. Click on the Bow Wow and/or the Meow, answer the question, right or wrong, and kibble goes to shelter pets. Often times, links to pictures are included, today's link was about Rhoda and Clarence. http://www.halopets.com/freekibble/donation30.php Great pictures that their mom posts on facebook. You have to check it out.

Go to Freekibble and get started on giving...if you don't already...cost? a minute of your time.

I learned that it is a very sweet young lady that started this project. Oh, what kids can do.

Hanging Out By The Fire

2011-11-14T22:46:00.002-05:00

My little wooly monster, Bug, with Harley and Rex, keeping warm.

Thank You for Your Donations

2011-11-14T10:54:00.000-05:00

Since our plea awhile back we have received almost $1090 in donations from blogger friends and those who have adopted dogs from us in the past. This money has helped us to be able to pay the vet bills for Harley and Rex which have amounted to more than $4000.

I'd like to thank all of you that have responded and generously given what you could in order for us to continue with their care.

I know it is a difficult time with the economy the way it is and we are not very good at asking for money, it's not something I am comfortable with at all, but it was a necessity in this case.

You will never quite understand how much it means to me that you care enough for these dogs that you have not met and for our little rescue here in the Northeast.

Thank you so very much.

Murmuration

2011-11-08T11:40:00.003-05:00

Found this on a friend's Facebook post...I got chills when I watched it. It's very cool.

Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.

Rex

2011-11-07T14:26:00.001-05:00

Well, after spending about $2000 on testing for Rex, the diagnosis is acid reflux. But, of course, not your general run of the mill acid reflux. Most dogs that have this condition can be fed while sitting them in an upward position and they remain that way for another 20 minutes so that gravity goes to work. There was actually a chair designed called the Bailey Chair, for dogs that have this diagnoses. The creator had a dog named Bailey that needed to be kept in the upright position.

Well, Rex is a bit different. We tried the upright position, the partial upright, the on the floor and whatever else we could think of. I've had him for about a month now after Shelly had him for a few weeks. We thought he would do better in my home which is calmer. She had been able to put a couple pounds on him and after a few days with me he has lost the weight and I'm having difficulty in putting any back on. The change of scenery effected him it seems. He was regurging quite a bit but now I've gotten it down to much smaller meals with no real regurgitation, but he vomits a thick sticky mucus/foam combination. Yeah, nice. It has been determined that this often occurs with any kind of anxiety, excitement or stress sometimes even when it is very mild. Yup, making it a bit difficult to live a normal life for him or me.

We have no idea what brought on this condition so suddenly 3 months ago. The original owners didn't want to spend any money on trying to figure it out so he came to us.

He loves to snuggle, likes other dogs, and is happy to see me come home. He is crate trained so now when I feed him I'll put him in his crate for a resting period and this seems to help. He is a mellow boy by nature and that is definitely helpful. He is a really good dog and we are emotionally stressed as well as financially drained between his care and Harley's surgery.

I'm hoping that there will be someone out there that will be able to adopt him that has a quiet home, stays home a lot and is willing to do multiple feedings, someone that would enjoy a quiet companion and not mind picking up puke a couple times a day. But, maybe with the perfect home, that will become less of a need.

I need to get some weight on him. If I can't, then he will literally be starving. He's so hungry now and although he is given extra vitamins and such, he needs to put on 3 to 4 pounds. I've experimented with foods that I've used to put weight on my dogs and he was not able to handle most of it even though it was simple and bland.

So, if you could keep Rexxy in your prayers, I'd really appreciate it.

Surviving the Storm

2011-11-07T14:05:00.000-05:00

On Saturday at 5:17pm our power was restored. My internet has not been and here I sit at the library, where there's a log of talking going on in my general area. Hello people -- library -- quiet. Or did that go out the door when it became OK to go out in public with your pajamas on?

There are many in the local areas that are still without power, ugh. The buzz after the power came back on for many, and then again on Sunday, was all very similar...bed sheets were being changed, fresh showers were enjoyed and many loads of laundry were being done.

Sunday morning I awoke with a feeling of renewed energy but also a bit of a feeling of loss. The stresses of life quickly crept back in and the peace of no lights and doing things at a slower pace were being missed. Most disappointing was that the quality of sleep I had been getting, changed to being awakened by dogs that needed to go outside, and just being in a dream state rather than hard core wiped out sleep. Maybe I should have my neighbor keep his generator running for white noise.

Harley And His Surgery

2011-11-02T11:26:00.000-04:00

Harley had his surgery 13 days ago and it went very well. I picked him up the day after and thought I would have to keep him in his crate for at least a week. Nope. When I got to the hospital I heard the familiar bark in the back room. They had him out and walking around and he was doing great. They all fell for him, as most people do when they meet him. He is a character and likes to be heard. He was fully pumped with pain medication and had a pain patch wrapped around his neck and had pain pills, too. He was a little bit mellow for a few days and followed me around. The pictures above show him getting comfy on a newly thrifted chenille spread ready for the wash. He needed to be wherever I was and why not snuggle in some softness while I do laundry? After the third or fourth day he started to be more active and playful but cautiously. A couple times Bug bumped into him and a yelp was heard. The first few days Bug was a very good girl and must have known he was not himself. She hung around him outside but did not try to engage in play whereas normally she'd jump him in a second.

Here he is looking perfectly happy and sleepy with the Koala in the bed that just happen to not have another dog in it. This bed is often filled with a body or two especially now that it's near the wood stove.

It took about 9 days and he was completely himself again, barking away and engaging in play. I took him off the final pain meds because there was no longer a need. He went yesterday to have his staples removed and with 3 left, the Dr. pinched him and he took a fit yelling at the Dr. like there was no tomorrow. The drama of it was laughable. Then when the Dr. went to continue, Harley yelled at him more, not trusting him, which I can't blame him for. It was quite funny, though. Literally he was looking right at him squealing and barking letting him know that it didn't feel very good. Once done, he went out full barrels loaded talking and pulling and letting it be known that he was back to himself.

Storm Alfred

2011-11-02T10:27:00.002-04:00

Time goes by when juggling life and then add an electrical outage and it puts any computer work on hold. This is day 4 without power so I sit here at Panera Bread charging my phone and using the wi-fi. They just got up and running themselves. It's crazy and it's predicted another 4 or 5 days. I was fortunate enough that a friend that doesn't have power, does have a pilot light on their hot water heater so I was able to shower at their place. Yey. I am very grateful for the wood stove to keep us warm and have offered neighbors a visit to some warmth. I also have water, which is a blessing because I can heat water for tea, dishes, sponge baths and fill my neighbor's carafes so they have some, too. We are making the best of things and I am fortunate that the neighbors surrounding me are friendly and we've been doing the give and take.

The first evening of the storm (Saturday night) my neighbor on the driveway side, well, their white pine I've been wishing for them to take down because it makes a mess of my car and yard, finally lost enough branches. At 1:00 in the morning, I heard a big crack and then blue light was blaring...the transformer just down the street, blew up. A few minutes later, more branches fell and the blue light strobed again. Done. Unfortunately, it took down the wires to their house -- the branches and a wire went across my driveway. I thought I would be housebound but white pines are so weak that I could break the branches back in order to pass to the front of my driveway. It was OK to drive over the wire and then I finally moved it (with a shovel) which I know one is not supposed to do but I was told it's a telephone or cable wire and therefore, was pretty safe in doing so.

Yesterday a truck with ladders attached came by the house and the wires are low enough where a ladder caught one...and, of course, pulled it completely out of my neighbors house. So now the electric company is figuring out what to do with it. My neighbor saw it happen and I wish she had gotten his license plate number because now they will have to pay for the reattachment, unless, of course, because this is considered a major storm damage area, the electric company will just do it.

When a storm occurs I'm am generally not bothered in that I like to be housebound. I like being in my own little world getting some stuff done without feeling the pressures of work or people needing me for something. It is not the case when the power is out. I have been busier than ever and exhausted when I go to bed. I don't generally sleep well and I've been sleeping like a log. I've been hauling wood in for the stove, hauling wood over to my neighbor for his stove that he uses in emergencies. He has a generator so he's been charging my phone for me, which I am thankful for. My neighbor that watches my dogs have come over for warmth, I've gone over there with food and hot water. The chatting with neighbors is often and often about how long this will all last. The original prediction was 7-10 days. It is hard for some people that are not used to living without. Living this way is not a far stretch from how I normally live. I do miss being attached to the computer, but it's also nice that my addiction to it can not be fed as I can be available for another things.

R's mom is 75 and active, but has no water. She does have a wood stove so has been able to cook foods and heat water. She made use of the snow but with warmish temps the snow if vanishing. Fortunately, a neighbor of hers brings her coffee and toast in the morning and invites her over in the evening for visiting and some coffee or a bite to eat. He has a generator, it is very nice of him and helps her to have someone to talk with. The thing that bothers her most is not having the TV or radio for background noise. Checking on her radios in the house was a bit late as there weren't any batteries. When we went to the store, as we knew would probably be the case, they were all out of the larger size batteries. Her daughter from Wisconsin will be sending her some that she just happens to have a slew of because of helping to clean out the house of hoarder/pack rat. She said there were probably about $500 worth of batteries there. Whoa. To get his mom out of the house I invited her to travel with me an hour up to Massachusetts so that Harley could get his stitches out. I will go to lunch with her today. Keeping her busy is good. She had a hard time and got really off balance a couple months back when Hurricane Irene hit, so we are trying to not let that happen again.

I know, Harley has had his surgery and now stitches are removed. I'll post about that next.

I had made a bit of food prior to the outage, not expecting it to happen so quickly after the storm started. I actually had a meatloaf in the oven when it occurred so I ended up cooking it on the wood stove. Perfect. I've set my garage up to act as a refrigerator. It's been cold enough at night that I open the doors for the cold air to come in and then close it up in the morning. It's maintained about a 38 degree temperature in there, keeping cooked foods cold and produce chilled. My stand up freezer is in the garage and this has also helped it to keep foods frozen. Fortunately, it was stuffed full beforehand so that has helped. The freezer is my biggest worry. There's about 300 lbs. of food in there, mostly meats, that I do not want to lose. A 150 pounds of it is raw meat for the dogs. I've put them on a grain free kibble for the better part of this outage that I have on hand so that I do not have to open the freezer and then try to keep 5 lbs. of meat cold enough at a time as it comes in 5 lb. tubes. The less I open the freezer, the better chance of keeping it all solid or at least cold enough.

The local shops are starting to open, some of the smaller ones were running generators so people could still get eggs and milk and the like. Stop and Shop about 10 minutes from me is fully operational and the other one nearby was open but with minimal produce and low lighting. Thankfully, people were able to get some food even if they had to go out daily. But, going out means using gas and there were two gas stations within 20 miles that were open and the lines were long. Now, more are open but it's still scattered.

Listening to the chatter here at Panera, I'm overhearing stories of snowblowers not working, sump pumps not working, how people are making do without electricity. There are other stories that grow from there and a bit of laughter, people coming out and talking with friends, keeping their spirits about them.

I figure if you take it slow, be courteous to others, keep your head about you and practice patience, you can make it through. In times like these you find the gifts of giving from those who have, the appreciation of those who don't and the overall kindness of people when we are often at times in the world curious about humanity and the actions of people. Oh, believe me, in this financially comfortable neighborhood that I sit right now, there definitely are those that are selfish in believing that since they pay a boat load of taxes that they should be the first to regain power. Sorry, it doesn't work that way. The grid is the grid and how one is connected to it and how they fix it will determine when one gets power back.

If you are in a situation where the simple comforts of heat or water is not available, I hope that you have family, friends or neighbors that extend a hand or open their homes to you. I know of two people that have family with fully operational homes as they didn't lose power and they did not invite family to stay with them. What they did do is use their computer to find them a hotel an hour away as the local ones are full. I can't believe that. It would never occur to me to do that, even if you had to sleep on my floor. This happened by a daughter to her mom and dad. I should be writing that with exclamations because I am just baffled by it, and it's not like her mom and dad have throw away money to stay in a hotel for a week. Makes me crazy.

Harley Has No Worries

2011-10-19T18:56:00.000-04:00

This is the little man in a very very relaxed position. Did he get tired while playing with the ball? or did Bug plop it there hoping he would take the bait?

Ollie Ollie Ollie

2011-10-19T18:50:00.002-04:00

Ollie is a 1-1/2 year old long legged Schnauzer. He is nosy and energetic. Whomever owned him before didn't do right by him and corral some of that energy into some obedience training. He definitely needs to learn some manners.

He's a sweet love of a boy that was found on the street by Animal Control. Although he was matted in his furnishings, his back was short enough to show that he had been groomed just a few weeks ago. He was at the pound for the required week and when his death date came up, they held him for 3 more days until we could pick him up because the workers there thought he was such a great dog. I am surprised that no one came to claim him. Maybe he traveled from a town nearby and the owners didn't think to call around to any distance. Ollie got lucky that he was captured by a soft heart. One of the ACO's wanted to keep him, but as a typical ACO or dog rescuer story goes....she already has too many dogs.

He will be put up on the website and I'm sure he will be a quick placement. Cuteness, sweetness, young and dog friendly -- that's what people look for.

UPDATE: Ollie was adopted on Oct. 22 and is now being spoiled as the only dog in the house.

Orange Makes Me Happy

2011-10-16T09:02:00.000-04:00

Were you able to accomplish something this week that you've been putting off?

Pam over at RetroRenovation is having a weekly 'stop procrastinating party.' Well, she doesn't call it that but that's how I feel about it. Celebrations of chores done that have been put off in the house. Trim not all up on that re-do? Room not painted yet and it's been 3 years of planning? Details in kitchen cabinetry not complete? Just plain clutter that needs to be organized? Get inspired and tell us about it. It's really a great way to get your butt kicked and get going -- it is for me anyway.

This week I painted my front door and storm door. Last week it was the 'getting out' of the sewing machine. The door was white and boring and banged up, I'd been planning a repaint since moving in 7 years ago and finally took the bull by the horns, mixed an orange color that was in my head and put brush to door. I figured with the weather now getting cooler my chances of getting it done would be limited and I'd have to put it off until Spring. I was inspired by Kate painting her door last week and said to myself, "Just Do It" and do it I did. With family in from Wisconsin for the latter half of the week to attend a wake and funeral, this is about all I accomplished. But the list is long and I'm hoping to be able to get more done next week. I'm good with deadlines so this is working for me and besides, it's more fun knowing you're in the company of others also wanting to cross things off the list.

A Good Dog Story -- NOT

2011-10-14T18:57:00.002-04:00

I just picked up Teddy and Rex from my partner Shelly. She is going away for the weekend so I am dog sitting the two fosters she has. Teddy is great in the car so I didn't crate him. Rex gets motion sickness so I did crate him.

I had my boyfriend's car.

I'm driving home, which is about a half hour or so from where Shelly and I met to exchange the dogs. All is well. I thought maybe Rex was shaking but I couldn't see him. (It ends up he just slept and didn't puke) Teddy was being a good boy and was laying on the back seat. He had bunched up the toweling I had on the seat for him prior to take off and he was all comfy.

Until he threw up on the seat. A LOT.

Did I mention it's my boyfriend's car?

I pulled over and cleaned it up as best I could. I had thought I would clean the upholstery in the car this weekend if I had some extra time...extra time has now been made.

We continue on. After a few minutes I see Teddy is restless. I'm on the highway. Teddy is restless. If you are a dog owner you know what this means, don't you? He's either going to throw up again, pee or poop.

I looked back and he was squatting. I could only imagine that he was peeing because Shelly told me he is a squatter. Then the truth was known. He took a big nicely formed but, of course, soft enough to stick to the upholstery, shit. I was on the highway. I could not pull over. I start my rant. Not yelling at him, more just blurting out one of my favorite sayings. "OH MY ACHING ASS" then added, "REALLY?" "YOU'RE KIDDING ME!" I think I said it four or five times with grunts and groans in there. I was dying inside.

Did I mention it's my boyfriend's car?

It stunk. He felt bad, tried to avoid the pile which I thought he was successful at, but quick backward glances don't always tell the truth. I was afraid he might step or sit in it so I called him to the front seat. BIG MISTAKE. Shit was on his foot and it smeared on the side of the passenger seat, then it smeared on the seat itself as he was making himself comfortable. I told him to just sit. Please, just sit. And, because he has been trained well by his former owner, that's what he did. I could see poop had gotten onto his foot, between his toes and stuck to his fur. NICE.

Needless to say, when I got home the scrubbing began. If it wasn't raining in these parts, the upholstery cleaner would have been pulled out and put to work. Instead, hot soapy water was put into action with baking soda piled onto the wet spots.

I told you it's my boyfriend's car, right?

Add insult to injury, I'm trying to get the toweling, a couple small bags of leftovers, the bucket and my mail into the house. A towel falls, I bend over to pick it up and the shit water spills down my thigh. Oh my aching ass.

UPDATE: Teddy was adopted Oct. 15 and has a new older canine sister Schnauzer, Stella.

Anne Taintor Makes Cocktails

2011-10-13T09:03:00.000-04:00

My friend Pam of RetroRenovation is having a giveaway. Anne Taintor has published a cocktail book, Pam interviewed her and is giving a copy away. Anne's captions are cheeky, clever and a lot of fun. I'm sure this book will give smiles whether there is imbibing or not.

I found this big glass at a thrift store -- 25¢ -- SCORE! It held some good ice coffees and a few tasty cocktails, too, this summer at camp.

Skull-A-Day Sunday Simulacra

2011-10-13T08:47:00.002-04:00

This past Sunday on the Skull-A-Day blog a photo I sent in was one of 3 photos of Simulacra. I found this 'skull' while in Nantucket on the back of an SUV.

Check out the photo of the wrench that was submitted. Very awesome.

Oh Brother!

2011-10-12T15:37:00.001-04:00

I cleaned up and oiled this baby and now it's purring like a kitten.

I really like the color of this Vintage Brother Galaxie and wanted to keep it, but let it go, I did. It is now being appreciated by a sewer that likes the old machines, too, and with the color it is, it makes ya happy while sewing.

I got that one out the door and my friend calls and he has 3 machines for me -- a Singer 319w, a Singer 15 and a Singer Stylist 354 Free Arm. THEN on the way home from picking these up there was another Singer on the side of the road, and it just happen to fit with the others in my car. I couldn't say no to these vintage goodies. Oh crap, I just remembered, a couple days beforehand I bought a 501 Rocketeer. That one is a keeper, I think the 319w will be, too, I don't see 319's or much about them, but what I've read is all favorable. All these new pals need some TLC.

I found a blog as I was researching for parts and information and that person said they picked up one machine and the bug hit and now they have a collection of 40. I'm not up to 40....yet.

Harley's Leg Update

2011-10-11T18:58:00.000-04:00

I took Harley to the surgeon's office today to confirm whether or not he will need to lose his leg. He does. He will have surgery on Thursday the 20th. It will put the rescue in the hole, (the estimate is around $2000) but it needs to be done and it wouldn't be right to try to wait longer.

He has a few sores on his leg from gnawing on it. Although it is covered most of the time so he doesn't do this, it started right after he got the cast off. I have tried all types of bandages to keep it clean and covered. He is so active that it either falls off or he pulls it off. I've put some darn good bandages on there, too, and they have come off. As soon as one does, he's chewing at the paw and the leg. This is not uncommon, if left to his own defenses he would probably chew it off just by instinct. He does not have feeling in most of the leg and it is in the way.

Although I think the spots look raw and sore and just plain horrible, Dr. Thompson thought his leg looked good. He had mentioned a couple weeks back that dogs will chew on their unfeeling limb. If he thought Harley's leg looked good, I can only imagine what he has seen come into his office.

He had a sock on for the office visit. Partly I wanted to keep it loose enough these past couple days to let some air get to it, and partly for the ease of removal for inspection. It came off a number of times and frustrated the crap out of me. After getting home I wrapped his leg in soft cloth and then duct taped it. I did this last week, too. It works, it doesn't fall off, he can move around, I put extra tape on the area that drags when he walks. He's happy, I'm happy.

Soon he will not have to bother with that lame leg and he will be even happier.

Boats and 9/11

2011-10-10T09:57:00.001-04:00

This YouTube video was sent to me and has been sitting unopened in my inbox. I wasn't sure what it was about, I put off opening it. I had a few extra minutes this morning to watch it and I'm glad I did. I didn't watch the programs surrounding the anniversary date this year of 9/11. Although I honor those that were triumphant in the aid they gave and those that sacrificed their lives for others and feel sadness for the many lives lost, I didn't want to feel and relive the sorrow of that day and the days that followed.

I have not seen this video until now, maybe you have not either. We've all seen footage at Ground Zero, this is what happened on the edge of the island...it is a tribute to those that took the call no matter the risk and to those who were being rescued themselves, yet helped others along the way.

I think it will touch your heart, too.

Heidi Loves Strawberries

2011-10-07T22:46:00.002-04:00

Back in January I did some small drawings and posted them here. I thought I might try to do one a day. I got bored. It didn't last that long. But one of the drawings I did was of Heidi, a foster dog that my partner had in her care and adopted out to a couple that had adopted Rudy from me a year and a half before. Terry contacted me after seeing the blog post with the illustration and asked if she could get a copy. I told her I could do an original and gave her some choices on how she'd like it done.

This illustration is what came out of my fingers. It became more involved and detailed than the original plan, but that is not new for me. I have the idea and the hands do what comes out of them. Terry had let me know that they discovered that Heidi loves strawberries, so I couldn't help but add them in, I created them in the shape of hearts to show her love for them and for her new owners. She gave this as a gift to her husband Frank for his birthday. I'm so happy that I was a part of their celebration of life with Heidi. Terry has sent us updates of her with pictures and she looks to be one silly girl, very happy in her new home.

Harley in the 'Man Chair'

2011-10-04T22:13:00.001-04:00

Now I think I'll call it the 'Little Man' chair. He loves it there and who am I to argue? His cuteness allows certain things.

Sangria and Ice Cream

2011-09-27T21:01:00.006-04:00

I went to the dentist for an exam, ended up with a cavity being filled. In the way back lower molar. Difficult to get at, double dose of novocaine, still a little sore. Unexpected costs. Then I traveled an hour each way to pick up raw meat for the dogs, finding that it started to bleed as it started to thaw in the back of the wagon, trying to fit it all in the freezer that R. unexpectedly filled yesterday with raw meat, smelling gas and finding that the tank is leaking, Harley having Tourette's type of barking....It was a "Calgon take me away" kind of day. Time for a shot and a beer.

The other day I was given a pre-made bottled of carbonated Sangria to try. So I popped it open. I'm not really inclined to chew food tonight so I knew I'd be having some ice cream, too.

Then it hit me.

Sangria with a couple scoops of strawberry ice cream. A 'root beer' float for adults. Yeyyyy....and yummy! You should try it.

Sad But True - A Dog's Story

2011-09-27T17:04:00.003-04:00

A friend put this on her fb page, taken from a woman named Lynda Bloomberg. I don't know who the original author is, maybe it is she. It is a sad story of what often happens when humans don't know how to own a dog.

"I died today. You got tired of me and took me to the shelter. They were overcrowded and I drew an unlucky number. I am in a black plastic bag in a landfill now. Some other puppy will get the barely used leash you left. My collar was dirty and too small, but the lady took it off before she sent me to the Rainbow Bridge . Would I still be at home if I hadn’t chewed your shoe? I didn’t know what it was, but it was leather, and it was on the floor. I was just playing. You forgot to get puppy toys. Would I still be at home if I had been housebroken? Rubbing my nose in what I did only made me ashamed that I had to go at all. There are books and obedience teachers that would have taught you how to teach me to go to the door. Would I still be at home if I hadn’t brought fleas into the house? Without anti-flea medicine, I couldn’t get them off of me after you left me in the yard for days. Would I still be at home if I hadn’t barked? I was only saying, “I’m scared, I’m lonely, I’m here, I’m here! I want to be your best friend.” Would I still be at home if I had made you happy? Hitting me didn’t make me learn how. Would I still be at home if you had taken the time to care for me and to teach manners to me? You didn’t pay attention to me after the first week or so, but I spent all my time waiting for you to love me. I died today. Love, Your Puppy"

She added:

"This is really sad that some people do this!

Please forward this to everyone, its time to stop animal abuse.Copy and paste this if you are an animal lover."

Sewing Machines and Dare I Say...an Idiot

2011-09-26T22:38:00.011-04:00

Or should I be nice and say "not cerebral?"

badged Famous full size -- picture is crap, it's a beautiful emerald green

badged Ambassador (a Japanese model with a Morse motor)

Singer 185J (a 3/4 machine)

I have recently pulled all of my sewing machines into the kitchen/dining room. OK, not all of them...6 are still in the garage, 3 of which are treadles with cabinets, one is a Patch machine treadle, a 201 head only and a 301 portable. And 3 are in the living room with cabinets, a 201 with stool, a G. Fox badged blue and white (I have a thing for the blue and whites) and a White, probably early 70's. I have a couple that I have to clean up to sell to a couple women I know, and I know I need to do the same with some others, so I figure if they are in front of me I will get on the ball. I really would like to display them but my house is very small and being able to do that is a pipe dream. Of course, I will be keeping a handful, but really, do I need them all here just because I went on a tangent of picking them up because I can't help myself and I fall in love (ok, love may be too strong a word) very very much IN LIKE with them? The portables aren't as bad to have around but the cabinets take up space. I thought I had 21 altogether...turns out I have 31. Ooops. Should I be letting you know this? I have a particular fondness for the Morse machines. Strong running, blue and white color combo, chrome.....mmmmmmm. I figure, I can't buy vintage cars, this is the next best thing. There are also a selection of Singers I am keeping and looking for, I would like to have the line of 201, 201k, 301 the mocha and the black, 401a and the 503 which had been nicknamed the Rocketeer. It's a 'George Jetson' looking machine that is pretty cool. I have a 201, and a 301 mocha short bed and long bed. I like the black of the 301's but so do a lot of other people. The 401a has the cams and the 501 I don't see a lot of them for sale. But if I put it out into the Universe....

So that's the sewing machine part.

Here comes the idiot part...

I was perusing Craigslist as far out as the 90 miles. Yes, I was looking to see what sewing machines were for sale, I'm an addict, what can I say? I found an ad from someone that is looking to buy vintage Singers, which I have a few of that I'm not keeping, so I thought I hit the jackpot.

I responded to this ad --

"WANTED SINGER SEWING MACHINES
VINTAGE AND OLDER ONES .CASH PAID,,,,,,,,,,,THANK YOU"

this was the conversation (and I quote as it was written):

ME:
Hi,

from what year to what year are you looking for? what kind of condition?
I have collected a few and I'm starting to go through them to see which ones I don't want to keep.
Do you travel? I am in the Hartford area of CT.
If you do, I would send you pics first to see if you were interested before you make a trip.

denise

HER:
the 221 .301 . and fancy table table tops . not floore models

ME:
which ones do you find are the fancy ones? I'm assuming by table tops you mean portables?
what kind of condition? do you fix/clean them up for resale?

HER:
yes nice designs

OH MY ACHING ASSSSSS!!!!
OK, REEEEEAALYYY? what the f@&# kind of answer is that????
Needless to say, I won't be calling her.

I sent this to my friend Angela. She was laughing so hard she almost pee'd her pants!

Hurricane Irene At Camp

2011-09-22T10:00:00.002-04:00

When Irene came along, we stayed at camp. I think R. and I were the only two there, except the owners but they have a house. Call us crazy. Plus we had Little Bug, Hanz and Bella, who I often dog sit. There was a lot of this going on....

Then for variety, they moved to the sofa....

So Bug had to join in the comfort, although she's not looking real happy...

We survived, lost electricity for a couple hours and got some reading done.

Two weeks later, one of my best friends couldn't keep it to himself anymore...he told me that he was mad at me for taking a risk like that. Isn't that sweet? I assured him we felt safe and yes, the camper could have had one of many trees drop on it but it didn't and we had already planned to stay the whole rest of the week so we didn't want to come home and wait it out. Turns out that at home electricity was lost for days and damage was done to trees and power lines. I think we faired better than many. Besides, I was with R. and if any survival techniques had to be employed, he's the guy you wanted to be with... 2nd Recon Marine... need I say more?

Meet Harley

2011-09-20T16:09:00.000-04:00

Harley is a 4 year old Liver colored petite male Miniature Schnauzer. At the beginning of August he was hit by a car and his right left leg was damaged in the muscles and nerves. His owners could not afford the expense of veterinary care so he was brought to us. We were hoping that feeling would come back to his forearm and paw but it doesn't seem to be the case. He has Radial Nerve Paralysis. Occasionally, the nerve damage can be restored but from what I'm gathering, it doesn't seem likely. On Sept. 30 he has an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon. In speaking to the surgeon, he feels that most likely it will require amputation of this leg.

This leg 'issue' has not stopped him. He is a sweet boy that runs around and wrestles with Little Bug. He has gotten used to his peg leg and although it occasionally gets in the way, he keeps moving. He is full of life and loves human companionship, yet, can be independent also.

I have recently added a plea on the sidebar for donations to my rescue. Unfortunately, we have gotten dogs in that have needed veterinary care and the two current ones have pushed the $$ numbers way up. My partner Shelly has a young boy named Rex in her care that has already had $1400 worth of tests and x-rays to try to find out what is wrong with him. He is unable to keep his food down and is now on a number of medications, which he also vomits back up. The tests are not done as we will search out the answer for as long as we can. Although this has caused him to lose quite a bit of weight, he remains happy and active.

So please, if you have an extra dollar or two, and I'm serious when I say even if it's a dollar, please consider donating it to the medical expenses of these two dogs so that we can continue with their veterinary care.

Miniature Schnauzer Rescue

2011-09-19T19:07:00.000-04:00

Yes, I've been lax, for a few reasons, and will be back on track soon. In the meantime...

I was asked to spread the word about this little pup...

How cute is he? He's a Mini Schnauzer mix, possibly with Jack Russell. On Kara Ogushi's blog, I Love Dogs, this little cutie has been posted. This month she is spot lighting the Miniature Schnauzer and on every Monday she spotlights a homeless dog. This week, it's Jude, he's in Marina Del Ray, CA. Go to her site to read more.

Bugs, Dogs and Campfire

2011-08-31T13:31:00.002-04:00

Taking a few minutes at the little local library to show you an interesting bug...

and another...

a crazy big Black Lab with a big stick....

and some cozy fire. The weather is cool enough now here in the Berkshires that sipping tea or coffee by the fire in the morning is a cozy way to start the day...

and late afternoon into evening sipping a cocktail and having some dinner makes for a beautiful end to the day...

especially since I had spent the entire day just reading a book. That has not happened in a very long time.

Hanz wanted some attention, too...

and Bug was 'snug as a ...well, bug... in a rug...'

Saying Goodbye to My Weezie Girl

2011-08-27T12:41:00.002-04:00

June 1994 - August 24, 2011

On Tuesday I went and picked up Weezie. She had not eaten well during the week and slept most of the time, which was usual. She was also drinking a lot of water. She seemed tired and liked that I was there, but her usual excitement was gone. Maybe being away from her made it clearer, or maybe she suddenly shot further down hill, but it became clear to me that she would not be long for this world. After getting her home she was wasted. Pooped out. Done. She wobbled around the yard, often losing her footing. I thought for sure she would pass in the night and I prayed that she would peacefully slip away. I bundled her and had her sleep with me so she knew I was near (I probably did it more for myself.) She woke up around 1am -- she had to pee and she wasn't thrilled that I had bundled her up and she couldn't move. I took her out and she roamed around doing her business. She wasn't falling but she was wobbly and walking in circles.

I brought her back in and she wouldn't stay laying down, she was restless. I put her in her crate so that she remained safe.

In the morning, she lay there peacefully, but not looking sickly, rest had done her some good. When she awoke, she just looked at me, her face seemed bright and she was so stinking cute. She didn't take any water or food the day before so I offered her some hamburg, which she ate a bit of gingerly. She obviously needed assistance in getting up so I helped her and took her outside. She wobbled around but she was pretty quick and determined.

I had made the decision Tuesday evening that I would bring her to the vet for her last visit the following day. Of course, her actions said day made me question the choice, although I knew in my heart it was the right one. It was obvious that her body was done. The vet explained that it's often the adrenaline which makes it seem they are not ready to go. She had been unable to walk up the back steps to the house and I watched her pacing the length of the step and could feel the determination in her. I let her be and then went into the house. A couple minutes later there she was trying to climb up the third step which would bring her into the house. The son of a gun. Stoic to the end. I helped her inside.

At 10:15 we started our journey an hour away to her vet. She was folded into a towel for comfort and rode in the front seat so that I could touch her.

I started to carry her into the vet's building but made the decision for her to do it herself if she could. And she did. She was a tough girl.

As she was held on the table, being told how beautiful and what a good girl she was, she did not fight, she was ready and she quietly slipped away.

Weezie was tenacious, feisty, determined, bitchy, cranky, whiney, beautiful, silly, sweet and gave the most delicate kisses. She fought to the end with a strong spirit but her body could no longer do what her mind wanted it to do. It was tired. It lived a long life of 17 years and was done.

I will miss her.

Visiting Nantucket

2011-08-27T12:16:00.001-04:00

We were invited out again this year to spend a week on Nantucket with our friends Chuck and Carol that have a home there. Chuck likes to take us out to the beaches that you get to via the dunes. Deflate tires, rock and roll in the sand, get to the beautiful beach.

He refers to this beach has 'crab beach' because on the other side of this water way are hundreds of little Fiddler crabs going to and fro and hiding in their holes when we (predators) come along.

Hanz and Bug went with us, Weezie stayed behind visiting with my rescue partner Shelly. Weezie has been to Nantucket quite a few times before when I painted the home over a few winters. With her peeing issue now and her age, it was best that she stay behind.

Hanz and Bug enjoying the sunny morning outside while we read and sipped coffee...

Inside, Hanz and Bella (whom I've posted before while I dog sat for her) pose for the camera.

A sunset from the back deck...

Hanz and Bug enjoying the ferry ride back in the warm sun.

It was a very nice time of relaxation, 'family' dinners, good wine, beaches and sun tans, and at the end of the week, a Demolition Derby they have each year.

Next stop: camp.

Provincetown Here We Come

2011-08-27T11:54:00.000-04:00

The month of August and beginning of September is all vacation time for us. I've wanted to take my motorcycle to Provincetown, MA, which is about a 4 hour trip by car, for a couple years now. I vacationed there for years in what seems like another lifetime and wanted to go back for a visit. The opportunity arose when a friend that rented a condo there had a 3 night opening. Perfect. Not too long, not too short. Off we went.

The morning of arrival, this is my bike, a 1999 Honda Shadow ACE 750, I would like to get a bike with more cc's but don't want to give up the look of this one with it's vintage style.

The beach about 20 yards away from the condo...

The morning of departure at 5:30 a.m. this is what the beautiful sky looked like...

Then home for a day and off to Nantucket.

Mites and Feeding Raw

2011-08-02T19:23:00.005-04:00

Took the kidlings to the vet yesterday. Their ears were bothering them and since it's all 3 I knew it had to be mites. The assumption was correct. I think maybe Little Bug brought the bugs with her. The darling that she is.

Whilst checking on the ears the vet and I talked about feeding raw. She is a huge advocate of it and I told her that I am feeding completely raw now and she gave me a recipe that includes a couple things I didn't. She wants to make sure they are getting some vitamins, minerals and calcium that doesn't come with just meat and veggies.

The calcium can come from raw bones and I do give the dogs chicken wings and drumsticks but not often enough.

If you are interested, here is the recipe:

*quite a few years ago (around 20) I started reading and researching raw and bought Dr. Pitcairn's book "Healthy Eating for Dogs and Cats" I have to revisit it. ~~I actually just went to look for it on my bookshelf and can't find...really don't like it when that happens~~. Found it!!

I generally don't like to use grains but will add potatoes (preferably sweet) instead. My dogs do need some carbs as they have lost too much weight. Rice is pretty easily digestible and oats are soluble fiber which can be good...I stay away from corn, any wheat or soy, these can be allergens for some dogs and in dry food products, are added as fillers to keep the cost of the product down. If your dog's weight is changing up or down, change the amount of carbs. Basically I use this recipe as a guideline and will also give dinner leftovers, cooked or uncooked, salad makings, ground flax seed, salmon oil, etc. Good stuff. Raw chicken wings and drums are good for teeth cleaning, bleach free bully sticks and trachea are a nice treat, too, and help with keeping teeth clean.

I add water to the meal as dogs often do not get enough and this helps with hydration but also, and very importantly, with flushing and moving the food along so that crystals or stones do not come into play.

these measurements are based on per day for a 15 pound dog, so adjust accordingly:

1/2 c. meat (beef, turkey, chicken or venison ground or cubed)

1/4 c. ground veggies (carrots, broccoli, kale, squash, etc.)

1/4 c. cooked rice or pasta or oatmeal

1/2 tsp. bone meal

1/2 tsp. nutritional yeast or 3 Brewer's Yeast Tablets (this gives B vitamins)

1 raw egg (for essential fatty acids)

1/8 tsp. cod liver oil or 1" cube of liver (for vitamins A & D)

1/8 scant tsp. kelp powder (for iodine & trace minerals)

1 vitamin E capsule, 100 i.u. or 2 tbls. wheat germ

A Skellie Chicken

2011-08-01T12:03:00.001-04:00

Last night at camp as we sat at the picnic table getting ready to eat some local free range chicken that R. grilled, his daughter who takes pictures of everything decided to play with her food...growing up this was highly discouraged by my parents, but I'm not my parents so I cheered her on and then had her send me a picture so I could blog about it, which supports her playing even more. But, hey, after playing, she eats her food. So in a matter of minutes, Skellie was gone.

A Quote To Live By

2011-07-27T08:31:00.000-04:00

"When people show you who they really are - believe them - and let them go."

Julie Chen from 'The Talk' made this statement yesterday as the women talked about what to do when bad people are in your life, whether it be a friend or family member.

Perfect timing, as I was able to relay the quote to a friend that is having a difficult time letting go of a romantic partner that has brought her heartache and pain, is a taker and manipulator.

My Spoiled Rotten Cutie Bug

2011-07-27T08:24:00.002-04:00

As I peruse FB and play with Photo Booth, my Love Bug snuggles into me. This girl has brought me so much joy. She's not a worrier, or a territorial pee'r, she tries to make out with me on a regular basis, she's just looking for some fun. She paws and pounces like a kitten and attacks Hanz whenever she gets the chance. If I'm sitting, she often has to be next to me. We are totally in love with each other.

Camping Fun

2011-07-19T06:49:00.002-04:00

At our campground each site has a basic wood picnic table to use. Many people cover them with vinyl table cloths. That look is not quite for me so I got out paints and brushes and went to work having some fun on our picnic table.

It took what seemed like weeks to do because I would color wash colors on top of each other, then the rain wouldn't let me work a few of the weekend days we were up there, then I forgot for the last two weekends to take pictures, so finally, this past weekend the camera came out and here it is!

Much more interesting than a plain 'ol grey picnic table, don't ya think?

A Whaling Good Story

2011-07-14T15:31:00.001-04:00

I've not had much to say, so have been quiet here in blog land. "Saving Valentina" came to me via email from a blogger friend, Linda. A sweet story. (Cindi? you might need a tissue)

Sasha Has Gone Home

2011-07-02T20:14:00.000-04:00

While we (we, meaning the dogs and I) were playing around outside enjoying the nice weather, Sasha decided she needed a nap.

She is on her way home tonight with a very nice young couple that drove from Maryland to here in CT (they live an hour South of D.C.) What a long day for them and they didn't seem weary at all. They brought their sweet dog Maggie, who looks like a black Giant Schnauzer mix but is really a Doby/Poodle cross. Now they are on their way back with Sasha happily riding along. I'm thrilled for her as the couple is cerebral, thirsty for knowledge on how to be right with your dog, and just very kind and caring. It's a bit quieter around here. Now Bug has no one to boss around.

Finally

2011-07-02T00:31:00.000-04:00

...since my last post where I said I'd be showing you my accidental thrifting finds in the next post..almost 3 weeks later and this is the next post.

Two dresses, purchased not because they would fit me but because I liked the patterns so much, especially this one:

If I cut it up it would make for terrific pillows, handbags, or SOMETHING! but then I get "cut it up" anxiety and think that maybe I should just resell it, would it be a vintage style that someone would wear? Probably. Finding that someone that would wear it AND have it fit them? would that be like finding a needle in a haystack?

This is similar in style:

The pattern cried Lilly Pulitzer-ish to me, another very nice pattern.

I couldn't pass up these shorts for the fabric to become something else.

I also picked up this sewing box (sewing related items always get me)

and look what came in it...

It's a bit grungy on the outside so will probably get recovered -- add it to the list of my things to do.

I'm wondering exactly what I've been up to that I haven't posted before now. Life, work and clearing the piles and piles of stuff and boxes and a sewing machine from the kitchen and living room including a WWII trunk that I plopped on my coffee table and oh yeah, a stack of magazines...the list just might go on. I can finally see my furniture again. Of course, if the stuff didn't go to the thrift store, it went to my office or the basement...not good.

I've also been heavy minded in a decision to spend $500 on having this sofa reupholstered...

Love the sofa. Don't love that it's not cushy and inviting or comfortable to sit on. The plan has been to reupholster it in brown cheetah pattern. The fabric was purchased long ago. I was going to do it myself (insert laughter here) and finally gave up the ghost and called my decorator friend's reupholstering wizard. Said wizard can get me one of 4 levels of cush for the foam inserts. I poked at the back attached cushions and it sounds like they may even be horse hair. In the interim of my wishy washy 'what should I do?' I've been searching Craigslist for a vintage sofa that might be a bit more comfy. Nada. This search, I will have you know actually, has been on going over the last year. Everything I like, and there's not a lot out there in this area, still has that straight lined, maybe with a curve here or there, look. So, I think I'm pretty sure, maybe, I just might bite the bullet. So what if R. can't sit on it without killing his back? Well, he's got his man recliner...which I'm working on getting a more vintage simple styled one because I still hate it. Hey, the dogs like the sofa, that's what matters, right Cindi??? wink wink.

Do You Gingher?

2011-06-14T11:45:00.003-04:00

If you are a sewer or quilter, you must know about Gingher scissors. Beautiful cutting with the precision ground knife edge. I have a pair of dressmaker shears and although I really really like them, I like the metal, I like the weight, I like the cutting...they tire my hand out with a lot of cutting.

Recently I found out that there is now a spring action version. Yes Yes Yes. They are around $35 but I found mine, brand spanky new for $17 on ebay. What a beautiful thing. The ease of cutting is wonderful. You do have to remember to rotate the arm so that the blades do not stay open, I don't like that so much, but it's worth the ease of cutting. I know I couldn't have gotten a pair of Fiskars that I have read about that many sewers like, but I try not to buy plastic if there's a good alternative.

You should try them, it'll make your hand happy.

Yiyyyy

2011-06-09T17:48:00.002-04:00

OK, pretty scary, hurricane type weather, thunder, lightening, heavy rain.

photo courtesy of Irishviews.com

Wow, a lightening bolt just came in my window and almost blinded me! and the clap of thunder scared the bejeesus out of Hanzie. The poor silly boy, he's such a scaredy-cat, but at least he just goes and hides and doesn't pant and whimper endlessly like Weezie used to do when she was younger. Now she can't really hear and apparently see, or feel the vibrations...it's sad because she's so old, but really really good for my nerves.

I just came back from nodule aspirations and unintentional thrifting. Came in the front door only to run out the back door to save a WWII trunk that I received on Freecycle, from rain, but I was many raindrops too late. Ugh. I had left it out in the sun to help to get rid of some lingering mothball scent. When I went out there I heard a big crack and loud drop and thought one of my trees came down, it wasn't mine but it was one at the house behind me -- it didn't seem to have hit anything. That was weird. I don't think I've ever heard a tree come down in a storm. Oh, wait a minute, except for the big hurricane in the 1970's...a huge oak tree in our front lawn (oh, it was such a wonderful shade tree) came crashing down between my house and the neighbor's, it clipped the neighbor's roof. I remember sitting on the porch the next day, in my cute dress, I was all about 10 maybe, the sun was shining and a few men were cutting up the tree. I was drawing on a small chalkboard that had a wood frame and a Daddy Long Leg spider crawled up my leg and I FREAKED OUT! I threw my chalkboard and screamed...because it FREAKED ME OUT! Oh memories.

My computer is unplugged, thank goodness for batteries, that's all I'd need is for lightening to strike, electrical currents go awry and zap out my computer...I'd be very sad.

So, my unintentional thrifting... I didn't mean to do it, really. I was just passing by...but couldn't. I did keep my promise to myself to only buy sewing related things...oops, no I didn't...oh, but the extra things are for the camper, which means they are usable. Whew, saved myself on that one! Will show and tell as soon as these grey skies turn blue.

I hope if it's storming where you are that you are safe and dry.

Another Gown

2011-06-09T06:47:00.003-04:00

Reading the comments to the Parachute Wedding Dress on boingboing, I found a link to this beauty....

look at the trailing fur, the softness, the warmth....

NOT...

It's made of PINS!! ouch. It's still a beauty, though.

Made by Susie MacMurray, she has others as well. I don't know if they are actually made from recycled materials, it looks like the materials could have been purchased in bulk...I still think they are cool, but not as cool as if it was recycled materials.

It's sort of like toilet paper wedding dresses, it's a neat idea, but it's consumerism of 'new.' Granted, you couldn't use 'used' but what if one found an old warehouse of paper products that couldn't be for sale? that would work for me. Far fetched? maybe. If you google 'toilet paper wedding dresses' you will find a few sites with pictures of them from fundraising to competitions. Many are quite beautiful, like this gorgeous one...

At least this dress and others made for this event, benefitted Breast Cancer Awareness. For each roll sold of Cashmere (Canadian brand) toilet paper, 25¢ went to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

Parachute Wedding Dress

2011-06-09T06:35:00.001-04:00

I love wedding dresses. I love vintage gowns, maybe that's why I like wedding dresses so much, the fullness, the flow, the ripples, the bodice, the lace, the special feeling when wearing one (a gown or wedding dress.) So, two guesses as to why I like this wedding dress so much....

yup, the ruched draping and the fact that it was made from something that was originally something else besides a bolt of fabric.

It is now part of the Smithsonian, you can read it's story here.

Richard James -- he cares

2011-06-08T16:05:00.000-04:00

Found this on uncomsumption...if you are a recycler, an artist, a thrifter, a gifter, someone that cares about the world in which we live...you should check out the blog.

If you are all that and would like to know about a man that is also that, you need to check out Richard James's blog, The Custodian, and his blog posts. I especially like the ones written by 8th graders -- they get it --

and you should tell others about these sites.

For the Love of Chandeliers and Recycling

2011-06-07T19:06:00.000-04:00

These? made out of bicycle chains! by Carolina Fontoura Alzaga (say that 3 times fast)

Chandeliers by Russ Morgan

2011-06-06T07:25:00.001-04:00

I'm a huge fan of chandeliers. I have a small ranch style house so fitting them in is difficult so I have some hanging in my garage. I especially like them dripping with crystals. I'm also very very much into recycling and using 'garbage' for art. Russ Morgan combines these two loves of mine to create fantastic chandeliers and lamps out of glass pieces that were once plates, bottles, cups, etc. Wonderful.

Sunday Tag Sale

2011-06-05T12:44:00.001-04:00

I knew there wouldn't be much traffic today as people are busy with Sunday rituals. But I am happy that the McCoy owl planter (which I never took a picture of to show you and I really wanted to 'cuz it was very nice -- it looked like this, but better, it's about 8"x 9":

photo via worthpoint.com

but it had a light tan brushed glaze that was not shiny and the inside was a glazed vanilla color -- much prettier than than brown glazed ones I found on the web and the eyes were larger, rounder, it was very cool. It was sold to a nice woman this morning that bought a few things. We got talking because her 7 year old daughter wanted her to buy the "Hooters" shot glasses. Mom cryptically explained why they wouldn't purchase them and the girl said, (ya gotta love kids) "But, Mom, they're owls" So Mom explained to me that they collect owls because their last name, which is Polish, means 'Owls' in English. I asked if she saw the hanging owl planter. I don't think anyone noticed it because it's beige? I thought SOMEONE would have at least commented on it. It has two sides, one with it's eyes closed and the other with them open in a big eyed vintage cool owl kind of way. So I showed it to her and she was so happy that I did because she definitely wanted it, she thought it was an excellent piece as well.

One good thing about having a tag sale on Sunday is that with the little bits of people traffic I get to scan my google reader. I think it will never end that's how long it's been apparently. I'm still viewing stuff from the beginning of May, which is weird to me because it was only about 10 days ago that I went through the reader to the very end....or maybe not to the very end. Either way, I'm stirring my brain cells with new ideas and eye candy. Now that a lot of 'stuff' is out of my house, there's more room for the artistic genes to get back into motion.

I want to shout out to Cindi, she, via email, shopped the tag sale so I'll be sending some vintage goodies out to Chicago this week! I love this resource of inspiration, sharing, shopping and making friends. Thanks Cindi!! She also wished me a 'belated happy birthday' on her blog, it's a riot! you have to check out the singing Schnauzers.

Patrice Hubert

2011-06-05T07:40:00.001-04:00

Awesome. See more here.

Tag Sale -- Day 2

2011-06-04T21:51:00.001-04:00

Stupid things heard today....

"How much for the ugly lamps?" (and this was a woman asking, usually it's men 'to be funny') I said, "not sure what you're talking about as there aren't any ugly lamps." (they are victorian and a specific market of people would like them) She said, "well, I do like them, but most people wouldn't" I said, "What are you offering as I would like to see them get used" She said, "oh, I'm not interested, I was just kidding."

Really?

I had my MacBook with me for entertainment when no one was at the sale. I sat at the top of the driveway in front of the garage doors. The table to my left had a plastic container behind it that I sat some of my things upon, including my computer, the computer was also plugged in. The question: "are you selling the computer?" one guy actually started to open it. Maybe it's just me, but...

Really?

People don't want to spend more than $2 for something and you've just asked me if I was selling a freakin' Apple computer?

Like I said, maybe it's just me.

This is always good.... "how much for all this?" "$24 I say." "Will you take $15?" said with a look on her face that was a little privileged. I said, "you want me to take $9 off the total?" If I sold them separately they'd be more than $24 total, I was being nice. I said, "no, I'll do $22" she asked, "will you do $20?" in an indignant sort of way. I said, "no, $22" she said, $20?" I said "no." because at this point I'd rather give the damn things away than sell them to her if she wasn't going to pay for them. So she had her son put stuff back and bought just a couple things.

One guy had an item and asked how much, I said, "$5" he said, "will you take $2?" I said, "I'll take $3" and he said, "2.50?" I looked at him like...

Really?? um, no.

I understand the whole dickering thing, I do it myself but I try to be gracious and respectful and then make a decision as to how bad I want the item.

But, like I said, "maybe it's just me."

I do have to add that I met some really nice people that had already spent a bit of money elsewhere and they haggled a little -- or not -- because they see and know about the stuff I have for sale, and I had some enjoyable conversations.

Really.

I had a couple guys come back today after not buying items yesterday because they didn't want to pay what I was asking. I give them credit because if they were still there I would have given a lower price because I was in my second day. BUT the items were gone. Which I was happy about because they gave me a hard time about the price and I told them I sold the stuff for the same as what I was asking them for, which I did.

I'm not an expert but I know my stuff people.

Really.

See, therein lies a problem with me selling things. I get pissy at people that act like I owe them something. If you're nice, I'll more often than not give you the bargain you're looking for, but if you're a jerk? well, you can probably figure out the answer to that one.

It WAS another beautiful day, I am really lucky with how the weather has been on my side.

I hope you had a sparkly day, too!

The Tag Sale is Finally Here

2011-06-03T20:28:00.001-04:00

I spent 4 hours yesterday setting up for the tag sale. It was windy and got windier as the day went on. I was very worried I was going to lose some glass but all stayed in place. I ended about 1pm and R. and I went for a motorcycle ride to get some chicken wings at Bidwell Tavern. Supposedly THE PLACE to get wings around here. I really like the lemon pepper ones. I generally like a beer with my wings but no alcohol allowed when riding.

It was the first day out on the bike for the season for me. We took a long route to get to The Tavern and by the time we got there, I was freezing and R. was pretty cold in just his T-shirt and leather vest. I was a bit more bundled and on the way home put on a Vera scarf (for all you Vera lovers) and my chaps. If the sun had stayed shining it wouldn't have been so chilly but huge clouds started to cover the sky.

After we got back I ran to the package store for some beer. R chopped and hauled wood and was hankering for a cold one. I had my 'Birthday Girl' shirt on that was given to me 4 years ago. Worn 4 times now, I've made a pact with myself that I'd wear it every birthday until it wore out. Silly, I know, but I get a kick out of it, especially because it was a shirt made probably for a teenager with it's pink jewels spelling 'Birthday Girl.' The beer seller was being a little conversational and flirtatious I think when he asked if that's the type of beer I like, I said it wasn't for me but it should be since I am "the birthday girl" as I pointed to my shirt. (the writing is small and up near where a necklace would be so I wasn't flashing him or anything) He asked for my license. I thought, "oh, he just wants to tell me I don't look at all like I'm 47 as I stood there in my pigtails and bandana. Nope, that's not what he said. What he did say was, "yup, you qualify" as he handed me a shooter of Mango Parrot Bay Rum. I'm not a big drinker but I do like me some rum once in awhile. After getting home I took a teeny sip to taste it straight. Very very de-lish-us, but saved for another day.

5am came very early this morning....I don't sleep well before a tag sale, I get all anxious that I won't wake up early enough to get there before the early birds. I got ready, got the signs up and at 6:15 got to the house, where an antique seller was sitting in wait. Yes, the ad said 7am, but dealers and sellers don't care. What they don't realize is that I don't mind, if they buy they'll be paying more than if it later in the day, and they don't always know that I know they are re-sellers. A few of them I do know and they know me as we end up hitting each others tag sales or flea market booths. There's one obnoxious couple that always comes, he annoys me, there's something about him and his way. He pulled into the driveway. I looked right at him and pointed "get out of the driveway" he looks at me with a question on his forehead...."Get Out Of the Driveway." what??? "GET OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY" "oh, you want me to get out of the driveway?" yiyyyy. Yeah, I don't deal well with rude or obnoxious re-sellers, or the ones that pretend they aren't resellers, like one guy and his wife. He asked about a price on something and asked when it would be lower. I looked at my wrist and said, it's 6:30am, not even the official 7am. He said, "well, we older people get up early" I said, "yeah, so do resellers." Don't get me wrong, they are an important part of the tag sale circuit, but don't be all squirrelly and lying.

Then there was this woman that came in and was chatting with a couple that was there and she was saying how she could go to the dump and get a lot of things for free. She was talking about a rocking chair I had for sale for my client I am also selling for and the guy of the couple asked me how much I was selling the chair for. I told him $30 and he looked at the lady. I then said to the lady, "but you could get one just like it at the dump." I don't think she got my sarcasm because she said "yeah, I could, I've seen them." so even more sarcastically I said, "well you should go there....now." I still don't think she got it right off, but then it might have hit her because she left. I don't have time for that crap. Yeah, you can get anything for free if you wait long enough, if you're in the right place at the right time, if someone gives it to you, etc." but someone might see the chair and that it's in very good condition and think, "oh, I've been looking for one," or that they knew someone that's going to have a baby and she's looking for an affordable rocker or whatever and then they'd offer me $20 or $25 and I'd say, "OK" and we'd both be happy. I think it's very rude to stand there and talk like that. It reminds me of when I used to do craft shows (I painted furniture) women would stand in my booth and talk about how they could do it, too, that they have a chair, desk, bureau, whatever piece of furniture they were looking at, 'just like that' in their basement or garage. Yup, you could do it. Will you do it? Will you do it right? Will it ever get done? Will it look as artistic? No. No. No. Because the people that would answer 'yes' to those questions wouldn't normally stand there and talk about it. They'd talk about it after they left my booth. I had poetic justice one time, though....a woman stood there saying all those things and another woman said, "yeah, I had a project like that, too, then I started to sand it and realized how much work it is and it never got done and I appreciate those that do it." THANK YOU!

So, anyway, enough tangents...here's some of what I looked at all day and will continue to look at for the next two days, well, I did sell some of it and hopefully tomorrow there will be a lot more gone.

I tend to collect glassware....apparently not many others do. Although, I did sell a set of ruby glasses and a set of pressed glasses today and my friend Lois has her eye on those juice glasses (better when seen in person) to make candles with them.

Love the amber glass butter dish. If only I was using that color in my house. I'm surprised no one looked at the letter press block. The turquoise covered pot is by Hull. The ice bucket has boy tennis players around it. See all the milk glass in the corner? I was collecting for a girl who's blog I followed that lived in L.A. and couldn't easily find it, it was for her wedding reception. I asked her if she wanted me to locate some for her as I could get it fairly inexpensively and she loved the idea. She was approving it as I went along and then I was ready to send it to her and asked if she wanted more, she said she changed her reception plans. Um, couldn't ya tell me this knowing that I was picking these up for you? So now I have a crap load of milk glass vases and I quit following her blog.

Three pyrex casseroles with their covers...no one even looked at them. This area is a little behind on the vintage thing, or they basically prefer newer fashions, and it's still a bit traditional with the older crowd that likes antiques and country around here... Maybe tomorrow.

oh, looky, there's a space, something sold! and Yup, four pyrex coffee pots, a small collection started and then I decided I really didn't need them even though they are cool. The big bowl is from pottery barn and an excellent cookie making bowl, but no longer my style -- it was packed away for the past 7 years. Those little bowls in the foreground are very sweet and I almost put them back in my car to go home with me, but then I remembered my mission. I hope they sell so I don't consider keeping them.

I really like those carved horse bookends and the pyrex princess bowl set is the American pattern in basically mint condition. The four blue mugs are sweet with dog images printed on them, they were in my etsy shop, so many people 'hearted' them but no buyers.

Zojirushi rice cooker, found several years ago and I never used it. A few sets of curtains piled together and two tablecloths with sweet flowers on them.

Vintage mid-century lamps that need a little TLC -- an intended project...

The green chairs swivel and are made by Goodform, the patio chairs sold pretty quickly. The headboard leaning up against my car is my friend's and was going to get painted. Guess she changed her mind. It would be awesome in turquoise or yellow. Hmmmmm, maybe if it doesn't sell....

So, that's what's been going on around here. Thankfully the weather is BEAUTIFUL and perfect for a tag sale. Another plus is that my computer is wireless and I can hook into wi-fi and cruise the blogs I follow while I wait for people to come by. Always thinking. That's me. I'm a thinker.

Hope everyone had a great day....I know you were out there getting some thrifting deals for yourself...weren't you?

Making Headway

2011-05-27T15:29:00.001-04:00

You wouldn't want to have the 'before' but here's the after:

This basement picture is a smidgen, a sliver, a peek, into the cleaning out that I've done. I've been diligently working on getting the thrifty goodies out of my house for my annual tag sale, yard sale to some, next weekend. You should have seen my house! ugh. Boxes EVERYWHERE. It took me a few hours to get it pulled together and neatened...it was like a breath of fresh air. It's amazing how when your surroundings get cluttered, your brain gets cluttered. I could feel my brain become clearer with every box hauled out of here. I can actually walk through my garage and more needs to go but it's more of the Craigslist or ebay nature of selling.

Each year I have my tag sale and often see the same people. The location is usually different (depends on what friend loves me enough to endure me commandeering their garage) but the town remains the same. I ran into a woman at a church rummage sale the other day and she did a double take and said, "are you having your tag sale this year?" Made me laugh. I've gotten complimented on them because I have good stuff and I try not to have any junky piddly things. I've also gotten away from selling jewelry or small items because people have pocketed items in the past. Also, in case you want to make a rule for yourself...I only sell things for $1 or more. If something isn't worth a dollar to someone I tell them to pick something out to make it a dollar or more because I'm not dealing with nickel and diming -- well, unless of course, the total makes a dollar. ;-]

I went through boxes that have been 'saved for when my house is done' and got rid of most of it. My tastes have changed and I know that I'll always be able to find something I like. That's what I like about thrifting, there's always something and usually you don't lay down hunks of money so you don't feel bad getting rid of some things.

I haven't hit the studio yet and I don't think that will be done in time for the sale, but most of what's in there is for "I have an idea for that, fabric, or I might be able to use that someday."

so I plug along.

Have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend.

Sasha Sasha Sasha

2011-05-23T09:44:00.003-04:00

Well, the family drove 2 hours to come meet Sasha yesterday. Right before they got here I was holding her muzzle to clean her eyes and she bit me. No broken skin, no scratches, but we still call it a bite. She meant business. I tested her a couple more times and she went for my hand again. This happened 5 minutes before the family arrived. As soon as they pulled into my driveway I was at the car door telling them how sorry I was that they wouldn't be able to take Sasha home with them.

Of course, they were very disappointed at the news and wanted to try to make it work. Without further evaluation, there was no way I was going to let them take her even though they did come in to meet her and she was having lots of fun playing with the two girls. Two very cute, sweet, petite little girls. Nope, I wasn't going to take any chances. Sadly, feeling they've wasted their time, they started home.

I felt awful. But, it was my responsibility to do the right thing. Although it can happen, rehoming a dog that nips or bites is a difficult task. The liability, the worry. They often have to be put down. NOT something I was interested in doing. That is one of the hardest things to do when a dog is all around good, then has this issue pop up and further testing shows further aggression and the dog has to be put down.

I went back into the house and did more testing with her. I put on my thick leather wood stove gloves and held her muzzle, touched her face. She snapped. I did this on and off for awhile, giving her treats when she didn't snap. I've been testing her different ways, as I do for each new dog, since she got here and she's been fine, so I was surprised by this. She's been a bit of a bully with the dogs and she gets jealous but I've been able to do things to her. I've been able to touch her face and take away her food while she has her face in the bowl.

I had just fed the dogs and Sasha was next in line as I had her at a sit-stay. I thought maybe it was a food aggression issue even though I hadn't witnessed that before now. But, what often happens when dogs are here for awhile is that they get comfortable and start to show their true colors.

The conclusion is that she does not need to put down. That it's not uncommon for a dog to not like it's muzzle clamped or touched (ask any groomer) and she has already shown that with consistent work she can be desensitized to it. Whew.

So, she is adoptable, to a family with grown children that respect dogs, or a family without children. Although I thought she'd do better with no other dogs, now that she's settled into the pack and they all know their places, the fighting has stopped and there's lots of playing going on and I think having a canine companion would actually be good for her especially if it's an alpha and wise, she will learn good manners and will have a playmate keeping her from being bored.

See, Sasha thinks she's an alpha female. What happens when they THINK they are alpha is that it can cause anxiousness. As I've watched her and done things to test her, she has shown that she is not a true alpha and needs to be taught how to be who she really is. This will help her be more relaxed and confident, less needy and more at ease with the family coming and going.

Two books I've recommended for quite a few years to whomever will listen: The Dog Listener by Jan Fennell and The Dog Who Loved Too Much by Nicholas Dodman. They both share training tricks and explain the psychology of dogs. Another book that has come to my attention and is actually on my bedside table waiting for me to read is Wood Song by Gary Paulson. It's a book about wolves in the wild, I believe, and what it shows is the natural order and interactions of canine packs.

So, if your dog is showing signs of anxiousness, separation anxiety or other issues, read these books. They helped me tremendously with Weezie's issues. It took about 2 weeks and the change was almost miraculous to me, I didn't think she'd ever relax, but she did and she became a better dog because I implemented these training tricks. If I had the extra money, I'd buy a huge stack of these books and hand them out to people when they're telling me about their dog's issues....that's how much I believe in them.

Merlin

2011-05-20T13:52:00.004-04:00

Here's a picture of Merlin, isn't he sweet?

When I said that the family lost him...I meant he ran out the door and they can't find him. They put out a pet alert on him. When I asked if I could post his picture, his mom also added these words just in case someone sees him.

"Reward for lost elderly, diabetic salt and pepper miniature schnauzer lost on Monday, April 25, 2011 at about 8:30 p.m. on Grand View Avenue in North Revere, MA. Poor vision and hearing. Needs insulin twice daily, a daily antibiotic and a special diet of boiled rice and chicken for stomach issues."

then she added this as a side note about him:

"He was a heart breaker:( Would sit on my lap and look at each person in the room and wait for a compliment. Loved going for rides and snuggling with my girls."

I spoke to his mom for awhile about his disappearance. He had been hiding in dark places for about a week before he left, then he would try to scoot out the door, which is something he had never done. Personally, I think his canine instincts were in gear and he was ready to die and didn't want to do it at home. He had a long life, was very well taken care of through different illnesses, fed well and well loved. I believe it was his time. But, in case he is out there wandering around, I hope someone finds him and returns him home. It's a very sad thing to happen to a family, there is no closure, there's feelings of guilt for the one that had the door open, there's a lot of sadness that is different if he had just died. My heart goes out to them.

Hello Sasha

2011-05-20T10:21:00.003-04:00

Sasha came in a few days ago with her 11.5 year old sister Gretel. Gretel has gone to stay with one of our foster homes in Massachusetts. Gretel got attached to me within those few days and when I handed her off yesterday to her new foster mom, she didn't want to leave me. She looked at me as if to say, "what? what are doing? why are you getting into that car without me?" It was heartbreaking. I could just feel her vibe and, of course, got all teary and feeling bad. I know she will bond with Barbara as well, but it's hard at any age, never mind at 11 to be tossed around.

Sometimes I can understand why someone needs to rehome their senior dog. Knowing the reasons for this one, this is not one of those times.

Sasha I can understand. She needs more stimulation and time spent with her allowing her to be playful and active. She's improved in her lack of manners since the first day here. She seems more at ease. The first few days required readjustment from being given up, beat up by a munchkin, learning the ropes and competing with 5 other dogs. All of that can be rough. Her body language is more relaxed, she is playing with toys more, has found her place in the pack and is now able to enjoy the good life.

Bug has been a tyrant to her. They've fought and argued and Sasha finally cried 'Uncle' but occasionally Bug feels the need to yell at her for being too close to her toy, being too close to her boy Hanz, being too close to me, or too close to her man R. Other times they are playing and wrestling. The best was when I was sitting on the sofa and I had two heads together on my lap and they were Sasha's and Bug's. Sounds like sister rivalry to me. LOL

She's a sweet girl, has a mildness about her that can change with promise of play or dinner. She loves being pet (but don't they all). I can leave her out during the day and at night without any issues. She's overall pretty quiet but lets me know if there is an 'intruder' on our street anywhere near the house. And, of course, loves to chime in if someone has heard the intruder first, even if it's me accidentally knocking something on the counter. Oy.

Cross fingers...we have a family already that has a possible interest in her. They recently lost their 15 year old male. They sent me a picture today and he looks like an old Wizard. I'm going to ask for their permission to post his picture, he's so cute.

Do You Love A Single Cup of Coffee?

2011-05-19T10:17:00.001-04:00

I've been trying all types of methods for the perfect brew and I think I finally found it and it's not a fancy machine. I've tried different machines from $$$$ to $, pots, percolators, funnels and jars and cold brew. I ended up really liking the cone shaped filter you can put on top of your cup with a paper filter in it and it drips right through to make one cup. You have to boil a separate pan of water to add to it. It's simple, but still a process and uses those darn paper filters (which I compost...but still)....

SO I've tried this --

Voila! This one is made by Bialetti, I know you've seen these, referred to as a Moka Pot, also known as an Italian Coffee Pot. Those most often seen are made of aluminum, with the 8 facets, I like this one because it's stainless steel. I found it a couple weeks back at a consignment shop. I like a stronger coffee so I use a french roast or what I really like is the smoothness of Café Bustelo, which is an espresso coffee. The water goes in the base (don't fill it too full, you'll end up with coffee spitting all over the place) a filter sits inside the base where you put the fine grounds in, twist it together and within seconds you have some H.O.T. coffee. You NEED to keep an eye on it, it's that fast. Easy clean up -- just empty the funnel, rinse out the pot and the base and you're done.

Now I think I'll go make me a cup!

Geri Goes Home

2011-05-15T13:11:00.000-04:00

Lisa came down today to meet Geri. She walked in and commented on how beautiful she thought she was. We chatted, each of the 6 dogs wanted all the attention but then calmed down and treats were handed out generously. Then Lisa asked...what do I do if I want to take her?

Yeyyyyy!! Lisa is a very very kind, nice woman. She has a 14 yo Shepherd Mix named Zeus that will help to guide Geri in daily routine and lay of the new land.

When Lisa went out to her car to set up the crate, Geri paced inside the house. She knew what was happening and that she was leaving this crazy dog place. It was quite interesting to watch, she would pace, go to the door, pace, go to the door. When Lisa came back in Geri was right there at her feet. Usually I get a chance to kiss and hug the dog goodbye, whisper sweet words in it's ears. Geri wanted nothing of it. She was leaving and that was the order of business. The contract was signed and if Geri could speak I think she would have said, "wooo hooo, let's go!"

I love happy endings.

Yup, I Did It -- Adopted Little Bug

2011-05-14T07:09:00.003-04:00

I haven't written about Little Bug, the cutie patootie 9 month old that came in. I've snapped some pictures but haven't gotten to putting them on here.

Even though she fits seamlessly into this household, and Hanzie totally approves....

I've been hesitant to say it. I've wanted to make doubly sure....

well...this little pumpkin head now resides at this little abode I have here.

Yup, it's official and now I'm putting out into blogger land...I've adopted Little Buggy Boo. I had a deep feeling that I would regret it if I let her go. She's a great fit for Hanz and it would just seem weird to NOT have her here. It's one of those kinds of things.

What about Tink? you might ask...well, I miss Tink (now named Olive) and maybe that's one reason why I went through with this one. I didn't want to miss her, too...the little gnat that she is.

I'm being kept up-to-date on Olive's doings and it seems as though maybe she's taking advantage of the sweet laid back personalities of her new owners. But, they outsmarted her having a trainer come in. LOL Good move on their part, it makes for a more harmonious relationship and peace in the house. One day it would be nice to see her again. She'd probably not remember me, that's what happens, but I still think of her often.

But now I have this munchkin to keep me busy and oh, she's doing that. Her personality is showing more and more each day and she's a little pip. Very protective of Hanz, Geri (she's still here with me) and me. She used to bug Weezie regularly but I thinks she's finally gotten bored with that because Weezie just. will. not. engage in play. So she'll pounce on anyone else that will. She's a very happy girl and has been lots of fun.

The Leibster Blog Award

2011-05-11T08:23:00.004-04:00

I'm a bad bad girl.

Recently (um, OK, February 19 to be exact) Gilly from Gillyflower left a comment for me and an award, here's what she said: "I would love to pass on to you the Liebster Award for having a great blog!" How sweet is that??? So I went to her post where she listed her awardees and this is what she wrote what the rules of participation are:

" Leibster means beloved..."

"1. Accept the award and write about it on your blog

2. Link a post to the actual blog that gave you the award

3. Pass the award on to three to five new blogs, informing them that you have done so

So, having ticked the box against rules 1 and 2, I now would like to pass the Liebster Award on to three lovely blogs that are not necessarily that new, but deserve far more visits and followers."

Well, I got wicked busy and wasn't able to fulfill the requirements. I would occasionally look around but wasn't finding anything. It wouldn't have been fair to just nominate a few of the blogs I already follow (and how would I choose from that 150 anyway???) OH, and they were hopefully going to have only a few followers, part of the purpose of the award. Do you know how hard it is to find a blog with only a few followers besides mine??? OMG. When I did get a chance to hop around, I had set the followers amount to no more than 25. Then I set it to no more than 35. Then I gave up. I was spending too much time trying to fulfill my requirement. So I let it go.

By letting it go, over the past couple months I was able to come across 4 blogs that I'd like to promote...I also found a lot of others that I liked and added to my google reader but they had a gajillion followers already. I suppose part of the reasons I chose these bloggers, as you will see, is that there is a commonality I have with them in that we like the same things, but they have done much more than I have with these likes.

The blogs I am nominating are:

The Modern Marigold

A fellow vintage sheet fanatic, she makes skirts and such out of them.

A New England Life

A fellow New Englander whose photos are gorgeous.

Cathy of California

A fellow craft book collector and admirer of vintage crafts, she wrote a book herself!

(Thanks for telling us about her Pam)

I'm a Ginger Monkey

Although she has over 600 followers, I think there's a freshness to her blog, a sweetness to her personality, an unexpectedness to her personal style -- plus she loves fabric and makes modern quilts

go take a peek, you might like them, too.

I Forget To Add To "Feeling Sluggish?"

2011-05-10T14:54:00.000-04:00

When my sugar is low, my eyes are effected and things become blurry...just in case this happens to you. I also realized that even if foods don't effect you but you feel the way I talked about, it could be your iron is low. My iron is sometimes low but generally good if I'm eating well. BUT I learned from a friend to take a low dose iron tablet everyday. Something that was recommended to him by his doctor even though his iron was excellent. He had that "I can't get out of my own way because I'm exhausted" feeling. I told him that happened to me a lot so he suggested the iron tablet. I had a low yesterday even though I ate well and on time, then it hit me...I haven't been taking my iron. Popped one in and an hour later was feeling more normal. So, something else to consider when listening to your body.

Thyroid Cover -- In Case You Haven't Heard About It...

2011-05-10T14:49:00.003-04:00

Today I went for my annual boob squish. What? Too much information? Well, I've been hearing about the thyroid cover and like we seem to do when it comes to any type of medicine, I thought, "oh, I'm fine, I won't ask for it." Then I said, "dammit, yeah you will, tough crap if someone judges you" So I asked the boob squisher if I should be using one. She said I could and went to the other area to retrieve one. Why they don't have them right there aside the x-ray machine, I don't know. The radiologist has kind of a personality that would make you think she's not friendly, but she's nice enough...just very direct. She told me to put it tightly around my neck because it gets in the way. I thought, "great, it'll be in the way." In case you don't know, I have the neck of a pencil...I mean SWAN. and the thing was velcro and yes, I had to crisscross the velcro at it's very inside ends and hope she thought it was tight enough. ugh. Apparently it was OK and all went smoothly. Personally I think we should wear total head gear. That shield that's attached to the machine for your face really doesn't work so well when they do the angle press. In my opinion I don't think it's big enough in it's upright position to really protect our faces.

So, when you go to your mammogram appointment....ask for the thyroid cover. Better safe than sorry.

I do have a question...we get yearly x-rays looking for breast cancer and x-rays aren't good for you, can't they cause things to go wrong in your body? Or is it like taking the pill, you won't get pregnant but you might have migraines now and heart disease or cancer in your future.

Are You Feeling Foggy? Tired? Can't Think Straight?

2011-05-09T12:18:00.002-04:00

Wow, this got longer than I expected...if you want the point of the story, skip to the bottom. LOL

There's a lot of hub bub from different blogs about going gluten free. Over the years, I have tried a few different ways of eating. I was meatless for about 7 years and then I met R. and he looked at me and said, "you need some meat protein, I can see it." I knew he was right, but I didn't believe meat was right for me. I took his advice and started to eat meat again. I knew my body wanted and I would cheat once in awhile, but I was denying it because my brain thought differently. I tried raw foodism, but couldn't get the hang of the work often involved. I've cut out carbs before and felt great, but I am a sweet-a-holic and if it's in the house, I'm eating it...often. Then I have sugar crashes. I generally wait too long before eating, too, which often makes me crash. Not good. Although I do incorporate a lot of fruits, vegetables and nuts in my diet, and lean or natural meats, I've been eating a little too much lately of the not so good for you foods. A few weeks back it started with this:

If I hadn't eaten it all before thinking, you would have gotten a picture of the whole cake...

I was going to make this back in December but hadn't gotten to it. It's a rum cake recipe that Ree of Pioneer Woman put on her blog. I finally made it although I don't typically eat a boxed cake or boxed pudding. I figure if you are going to have something baked, make it from scratch. But she made it sound so delicious so I finally put it together. OMG! I could have eaten the whole thing in one day. My taste buds were screaming for more. The evening that I made it I asked R. if he wanted a piece although he was about to go to bed. He cut himself a slice, understood from the first bite why I was so addicted and then had two more pieces! Fortunately for the both of us I have two neighbors that I like to share food with, 1/3 of the cake was given away...I put two pieces in the freezer...and scoffed the rest. And vowed that I would never make it again. Well, maybe not until next December. I even wrote to Ree and asked "how dare she do such a thing to me" LOL

So that was the beginning of the end. I started baking regularly again. I was doing it for R. because I know he likes homemade treats. The problem was that I ate them all and saved him the crumbs. It had to stop.

I've been planning to go grain free because the dermatitis on my scalp seems to be getting worse and although it's something my mother and brother also had an issue with, for most of my life I pegged it as hereditary. As I continued to research being grain free and gluten free, my gut was telling me that my head issue could be a food issue. I also know that stress doesn't help it at all. When I was regularly stressed out (for about 10 years due to the relationship at the time) it was also on my face.

On Thursday I had a fruit smoothie, then waited too long to eat again, I knew I needed some protein, my blood sugar was going down fast so I started to scramble up some eggs. Well, while I did that, I stuffed my face with some cake. Then I ate the eggs, then I crashed big time. I was tired and lethargic and I couldn't think straight. It took over an hour to start to come out of it. That's when I said I needed to pay attention and stop fooling around. In my fantasies of food, I'd be able to take a pill when hungry and be full and energized. The reality is that I have to have a plan and prepare food for my day. The evening meal isn't a big deal, which includes a big salad (what my friend Lois would call a kitchen sink salad) I do that regularly, but the daytime hours of wanting to get a lot done, or just plain laziness, was really effecting my body, my mind and my moods. I needed to get on track.

On Friday, I had a fruit smoothie, a few hours later an egg, a couple hours later some quinoa with chicken sausage and peppers, then an hour and a half later a Wendy's Jr. cheeseburger, mini fries, and a frosty. I never eat this stuff and I usually don't eat too much....except then. It was situational, then I went to family dinner and had garlic bread, turkey pot pie, a salad, oreos, and ice cream. I drove home at 11pm with pains in my side. Sharp pains. Pains that make you say, "alright, this has got to stop"

Saturday it began. I was grain free all day, I made sure I had enough protein and fruits and vegetables. Did I want that ice cream sitting in the freezer? yes, but I just reminded myself of the day before. I made sure that Sunday morning I didn't wait too long before eating. I knew we'd be going to the flea market and it would be very normal for me to not eat thinking I'd find something along the way and then end up crashing from a sugar low. One of my favorite things to do is get a coffee for the drive to the flea, even after one day of not putting crap into my system, I could immediately feel how my body reacted to the coffee after two sips. Maybe it's the coffee, the sugar or the cream, either way, my body wasn't liking it too much. I continued the day being good with my food choices and am better for it. I've been bright and clear and that is such a good feeling. My stomach is not extending from being bloated, and that's a GREAT feeling.

So I will continue to pay attention and do my best at keeping myself feeling better. I did start an ice coffee today but after 3 sips, I dumped it. It just wasn't feeling good and I actually ended up not having a taste for it.

The point of this story is twofold: to tell you about a delicious cake (but proceed with caution, I'm warning you) but also to put the bug in your ear if you aren't aware already, that if you're feeling sluggish, unfocused, moody....maybe it's what you are eating.

Thrifting Weekend - Look What I Found

2011-05-09T08:20:00.002-04:00

We went out looking for serious things...you know, a very small dresser for the bathroom, a light fixture for the bathroom, a lamp for the bedroom....but after thrift stores and the Restore on Saturday, then the flea market on Sunday...well, you know what happened...I didn't find what I was looking for but I found a bunch of other fun stuff....

Love the gazelle, it'a a little creepy in the face in person and the stitching shows where the fur was pieced together on the form which adds to it's cool or eww factor, depending on what you like. I think it's creepy cool. There was quite a bit of dog attraction apparently! I had never seen and 'ode to dog' before I found 'Scott' the Chihuahua, then I went to the flea on Sunday and there was an 'ode to Roger' but it was a Spaniel. Funny how that happens. The Bialetti coffee pot was a good find, I'm always trying a new type of coffee making apparatus and this might just be the keeper. And, of course, found some fabric -- LOVING the yellow and white pillowcase. The Shabby Cottage duo lampshade is awesome, but not my style and the ceiling mount pink glass shade is a beauty, but again, not my color. If it was white I'd be hanging it in my office. The insulin kit will be a nice addition for someone that collects medical stuff. So, most of this will end up on ebay --but lots of fun was had finding it all.

Recent Fabric Thrifting

2011-05-02T19:20:00.002-04:00

Because I'm a fabric whoreder, I will try to be more diligent in sharing the sparkly goodness with you...well, that's if you're interested.

This iron is a Black and Decker Classic I picked up in it's box, it was probably used twice...maybe. Since I now have 4 vintage irons, I guess I have a collection? This style is still sold today but my box showed that it was probably from the '80's. They call the '80's vintage now, which I have a hard time with, so I'll call it '80's vintage'...distinguishes it in a whole different category, if you know what I mean.

There are 3 vintage sheets and a pillowcase in this pile -- the vintage sheet collection is getting larger weekly it seems. The yellow/white floral sheet is to become a skirt for one of R's girls. The two floral fabrics are probably from the '90's and the ant fabric is really a duvet cover and is within the past few years I imagine. Wouldn't it be awesome to make a retro style dress out of that fabric? ooh, that reminds me that I have a very cool mini dress, simple go-go style with huge paper clips as the print. I picked it up years ago and I still love it.

In this pile there's a vintage sheet, 3rd from bottom, a heavy weight lime green cotton - upholstery fabric? a cool rusty orange with yellow nubs, another orange with yellow I believe is vintage and a couple vintage floral fabric remnants. On top is a scarf that I'll cut into because I like it's stripey goodness. The fabric under it is a cute novelty print in a Pennsylvania Dutch style.

Bella The Lab

2011-05-02T07:52:00.001-04:00

Last weekend Bella was here again for a few days again. She is generally mopey when her owner leaves her behind, she's not crazy about all the other dogs being around and lets them know it, too. She hid under the dining table for the first couple days but found that she could be really comfy in the man chair....

....otherwise known as 'the chair I said you could be put in the living room because I want to show you how much I care and want you to feel comfortable even though I had to remove my favorite antique barrel chair that was super comfy and fit more with my decorating style but if your back feels better because of it then I'm happy you're happy.'

Well, to be honest, I'm still not happy about it but R. is more comfortable with his back and that's what truly matters...right???? right?

Hi My Name Is Geri...

2011-05-02T07:19:00.001-04:00

...and I like to smell things.

This is one of the first things Geri might tell you if she could speak. Her nose is always going, but not for the typical things one might think. Geri loves to stick her nose right in front of the opening to the wood stove as I start to light a fire. She twists and turns her head trying to get the right angle to get every scent of it. She gets up on tiptoes to smell the natural soap in the bathroom, she smells (and licks) shoe polish when R. does his shoes each night, and she doesn't turn away from nail polish remover but instead inhales and tries to take a lick of the cotton ball. She's a funny girl like that.

Geri is 4 years old and her markings are what is called 'Parti-color.' She has been with me for a couple weeks and I needed to let her transition to see what type of dog she would be. She came from a family with four boys (need I say more?) It was too crazy for her and they ended up putting her on Prozac. After a year or so of that, they decided she wasn't doing a lot better with the high energy chaos and surrendered her. She is off her Prozac and has settled into a routine of a quieter home and is playful with the other dogs. She likes her crate where she feels safe. She loves to eat but the other night I gave her raw beef with green beans and she ate the green beans, literally delicately picked them out of the meat and ate them, and left the meat. It was very funny. She eats the meat other times when it's mixed with her grain free food, but I guess she was feeling a bit vegetarian that night.

She does have a quirkiness about her. She needs some training although she knows how to sit and I've been teaching her to wait for her dinner. Most of the time she does well with that.

I had six dogs in my house for a few days last week and I seriously do not know how people do it on a regular basis. Actually, the last time I had seven it seemed to work easily, but this time around there was a lot of personality clashing so it creates a tense energy and it's hard for them to focus on my commands.

Today begins a little quieter week with 4 dogs (Hanz, Weezie, Bug and Geri) and we're getting 3 new dogs in. Hopefully, our two other foster homes will be able to take one each.

Don't I Still Thrift?

2011-04-30T08:57:00.002-04:00

Yup, Yup I do, but I've been very lax in showing my finds. A lot of it has been fabric -- well, because I'm a fabric whore -- but that's for another post.

Here are some recent finds, all slated for ebay (interested in something? shoot me an email and we'll work out the details.)

In the line-up

C. Jere, Artist's Cafe Wall Sculpture -- Vintage Sheet NIP

Travel Bar Case -- Pyrex Spring Blossom Casserole w.

Lid & Warmer Cradle/Server

Floraline Vase -- Pink Melmac Type Mugs

Religious Plate, Canada -- Pyrex Casserole w. Server-Warmer

Cocktail Pitcher -- Pillow Top

Chip & Dip -- Vintage Tid-Bit Tray

I've been researching C. Jere lately and POP, there's one right in front me all of a sudden. Funny how that happens. The Chip and Dip Bowl is not completely uncommon to find but finding one with it's brass bracket is. I had to pick up the Pyrex Casserole, it's in excellent condition and finding one with it's warmer is a triumph in itself. I have to look up the pattern as I'm not sure of it. The travel bar case has all of it's pieces, well, minus the alcohol, woo hooo. I had some luck with the Spring Blossom Casserole, too, as it has it's cover. I'm not sure if the tidbit tray came like that, or if it was put together by someone. I know there is a guy that makes the now, but the handle looks old enough that it was done awhile back, if it's not original. A little research on my part is needed. Whenever I come across this pattern I'm always drawn to it. If only I could find a whole set. It would break my self-imposed rule of white dinner plates, but what the hell. The way things come and go around here, they probably wouldn't be long lasting anyway because I'd find something new and exciting. Best to stay with the white, clear and black and white dinnerware thing I've got going on.

'Tis the season for tag sales and I'm going to try and hold back. Still have so much here already that I need to move along. Will be having one of my annual tag sales soon to off-load (and make room for more?)

Wake Up America -- Killing the Albatross -- and what else?

2011-04-30T07:20:00.001-04:00

The following may be difficult to look at. It is not only an image of a decaying Albatross, but more so a picture of the ramifications of how we live. These images are beautifully done. They make me sad, and act as a reminder to live more carefully in what I consume and throw away.

Chris Jordan -- Photographic Arts

from his website:

"On Midway Atoll, a remote cluster of islands more than 2000 miles from the nearest continent, the detritus of our mass consumption surfaces in an astonishing place; inside the stomachs of thousands of dead baby albatrosses. The nesting chicks are fed lethal quantities of plastic by their parents, who mistke the floating trash for food as they forage over the vast polluted Pacific Ocean.

For me, kneeling over the carcasses is like looking into a macabre mirror. These birds reflect back an appallingly emblematic result of the collective trance of our consumerism and runaway industrial growth. Like the albatross, we first-world humans find ourselves lacking the ability to discern anymore what is nourishing from what is toxic to our lives and our spirits. Choked to death on our waste, the mythical albatross calls upon us to recognize that our greatest challenge lies not out there, but in here."

-- cj
Seattle, February 2011

Go here for more photographic images of trash and what he has to say about it.

Carrie Underwood

2011-04-28T09:54:00.003-04:00

I don't mind some country music once in awhile, I've been a fan of Carrie Underwood since she won on American Idol (one season I seemed to have watched) She has a beautiful voice. She happens to sing Country music. I do not own any of her music, but I turn up the radio when she is singing certain songs.

I'm not a religious person, I believe in a higher power, but not necessarily an organized religion type God, but this version of the song doesn't have one thinking about the differences.

I read that Carrie crossed all boundaries and that she was compared to Elvis's rendition in that the person thought no one could ever compare to 'The King', but that he thought she's right up there with him.

In case you haven't seen it, heard about, watched it on TV or Youtube... here is Carrie singing "How Great Thou Art" A well deserved standing ovation was given by her peers.

I find it funny that Wynona Judd is panned often...when Carrie first started out and was on her first CMA show after her Idol win, it was written that Wynona made the statement that Carrie was "very vanilla." Think she's eating her words? Carrie has only had continued success since her Idol win. A young girl that has made her dream very real.

I Have a Tip for You...

2011-04-25T13:53:00.001-04:00

Now that the warmer weather is here, I love me some ice coffee. A couple days ago I was enjoying some and I try to hold off on putting any ice in it as I did not want to water it down. I got half way through and it was time to cool it off a little more...I went for the ice and found dark cubes waiting for me...I forgot about them and was oh so happy that I had made some coffee cubes.

I put them in my glass, swirled them around and took a big sip....and spit it out fast! MY TIP FOR YOU: When you make flavored ice cubes, remember what they are. Beef bouillon really ruins what was a delicious glass of ice coffee. Ugh.

Butch Anthony -- Junk Collection At It's Best

2011-04-20T07:44:00.002-04:00

I was not expecting the beauty and craftsmanship of his home. This is what I need, a house outside my house to keep all my 'junk' meant for something more.

I really like his cow bone chandeliers.

Playing with the Webcam

2011-04-19T08:42:00.003-04:00

I've owned this computer for over 2 years and I used the webcam once. This morning, with Hanz and Bug snuggled up against me, Bug's Head on top of Hanz's, I wanted to catch the image. By the time I figured out how to use it (which really only took a few minutes) the characters repositioned themselves.

Hanz has that look on his face -- what the? what the?...

Bug, of course, has to scope things out....

...figures everything's cool and settles back in.

Vintage Pillow Disection

2011-04-16T12:27:00.001-04:00

There's a vintage pillow on my sofa that is often in my pictures of the dogs...

I need to clean it because of said dogs....it was sewn together, no zipper, so I undid the stitching and took the cover off.

Notice there is only one tassel, a certain nine month old puppy decided to make confetti out of one of them so I'm in the process of removing the remaining three since the chewed one is not salvageable.

I knew it was a handmade item and wasn't sure what was making up the pillow form. When I uncovered the form I found seersucker fabric pieced together and sewn up. I should have photographed the opposite side, the creator used the pocket side of the shirt.

This is what I found inside.

The blue and bright red material looks like it could have been material for footed pj's. I love that there is one lone knee sock. The rolled knee-hi could be frightening if you're squeamish, and I think I'll find a project for the colorful floral bedspread piece. There's also a few pieces of flannel from a nightgown "Heavenly (something) of Salzberg." Yes, it will all get placed back inside.

I have a stuffed baby bear of The Three Bears that my mom crocheted for me when I was about 7 (about 40 years ago) and I can see through the crochet that the stuffing is made up of cut up clothing or towels. I want to take a bit of it apart to see what's in there. I'm wondering if I'd recognize the material.

The funny thing is I have 2 large bags full of scrap material and cut up clothing that is no longer wearable. Instead of throwing it away, I'll be using it for stuffing -- recycling at it's fullest. It will become the innards of planned dog beds.