Oh Looky It's Lexie

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

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...

My Job Is Done

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

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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?

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

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

Thank You for Your Donations

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ollie is a 1-1/2 year old long legged Schnauzer. He is nosy and energetic. Whoever 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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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.