Little bits of Love, Everyday

Anyone who knows me, knows that I adore nice, dark chocolate.  The best news that I grabbed from the latest health "guidelines" is that dark chocolate is good for you.  Yes! I am just going to keep that recommendation and tune out any other advice to the contrary.

There is nothing that melts my heart like when my husband is out shopping and returns with a heavenly dark chocolate bar.  No, he's not out gift shopping, he may not even be at a store I like. But. when he sees the yummy dark chocolate and thinks to bring it home for me, it reminds me how we feel about each other even after all this time and in spite of all the clutter that builds up in a long term marriage. 

There are lots of ways to remind someone that they are loved and the little things really do mean a lot!

Dreaming about Barns

Well, I finally have the "barn" I have always wanted.
No, it's not a big old creaky barn full of pigeons and other creatures.
No, it probably will not ever house anything with hooves, but it's mine and I love it.

My "Pretty Ladies" love their new home.  There was a group of six of them who really could not figure it out.  When night came, everyone went into the new barn, except this group of six.  These girls huddled in the dark where the coop USED TO BE!  Poor little girls!  I went out and shoveled them into the new coop. The new place is a week old now and everyone has the hang of it. 

Now, speaking of barns, I have been observing all the beautiful barns around where I live and finally decided to take my camera along with me to photograph them.  Here are a few to get us started!

Crossroads

*Sigh*  I am at a crossroad here.  It is time for me to decide whether to work harder or to throw in the towel. 
What to do?  Which road to take?
In a way, I got a hint last evening, which suddenly hit me this morning.  On my way home from town, I saw a bit larger than basketball sized (imagine a flat basketball) snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) making her way across a busy street in town.  There are many reasons that a snapping turtle will not get across the road.  One is just by virtue of who she is.  People are afraid of them and for some reason just don't like them very much. There are drivers who will run them over. Not me,  I have a soft spot for them.  Yes, I like and respect a snapping turtle. 

I stopped the car, picked her up by the tail and moved her across the road. Her tail was cool, dry, and looked almost prehistoric.  She never even snapped.  I think she was surprised to be lifted off the ground. Oddly, when I got back in the car, the feel of that tail lingered on my hand.  Not sure how many people saw me do it.  Pretty sure that many would think I was crazy. 

Anyway, the more I thought of it, she reminded me of myself.

(I did not take a picture, just found this on the web.)

Take a Little Piece of My Heart

Ok, I will admit it.  I am a softy.  I try not to be, I try to be tough, but there are things that tug at my heart when I least expect it.  For instance, a certain little feral kitty that tumbled into my life recently.  The whole time I was trying to help her be healthy, I told the vet and the people at the vet's office that no, I do not even want a cat, especially this little beast.  I was just trying to help a little one who needed it.So I did just that.  I helped a little helpless beast for almost one month.  Sometimes it felt like it was hopeless and other times, there were little glimmers of hope.
Well today was the pay off.  The little kitty who would have been just a little dust pile alongside the road by now is well on her way to being a spoiled, much-loved pet. I let her go today to people who I have no doubt will love her as much as I ended up loving her.  I let her go with one big kiss and yes, tears.  Tears for a kitty who was brought back from the brink.  The tears were more out of happiness and relief that all the time I spent mattered. And that my efforts helped her become a healthy, mischevious, zippy kitten.

 Hey little Honey Badger, little Marguerita, thanks for spending time with me in August. You are my kind of scrappy girl. You made me happy.  Now, go and make your new people happy.  You lucked out little thing. Be a good girl.  

Roll With the Changes

Don't you love when you hear an old song that takes you back?  REO Speedwagon (yes, I know that they are now played on the "Oldies" stations) was playing as we zoomed through the darkness on the way home from football last night.  Just for a little while, I was back in my younger days.  Going to have to start listening to more oldies and less talk radio!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGgLPriZUSA

An Angel Whispered in my Ear

It is late summer, school is about to begin. Instead of things "winding down", they seem to be ramping up! There is a flurry of activity and school meetings.

Much like the Grasshopper in Aesop's fables, there are many preparations for the upcoming winter.

The pool has been put away, so at least we are ahead on that task. The deluxe, new chicken coop and enclosure are taking shape.

A Tiny Spirit-A Big Heart

Look at this little girl, I found her frozen with fear in the middle of a country road.  She was frozen with fear as the car ahead of me "straddled" her .  I stopped and shooed her off the road and went on my way.  When I came back by, 2 hours later, she was still huddled in the exact place I left her.   Yes, I picked her up.  For the past two weeks, I have been caring for her getting her ready to go for a check up at a veterinarian, which if she passed, would give her a chance to go to the new home I thought I had located for her.  Oh, oh, yep, THOUGHT I had found her a home.  ONE day before she was to have her check up, one of her eyes turned another color, brown.  Upon closer examination, the eye was bleeding.  I brought her in and came home "lighter in the pocket" with a bag full of drops and potions that I hoped would be the answer to getting her back to health.  She is suffering lots of complications and it looks like she may not be a healthy kitten.  (DUH, which is why she was just sitting there in the road)  I am doing the best I can to give the little "Honey Badger" a chance.  She is taking two steps backward and one step forward in her journey towards health.  There is a good chance that if she even lives, she will lose the eye.  This weekend will probably give me my answer as to whether she will be able to survive.  *sigh* HOW do I get into these kinds of situations.  I know better than this...

Late Summer

It is a beautiful, late summer day in Minnesota.  All the plants are at their best, flowering, producing blooms and fruit in a race to beat the winter.In spite of the quiet frenzy going on in the gardens and fields, it seems like a glorious, lazy time of year.  It reminds me of the old fable about the grasshopper and the ant.  In an effort to be more like the ANT, my mom and I plan to make dill pickles early next week.  I am so excited, it will be fun.  It is kind of like putting a summer day in a jar.  These pickles will be ready in 6 weeks, which, if I remember correctly lands somewhere in the middle of October.  

I look back at the time when my dear Grandma spent time with our family and I remember her looking forward to those darn pickles. Six weeks to the day after they were canned, we had to open them up.  She and my two young boys could hardly wait to try them, for BREAKFAST!  I miss both my Grannies.

First Light

Today, as I traveled to my first pet sitting stop, I watched the sun come up as I do so many mornings.  It is a beautiful sight each and every day.  It is especially satisfying to know that many people are still asleep, but I am making my rounds!  There are clients who are away from home without worry, knowing that their pets are being loved and cared for.
So while there are so many people sleeping in on the weekend, I take a special pride in being "up and at 'em", to stand in for my clients and to feed, walk, and show each of my special charges some love and affection. 

The animals appreciate it and there is lots of satisfaction for me in knowing that my clients  trust me to love their animals and watch over them until they return home.

Ah, the good old days.....

Such a funny ad. Vitamins for pep, Pep for vitamins!
You know those emails that make the rounds with the funny old ads.  The ones that crack me up are the ones that show just how women were expected to be in those good old days.  I wanted to share this one partially in the hope that it would get me writing some more.  So, really, the post has nothing to do with women's roles, it has to do with funny.  I wonder what would happen if my husband came home and I was #1) CLEANING or #2) Dressed in a funny little housedress and wearing an apron!!! Hahahaha. ( He'd be surprised just to find me home at all.  This summer has been so busy.)

Each week that goes by, gets me looking to the next week, where I hope to find some good old fashioned free time.  In the meantime, my favorite season of the year is ZOOMING by. As it is now, I have be just fitting stuff in during the small gaps I find in this crazy schedule.

 I think I may try a pet sitting blog soon, as that job of mine is FULL of heart warming, funny stories. 

But, for now, the laundry is calling. I am  glad I took my vitamins this morning, but I am still waiting for the pep! 

July!

Ah, July!  My absolute favorite month of the year.  After an endless winter and a wet cool (cold) spring, July has burst onto the scene.  Today the weather is gorgeous.  The sky is clear and blue, the temperature is WARM and the humidity is lower.  I was zooming down the beautiful country roads on my pet sitting rounds this afternoon.  My windows were open and all of a sudden the old theme from Hawaii 5-0 came on the radio.( the old one)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LnK8b_jk8w

There's the link.....enjoy it, if you have time! Fun!  (even if I was driving a Forester instead of a Mustang convertible!)

This, after a gigantic storm on Friday let loose on a large portion of Minnesota and Wisconsin.   Once again, the fourth of July fun at the cabin gets postponed!  There is widespread damage in Burnett County, but luckily, no damage to the structures of friends and families we have living in that area. 

Today's beautiful weather seems a lot like an apology from Mother Nature.  Today, I will forgive her and keep the memory of this gorgeous day, so I can take it out in JANUARY when the long Minnesota winter makes me feel so desparate!

A Tribute to Pets-Love Has Fur

Yesterday, I had the privilege of standing in for a pet owner.  A new client gave the care of her pets to me.  She had four elderly, sweet kitties.  One of those kitties was in the end stages of his life.  While they were away, he passed on.

Technically, I was not scheduled to visit the day they were to arrive home, but I knew that this kitty was not long for this world and thought I had better stop in the morning.  Sadly, when I arrived the home was very quiet.  Since he was the cat that was always the first to greet me, I knew that he was gone.

He had lived a good, long life with people who loved him very much. 

It is so hard to say good bye to a pet that has given so much.  But everytime this happens, I know that the reason this is so difficult is simply because the pet has brought so much to life of his/her people.  As I spent the day thinking of this kitty, it ocurred to me that when a pet is gone, he does not take all the love with him.  He leaves it with us. In doing so, he lives in our hearts.

Each day, no matter what is happening in our hectic lives, our pets stand by and provide something constant.

If you ask me, I will tell you that love comes in packages of many shapes, sizes, and temperaments.

If you ask me, I will tell you,  Love has fur.

Rest peacefully, old friend.


 

Summer!

Summer vacation is here!  (well, I am half right) It is the middle of June and there is still a wind chill factor to deal with.  I kid you not when I tell you that I was at a baseball game yesterday in long sleeved shirt, short sleeved shirt, hooded sweatshirt, COAT, and yes, GLOVES.  *sigh*

What promises to be another busy summer kicks off today. Stay tuned!

It is NOT the bee's knees!

Earlier this year, I had the big idea of running a 5K.  I publicly voiced my intentions, just to get myself motivated.  The nice relatives ( my sis-in-laws) were so encouraging!  I began to "train".  Every other day, even though the weather was A W F U L, I would run along my regular walking route.  You know, the one that is UPHILL both ways?  Anyway, just as I was getting my "wind" and it appeared that I would be able to run the whole way out (which would have been about 1/4 of the final goal), I was stricken with B A D bilateral knee pain.  Apparently, my elderly knees did not approve of my foolish plan. To be honest, even in my youth, my knees were always the ones to start complaining, that is right after my cardiovascular/respiratory systems. 

The simple act of walking was painful and my knees felt loose and wobbly. ( Now this is a problem, as I walk lots of dogs during the day.)  I debated:  Should I quit?  Should I just run through the pain? After having a silly dream, in which I was running through town with ease, I tried plan B. ( the running through the pain plan) That gave me my answer loud and clear.  I got 1 and one half minutes into the run and the knees were hollering N O NO  NO!  Guess it is time to listen.
Plan C

Around my birthday, I saw the most glorious purple mountain bike at Fleet Farm.  More on that later.......

Happy New Year!

Each year on my birthday, I choose to treat it as my own personal New Year. This is the time for me to finally make MY personal new year's resolutions.  However, like most of this year, the Happy day snuck up on me.  I wasn't ready!  I am going to use the rest of today to ponder and to make my resolutions.  Believe me, there is LOTS of room for improvement!

I started this silly blog experiment one year ago, with the idea of posting daily, or at least weekly.  I see that I only posted 43 times.  We'll see what this year brings. It is sure starting out BUSY! (oh, and COLD).

I tried to start a fire in the fireplace today and its one of those days when even the newspaper won't burn...  *sigh*
more later

It was a BLUEBIRD day

There is a saying that describes a beautiful day, the saying says "It's a Bluebird Day". Imagine the blue sky, imagine the warm sunshine.
We got a little taste of it yesterday.  In fact, as soon as I walked outside in the morning, I was greeted by the song of the male bluebird in my front yard!

They're back!

Of course, the first thing I did was call my friend, Murph, to let him know they were back.  Of course, Murph was already out on the bluebird trail getting the nestboxes ready for a new nesting season.  I quickly went out on my portion of the trail and opened the boxes, also.  At one pair of boxes, the bluebirds were already waiting! :>

I used the taste of spring to clean the chicken coop.  That was a job that needed to be done.  Its nice and fresh in there now.

I also used the time to give the poo doggy a little trim.  I groomed his face and he looks gorgeous.  I need to send the blades in to be sharpened so they are ready when it is time for his spring shave down!

Little by little spring creeps in.  There was even a thunderstorm this morning!
Oh and the tomatoes are sprouting in their little peat pots in the basement!

Silent Spring

Yet another cold stretch of weather.  Yuck, enough of that already!
BUT, it's out there.   You may ask "WHAT is out there?" Spring.  Yes, it is, REALLY!

Last week, I spotted the first formation of Canada Geese returning to my area.  They looked confused as they looked down and searched for water.  All they saw was a big sea of white snow. 

I am hearing birdsong which is something notably absent in the grip of the endless Minnesota winter.  The male cardinal is singing.  He knows.

Soon, spring will arrive.  Until then, we just need to hang on!

Two Steps Forward,One Step Back!

Ack.  so annoying.  Just when we had a taste of what spring will be, it is below zero. Again.
In spite of this, I am planning to swing into spring cleaning action. We'll see how this goes.

Spring is in the Air!

Each winter, I keep my eyes open for any little sign of spring.  ANYTHING to let me know that soon the cold, bleak winter will be done. 

This week, there are some little signs that signal, while it is not the end of winter, that the end is approaching.  These signs give me hope and lift my spirit! 
Here are a few, in no particular order:
It's lighter earlier in the morning
It stays light later into the evening.
The temps are tickling their way above the freezing point
The chickadees are singing their spring song
The dogs can smell stuff and are delighted to be able to !
Patches of grass
Raccoons and opossums wandering along the roadsides

I am looking for my favorite signs which will appear soon:
Pussywillows
return of the Red Winged Blackbirds
Spring bulbs emerging

Ah, spring, glorious spring...bring it on!

Name It! Own It! BE IT!

I have learned a very important lesson.  Just be what you say you are! 
You know all those forms you must fill out anytime you are a new client somewhere?  They usually ask for your occupation.  Well, this year, I AM listing my occupation as a Pet Sitter!  It's what I am, afterall.  In order to maintain this little business venture, I just have to name it. 
I did it once...and guess what?  It is paying off.  Self fulfilling prophecy?  I believe there is something to that and I just need to keep remembering that!
Hello, 2011! 
P.S.  Hahahaha, I just re- read the Nov 19, 2010 post....note to self.....NOT organized YET!

monnnnnnday

It's Monday again.  Time to get this week sorted out.  Time to make appointments, make a game plan. Let the games begin!

BANGING my head against the wall

Happy New Year!  Ok, ok, at least I got a post in January, even though it isn't even the first part of January.    So many turbulent things going on.  Again, I feel like a pinball bouncing off of one thing and on to another.  Time to grab the reins and take control!  Well, to take control of the things that are in my control, anyway.
I got sad news about a 2nd cousin, Rest in Peace, Jimmy.  Even though we lost touch with each other a very long time ago, I do remember what a funny little kid you used to be.  Growing up and becoming an adult can be so hard to do. I am so sorry that the end of your life was so lonely and tragic. It makes me feel so sad that you felt that you had no other choice.  I wish your mom and dad and your sister and brother lived close enough to me that I could go hug them.  Rest in peace, kid.

There are people I know making weird choices, making no choices, having brushes with the law and the court system.  There is a court system that is poo-pooing justice and brushing off violent crime.  It makes me sick, just sick.  These things are out of my hands and I need to breathe and let them go.

There are bright spots, too.  Those are what I am going to grab and hang on to for dear life.  Those bright little spots are what I am going to write about.  Letting the bad stuff go today.
Welcome 2011, you are a weird year already.