Loving the fact that spring is coming.  Blue bells, rhodies and some blue flowers I don't remember planting are in bloom. The rhubarb is pushing it's way out of the ground and I can almost taste the rhubarb custard pie.

So excited about the formation of our new group.  While in eastern WA I was fortunate to be involved with Inland Northwest Honor Flight program. Now back on the wetside  of the state (closer to the truth than westside)  I'm involved with the newly forming Puget Sound Honor Flight. I can barely wait until we can take our first group of veterans to  DC to see their memorials and monuments to their service and valor. It's a two box of Kleenex trip.

So much work to be done and so many donations needed.  This is not a commercial - just a huge nod of thanks to Southwest Airlines - they're giving us 25 FREE roundtrip tickets for the vets and that needs to be recognized. Incorporation paperwork,  501 status, sitting a board, getting supportive worker bees (that's me) and then going through all the rest of the hoops to get this moving forward is a bit daunting but the eventual outcome will make it worth every minute!!!

Newspaper and plain old water.  Best thing in the world to clean your windows and mirrors. No streaks, no trace chemicals - works great on mirrors without affecting the silvering.

Have to include the rest of the kids. Mr Kitty Havecamp, part Maine Coon, looks great considering his start in life. Sadie, English Springer, loves her little boy.

                                                    This is a face to met your heart

No one believes that he actually winks at me.  I always wink back - in case it's some kind of code.

                                      One of my favorite photos of Sadie She's showing her age...

Last but certainly not least - the Ginger lady. Attitude multiplied and then some. At barely 20lbs she lets everyone know she's the biggest, baddest girl in the house. Who knew a Jack Russell functioned as a Great Dane?

I am so blessed!

Well it's official...Tucker will never be a father.  After his surgery yesterday I had a glimpse of what he'll be in a year or so - after he grows out of puppyhood. Still under the remaining effects of anesthesia, he was calm, quiet, didn't chew on anything - although he did carry the bag the meds were in around for about half an hour but he didn't eat it! - and he kissed my hand rather than trying to chew on it.  Yes!

Ginger had her teeth cleaned and a surgery, too delicate for her to talk about, and is wearing the dreaded cone of shame. While Tuck will be back to himself by tomorrow, Gigi will be at least a week recovering. She does NOT like her cone. She's too miserable to jump up on the couch or bed so she needs help; she can't sleep under the covers and she's frustrated.

Had to laugh all the way home from the vet. Here's Tuck with only a 48 hr recovery time and Gigi in major pain with a long, hard, miserable week in front of her. She went to sleep on the way home. Tucker moaned and groaned the entire time.  Why do guys think they suffer more than we do? Has to be just a guy thing I guess.

Backbone, ribs, shoulder blades...made me cry 

 

 

First night home-just over 20 lbs

 

My yummy pills were in here-puleeze let me eat the bag, too! 

 

 

 

Calm puppy still under the effects!

 

The great news.....Tucker weighed 49.8 lbs.  That's a major improvement. He's more than doubled in size and weight in five weeks!!! Great vet, great food, new home and lots of love. No more emaciated, bait-dog puppy.

After five weeks I'm looking good

 

Mom is soooo proud of me!

My baby granddaughter will be sixteen this weekend!

Tucker is officially bigger than Sadie!

Today would have been mom and daddy's anniversary!

Adding to the edible list: plastic pill bottles, this quarter's tax statement (I'll just send it with a check and let them know my dog ate my homework), scatter rugs, the other pocket of my bathrobe.  those are the additions since yesterday.  I checked - they don't make false teeth for dogs so before we learn to do other things (he sits pretty for his treats now but we sure need to learn that love bites aren't always love) - we're going to work on identifying real edible objects.

Found some of mom's dish towels while unpacking - stains.  To the great standby - 1/2 c All powder with bleach, 1/2 c liquid Cascade dishwasher det (if you still have some with the phosphates, woohoo -hang on to it to use for stain removal, not dishes!) Combine this in a plastic tub with 1 c boiling water and stir until almost dissolved.  Allow to cool to warm, add the stained items, add just enough water to cover and soak overnight. If needed, I place a plate on top of the items and weight them down so they stay immersed.

*Do the brands matter? Yes.  I've tried other brands of detergent and dishwasher liquid and NOT had the same good results. Try whatever works for you.

Yes, soup.  Some leftover lamb, sweet potatoes, yukon golds, purple sweet potatoes, onions, fresh tomato, herbs, spices, rice - white and brown, more onion, 5 kinds of mushrooms.  Just before serving, toss in a package of cream cheese. And mister k in my lap...doesn't get any better.

And here's the puzzle: Are there any real foods that aren't improved by adding cream cheese? Still trying to come up with something...

I love critters.  A lot. I use Pinterest- a lot.

Today, there were so many animals in New York shelters on tomorrow's kill list that I literally couldn't pin them all.  Numbers? too many to count. I used over half a box of kleenex because the sweet faces - some frightened, some had given up...those faces would be gone forever tomorrow. And it's the same every day.  I can't see to pin because I'm crying too hard.
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The preponderance of the dogs are from the "pit bull" groups. Not because of age or size or temperament but because of their appearance and misinformation about them. Why are some people so willing to believe evil when they hear it but won't hear the truth if it's in opposition to what they think/believe? Even when what they believe is just plain wrong.

Almost a month ago, I rescued Tucker. Since then, five people who were afraid of pit bull puppies have come to know Tucker, seen what fun he is, how sweet, gentle and loving he can be and have changed their minds about Tucker specifically and about pitties in general. It wasn't difficult.

They were open minded enough to realize that no dogs are born mean. There are no bad dogs. Just bad "owners". I don't own my dogs. I'm their guardian. But they do own my heart.

I really wish I could meet a wonderful person with tons of money who'd share my passion of furkids and build a forever rescue for me. A place where all the kids could go, never have to be killed because of how they look and might go home at some point with guardians who would protect them and love them unconditionally forever.

I'm crying again.....

We've been so lucky this year; winter consisted of 1/4" of snow. Last year, it was lots of snow and ice, no power so no tv, phone, internet, lights or heat. So this year I planned for it. Complete home stand alone gas generator - hoping I wouldn't need to use it. It worked! Hope the neighbors appreciate the mild winter.... Without spending a fortune on the generator, we'd have had snow to the eyeballs, icy roads and cold dark homes. Always seems to work that way! Ahhh, the things we do.

 

Road trip today. After I fill my little truck's tank with liquid gold, I'll be off and running.  I now try to do it all in one long day.  It's frustrating to discover that the fuel I've paid for since I bought my Sport Trac exceeds the cost of the vehicle. I'm not a fan of our current governmental structure and certainly not the high cost of living that has come with it.

 

I just love it when I realize my golden years will have turned to rust :-)

 

Got my "mystery" fat quarters in the mail over the weekend. Three out of four packs will be fabulous to work with and the fourth will be a real challenge.  I've never purchased "people scenery" fabric on purpose.  I think to make it work, I'll have to do small pieces and focus on the colors to distract the eye from the gondolas, waterways and all the rest. Love a good challenge... But who will I give it to when I'm done?  That will be a hide and watch.

 

Next week is the big calming surgery for Tucker. I hope neutering will help, anyway.  There are those times when I see how gorgeous he is and think just for a moment it would be fantastic to have little Tuckers. Then the reality slaps me - thank goodness.  For every dog that's born, way too many will die in a shelter.  In abundance, they will be pittie types. So misunderstood and mistreated. So he's the end of his line.  His hip displaysia wouldn't be a good genetic trait to pass on, anyway. I'll just be thankful he lives with me and I get to be his guardian.

 

Makes me wonder how many people will adopt a shelter critter today. All those dogs and cats, faithful, loyal, loving, yearning for their own human that will die today because no one came for them.  Wish I could do so much more.

 

So with all the love from my critters surrounding me, it's a good day.  Time to hit the road!

 

 

Nothing new under the sun.  My daughter's very senior dog, Baby, came close to sleeping forever yesterday.  Fortunately, our fabulous vet dissuaded her.  There's still lots of life in her; she needs to have all of her teeth pulled but there was nothing drastic enough to merit euthanasia.  Yes!

That's such a tough decision to make.  I know there have been a couple of times I waited longer than I should have because I wasn't ready to let go of my furkids.  I told myself  "I'll know when to let them go" but I'm selfish and wanted one more day. It's never easy.

My second new vacuum cord works great! Now, if junior jaws will just leave it alone it will be fine.  Wish I knew how he manages to find all of the things I hide from him. Maybe he'll end up being a search and rescue critter.  Well, at least search.  Still out on the rescue part.

He's amazing me, though.  Yesterday, when I said "I love you", he woofed it right back at me.  Fluke! So I did it again and he woofed it right back.  That's enough to make any puppy mama tear up.

Had dinner out for Valentines Day with my "adopted son".  His last year of high school.  Handsome. Intelligent.  Terrific conversationalist. We ate southern. Catfish, shrimp, deep fried okra, sweet potato fries, hush puppies - yummy.  He's such a great person to "go out" with and we try to do something at least once a month. We always have sooo much fun! What a great young man.  How lucky am I?

So if you need to clean up a spot on the carpet (had a little coffee spill) - i tsp hydrogen peroxide, 4 drops liquid dish detergent, 1 c warm water in a spray bottle and a small brush.  BLOT up as much of the spill as you can with paper towels.  Spray the area and let it sit for 2-3 minutes.   Lightly scrub with the brush back and forth sideways, up and down, in the shape of an X and finally in circles.  It insures you'll get all sides of every fiber.  Then blot with a dry cloth or towel.  My final step is literally to step on the towel to absorb as much moisture as possible.

If you have furkids and an "accident" (no, I don't get a kickback - it's just great and that's why I use it) nature's miracle is the best I've found for cleaning, deodorizing and repelling repeat performances.

I'm loving this. Bit by bit you can empty out some of the brain and make room for new!

I grow lavender in my front yard.  It's great for so many things.  This morning I took some of my dried lavender and put it around most of my rooms, at the edge of the carpet against the walls.  We won't have fleas! And with four critters, this is huge. It repels fleas like gangbusters.

Fed my sourdough and will make bread this afternoon. That will probably be the biggy for me.  Grocery shopping will take its toll on my energy level.

The insulation project is now complete - such a relief.  I had no idea there was mold in my attic - a leftover present from my ex.  When he put the roof on, he didn't ventilate, applied the roofing to his own standards because it doesn't meet manufacturer's specs nor does it meet county code, screwed with the insulation that was already there to the point that I was experiencing greater than a 50% heat loss.  Of all the gifts he gave me, this was the most dangerous and expensive. I sure miss him - NOT. MY home is so much warmer without him and geting new, adequate insulation that he can't mess with is fantastic. Not to mention the power bill will drastically be reduced and my health will improve.

I need to have several medical tests done to determine what other damage the mold has done to me.  Dizziness, the thing that prevents me from doing so many things and has caused innumerable falls (read three fractures in my right foot), is just one of the manifestations of mold. It can also cause depression and anxiety, problems breathing, headaches - all part of what I have suffered.  It can cause:
 

Nasal and sinus congestion

Eye irritation, such as itchy, red, watery eyes

Respiratory problems, such as wheezing and difficulty breathing

Cough

Throat irritation

Skin irritation, such as a rash

Headache

Confusion

Brain fog

Shortened attention span

Difficulty concentrating and paying attention

Slowed reflexes

Disorientation

Dizziness

Memory loss and memory problems

Impaired learning ability

Hallucinations

Shock

Anxiety

Depression

Aggression and other personality changes

Tingling

Trembling

Shaking

Seizure

Numbness

Having the attic and underneath the house inspected was literally a fluke. But I will be forever grateful I had it done.  It literally saved my life.  Now I'm on a mission to have everyone I know get their home checked. I had no idea how much damage could be caused nor that it was the culprit for a year and a half of medical misery.

The kids are running around the house full of energy and wanting to play.  It's been good for the two seniors to have a puppy.  It challenges them to "play younger" again.  Time to make their day, I guess.

Oh yes, also take the vacuum back in to have the second new cord put on it. I'm hiding it when I get it back home.  It's NOT on the list of acceptable puppy chow!