I went to my blog this morning to look up a post from last year and I found where it has been two months since I've put finger to computer key. I know I've been dang busy but I can't believe I've done nothing worthy of sharing in two months. I joined yet another volunteer organization. A new Lions Club formed in town and I became a charter member. Not being one to sit on the sidelines and watch, I dove in with both feet and find that along with the SPCA, Therapy Dogs, and the church (not necessarily in that order), my days and evenings seem to be quite full.
When I'm not out and about, my "new" family keeps me occupied and entertained. Kasey is now a year and a half old; still the energizer bunny on steroids. Sombra (or baby kitty) is a little over a year now. That tiny little handful of fur is one huge cat today. She and Kasey still think they're littermates. Miss Katie is now eleven, which makes her darn near my age. Kasey brings out the second puppyhood in her on occasion and she's dropped 5 pounds since we adopted him. They're quite a crew.
It's just about a year since Judi moved up the road and that's been a real treat. We gather our four-legged children and visit back and forth; sometimes for dinner, sometimes for whine & wine, and sometimes just to watch the "kids". We go to city and spend the day, not to mention our wallets, we dog-sit for each other and bask in knowing we have a good friend just up/down the road when we need.
We didn't have a winter to speak of (yet) this year. Had some good snow a couple of weekends ago; had a couple of short-lived rain storms, expecting rain again this weekend. Now, it snowed in early April last year so we're not out of the woods, I wouldn't do any planting yet. But this is the mildest winter I've seen in a long time, not necessarily a bad thing for me personally. My old friend, Arthur-itis, is much easier to live with in this weather.
Today the sun is shining, I have the doors and a couple of windows open (tonight I'll have the pellet stove going), so I think I'll get up off the porch rocker and find something to do in the yard and sun.
Won't wait so long this time, I'll be back to check the view from the porch rocker soon.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Good Bye Dear Friend
Yesterday a very good friend of mine took the Lord's hand and left this earth to go home with Him. I know that for her this is a blessing but for the rest of us, it breaks our collective hearts.
I've know Dene Ann for many years. She was a mother, a grandmother, a former teacher. To say she was outspoken, maybe a tad opinionated would be to put it mildly. She was also loving and caring and she loved her Lord and was a faithful servant and prayer warrior. More than all that, she was my friend. More than anyone else I know, Dene Ann made me feel loved.
We worshipped at different services yet we worshipped together. She was always there to lend a hand when I was working in the church office (whether I wanted a hand or not,) we shared many common interests. After I relocated up the mountain, we retained our friendship. If anything, it became closer. She was able to come up here a few times. Once with a group passing through and just a couple of years ago a friend brought her up for the day. Last year friends brought her up and we went to ECCO, the retreat center, and to Bass Lake for lunch; places that brought her happy memories. These were good days - for all of us.
I made it into town for a couple of lunches and her special occasions; her birthday and then her going away party when her children decided it was time for her to pack up and go to Idaho to live where it would be easier for them. While she was here and after she moved, we talked on the phone once or twice a week; even more often during "Dancing With the Stars" seasons. She was a big DWTS fan and we were her groupies. We all watched, groused, cheered each show, contestant, judge, with Dene Ann in the lead. I'll miss her regular calls, and DWTS isn't going to be the same this year.
When I miss her the most, I'll wrap myself in the afghan she made for me. It's always been special but now even more so. Since we can't go to Idaho for her service, a group of us will send condolences and flowers and will gather together in the city to celebrate and remember her. She left a big hole when she moved away but we filled it in with phone calls and cards. Now, we're simply going to miss her! We'll never stop loving her. Peace be with you, Dene Ann, you've earned it. I love you, I'll miss you, I'll see you again!
I've know Dene Ann for many years. She was a mother, a grandmother, a former teacher. To say she was outspoken, maybe a tad opinionated would be to put it mildly. She was also loving and caring and she loved her Lord and was a faithful servant and prayer warrior. More than all that, she was my friend. More than anyone else I know, Dene Ann made me feel loved.
We worshipped at different services yet we worshipped together. She was always there to lend a hand when I was working in the church office (whether I wanted a hand or not,) we shared many common interests. After I relocated up the mountain, we retained our friendship. If anything, it became closer. She was able to come up here a few times. Once with a group passing through and just a couple of years ago a friend brought her up for the day. Last year friends brought her up and we went to ECCO, the retreat center, and to Bass Lake for lunch; places that brought her happy memories. These were good days - for all of us.
Dene Ann, me, Judy
Dene Ann, Pat, Gene, Jeanine, me
When I miss her the most, I'll wrap myself in the afghan she made for me. It's always been special but now even more so. Since we can't go to Idaho for her service, a group of us will send condolences and flowers and will gather together in the city to celebrate and remember her. She left a big hole when she moved away but we filled it in with phone calls and cards. Now, we're simply going to miss her! We'll never stop loving her. Peace be with you, Dene Ann, you've earned it. I love you, I'll miss you, I'll see you again!
Sunday, January 15, 2012
The Cat (Dog) Tower
For those of my friends who aren't on Facebook and wonder why I have that glazed look in my eyes; let me share some pictures of the "Cat Tower" I bought for Sombra. The idea was to give her a place to get away from the dog. Yeah, well! So far she still has the penthouse ... don't know for how long, and from there it's a short reach to the top of the entertainment unit ... have to wonder, how soon!
This was the intent, her very own tower, 4 stories, 3 of which were to be all hers
"Why, and how, are you in my lower patio?"
"Do I have to share everything with you?"
"Wait, dogs can't climb, what're you doing in the tunnel?"
"Wow" he said, "a room (tunnel) with a view!"
Friday, January 6, 2012
Another Christmas Past
It's Epiphany, time to take down the Christmas decorations, so when the boys who do casual work for me were here today, we closed the book on another Christmas.
These are two very nice young kids. Trevor is 13 (14 in a couple of weeks) and his brother, Tony is 11. They normally do my yard work and some other chores for me but when they were here in early December we put up the tree and hung lights and set out the nativity scene. Then, while mom and I ate biscotti and drank tea, the boys had hot cocoa and decorated the tree. It's been years since I got to watch kids decorate the Christmas tree and it was a real treat. Today they did it all in reverse and packed the totes and hauled them back to the shed, with mom's help. She's a real gem!
These are two very nice young kids. Trevor is 13 (14 in a couple of weeks) and his brother, Tony is 11. They normally do my yard work and some other chores for me but when they were here in early December we put up the tree and hung lights and set out the nativity scene. Then, while mom and I ate biscotti and drank tea, the boys had hot cocoa and decorated the tree. It's been years since I got to watch kids decorate the Christmas tree and it was a real treat. Today they did it all in reverse and packed the totes and hauled them back to the shed, with mom's help. She's a real gem!
In retrospect, this was one of the best Christmases I've had in more than a few years. Kids around to help set the mood, participated in the Christmas Eve service at church, friends came over for Christmas dinner, my son and his family came up and spent the day after Christmas (and he brought homemade tamales), no stress, no expectations, no disappointments. A very good Christmas!
The house is boring looking again but now I'll move furniture around and, for some reason, I'm in the spring cleaning mode. Now's a good time to go through stuff and decide what stays and what doesn't. The weather is such that I can still be outside dragging stuff back and forth; no rain or snow to slosh through. I've relocated my kitchen table set to the living room and am ordering a kitchen center for additional counter and storage space in there. I've redone my laundry room and am making better use of that limited space. All in all, a good start to the new year. A HAPPY & BLESSED 2012, EVERYONE!!!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Out With the Old, In With the New!!!
Good-bye 2011! To paraphrase - "Don't let the door hit you on the way out!" I've had far worse years but I've also enjoyed far better. There were few particularly earth-shattering events, it was just a chronically ugly year in so many ways.
Let me put the ugly in the box marked "past" and dump it in the trash barrel. Now, let me go back and find the highlights ...
Although I lost the last of the cats that came up here with me; I still have my Katie and rescued two new additions to the family. In March I took in a 7 week old kitten that I called Sombra (Shadow in spanish). She's solid black and today is a very large, solid, affectionate and happy kitty. In July I saw a picture of a little puppy who looked a lot like Katie when she was a pup. In July I rescued a little puppy who looked a lot like Katie when she was a pup. This little psycho is a pomeranian/pekingese mix. He was approximately nine months old when he joined the family. I tried a few names and settled on Kasey as it was the first name he responded to. Sombra (she doesn't know she's a cat) and Kasey have bonded and I expect they think they're littermates. They play, chase, wrestle, fight, and sleep together. Katie has entered her second puppyhood and lost weight in the process. She's taken to playing with her new, younger siblings and is getting exercise she was sadly lacking. Katie, Kasey, and the kitty now make up my new family and keep my life full.
Volunteering has made me lots of new friends. Katie and I are still with Therapy Dogs and visit seniors and go to schools and libraries where the kids can read to her. We're more active than ever with the SPCA and I still volunteer with my church, again often with Katie's assistance. And this year I joined a new local Lion's Int'l chapter. These all serve to keep me moving, out and about, and give me the sense that I contribute to my community. They also have helped to keep the anxiety ogre down the road.
And the biggest highlight of all ... Last June I had a down & dirty anxiety attack while down in the valley. The good Lord & the Holy Spirit took the wheel of the car and brought me home. With that team in control, the ogre decided to move on. I have an occasional "uncomfortable" period but I know they'll bring me through it and they do. Last October I went to a dinner down in Fresno. I didn't survive it; I enjoyed it!! In early December a friend and I drove to southern California (5 to 6 hours) and spent a long weekend, she at her son's and me at my brother's, and then drove back. Apparently, the ogre was away or has lost interest. It was a great success!
Last winter my shoulders were giving me great pain and the doctors wanted to replace both shoulders; not an option! Granted, we're not having a severe winter ... yet, but the new non-narcotic drugs I'm taking are keeping me from buying that one bullet that I was considering.
A very good friend bought a house just up the road from me. We've shared dinners, favorite TV shows, trips to the city, wine, fun and our dogs. We look to each other for affirmation (or not) when we move furniture, make major purchases, or take a dog to the vet. I have neighbors who've become friends to an extent but this is a friend who became a neighbor. Speaking of which, a neighbor who became a dear friend let me know that she and her husband will be moving back to the area this year.
All in all, though not a year I would want to repeat, 2011 did have its high points! Sometimes we just have to remember to focus on the blessings and overlook the uglies. Now I'm looking forward to 2012 and its promises!
Let me put the ugly in the box marked "past" and dump it in the trash barrel. Now, let me go back and find the highlights ...
Although I lost the last of the cats that came up here with me; I still have my Katie and rescued two new additions to the family. In March I took in a 7 week old kitten that I called Sombra (Shadow in spanish). She's solid black and today is a very large, solid, affectionate and happy kitty. In July I saw a picture of a little puppy who looked a lot like Katie when she was a pup. In July I rescued a little puppy who looked a lot like Katie when she was a pup. This little psycho is a pomeranian/pekingese mix. He was approximately nine months old when he joined the family. I tried a few names and settled on Kasey as it was the first name he responded to. Sombra (she doesn't know she's a cat) and Kasey have bonded and I expect they think they're littermates. They play, chase, wrestle, fight, and sleep together. Katie has entered her second puppyhood and lost weight in the process. She's taken to playing with her new, younger siblings and is getting exercise she was sadly lacking. Katie, Kasey, and the kitty now make up my new family and keep my life full.
Volunteering has made me lots of new friends. Katie and I are still with Therapy Dogs and visit seniors and go to schools and libraries where the kids can read to her. We're more active than ever with the SPCA and I still volunteer with my church, again often with Katie's assistance. And this year I joined a new local Lion's Int'l chapter. These all serve to keep me moving, out and about, and give me the sense that I contribute to my community. They also have helped to keep the anxiety ogre down the road.
And the biggest highlight of all ... Last June I had a down & dirty anxiety attack while down in the valley. The good Lord & the Holy Spirit took the wheel of the car and brought me home. With that team in control, the ogre decided to move on. I have an occasional "uncomfortable" period but I know they'll bring me through it and they do. Last October I went to a dinner down in Fresno. I didn't survive it; I enjoyed it!! In early December a friend and I drove to southern California (5 to 6 hours) and spent a long weekend, she at her son's and me at my brother's, and then drove back. Apparently, the ogre was away or has lost interest. It was a great success!
Last winter my shoulders were giving me great pain and the doctors wanted to replace both shoulders; not an option! Granted, we're not having a severe winter ... yet, but the new non-narcotic drugs I'm taking are keeping me from buying that one bullet that I was considering.
A very good friend bought a house just up the road from me. We've shared dinners, favorite TV shows, trips to the city, wine, fun and our dogs. We look to each other for affirmation (or not) when we move furniture, make major purchases, or take a dog to the vet. I have neighbors who've become friends to an extent but this is a friend who became a neighbor. Speaking of which, a neighbor who became a dear friend let me know that she and her husband will be moving back to the area this year.
All in all, though not a year I would want to repeat, 2011 did have its high points! Sometimes we just have to remember to focus on the blessings and overlook the uglies. Now I'm looking forward to 2012 and its promises!
Friday, December 16, 2011
Tail Waggin' Tutors Day
Take a classroom of 27 to 30 youngsters, 7 & 8 years old, add in four therapy dogs, and you're in for an interesting and fun hour or more. A team of four "Tail Waggin' Tutors" therapy dogs and their owner/handlers, including Katie and myself, met at a local elementary school this morning.
The premise of Tail Waggin' Tutors is to allow children to read to the dogs. They lose their nervousness and forget about the other children as they read to a dog, who makes no judgements but simply lays there and watches and listens. Many children choose to pet the dog while reading, others after they're done. This activity helps the youngsters gain confidence in their reading skills.
The teacher surprised the children this morning with the visit from the dogs. They had written their letters to Santa and she had them read the letters to the dogs. We had two large dogs - Steve,a mastiff and Cruiser,an irish wolf hound and two smaller dogs - Charlie, a cavalier spaniel and Katie, a pomeranian/cocker mix and the only mixed breed in the group (also the only female and the senior citizen of the group). The children were amazed at the sizes of the two larger dogs and couldn't understand how Katie could be the smallest and the oldest at the same time. They were, to say the least, completely enthralled with these dogs.
Each dog was in its Christmas finery and had bookmarks with his (her) individual picture on them and candy canes for all the readers, and all the children read to at least one dog. The dogs, as usual, were all on their very best behavior ... lying on their blankets, paying attention to each reader, accepting all the petting by any number of children individually and numbers at a time.
It was a great morning! The children had a great time, as did the adults. Even the dogs seemed to be smiling.
The premise of Tail Waggin' Tutors is to allow children to read to the dogs. They lose their nervousness and forget about the other children as they read to a dog, who makes no judgements but simply lays there and watches and listens. Many children choose to pet the dog while reading, others after they're done. This activity helps the youngsters gain confidence in their reading skills.
Each dog was in its Christmas finery and had bookmarks with his (her) individual picture on them and candy canes for all the readers, and all the children read to at least one dog. The dogs, as usual, were all on their very best behavior ... lying on their blankets, paying attention to each reader, accepting all the petting by any number of children individually and numbers at a time.
It was a great morning! The children had a great time, as did the adults. Even the dogs seemed to be smiling.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Comeback Kid
As anyone who reads my blog knows, I was hit with panic and anxiety a few years back and my life went on hold. This is the year I got my life back.
In October, the Bishop of our Anglican Diocese retired. He has been a major player in my life and in my husband's and my lives before Larry passed away. I love the man dearly; he has shown me care, encouragement, empathy, and strength. So, when his retirement dinner was announced, I couldn't not go. Stepping out in faith, I went with two friends of mine down to the city to attend this dinner ... completely out of my comfort zone.
Surprise! I had a marvelous time! There wasn't a single moment of concern that the ogre would rear his ugly head; rather I saw and visited with people I haven't seen in years, had a very nice dinner, enjoyed the toasts and the entire evening in general. It was all summed up when the Bishop looked up and saw me and said, "my goodness, look at the size of this room, look at all these people, and look at you standing here. Praise God!"
When the dinner was over and my two friends finally dragged me out of there, I gave a loud cheer that I had achieved this victory. You wanna talk confidence booster?! My first major evening out in years and the realization that I could start doing more.
My youngest nephew was married recently and I was invited to the reception being held at my brother's home in southern California last weekend. A friend has family in the area and she offered to drive down with me. She spent the weekend at her son's and attended her grandchildren's Christmas performance, a win-win weekend for both of us.
Again, a wonderful time! Friday night we went out to dinner with friends of my brother and sister-in-law, people I didn't know (a situation I'm usually very uncomfortable with) and it was fine; it was fun. Saturday was the reception. I'd never met either of my nephew's wives and had never seen my grand-niece who is a year and a half old. Family members and friends that I haven't seen in years were also there. Saturday was just plain fun. Sunday my brother, sister-in-law, sister and I just sat and visited. It was the best weekend in years!! Monday I picked up my friend and we headed home.
Don't know where the ogre went, don't want to know, don't care. By God's will and with the power and protection of the Holy Spirit, he's gone and I look forward to him staying gone. I'm looking forward to having my life back! Places to go, things to do, people to see ... yee-haw!!!
I boarded the two dogs at the Pet Hotel and Judi kept care of the black tornado while we were gone. That's a whole other story and I'll tell it in another post.
In October, the Bishop of our Anglican Diocese retired. He has been a major player in my life and in my husband's and my lives before Larry passed away. I love the man dearly; he has shown me care, encouragement, empathy, and strength. So, when his retirement dinner was announced, I couldn't not go. Stepping out in faith, I went with two friends of mine down to the city to attend this dinner ... completely out of my comfort zone.
Surprise! I had a marvelous time! There wasn't a single moment of concern that the ogre would rear his ugly head; rather I saw and visited with people I haven't seen in years, had a very nice dinner, enjoyed the toasts and the entire evening in general. It was all summed up when the Bishop looked up and saw me and said, "my goodness, look at the size of this room, look at all these people, and look at you standing here. Praise God!"
When the dinner was over and my two friends finally dragged me out of there, I gave a loud cheer that I had achieved this victory. You wanna talk confidence booster?! My first major evening out in years and the realization that I could start doing more.
My youngest nephew was married recently and I was invited to the reception being held at my brother's home in southern California last weekend. A friend has family in the area and she offered to drive down with me. She spent the weekend at her son's and attended her grandchildren's Christmas performance, a win-win weekend for both of us.
Again, a wonderful time! Friday night we went out to dinner with friends of my brother and sister-in-law, people I didn't know (a situation I'm usually very uncomfortable with) and it was fine; it was fun. Saturday was the reception. I'd never met either of my nephew's wives and had never seen my grand-niece who is a year and a half old. Family members and friends that I haven't seen in years were also there. Saturday was just plain fun. Sunday my brother, sister-in-law, sister and I just sat and visited. It was the best weekend in years!! Monday I picked up my friend and we headed home.
Don't know where the ogre went, don't want to know, don't care. By God's will and with the power and protection of the Holy Spirit, he's gone and I look forward to him staying gone. I'm looking forward to having my life back! Places to go, things to do, people to see ... yee-haw!!!
I boarded the two dogs at the Pet Hotel and Judi kept care of the black tornado while we were gone. That's a whole other story and I'll tell it in another post.
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