This Old House 2

In my never ending and quite possibly futile quest to get back to my pre middle age weight, I have kicked up the walking distance and speed and frequency now that the weather is cooperating. Frasier is often my companion on these jaunts. I have found that I’m more likely to stick with it if I have a dog with me, change up the location and don’t worry so much about things like…

how.many.calories.did.I.burn….how.far.did.I.go…. what.speed.did.I.manage.

When I try getting too technical and give myself yet another chore by having to keep track, I lose interest real fast. That includes using all those fabulous apps that are just one more thing. So I’m just winging it, and I find I’m having more success at staying the course as long as I don’t plot that course too rigidly.

Silt Soaks are all the rage, you know.

Apparently.

According to Frasier.. you get yourself all situated with a good long stretch.

Then you just relax in that position for, like, five minutes or so.

Long enough for plenty of silt to settle in your fur.

Then you get out, shake off and splatter whoever is within a five yard radius

so that they benefit from the silt soak too.. and you allow the remaining

two pounds of silt to dry on your fur as you meander back to the car,

where you proceed to rub the rest of said silt into the upholstery.

Make sure mom is not prepared with, oh, say.. a towel or three.

It’s just more fun this way.

It’s a new day, all – we’re headed to a four day horse show in the rain. But we’re gonna make it a good one. You know I’ll be back with pictures… have a great weekend!

The Graduate

What a day… so proud of these kids.

They’ve known each other since kindergarten and they’ve shared so much

.. as the best of friends, teammates, classmates.

Our families have also been close, sharing their trials and triumphs,

looking out for each other’s children…

Indeed, it takes a village.

It was a beautiful day to celebrate these awesome young men,

their accomplishments and their future.

I love that face right there.

That look says a thousand things…

Cousins… and their girls.

Life awaits! …..

To M & C- We are so proud of you both – two fine young men who

will no doubt grace this world in abundance with your intelligence,

wit, kind nature, strong work ethic, good will and humor.

Go forth and live the life you imagine.

Hard work, determination and living what you love are the key.

Love you always xo

Step out into the backyard

… where the wet grass will soak your sneaks, but the smell of green fresh cut grass and wet earth and lilac will thrill you enough not to care.

About the chick click

The chicks are growing so incredibly fast! Yesterday I renovated their condo to include a third room. First two rooms were Weber grill boxs courtesy of the hardware store, and the new addition is a refrigerator box courtesy of the appliance store down town.

Where I go from here with their living quarters is still a mystery, because they can’t live among my hens in the actual chicken coop until they are about 16 weeks old, lest they get henpecked and bullied. We certainly don’t want that.

Video taken yesterday, they are almost all feathered out already at just five weeks!

Happy tails

But first, let me thank every one of you for your kind words, advice, commiseration and understanding yesterday. I hesitated to put it out there, the emotional battle and anger I still wage with myself on that particular subject. Just when you think you’ve got it all figured out and sorted, it unravels again. However!… I have taken heed of some of your advice, and today is a new day. As a matter of fact, today I take that person for cataract surgery, with a positive attitude and good will in my heart. And so it shall be.

Now, on to the happy tails!

I conducted two home visits yesterday here in my own town, LOVE when dogs are adopted by locals.. I get to see them again in their happy homes or out and about locally. Once I walked into a store about 10 miles from here and behind the counter looking out at me was a little Jack Russell face I recognized. He went to work daily with his new dad, the owner of the store! Great to see.

Here is Roger (now Tanner) with his new mom…

seen below when they first met at our adoption event…

She walked into Tractor Supply and Roger just crawled into her lap.

Just like that..and right there the decision was made.

And here is Odie…formally known as Reggie.. with his new Dad at home.

He is LOVED.

This was Odie at our event, getting to know his new mom!

See the look on his face? Are YOU the one?

She certainly was.

Hooray for the Underdog!

If you would like to support what we are doing, we need all the help we can get.

Every dollar helps us get another dog out of the kill shelter

and into the arms of a loving family. There is a safe to use DONATE button

on the website… Please visit..

reddogproject.org

Thorns

I want to know my truest self as a kind, considerate, compassionate individual. If you read my drivel often enough, you know I spend a good deal of my free time helping shelter dogs find homes and contributing to my community in various ways. Leave a place better than you found it – I love that simple line. It feels good to do so, it nourishes my soul… sounding as corny as I can get here today.

But sometimes.. I get it all wrong. Thorns on the rose, you know.

Again… if you read my drivel often enough here… you also know I speak my mind quite openly and without apology. I am opinionated and I am stubborn and I am stuffed full with emotion…… always have been, forever it shall be. This is a good thing most often… for that fire helps me get the good things done. And then there are times.. like yesterday.

I started out with good intentions. I knew what I was walking into.. but as I drove to yesterdays destination I told myself I was not going to let emotion dictate my behavior. A certain elder relative and I have had a difficult relationship through the years. We are oil and water. The stubbornness we share. Because of the thorny issues between us, it is hard for me in his waning years to find compassion and do what I know is right….that is… Find compassion to do what he needs done and leave the emotion out of it. Sometimes I succeed, and sometimes I fail miserably. Like yesterday.

For many years this person has chosen to live haphazardly and has, for reasons still unknown to me, chosen to live a life with “Poor Me” underscores. He lived according to his own set of rules and did what he wanted most often enough without much regard for others. He followed his passions , was blessed with good health until he ruined it, but did not nourish friendships or family relationships. So in the end, there isn’t much if you can no longer chase your hobbies. Where the -poor me- came from is beyond my understanding, and maybe even his.

So now… I am (as is my husband, because without his support it wouldn’t be possible) the one and only lifeline, his key to still living independently. I don’t know that he realizes it, but at his age and in his condition, it really doesn’t matter, does it. I should have long ago realized that a leopard is a leopard is a leopard. Throwing it through a washer is not going to wash away the spots. Acceptance is what I usually think I have found. Sometimes, though, I lose it. Like yesterday.

I walked in, saw what I already knew would be there and thought I had long ago accepted, felt his attitude building as I asked questions, felt my own attitude roil and bubble and then.. burst. I should have just…. shut ….up.

Instead, I probably shamed an old man. And now I feel horribly about it.

Follow Frasier

This exotic looking flower was all by itself

in the middle of the woods.

By the stream there are several beautiful wild flowers in bloom…

In this picture below, there is an owl!

We’ve seen him two nights in a row now,

he must live here in the woods behind the farm.

Can’t spot him?

Let me crop and blow up the image……

The woodpeckers favorite _restaurant _ below

On our way back out of the woods, lets stop in the equipment barn

and I’ll introduce you to Big Red..a real old work horse here at This Old House.

He’s babied, I can tell you that.

This weekend he was hauling mulch,

you’d never know it.

and THIS thing below.. is the Cupola we saw at the Thrift store not long ago.

The Mr. is fixing it up so that it can sit on top of the barn

it’s currently stored in. There were quite a few bullet or bee bee holes in it

along with some rust…

I could stand inside of it easily.

The bugs are biting, so lets follow Frasier down to the house…

Have I told you lately how much I love my dogs?

..and this one in particular, I think because his journey was not always

an easy one through green fields and trickling streams with a welcoming place to

come home to.

Down Country Roads

I may swear at the typical dreary spring weather or long winters we get here in New England, but in truth the list of what I love is far longer than the issues I complain about. The old stone walls and foundations and quarries, etc. are among my favorites. Houses dating back as far as the 1600’s are a treasure too. Many 1700 and 1800’s houses are fully functional and the history present because of them is something I would miss terribly if I were to move away from the area.

We’re on our third day of dreary rain, but it’s good for the newly planted things outside and the trees who are pushing out their spring leaves and flowers. The guy and I took a ride over the river -just because- yesterday, traveling back country roads we have not paid much attention to before. We both love exploring areas not far from home to discover hidden gems like one. I was standing on a bridge crossing a river as I took this picture of a lovely 1800’s home… what a beautiful spot to come home to, no?