Tag: Shelter Dogs

Pull up a chair and grab a cuppa… it’s a long one and it goes all over the place

Because SNOW.  

     It’s 7:40 a.m. and I’ve already fed the dogs,  chickens and rabbits, mucked stalls and fed and watered the horses, let them run around for a bit and closed them back in.  The snow started to fly about an hour ago and we’re told it’s gonna be a good one.  I’ve got work to do at my editors desk here, so being snowed in is probably a good thing.. less distraction to take me away from it when the -inside- is more pleasant than the -outside- .

 This picture was taken yesterday during the -pleasant- portion of our winter weather.

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      Have I told you lately how much I love being able to work a job I enjoy .. from home?… it’s a big blessing. Back in the day, there was a three year period of time where I worked a secretarial job in a windowless office. For a girl like me, that was very depressing. I need to see the daylight, the sky, branches on trees, the weather…

     My son and his girl have been enjoying the sun and sand and 80 degree temps of St. Maarten, returning tonight, weather permitting.   As if I needed another reason to worry, of course they fly on a storm day.  We have not been to St. Maarten yet.. but the kids have enjoyed it so much and friends have recommended it highly, I think we’re going to take a family trip next January.  Of course, it takes two years to get the Mr. to agree to take a vacation.   Remember the Fonz… and how he just could not bring himself to say he was  Wrrrrrrrrrrr…………….wrrrrrrrrrrrr…………….    wrrrrr…rrrrr….rrrrrrrr…..wrong?   Just swap that word out for Vaaaaaaa…v aaaaaaaaa..a…..vaaaaaaa……cation.  

   

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The husband and I are trying to avoid gluten, so in the following recipe I will swap out regular pasta (woe is ME!!)… for the gluten free variety.  I have yet to find a gluten free anything that tastes as good as the original stuff, but I have to admit I feel so much better when I don’t eat it.

Anyway!… this looks great for a cold winters eve, don’t ya think? 
Chicken Bacon Pasta
Recipe HERE


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  How about that Superbowl!!!….

   I’m a Patriots fan, so it was not my most favorite. Here are my thoughts.. I don’t like extremely cocky players, for me that kind of behavior takes away from the game.   Not all agree with me, and that’s OK.  SO… I think Cam Newton and his team played outstanding this year and deserved a spot in the Bowl, but there is big attitude in that camp and lots of unsportsmanlike behavior in my opinion… and so perhaps they were knocked back a little  and reminded they are not Gods with this loss. Newton certainly appeared rattled, blowing a little tantrum as he lay in the field at one point.

   It was a weird game… kinda reminded me of preschool in some ways — there were players with what appeared to be  pacifiers in their mouths, some pattycake play, a temper tantrum or three or four…

(pic from another game, but here it is.. the new in-thing, the pacifier! )

   As for the poor behaviors – the excess celebratory gestures for even the littlest things, the pushing shoving stomp-on matches,.. the temper tantrums…   See, here’s where I think these athletes need to be held responsible for their behavior. They have kids and grown adults looking up to them, idolizing them… they’re paid a ridiculous amount.. so why can’t they be held to a certain standard of behavior?  They aren’t curing disease or saving lives, they play damn good ball, that’s it.  So .. at least set a good example or pay a hefty fine.. too much to ask?

This guy likes to do the Superman Gesture …

  To me the measure of a true athlete who deserves the worship is one who behaves well even in defeat.  Sorry, Cam.. Superman, you ain’t. Not because of the loss, dude, everyone loses sometimes…

GOod article in the New York Times about this very thing…. HERE

   The Broncos – also not their best, having many opportunities to pull ahead and yet not achieving them.  Their defense was stellar, and deserved the win.   In the end they managed it, and I’m happy for Peyton Manning.. who is or isn’t retiring after this win.

Weird Bowl for sure.

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 I love this tee shirt, decided to order it today from the Sundance catalog… my favorite “shop”. HOwever, they’ve gotten so expensive I don’t order much from them anymore..

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     I’ll close the post with a picture of the two sisters who arrived in CT yesterday afternoon – now known as Daisy and Dolly…. Their mom was an aussie, not a lab – I had that info wrong.  Dad was probably a rotti, me thinks.   These two are adored already – life is good!

Snow and a tale of two sisters…

    Ah, the lovely snow we’ve accumulated in a sudden storm that was going to be  “just an inch or two”… they said.  “not much at all”… they said.

Poor Frasier gets snowballs stuck to his fur… 
I’m debating pulling out the clippers this afternoon. 

 My new neighbor, who lives in the cabin on the hill behind This Old House, is on her way home from Pennsylvania  right now with not one, but TWO puppies she adopted from one of our rescues down there.  It’s a beautiful thing… these two sisters will get to grow up together  here in Connecticut, right up there on the hill.   Their mom was a lab and their dad is unknown.  Mom was pulled from a kill shelter, pregnant… and cared for by our friend, an ACO who helps with our adoption events.  Mom wasn’t particularly fond of being a mom in the beginning, and these girls and their siblings had to be bottle fed for a while until she figured things out.  Or accepted her new roll?… Anyway.. she will be spayed and these two girls are the last in the litter to be adopted.   All is well that ends well.

 I hope I get to hug them a little later today…………….

Randomocity

  So tempted to talk about the pathetic list of presidential candidates and their debate behavior, but none of us need another one of those rants right now, do we. Something that irks me more than even Donald Trumps in-your-face obnoxious behavior?  Get religion out of politics.  It does not belong there.  Your religion is not my religion is not their religion. Any of your religious beliefs should not hold law making or program cutting weight.  Enough said.

 
     We’re having a Christmas Eve gathering here of family and friends, and I’ve been making batches of cookies to set out as a big platter with the desserts.  Two new fun things I tried, and they are no bake .. so easy to make, pretty .. and most importantly delicious.

Christmas confetti Truffles….  recipe HERE.

Chocolate covered oreos with crushed candy cane topping.   No recipe. All you do is buy a package of oreos, two bags of Hersheys Special Dark Chocolate chips for baking, etc.  and crush some candy canes. Melt the chocolate in a pot or the microwave, dip the oreos in the melted chocolate to coat them and place on wax paper, sprinkle with the crushed candy canes and allow to dry and harden before putting in tupperware in freezer or refrigerator until ready to serve.  THEY ARE DELICIOUS!

     

  An update on my father – He has settled in to nursing home life as well as can be expected.  He did take a fall a few weeks back and cracked his hip – was walking around unassisted with his door closed, two no-nos they have asked him not to do and he fell into the door.  A week later after pin insertion surgery at the hospital, he was back at the home and is once again not listening to care instructions.   He complains constantly about the food, which is actually very good considering it’s a care facility – and when I bring him something different to eat it’s not the right thing and he would rather have had something else.  The something else is not right the next time.  

I have stopped getting angry. That’s a big step for me.  Finally I see that all his issues have nothing to do with me. You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.   It must be very lonely, living in a self that is so –  self centered.  I am glad I don’t know what life is like for someone who doesn’t look beyond their own being, their wants, their ideas… to the vast and interesting and enriching world and relationships that are before us all.

His loss.

 I’ve been running a lot of errands for the holidays and this… this is the face I get when I walk out the door with my Jeep keys in hand….

 Frasier is my rescue dog. I’m telling you.. there is no greater love.  

 Speaking of which, we’re holding an adoption event in Cromwell, CT this weekend for two dogs that have been in a CT shelter and now foster for a while.  We’d love to get them a home for the holidays at last.  If you’re local and interested, go meet Dottie and Nanny  this weekend!

Scenes from “welcome” day…

  The dogs came off transport yesterday along with their rescue crew… the day was spent walking, feeding, bathing, vetting, settling in.   I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again… what an awesome feeling it is to be working along side like-minded people who are there only for the good of the animal.   Four dogs also were home last night with their new families, before we even opened to the public. It’s a beautiful thing… and….     Hooray for the Underdog!…  now send us a little prayer of success this weekend as we try to place 56 more dogs and puppies with their forever families.

Another day for the Dogs

 They’ve left the South and are on their way up to New England… 60 dogs and puppies who ended up in a bad place, only to be rescued by our awesome rescue crew down south.  They have been caring for these dogs, getting to know them, vetting and training for the past few months.  Below are the pictures of just a few, the ones I wish I could take home myself, truth be told….

 Ryan in particular is my very favorite… he’s already got at least three approved applicants who want to take him home.  The one who is determined to be the best fit will be his new family.  I would have named him Merlin.  He just looks like a Merlin to me.

  So wish us luck.. big adoption weekend for a lot of shelter dogs who are coming a loooong way (30 hours) to find their forever home.  You know I’ll post pics next week.  If you’re local, we’ll be at the Chester Fairgrounds – adoption event 10-4 Saturday and Sunday.

This I know for sure…

    … life is so enriched when you have the love of and for a dog.  If you never take anything else away from reading my blog drivel… please know.. believe…  that they feel, they love, they adore, they cherish, they hurt, they worry,  they grieve.  For those who have said to me – Oh, it’s all about the food, you give them the food and so they follow you around –   well,  if you believe that … you are missing out on one of the best relationships ever bestowed on us –  truth, that. 
   I will never forget an experience I had with my dachshund, little Rudy – the piss pot.   My daughter had just been in a horrible car accident and was lying in a coma at Yale.  I came home to change clothes and collapsed on my bed in tears. It was the first time I let loose since the accident and the sobs wracked my body. Suddenly I realize I heard a wailing beside me that was not my own.  It was Rudy – who had jumped up on the bed, laid next to me and began crying right beside me. 
    Ben is a very sensitive soul – he does not like when we argue in this house and lets us know immediately if there is tension in our voices.  And hey – we’re Italian, it is what it is.   He loves his bed and blankets and pillow and walks in the hayfields behind the house.  His face actually scrunches up in a smile when I tell him -let’s go for a walk-.  
   When I was sick on the bathroom floor with a migraine (you might know that kind)… Frasier sat beside me, tucked up against me, worried. 
  Bailey LOVES bedtime where she can tuck up against Mike or myself for the night.  On nights that I can’t sleep (thank you, menopausal mania) .. she watches Golden Girls reruns with me. 
  When I meet the shelter dogs who come into our fold while we try to get them homes, they are sooooo grateful to be out of whatever hell they just came from.  The emotion is amazing.. can’t explain it any other way. 
  Let me not got to any Heaven where there are no dogs…. 

WOW, what a weekend

We had a fantastic adoption event – all went smoothly – 40 out of approx. 50 dogs went to their forever homes!  The remaining few are in foster or went back with their rescue.  We are so very grateful for all the volunteers and adopters who show up and help us make  this monumental task a success.  I always go home exhausted and inspired with some of my faith in mankind restored after these events.  It’s a beautiful thing. 
Just a few of the 200 pics taken this weekend – 
These two dogs are brother and sister – they were dropped off at the kill shelter when their owners got divorced and neither wanted the dogs.   They were adopted together yesterday – the highlight of our event.  -awesome. This couple gets a Gold Star – 

If A picture can say a thousand words.. this one is it. 

Here we go again!

  First, let me thank every one of you who responded to my “issues” post –  one of the things that makes the difficult parts of life less -difficult- is sharing information, worries, dilemnas, etc with others, gaining valuable insight and knowing you’re not alone.  I don’t blog as often as I used to because – life-, but I’m sure glad you still poke your head in here now and then. Here’s what I decided to do once I read all your comments and went to the Dr. with more questions. 
   I’ve started a new drug (a Beta Blocker) because what I’ve been taking just ain’t cutting it. Very low dose for now, we’ll see where that goes.  I hate meds but I don’t have a choice right now while I tweak other things.   I am drinking more water,  I’m walking, I am making A BIG EFFORT to cut out dairy, gluten, sugar.  I already know when I do that, (ain’t no easy feat)… I feel so much better. The weight comes off, the aches and pains are much less, the blood pressure comes down.  I know some of you are already aware that when there is inflammation present in your body, dairy, sugar and gluten are inflammatory. So why dump it in your body to compound the issue, right?   I am also going to stay with the therapeutic massage to my neck and shoulders – right now I’m going twice a week to get rid of the spasms, but I will stay on a maintenance plan from here on out – maybe once every three weeks.  It’s something I have not done before because… I don’t like lying on that table or spending the money because insurance won’t cover it… but I like feeling awful and immobile even less… so it’s simple science, you know?   AND… I won’t cut out my farm chores, but I’m changing the way I do them. Instead of tackling them with a vengeance, I’m mosying through my morning chores, sometimes taking a break to look at my phone, chat with others, etc.  I’m actually sitting down for 10 minutes every day to stretch and just breathe in and breathe out, slowly, deeply.    
  So… where are we going?… to another Homeward Bound CT Adoption Event!  For the next few days, myself and about 30 other people will be pretty busy helping dogs find homes – there will be smiles, laughs, tears even… and some exhausted people at the end of the weekend – but lets hope and pray and please send positive thoughts that  our 50 dogs will find their homes by Sunday night –   Hooray for the Underdog!….
 
 A few more of our adoptable adorables….

Tank

  We had a fundraiser yesterday (and today but I’m not today’s crew) at Pet Valu in Guilford   –  pets or children’s picture taken with the Easter Bunny for a $5. donation to Homeward Bound CT – the proceeds will help us pay for the next adoption event – which is NEXT WEEKEND!!!  
 This big boy was such a happy fella – loved everyone he saw, including the big bunny.  If this breed of dog didn’t come with so many health problems, I’d love to have one.  Now and then they do come up on the rescue radar, but not too often.  He has a very good home with his own family so he does not need rescuing, I just wanted to hug him. I think he’s three feet wide and two feet tall – 
 

Anyway – A good time was had by all, except for just a few dogs who thought the Easter Bunny was something sent up from Hell to torment them specifically, judging by their reaction.  
Here are a few highlights…
My favorite….

These girls are golden- good friends, good hearts, good souls. It’s a great feeling to get involved in a cause and accomplish things for the better with like minded people.  Doesn’t matter how big or small the contributions might be – I highly recommend finding a cause you feel passionate about and get involved in whatever way is doable in your life.  It does a body ( and soul)  good.