Merry & Happy

So Christmas has come and gone and with it most of my to-do lists.  I did not get the cards written, or a tree decorated.  The wrapping was done at the very last minute possible.  Yes, some got wrapped, some only got bows, at least one didn't get labeled.  But the show goes on and we celebrated anyway.  I wish I'd done more.  I wish I'd done less.

It's been a great year, so bear with me while I run through the highlights.  We got two foster dogs in and got two foster dogs adopted.  One was a puppy who barely got settled here, the other was the size of small pony.  Miss them both, thrilled they are adopted!!  We transported dogs...to Omaha, to Lincoln, to Grand Island, to Omaha, to Aurora, to Omaha, to Stockham...repeat.  Good miles driven helping dogs.  

We were blessed with company this year.  We had quick overnight guests, surprise guests, long awaited visit guests, we had so many tents in the yard it looked like a KOA campground. Thank you for gracing us with your friendship and your laughter. Never thought so many would find us on our little piece of heaven, but love that you did.  

Our kids are thriving.  That says it all for us.  We have a newborn grandson, thanks to Reno's daughter and son-in-law.  Icing on the cake.  

We planted some curly willows, a cherry tree, a couple of raspberry bushes and several roses bushes. We built garden beds and a compost pile.  "We" mostly means Reno, but one of us is brains and one of us brawn. We watched the corn fields go from seed to harvest in our first full growing season in the country. Basically we put down a whole lot of roots this year and loved every minute of it.  Okay, so maybe there were one or two times that we faltered. We all know sometimes shit happens. Strong roots help you through them.

There was partying, growing, mowing, trenching, building, entertaining, planting, canning, shoveling, poop scooping, cooking, and drinking...life can be thirsty work.  And we put a few miles on the car too.  Last but not least, there was Sooner football.

Of course this doesn't cover all we did, the fun we had, the growth we experienced. It does hold our gratitude for the year past, and the laughter shared. Thank you for being part of our life and our adventures.  We wish you a Merry, a healthy and a Happy today and always.  God Bless.

Warm Blankets.

Warm blankets come in many shape and sizes.  Some are not technically blankets at all.  Sure we love the comfort of pulling a blanket up to our chin on cold nights.  But I like the other blankets in my life. 

The warmth of knowing our most recent foster, Wallace has found his forever home. We miss the big goober, but we love the quietness of the house since he's left.  I know his new owner's life has changed for the better.  He comes with so many gifts and the slingers on the wall are the icing on the cake. I will admit it is hard to let them go.  Fosters take a piece of your heart with them, just like that little piece of the coffee table that went as well.  But the blanket of satisfaction is that another one was saved.  That's why we do this.

The blanket of snow in the yard has got nothing on a good blanket of joy and love. A thick blanket of humor makes life bearable on the hard days and terrific on the hilarious days. The blanket I have the most trouble keeping track of is that of patience. That one is always to small and often hides from me.  

Our newest blanket is the softest and sweetest one of all.  It came in the form of our new grandchild.  Yup, Reno's daughter and husband became parents so we have entered a new realm of gratitude.  Now, we haven't gotten our hands on this precious babe yet, but our love for him grows daily.

So today I pull close all those warm blankets in my life.  I hope you can do the same.  

Am I Doing Enough

A little reflection is a good thing.  I've been envying my friends who are posting each day of this month something they are grateful for.  In a way I'm vicariously grateful through them.  Naturally I wish I'd done that too.  So often we overlook how much we have in our quest to get more, do more, be more. 

Some might say my quest has always been more dogs.  Well certainly Reno would verify that.  I can't keep them all so fostering gives me a temporary fix of owning them, loving them and sending them home.  Perhaps Grandparent's feel this way too.  At times I wonder am I doing enough?  Do I do it well enough?  Am I nuts?  I'm not always the world's best trainer, but I am a really good dog lover. 

Our house has "marks" of our little failures.  Teeth marks on the coffee table corners, spots on the rug, doors that are scratched.  It's like a legend that says...Wallace was here, Mick did this, Addy did that.  There will always be dog fur collecting in the corners. And a pile of dog bones scattered throughout the house. Having dogs is messy sometimes, fostering is challenging.  But I really wouldn't have it any other way.  Okay, sometimes in my dreams I visualize the perfect dog world where the house stays clean, they are model canine citizens and I'm Victoria Stillwell. It's good to dream isn't it?

So even as I ask, am I doing enough...I have to remember doing something is always better than doing nothing.  I am ever so grateful for that.

Seasons

Funny how the seasons go, even the different months within the seasons. Take Fall for example.  September is the beginning and comes with hints of Fall, and lingering Summer.  October is Fall in all it's glory.  Then comes November.  It takes on a whole new meaning.  It's a time to take stock and give thanks.  Life is like that, seasons are like that, the dogs are like that.

While it's early for "Thanksgiving" it's never too early (or too late) for thanks giving. I'm especially thankful for Mickey.  He's our resident old dude.  He is what got me into pointers.  I like to imagine he scratched, literally and figuratively, two things off his bucket list recently.  

First was a romp he took in the corn fields.  He is only loose out in front when I'm there to watch him.  There's the rub.  I had him with me, and then got chatting and forgot he was with me.  I went in and left him out.  Well, talk about doggy bliss.  Off he went on some scent-filled adventure.  He may have been tracking birds in the corn rows.  He could have been chasing the ducks on the river.  He might have been looking for deer. I'll never know and he's not telling.  But for roughly 45 minutes he had the run of his life.  For 45 minutes I had the run of my life too, looking for him. In the end, he showed up of his own accord, thirsty, happy and weary.  Come to think of it, I ended up the same way myself.

His second adventure, was less one of joy.  We came home one day to discover he had scratched the hell out of the kitchen door.  Mick, aka model citizen...Mick aka trustworthy as they come...Mick...aka pointer who sleeps all day.  What the hell Mick??  Perhaps for years he has wanted to be a bad dog. Could be he's been fighting the rebel urges for years.  We were baffled as to what made him cross over to the dark side.  We discovered he reacted out of fear.  The evil smoke detector had begun beeping because of a low battery. New note to self, Mick does not like beepers.  Maybe it's a new phobia.  Old dogs can learn new phobia's.  We have proof.  

We couldn't be mad.  Just not possible with this golden oldie canine friend. Can't help but give thanks for this old boy who teaches us new tricks.

Part of the Territory

Part of fostering is letting them in and being willing to let them go.  Another part is wondering if they will ever go.  Sometimes they just get in the door, get settled and then they move on.  Other times...like lately...it seems like it will never happen.

Now, we know better.  This isn't our first rodeo.  Although sometimes it feels like it.  We have two fosters right now.  Someone thought that would be a good idea.  Ummm....no names mentioned.  Pleading the fifth, saying it seemed like the thing to do at the time and all that jazz.  In that nameless person's defense, it was absolutely the right thing to do.

Addy has been with us since February and Wallace since August.  People are missing out I tell you.  They both will make someone a great forever friend.  We find ourselves in the meantime.  Isn't most of life spent in that time zone?  In the meantime we love them, care for them and want them to leave.  In the nicest possible way.  It's like raising teenagers...a whole lot an angst involved and you can't wait for them to leave.  And in the same moment you don't want them to go at all.

So there it is. It's just part of the territory.  Part of fostering, part of waiting, part of loving and letting go.

News from our little house on the prairie...

It's been a while since we checked in because life has been full and busy.  Lot's of stuff in our doggy dog world. 

Layla completed her first pet therapy visit.  Such a treat to get back into that type of volunteer work.  I forget some folks don't have the grace of dogs in their life on a daily basis.  Need to remember that more when life gets crazy because of said dogs!  We visited an adult residence for psych patients.  A little hard to tell if they enjoyed seeing the dogs, but you just have to trust in the magic they hold. 

Wallace would like you to know several things.  Fresh raspberries are in the northeast corner of the yard.  It doesn't take much to put your paws up on the fence and partake of them. It does not endear you to the human residents however.  He'd like to remind you that his big adorable furry self is still looking for a forever home too. With maturity (hahahahaa) and training he'd make a great pet therapy dog.  Right now, sometimes I think I need therapy because of him.  But seriously, he has what it takes folks, just need to polish him a little.  He'd also like to apologize for the window screen debacle...and that's all I'm going to say about that.

Mick went walkabout yesterday.  No fault of his own, it was my error and thankfully no harm came to him.  I got gabbing and went in the house leaving him in the front yard.  He refuses to say where he was for that 45 minutes.  I can tell you he was not down the lane, over by the river, or in any part of the corn fields I searched for 45 minutes.  He and his nose were probably in canine bliss.  It was not, however, bliss for me.  In the end, he trotted up to the porch and headed to the door just like it was a planned outing.  Phfewwww...thank dog on that one.

We've been blessed with company of late.  Hunting company and extra dogs.  Family company, traveling company.  I can remember when we moved to the middle of nowhere thinking we'd never see anyone.  Glad to be wrong on that score.  Now Addy doesn't enjoy all the company as much as we do, but by
putting a calming wrap (TTouch Wrap) it really eased her anxiety.  She breathed a sigh of relief and we did too.  All the visiting dogs appreciated that as well.

So there you have it.  Lots of life in our furry little world.  By the way, come see us some time.  We'd love to see you.

  

The Dog Days

My life seems to revolve around flowers and dogs.  Dogs and flowers, cooking, working, sleeping, repeat.  Begin again.  Granted it's bound together by faith, family and love. 

We've had a house full lately.  Our two residents and two fosters.  Well, Wallace is large enough to qualify as two dogs alone.  You wouldn't think adding one more dog would make such a difference, but it does.

Then we've also been blessed with company.  Last weekend we hosted a campout.  The back yard looked like a KOA camp grounds.  Seven tents, nine dogs total and 12 people.  It was like a three ring circus!  Wednesday we had company again, and then last night my favorite hunter was here, plus a friend and two dogs.  Here is the deal, I love the company!!  But the commotion?  My head was spinning, but it doesn't take much for that to happen.

Isn't it a delightful dilemma?  All the activity at our little quiet haven.  Life is like that whirlwinds of stimulus sometimes, peace and quiet other times.  Balancing the two so as to fill your heart with joy.  

Now Wallace is much like life lately.  Big, quiet (sometimes) and full.  Full of shenanigans, yet mellow at the same time.  You have to watch him all the time.  Face it 60+ lbs of curiosity can be a challenge.  He doesn't like to be left alone, much preferring human company.  He will eat anything that doesn't eat him first.  He's learned to give Addy wide berth, that Layla is the playful one, and that Mick is an old crab.  He's determined to get him to play, and Mick is determined not to.

I'm like life lately too.  Go, go, go...finding it hard to gear down to rejuvenate as needed.  Sometimes we need to get off the merry-go-round, even if it's so merry as we go around.   So that's my wish, for fullness of life, and the comfort of rest.  And finding the happy balance.