A Thank You To Some Grand Ladies

I have waited a long time to do this because I wanted to see if those that SHOULD do it would step up to the plate and do it. And they did NOT.  Instead they still denigrate us. A small group of women including me helped run a page online. We took a page that was a trash page with such ugliness going on that you could not even know what the page was about. I am sure you have seen pages like this. Just look at fan pages of stars or products. Any where you look, you can find it.

And there was bullying going on, personal drama going on, hate, malice, ugly talk and so much partying you could not tell what the page was about….it was a trash page. And we cleaned up that page. Yes, we made many mad because they did not like their “Party” page gone but we were cleaning up and deleting and removing those that caused trouble. And the people in charge never once backed us, thanked us. They let those on the page believe they didn’t have anything to do with the clean up and they did. They were the ones telling us to clean it up. But, I guess some people just like a scapegoat to give those trouble makers who complained and get them off their backs.

All that is ok. I am proud of the work we did because today that page is still a relatively clean page,  small number of people but it is a clean page and the true meaning of the page can be seen. I left the page when I decided one day that I could no longer be a part of something where I was not appreciated. A few more followed me and then a little later…a few more.

And so, I want to do what those in charge did not do and that is to say THANK YOU to those women who worked so hard, put in so many hours working to keep that page nice.  I personally worked for over a year and so did most of these women. There were times only three of us were watching that page 24 hours a day to keep off the ugliness that those who were mad because there were now rules to follow would come in and do posts just to cause trouble and go back and brag about it in their other groups. They would deliberately try to sabatage the page.

We took abuse, got called names that were horrific, were attacked by disgruntled fans and no one stood up for us except ME. I stood up for those women and I continue to stand up for them. They are AWESOME women who offered and contributed MUCH to this site and were not appreciated at all. They spent hours working for a cause they believed in, going above and beyond the call of duty to keep the page clean, create things to sell, run fundraisers, contributed and were literally used up.

image from trulygraphics.com

So, ladies I say to you….THANK YOU from my heart for all you did for I know you did it for me…to help me and for the cause you believed in.  YOU ARE AWESOME!! I know you stayed as long as you did because you didn’t want to let me down and that means a lot. You ARE and WERE valuable in making the page a nice place to be and the owners are now reaping the benefit of all our hard work. They are not the ones keeping the page clean now. They are just keeping tidy what we already did. I can not begin to tell you how much I appreciated you then and how much I appreciate you NOW.  Just know that what you did was not in vain. The proof is in the page as it is. Yes, they lost a lot of fans when they decided to let all those banned people back in and that was their decision. But, WE cleaned up that page and WE made it an educational, nice, friendly, family oriented page and nothing they say or do now can take that away from us for those that were there…the ones that loved the changes we brought KNOW. So I APPLAUD you ladies and again thank you for a job well done.

image from grandprofile.com

Oh Be Still My Heart

What a beautiful day!

Oh be still my heart. I decided to go into the kitchen to get some coffee and as always, went to the sliding glass door and peeked out to see if my birds were out there. The sun was so bright, I decided to ease open the patio door and look. When I did, I deer was standing there and suddenly burst past me rushing out of the fenced in yard and knocking the door against me. It startled me so badly that I almost fell off of my forearm crutches. And after I got over the shock, I was clapping my hands in glee.

Now, that is a sight worth getting up for.  I quickly looked back out the sliding glass doors and saw about ten deer trotting on off across the empty field behind us. Dang, where is the camera when you need it. I am not sure why this one was all the way up on the concrete patio but it sure was. The patio has a wooden fence and a gate so no escape there. I am just glad I was not letting Jack out to potty.

Nothing is more beautiful to me than seeing wildlife so close to home. . ..I think spring is finally starting here in the Rockies. I saw a robin yesterday. First one I have seen so far and a lot of new bird types. I want to feed the birds but don’t want to get the deer tempted and in trouble because some people will consider them pests so I only put a little out for the birds in the mornings once I know the deer have made their rounds through the streets.

I am real excited as my other son, his wife and my Sweetpea will be here on Monday afternoon. I have not seen them since 2006. Once we moved out here, I had so many health things and kidney surgery that I could not fly back to see them and son has had health issues and was dx with MS and so financially and health wise it was very hard for him to travel. Sweetpea has grown up on me and will be 12 this year. She looks 15 and that is scary to me. The way the clothing industry does, our little kids are dressed like mini adults. I can’t wait to put my hands on my son…it is a mama thing. We Mama’s know once we can see our children and lay our hands on them how they are and we are not happy until we do. My son is a lot like me….he will tell you he is fine when his pain is screaming or the exhaustion is tearing him down.

I admire that he keeps working and does not try to live off of the government. That is a topic for another day. It is one of my pet peeves…the way our system allows those that are not truly 100 percent disabled to get disability and how many are scamming the government and taking the money. One man just got caught but for all these years he had pretended he could not remember or understand things people said and had been on a mental disability. That will stay in your records forever and now that he and his family are caught, they must pay all the money back and face prison. Family turned them in. Yea rah for honest family. The day will come when son no longer can work…but for now he chooses to keep going. Because of his health, he does more office stuff now instead of out there jumping up on the portable buildings being built….but he still works.

Son here has worked hard spiffying up the place. He wants it to give a good impression. I told him not to stress himself. What he has done since we moved in is amazing and getting it all done that we want will take time. He is excited that they are coming too. He and his brother were always so close. When son here was about four, his brother back east was a baby crawling on the floor. The son back east called his older brother “Bubba” and if Bubba fell and hurt himself, he would crawl towards hims crying  “bubba….bubba’..and crawl up on him and pat him. It was so sweet. I kept a diary written to each of my sons as they grew up and it is so cool to go back and read them.

And now, son has my heart racing again. I was so busy typing I did not notice him walk by my door until I saw the light brighten where he opened the patio door to let Jack out. I told him always look all around now before letting him out. Deer are beautiful animals but they are also wild animals and I don’t want one attacking Jack because he scared them for Wonder Dog would defend his yard.

And now, I am going to quietly sip my coffee here and just lean back here and let my racing heart calm down. What an exciting start to the day for me.

My Ride Through The Colorado State Park In Pictures

They even have a beach area. I bet it is full in the summer. The park is beautiful even with the trees not all greened out.

My Mountains in the distance. No matter where you went, if you looked in all directions…one of those directions would have my mountains.

I loved watching the geese. This one kept chasing the other one and a couple of times the one to the right would turn around and tell the big one off. I was hoping to see the other animals but guess it is too soon.

I am so country I would love for this to be the road to my house.

I could just envision this with these trees all greened out.

 

 

♫♫ Back in the Cape Again ♫♫

Jack is back in his cape again.

♫♫ Back in the Cape again♫♫  sung to Back in the Saddle Again 

video by auburnboy95

Just a short note to tell you that Wonder Dog is on his feet again. He still rests a lot and still has that cough and is still on the diluted chicken broth with some of his homemade chicken soup mixed in..all liquid. But, he is definitely better and is even showing spunk and a little sass. Thank you from Wonder Dog’s human mommy, from son and from him.

True Support

Losing an illusion makes you wiser than finding a truth. 

~Ludwig Börne~

This quote speaks of something that I had a discussion about the other day.  That is what I call blind support. We see it a lot in political times, with televangelist, with crusades…in all walks of life.  People will support something blindly and will never say nor accept that the person or thing that they are supporting did anything wrong. I want to look at people like that and say  “did I die and go to heaven where everything and everyone is perfect? did I miss something?”   They seem to think that  if they admit the person did something wrong then that is a horrible thing to admit. Even when the truth is shown in black and white or they have the person they support saying it themselves, they will not admit it. I look at the good, the bad and the ugly when making a decision on what I support.

I am not a person who has a political party. I decide by the person not party for I find that some in both parties are not worth my vote, so I go name by name. I don’t take a televangelist just because of the faith he or she is in. I don’t judge people by their color, religion, sex, sex orientation..whatever. I look at their hearts and who they are inside.  And I accept the good and the bad. Just because I do not like the actions of someone does not mean that I can’t support them. But, if I support someone in a fantasy that they are all perfect…..that is not true support. That is not real. Real support is knowing all the facts and then deciding you still support them.

I use this example often for it is a good one.  I did not vote for Clinton when he was in office but I believe he did a lot of good things for the country. BUT….what he did in the oval office with Monica Lewinsky was dumb and wrong. I listened to people around me who made all sorts of excuses ranging from it was not true, it was personal and none of our business (sorry was in the oval office, makes it our business…), that it was not “real” sex and you name it. They could not bring themselves to say what he did was wrong. It was like that would make everything else he did bad or something. That is not real support…that is a fairy tale.  I can not say that I liked Clinton in office and yes, what he did was wrong with Monica but other things he did overshadow that. I am informed.  Sorry Clinton, I bet you get used as an example a lot. One day I will give a good example.

In the past I have watched people attack others, condemn others, refuse to believe the truth when the facts were out there in black and white, or the person admitted it himself finally…like above and I have to wonder…how can you support something if you don’t know all the facts about it…if you don’t know the things wrong as well as the things right. You would not buy a car would you without knowing the facts about it and the flaws?  I wouldn’t.  I would not put my money in a lending institution where I did not check out their history. I would not let a doctor cut on me unless I knew what he had done and any bad cases he has had. And if I find a doctor with one or two lawsuits…depending on the suit…does not mean I will not use them because some people are just sue happy…but I do want to know the truth. I don’t live in la la land. I don’t take just the words of the person and assume they are the total story. But many do.

Losing the illusion that this person or that person is perfect might help a person become a better supporter. It might help a person become an informed supported and one that can speak the truth about what is going on. If someone tells me or tries to shove down my throat that all is perfect with a person, company etc….that is when my red flags go off as with most people.

I have to wonder what makes people put blinders on for when we know the truth, then we can truly be the biggest supporters of someone if we believe in them. The truth helps us form better opinions. So, when election time comes this year, please take the time to look at all about each politician and then make a choice. When you support anything, knowing the facts is essential.  I love the quote above for once we lose the “Illusion”   that they are perfect….then the truth is apparent and we can make informed decisions.

Found The Fertilizer Yet?

I think we all grew up hearing the quote “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence” and it is talking about how people are never content with what they have. They are always wanting what someone else has. And yes, when they get it, the grass still looks greener to them on the other side of the fence…and often looking back at what they had before they jumped the fence. A friend of mine says that when you don’t like the view….change your focus.

image from queenrella.wordpress.com

Some people can spend so much time yearning for a life (the other side of the fence) that they fail to see what is in their own. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence because those people are fertilizing their lives. They are doing things to make their lives better instead of gazing at another person’s  life and wishing they had it. I could wish for another person’s life but in reality, in spite of my health….I have fertilized my life and it is a very happy life. As I lay here in the dark, I think about dreams and about those whose only dream is to get money. I find that sad. Son and I are poor in finances but boy are we rich in what counts….love, laughter, joy.

“If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can not buy.”

Anonymous

My godfather told me a story once about a man who was always complaining to God that it was not fair he had to carry the burdens he did when others seemed to have it so easy and he wanted the burdens of this other person for the other person always seemed to be so happy. So, God told him that he would let him look at all the burdens of the people around him and try them on and pick which one he wanted. The man picked this other person’s burdens because that person seemed so happy and was always smiling but when the man put the burdens on his back, he started screaming in agony “Take it off!  Take it off!  It is too heavy. Oh no no, I do not want that one.”  The man continued trying on the burdens until finally he picked up the last bag of burdens and said…”I will take this one. It is not near as heavy as all those others”.  He asked God whose burdens he had on his back for he was sure it was the rich man on the hill who seemed to have such a life of ease and God told him that he had picked back up his own burdens and put them on his back.

If you don’t like what you see….then change your focus.

 I believe a big part of dealing with life is your attitude. I think some people want the world to see every misery in their lives and others want to show all the sunshine. I am a sunshine person. I don’t want people to see the down side of the forearm crutches so I put jewels all over them and music notes to remind me to keep dancing through life. It is all in how you view things.

Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet.  ~Roger Miller

I got the story below in email from a friend. It said that no one knew who originated the story but it is so good and it just ties right in with what my head was stumbling around wanting to talk about. Only , the ironic thing is…I didn’t get the same ending as the nurse.

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room.  One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window.The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation..

Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite details, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene. One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by.Although the other man could not hear the band – he could see it in his mind’s eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.

Days, weeks and months passed.One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.  As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window besides the bed. It faced a blank wall.. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, ‘Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.

What I got from this story was that the blind man had learned to fertilize his own life and make it beautiful and greener and he was sharing it with the man on the bed. And the man on the bed was laying there wishing he could see what the other man could and saw “the grass is greener on the other side”.

I have people ask me how I stand not being able to do things and my reply is  “Oh but I can. I sky dive, I climb mountains, I swim rivers, I see wild animals, I run marathons, I dance around the room.  And with so much to see on the internet, I travel all over the world.  I don’t perceive my world as a world of can’t do.

No matter where you go or what you do, you live your entire life

within the confines of your head. 

~Terry Josephson~

I think that if we fine tune our senses, imprint life in our mind, then not only do we live life….then we consume it like one would a fancy dinner…bite after bite.

Anais Nin said: “We write to taste life twice, in the moment and

in retrospection”

We live through things the first time and then each time we replay it in our heads. Some times like for me the trip to the park will be relived over and over for it was so beautiful. Sometimes, it is painful things we play over and over in our heads.  Sometimes life is just meant to be felt and the more we feel it…the more we fertilize our own grass.  And keep in mind the following quote:

And remember to dance and to hold those memories of life to carry you through for that is one way to fertilize your life.

video by ahmedleo414

 

Related articles

• The grass is greener where you water it (angelsbeauty.wordpress.com)
• The grass is so often not greener on the other side (pureandsimpleliving.wordpress.com)

Updated Picture on Wonder Dog Without His Cape

Jack does not have on his famous blue cape right now for he is still choking easily. And he is still having trouble walking much but look at those eyes and you can see he is feeling better. Thought you all might feel better seeing him.

For Some…Pain Follows Joy

Pain is a topic that many understand. Differentiating between pain and chronic pain is another topic.  Chronic pain is different than just having pain now and then. Chronic pain is pain that never ends and invades every thing we do. Some days it is worse than others. It requires us to choose what we do carefully for the results can be excruciatng   It is not the same thing as having a headache this afternoon and by bed time it is gone.

I have to laugh when I am having a really bad day and someone that has decent health or just a few health issues will say “I know just what you mean. I have had this pain in my calf all afternoon. Or they will tell me they have the exact pain I have when they don’t….. You would tell them you have this and they would try to tell you they had it too. Tell them a different symptom and they will say they have the exact thing again. I want to say…..you have no idea what I am talking about.  Pain has an ending…..chronic pain does not. I told someone once if they wanted to know what kind of pain I dealt with daily…not the extreme …but daily pain to pinch the skin as hard as they could on their forearm…and then imagine that all over your body forever….FOREVER.  And then imagine that it gets twice and three times as bad at times….and the pain never ever goes away.  That my friends is chronic pain.  And when your health is not that bad…saying you have the same pain or same symptom is only diminishing the pain of someone that truly deals with chronic pain.

I have learned to choose carefully what I do for it will flare up  my chronic pain to the point I feel like someone set me on fire. That is how I am feeling right now. I made a choice and it was a GOOD choice…but once we got home, my pain was screaming so badly son had to help me in the house and into bed.  My choice was to ride to the Doctor’s office to get the doctor papers approving my handicap license plate which has to be done yearly….four miles tops.  And in that choice, to drive across the street and RIDE through the state park looking to see what it will be like since I am getting a handicap park permit. Not miles and miles of riding but riding the figure eight loop of the park around the lakes.

Ride…that is all I did. I did not walk around my house, go up and down stairs, walk in a mall or store,  stand and cook supper, clean house, do laundry, walk through a flea market……I sat……on cushions. Never left the van. And oh what a beautiful ride it was. The excitement kicked in my adrenalin and I enjoyed seeing the lakes and beautiful surroundings and taking pictures.  And I made the choice knowing full well what would follow. I did it consciously and fully informed. Those of us with chronic pain will do that because if  we don’t…we would never experience anything. And we do it without complaint. Son said he could see my pain level was rising drastically by my eyes but he could also see the smiles on my face as I looked,  so he knew the memory of this ride will last me a while and so will the pictures in memory book I carry inside for those bad pain times like now.

So, the point of this blog is not for you to feel sorry for me. I don’t…so please don’t. I am a fighter as you all well know and I enjoyed seeing the park so much that the pain is just the price and worth it. The point is…that for those of us with real chronic pain…we experience horrible pain after doing something. It is our price for being “part of the world”  and not staying totally tied to our homes or hospital beds as I am. And yes it is a hell of a price to pay.  And for me being of faith…when it is too bad…I remind myself of the price Jesus paid.  It puts my pain into perspective for me. I realize not all have this faith which is why I said  “for me”.

The point of this blog was to show others a part of the world of a person with chronic pain and to maybe educate those that always say instantly “Oh I know what you are feeling” when they have NO idea because their pain…their achy legs …their cramps or headache…whatever….. ends at some point.  They can get up and go cook supper, drive their car, go places, clean house and go do things we can’t. While someone can empathize with a person that has chronic pain, unless you are also a person with chronic pain…you have no idea what it is like. Chronic pain will make you feel like you are losing it at times, will invade everything from your ability to talk, to do, to sleep, to eat, to get up, to enjoy life…everything on a daily..hourly…minute by minute time frame. It wakes you when you want to sleep, it won’t let you sleep when you are so exhausted you think you are dying, it makes living sometimes impossible without a helper…like me. I am so blessed by my son. That is what debilitating chronic pain is.  And it robs us of the ability to take care of ourselves like everyone else…makes us have to be dependent on others to do simple things that they can do…unless we just choose to not ask and do without. The ones with real chronic pain will tell you they are so sorry..they are with you. They don’t try to copy you.

Through the years I have had people try to mimic me…my health issues…my diseases and I used to think …what in the world is wrong with these people?   No one in their right mind would want this I deal with.   And one day I realized what it was. They didn’t want the restriction of really being sick. They wanted the check and the attention they think someone as sick as me gets. But, they also wanted to be free to do whatever they want without the restriction of being really disabled. And sadly, because the disability system is so flawed….people who are capable of working will get approved for disability and take it and it will make it harder for someone really disabled to get theirs. When I first had to start using a cane..a woman back east instantly got one too.  The difference…she could choose when to use it. I could not.

And today..she draws disability and goes about WITHOUT that cane. And the attention???  I don’t ask for attention. I just try to be authentic..a fighter …one that does not whine and complain and one that sees new ways to do things.  If that makes people inspired by me or like me…that is their choice. Not me playing games to get it. Those that want to fake illness to get attention should try doing that instead of trying to be what I or other disabled people are…that will get you attention if you are authentic…real…honest…you don’t have to act like you are disabled or sick to get it.  I am proud to see on the news more and more cases of people being arrested for disability fraud and being sent to prison and made to repay. I hope the ones out there who faked or exaggerated symptoms to get disability realize they will have to live the rest of their lives looking over their shoulders wondering is someone taking their picture to expose them.

“For Some, Pain Follows Joy”….is the title of this blog but it is also a given for a person with chronic pain and chronic health issues and disabilities on a daily basis. It is just a fact and we learn to live with….find ways to cope with the pain so we can feel the joy.It is not a life style we choose but we do choose how we deal with it. And I am inspired by so many like my son, who was diagnosed with MS but opted to keep working. Or another woman I know, Laura, who has so many health issues from MS and she works daily plus she spends hours helping raising money for MS.  We are fighters. Respect is earned. It does not come just because you are sick. It comes from how you handle being sick.

And now, I want to share with you what brought me joy…just a few of the pictures. Tomorrow I will post more. I will carry these in my mind and take them out and look at them over and over. I take my pictures and put them on slide show on my monitor here by my bed and lay here sometimes when I am doing the distraction thing to help me get through the pain.

Am I stronger than most?  No, I am just very determined and try to get the most out of my life I can. And I take responsibility for my pain and my health and for finding ways to deal with it. Distraction for me is a great tool. So is visualization and other methods. So, I hope you enjoy the pictures for I did on the ride through and I will enjoy them over and over an over as I ride through the pain that has put me flat on my back in bed now.

This is my favorite picture for son walked down to the water to see if there were a concrete walk way coming from another direction that I could ride my scooter on for the future when my handicap pass comes in. I teased him telling him that I was holding the camera in case he ran into a bear and came screaming back up the hill. He laughed. We do have bears here and I am hoping eventually we see one or two or three.

As you look, you will see spring is not fully here yet. The trees that are not evergreen do not have their leaves yet but to me is still beautiful. We are so blessed that this is only four miles from us and will make a nice place to come when I am feeling strong enough and will give me a beautiful safe haven place. Son wants to fish. He even has figured out that he could carry one of the cots he has and our patio chairs with cushions so I can sit there an not hurt so badly. And if my pain rises, I can lay on the cot on the bank and watch the water and the birds. Always thinking  on that he is.

There are several HUGE lakes here and people were fishing all over.

And no geese were hurt in the photo shoot. LOL  This is on the golf course. That is why it is so green.

And Last, but not least…MY mountains.   You can see them no matter where you are here. I love it!

I hope you enjoyed for I love sharing with you all. You all inspire me so much to keep moving forward and to keep the fight on.   what a blessing you all are.

And an added note:  Jack is slowly but surely getting some better. He is still weak and still only taking broth but he has more strength and son took him outside and let him walk around in the yard. So, we feel like he is getting over this. And no more seizures since yesterday morning. thank you all for the prayers.

Coffee On The Patio

Wonder Dog is doing a little better. Has a bad cough and still weak but we are cautiously optimistic. Thank you all for the prayers. He  was up three times last nite and so was and up and down night. He is drinking the chicken broth which I am glad to see.

So, I thought I would take you to coffee in our backyard. The day that Jack got to sick, son and I sat out on the patio and I sat in the double padded chair son has fixed for me and took pictures. Unfortunately, chronic pain keeps me on the hospital gel bed a lot and sitting other places is hard for any length of time. So, son puts double cushions and stuff so that I can spend a few minutes on the patio. So, thought I would share. I got my coffee. .

What more could I need…extra soft seat, coffee and my camera. Hope you enjoy. These are all things I can see from my seat.

First is the sounds we hear when sitting on our patio. I love the gentle sounds of the wind chime and I love hearing all the birds. It is so peaceful here….almost as good as being in the country. That is still my dream.  You may have to turn your sound up on the video below.

[youtube-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7o1RQZeT_k]

We have another dream too which is to get the back and front yards landscaped. The back yard is huge in fact our whole lot size is the size of over two lots. We want to landscape the part closest to the house where we fenced in for Jack and the bottom part will be for son to have a shop and a greenhouse. Dreams take time. We want to put sod up by the patio and around the small section by the sliding glass door concrete porch and the rest we are doing in a more desert theme as it is so dry here.  Same way in the front yard for we are going to put sod in a small section and then do gravel or mulch or sand for the rest with the desert plants. Ah dreaming. We have been researching grass and plants that thrive in desert type climates. We are not really desert but we are very dry here.

So, I am going to post pictures looking around at things in the yard….things we carried from back east and things we carefully carried over the mountains. Not all my statues are out yet but they will be. I told son we could just fix them up by the patio that way I could enjoy them all easier.

Jack enjoying the early morning.

Our tree a friend sent us. It is a blue spruce.   It is doing so well. Thank you Sassy. Our yard goes back to that dirt trail you see and we are lucky the field beyond can never be built on as it is a drainage area.

the privacy fence that was here when we got here. It is on both side. Our dream is to have it at the back of the yard.  I have a double shepherd’s hook on the far left of picture with bird feeders and bird feeders all down the fence.   Only the deer have discovered these and we have no trees in the back yard to hang them high on. Son is going to move them to the top of the fence and see if that stops them.

My froggies.

The bamboo fence we put up between our neighbors and us. As it was, they could see every time we came out the patio door. I found those vintage wind chimes at an estate sale. I love them.

And birdies. We have a lot as you can hear on the video.

And these two made me laugh. One kept jumping on the head of the other.

Hope you enjoyed the serenity. I did. One of the things I love about the back yard here. While it is not my mountains…not the country…it is a great second to it. I will never give up my dream of the mountains…the country.  I feel like one day God will lead us there even if only for a little cabin in the woods.

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Wonder Dog May Soon Be Up Wearing His Cape Again

After last nite and seeing Jack have several seizures and vomiting so violently, son and I believe that he got into some kind of poison. He is heading upwards after being at death’s door and believe me when I say having sat with him with vets before when they anticipated he was dying any minute…I know deaths door when I see it. One thing Jack and I have in common.

We have gotten diluted chicken broth down him to give him fluids and some strength. And he is raising his head and actually has walked some. He does not get far before he just stops and flops down with his poor legs shaking. But he is moving which is a good sign. He actually stood for a few minutes and lapped up chicken broth.  I used a syringe to get the first broth down him.

Son and I have shampood carpets, washed doggie beds and wonder dog capes from last night and think we are caught up. Jack does not want us leaving him so we are taking turns sitting with him. He wants to be touching us so no matter who is with him, he scoots over and leans part of him against our leg or foot. See that leg behind him. His eyes are a dead giveaway he is not over it but he dang sure is better….thank you Creator and Lord.

It has been a long night and day but I am so thankful that Jack is still here with us. Son even carried him out and let him lay in the sun for a bit. He leaned against son’s leg and just watched out through the fence. After about five minutes that was enough and he was ready to come in but it seemed to give him a lift.

We had to carry him out here to the sliding glass door so we could wash all the covers in his beds. The top picture shows him when we put him in his bed with his nice warm and clean blanket and stuffed dog.  He has spent most of the day either sleeping or with his head held up but eyes closed and drooped. But this is such an improvement.

Oh I do believe in the power of prayer. And once again, Wonder Dog has beat the odds and used one of his nine fifteen lives. God has been so good to us and there must be a reason Jack is left with us. Perhaps because he brings so much joy and good will and inspires in us the desire to be as honest and authentic as he is. Thank you all for the prayers. Our baby I believe is on the mend. Tomorrow I am looking for more improvement. Only problem is now son is afraid to let Jack sleep in his room for he said it scared him so bad when Jack fell over in the seizure jerking and then just stopped dead still. He thought Jack had died and then when he tried to wake me, I had my TV earplug in and so didn’t hear him calling me those five times and he thought I had died. Poor son..he had a traumatizing night.