Monthly Archives: September 2023

September 30, 2023 · 10:14 am

Beautiful Post on X

“Our 14-year-old dog Abbey died last month. The day after she passed away my 4-year-old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so, and she dictated these words: Dear God, Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick. I hope you will play with her. She likes to swim and play with balls. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her you will know that she is my dog. I really miss her. Love, Meredith We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letterbox at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had. Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, ‘To Meredith’ in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, ‘When a Pet Dies.’ Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page were the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note: Dear Meredith, Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help and I recognized her right away. Abbey isn’t sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don’t need our bodies in heaven, I don’t have any pockets to keep your picture in so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by. Thank you for the beautiful letter. (Heart Icon)”

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Posted by @Dalbodog on X

When a Pet Dies by Fred Rogers

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September 30, 2023 · 9:54 am

More Mark Gray Photography

Mark Gray Photography – @GrayMarker99 on X

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September 30, 2023 · 9:48 am

Saturday 9-30-2023

VinePair

I don’t actually have this hole in our back yard, but one about half this size is what I mentally picture from time to time when my husband and I are having a disagreement…

I won on the latest ‘discussion’ of whether Amber should be wearing her cone or not. Her surgery was Wed. This is Saturday. She’s supposed to wear it at least a week, if not two, so she doesn’t mess with the stitches on her arm or paw at her eyes. End of discussion? NOOOOOO. Just the beginning. After I went outside to contemplate the hole, my husband finally relented, so Amber is protected from herself again. Fighting over things that shouldn’t be issues is exhausting.

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The 8 Hour Diet by David Zinczenko with Peter Moore

I read Intermittent Fasting for Seniors by Norah Halstead recently, since I’m trying to put together things that will help me lose and then keep off my lard. Norah’s book made me want to learn more – specifically, more details of what to do and how to make it work.

I’m now reading the 8 Hour Diet. It expands on the idea of intermittent fasting, zeroing in on the time I had chosen from Norah’s book, where you fast for 16 hours and then eat during an 8 hour time window. I’ve been doing this for several days now, even without more information, and the scales began to notice this morning. The smirking was less, enabling a small smile to appear on MY face. I’ve been bouncing around about 10 pounds off lately, and this morning I have almost 12 pounds off. I feel that I’m working a 1,000 piece puzzle, but the pieces are finally beginning to come together.

I’m about half way through my first reading of the book. I’m dog-earring pages to read later (like success stories) because I’m already convinced that this might help me in my efforts. I’m digging for the meat – the details these two men are providing – that may lead to success for me. I’ll share more as I go, but thought I would go ahead and recommend this book in case you are considering intermittent fasting.

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Craftsman – Lowe’s

We have a push weed whacker similar to this. I’ve been planning to use ours to do a major clean-up around our garden. It’s WAAAAAY to wet to do it now. I was just walking Amber and came in with not only my shoes wet, but my jeans about half way up to my knee! Waiting till afternoon seems good, but the temperatures have been climbing into the 90s – too hot for me to do much. I’ll give it a try, but I may have to wait until the afternoon temperatures moderate a bit more.

I hope that you enjoy this last day of September. I’m hoping that October brings us some good fall weather.

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September 29, 2023 · 9:31 am

Sarah Eden Portraits 2

Archie

Bear

Derek

Freddi

Holly

Sarah Eden Portraits – @edenportraits on X

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September 29, 2023 · 9:23 am

Folding Fitted Sheet Hack

Sam-@Britton55Sam on X

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September 29, 2023 · 9:19 am

Ken James Photography 4

“Peace”

Ken James Photography – @OpenShutter21 on X

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September 29, 2023 · 9:11 am

This is a Pastel Painting!

“Jambo” -@Paulmillerart on X

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September 29, 2023 · 9:02 am

GRRRRRR!

istockphoto-SIphotography-Getty Images

Did you hear me yelling yesterday? I’m still gritting my teeth though my husband heard me loud and clear.

He let Amber out yesterday. I was working in the house and all of a sudden I heard Amber bark – to get IN. I found my husband in the office at his computer with his headphones on.

Amber had pulled out another stitch while she was out unsupervised. She hadn’t lost the cone. We had discussed the fact that I thought we should take her out on the leash until she was healed and the cone was gone. My husband scoffed, and I pressed the point that she could run through the tall stuff on our property and irritate her wounds, if not pull out stitches.

When I confronted him yesterday, he said that he hadn’t agreed with me and thought the supervision was unnecessary. THAT’s when the yelling started.

The end result is that my husband was unimpressed, I was livid, and Amber is all right. She isn’t bleeding and the wound seems to be un-irritated and still healing. I tried to bandage and wrap it again yesterday, but the wound is right at her ‘elbow’ and it wouldn’t hold. (The wrap the VET put on it didn’t hold, either.) So I guess we’ll just hope for the best.

This morning my husband had taken Amber out – on the leash – and she had taken care of her business without incident.

Sometimes the idea of a hole dug for my husband in the back yard sounds awfully good…

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September 28, 2023 · 4:47 pm

Angie Wallace Fine Art 2

Angie Wallace Fine Art – @AngieWithLove on X

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September 28, 2023 · 12:03 pm

Nice Day

123RF

I just got home from my massage and the tight, tense pretzel I was has been replaced by a happy, smiling woman. Lynn Moody performed a miracle and once again loosened or kneaded away my knots and tight muscles. I’m going to fix us some lunch and then will probably take a nice nap. :0)

Things are quiet. It’s 85 degrees, so I shut the doors and turned on our a/c for the afternoon. We’re able to either leave the doors open or keep the thermostat on the a/c up higher these days, so that’s a good thing, too.

I haven’t decided how I’ll spend the afternoon, other than my sloth-like nap. It’s nice to have a day where I don’t have any ‘have-to’s’. The ‘shoulds’ are piling up, so I’ll see if I can knock at least a couple of those out today.

I hope that you are having a really nice day, too.

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September 28, 2023 · 9:04 am

Thursday 9-28-2023

After about 15 minutes in the new soft neck-pillow-type cone that she liked much better, Amber was able to get to the stitches in her arm and pulled one out, so she is back in the stiff plastic and will have to learn to live with it until she is healed. This morning she’s kind of ‘resigned’ to it. I don’t feel bad – much. I tried to do a good thing for her and she rewarded me by doing the one thing she shouldn’t. Her good healing is much more important than her temporary comfort to me. She is asleep on the floor beside me as I type now.

I am more than ready for my massage this morning. I leave in about half an hour. I’m hoping Lynn can work a miracle once again and get me to be able to relax. I feel like a tight pretzel right now.

sent by my friend Marsha

Have a great day!

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September 27, 2023 · 3:27 pm

Finding Home

Finding Home – A Connolly Family Novel by Katie Ocasek

I just finished reading this book and enjoyed it a lot. It’s a story of a waitress and an architect who have both made choices in the past that proved to be so hurtful they had closed themselves off emotionally.

Katie has created interesting, real people in this book that I grew to care about. They had real reasons for doubting their judgment when it came to choices involving love and family. They are both intelligent and honorable, caring about others close to them, making their choices even harder. A character I particularly liked was Fran, the owner of the restaurant where Morgan, the waitress, worked.

I recommend this book and hope that Katie will write more in this Connolly Family series.

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September 27, 2023 · 1:21 pm

Update on the Update

This is Amber with the plastic cone.

A much happier Amber today after we put the soft neck pillow type cone on her.

Then, she got up from her bed to see if my husband would give her a bite of his lunch and I saw that the wound on her leg looked different. She had chewed out one stitch. :0( It’s dry and it’s not bleeding, so I’m going to watch it carefully.

Amber is unhappily in her hard plastic cone again for at least a full week before trying to switch again.

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September 27, 2023 · 11:44 am

Carole Rodrigue Art

“Night Stalker” -oil on birch panel

Cheetah

Cougar

Carole Rodrigue Fine Art – @RodrigueArt on X

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September 27, 2023 · 10:52 am

Wednesday 9-27-2023

myimagine.space

I’m about to drive down to get our mail. I just got notification that the soft neck-pillow-type soft dog cone I ordered for Amber is in our mailbox! I’m really glad, in that ‘I’ might live through this, too! Amber ran into me just right with the plastic cone this morning. It’s amazing how much it hurt, and I have an impressive bruise on my thigh now.

Amber is getting better daily. We have an appointment for follow-up on October 11th, where we’ll reassess everything, but I’m hopeful the worst is behind us.

We have no big plans for the day. Our weather is nice. We have the doors open and the ceiling fans on. NICE!

Enjoy your day!

UPDATE –

Amber with the soft, neck-pillow type cone. She seems MUCH happier, and so are we!

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September 26, 2023 · 1:01 pm

How Special is This!

@_B_S on X

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September 26, 2023 · 11:32 am

Good People in the World

“This man was forced to give his dog to the Humane Society due to undergoing lengthy hospital stay. This nurse found out and immediately went to the shelter and adopted his dog. She brings him to visit daily and will return him as soon as the man is released!”

This was posted by @_B_S on X today. It made me cry. What a wonderful nurse.

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Image

Party

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September 26, 2023 · 11:08 am
September 26, 2023 · 11:06 am

Josh Gluckstein 3

Josh Gluckstein Art

Josh Gluckstein Paper Art

Hidreley – BoredPanda.com

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September 26, 2023 · 10:45 am

Andrii Frolov Art 2

Big Wave

In the Forest

Night Road

Stormy Wave

Andrii Frolov Art – @kznsq on X

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September 26, 2023 · 10:23 am

Tuesday Thoughts 9-26-2023

This is poor Amber wearing a large plastic cone to keep her from chewing out her stitches on her arm, as she DID right before she was brought to us to take home after her surgery and tests yesterday. Our vet didn’t have one her size, so we drove to Tractor Supply to get one.

She shed the band-aid and wrapping the vet put on her elbow just before we put her in the truck, so I got a huge band-aid from our supplies and used the vet wrap we keep on hand to cover it again. She shed THAT, too. The ‘elbow’ is a difficult place to wrap up. Since she can’t reach the stitches now to chew, I’m just leaving it uncovered.

As all dogs do, she hates the cone. She is slowly adapting. I just ordered a SOFT one from Amazon, since when I called the vet to schedule her two-week follow-up appointment and ask how long Amber should wear the cone, the answer was ‘at least a week, and possibly ’til she comes to get her stitches out in two weeks.’ She still won’t like the cone, but this soft one will be more comfortable. It should be delivered tomorrow.

The big thing is healing now. She is feeling better and the lump in her neck is getting smaller. The other big thing is watching my husband, who ALMOST took one of Amber’s antibiotic pills this morning…

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September 25, 2023 · 11:41 am

Life is Too Short

This morning we fought our way through what my husband calls, “The Mommy Traffic” where moms are dropping their kids off at school in order to get Amber to the vet’s office for her leg surgery and the fine needle aspiration of the lump in her neck.

We made a quick trip to Walmart and then my husband suggested we have breakfast at The Dari, one of our favorite places in Greenwood. I’m on DAY 3 of my Intermittent Fasting addition to my diet and managed to get a pound off this morning, so I thought, “No.” THEN I started fighting with myself. We eat breakfast at The Dari after we get blood tests for upcoming doctor visits – that’s twice a year. What is one more time in the grand scheme of things. If I do the fasting like I should all the other days, wouldn’t that outweigh one breakfast with my husband? We ate there, both enjoying a big, no-holes-barred breakfast, where every bite was delicious, and we also splurged with orange juice. It was wonderful.

We are ready to leave our trash at the bottom of the driveway when they call and tell us Amber is ready to be picked up. Now is the hard part of the day – the waiting. The lady at the vet’s office said they might call or text with updates, but that Amber would definitely be ready to be picked up after 4pm today. (They close at 5:30). Our vet suspects cancer, so I don’t want to be waiting for a call. The lady said they might or might not know the results of the test today. Part of me is hurting already. The other part is numb. Part of me is watching my cell phone. The other part wants to go somewhere and cover up my head. Wishing I had a magic wand…

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September 24, 2023 · 2:16 pm

HAD to Share

(This was from Enezator – @Enezator on X)

I’m STILL laughing out loud and snorting – even while I probably looked much the same as this young lady while I was baking my first EVER biscuits yesterday…

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September 24, 2023 · 1:47 pm

Healing with Herbs

Healing with Herbs – Embracing the Power of Nature for a Natural Lifestyle by Norah Halstead

This is a good beginner book on growing herbs to be used in a holistic, more natural way to treat health problems and concerns. It, of course, cautions you to talk with your healthcare provider before you start adding to your synthetic, commercial options or doing any substituting, but herbal remedies are said to be safer than what you might be taking or using now.

There are good sections on growing your own herbs, storing them for use as dried herbs, essential oils, or salves, or including them in your meals for general well being. There is also a guide to more information in books and websites on the subject.

I particularly liked a section on building your own “herbal first aid kit.”

I have long thought about the idea of growing herbs on my divider in my kitchen so I can pinch off a bit to use in cooking. I’ve also been impressed by people who know which herb is good for upset stomach, or what to brew in a tea to help you sleep better. I like the idea of being able to substitute some herbs for commercial stuff I’m taking where possible.

This book is a good start on healing herbs. I will keep it for reference. I want to read more, but I’m getting less intimidated by the whole idea of fresh herbs than I used to be.

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September 24, 2023 · 11:24 am

At First Sight

sent to me by my friend, Carol.

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September 24, 2023 · 11:19 am

The Art of Andrii Frolov

Sunny Wave

Autumn Day

Evening Talk

Andrii Frolov Art – @kznsq on X

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September 24, 2023 · 10:46 am

Angie Wallace Fine Art

Angie Wallace Fine Art – @AngieWithLove on X –

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September 24, 2023 · 10:03 am

Sunday Thoughts 9-24-2023

Ales Krivec – Unsplash

The view out our back door looks much like this today. 75 degrees with 91% humidity. UGH. The valley has ‘cotton’ threaded through the valleys. Surreal. The weather folks can’t decide if we’ll get rain or not. Their wise forecast is ‘Maybe.’ :0)

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The steroid shot and eye cream the vet gave Amber yesterday allowed her to calm down and sleep well. She ate with appetite and was her usual barky-take-the-world-by-storm self as I let her out this morning. She was 97 lbs at the vet’s office yesterday, and almost pulled my husband down while we were trying to get her into the office and then into a room to be seen.

We take her tomorrow morning 1st thing for the surgery to remove the knot from her leg and the fine needle aspiration of the lump in her neck. We’ll deal with the diagnosis when it comes in. The big thing RIGHT NOW is to remember to put her food bowl somewhere weird tonight after dinner so that my husband doesn’t feed her automatically in the morning before he’s fully awake. I’ll also try to get him to wear his sneakers, rather than his sandals, so that he has a bit of traction on dealing with Amber at the vet’s.

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I made a bit of progress yesterday on the glassware I’m trying to etch for my friends. Soon I’ll try to figure out more details. I’m doing the free-form etching now, and of course it looks very different from the cream-with-stencils part I’ve already done. I’m trying to decide if I want to leave the cream etching as it is or try to outline the designs with the engraving pen. Then there’s the question of whether to leave them as they are at that point or use some glass paint on them. So many decisions on a project I don’t know will ‘work…’

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Women’s Health

Shout-out to Cathy, who has finished her radiation and chemo! She sees her doc Wednesday, and meanwhile is resting and trying to eat well and regain strength. Sending lots of gentle, heartfelt hugs your way today, Girl!

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Champagne Flutes “Copper Flowers” One-of-a-kind, hand-painted pair – $41.99 with FREE SHIPPING to the contiguous U.S. HandmadeHavenByLinda on Etsy

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And in the “Awwww – Isn’t she cute” category –

I made the first biscuits of my life yesterday! I used a recipe I found on YouTube, threw caution and intimidation to the winds and tried it. The best part is that my husband said, “These are good. I want to eat a couple tomorrow with butter and jelly.” They LOOKED right. They were edible. I DID IT! I know it isn’t cute anymore that I’ve found something ELSE I’ve never done and might suck at, but I’m patting myself on the back this morning as I type this. Can you see me grinning?

BoredPanda.com

Happy Sunday!

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September 23, 2023 · 2:44 pm

Sarah Eden Portraits

Sarah Eden Portraits – @edenportraits on X

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September 23, 2023 · 2:35 pm

More Nick Mackman Sculpture

Nick Mackman Animal Sculpture

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September 23, 2023 · 11:43 am

Never Too Much Peter Hogarth

Peter Hogarth Animal Portraits – @peterhogarth55 on X

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