Clean floors boost my spirits....

All the floors are washed and shiny.  With seven dogs, that task happens much too often but is well worth the effort.  Many people ask "How can you keep your house clean with so many long haired drooling dogs with muddy paws?"  It is fairly easy with the right tools, meaning a heavy duty shop vac and a Hoover Floormate filled with Pledge Wood Floor cleaner.  Works like a charm!  What is even better is when Ralph vacuums and I wash.  We can do the whole house in about 45 minutes and the house feels like velvet under our bare feet.  Now if I could find someone who liked to do windows and wash off nose prints...lol.

 All the dogs have finished their agility lessons, their beds are all washed and clean, and now they will settle down for the night.

And did I mention my floors are clean???

Take care,
Liz

Waiting for hurricane Irene....

Although we have some serious thundershowers coming through LONG before Hurricane Irene is a threat to this area, people are now gearing up to prepare for Sunday when the storm is predicted to visit.  If I watch the weather channel for too long, I get uneasy.  Much better to do the things needed, then engage in activities that have nothing to do with storm updates.  Too much information over and over feels almost cult-like in presentation.  So we will check our properties, batten down the light loose things, make sure we have plenty of water, bread, and easy to fix foods for us and the dogs, then gear our minds to other interests.  Today is only Thursday so it is a little early to don a long yellow raincoat and run around in circles crying "There's a hurricane a'commin'".  Laundry is clean, house is picked up, dogs are exercised, and life goes on.  When Irene finally shows herself on Sunday, we will snuggle in (just like we do for our nor'easters), have the generator gassed and set to use if needed, and just use the storm time to be close as a family, dogs, parakeets and people together.  We cannot control Mother Nature but we can control how we react to her. Being wise and prepared is much healthier than being ill-prepared and frantic.  May you all stay safe wherever you are.  If asked to evacuate, do it.  No materialistic item is worth a life being lost.  Take your pets, too.  Be safe!

Getting older....

Zac taking a midday nap.

Now that Ralph and I are in our sixties, we notice we have to plan out our adventures at a different pace leaving more time in between for our bodies to catch up once again.  Gone are the days where we can just go-go-go at a steady pace all day long.  This is not a negative turn of events, just something we have noticed that has slowly crept into our behavior patterns.  I never used to get drowsy in the daytime, and taking a nap was totally out of the question.  Now it is very doable.  Really quiet times used to be boring.  Now they are a refreshing break in the action.  Yes, we still run around the yard throwing frisbees for the dogs, clean our home vigorously, and do plenty of active things, but it wouldn't be surprising to find us sitting quietly and a little zoned out either.  I can remember looking at older people and wondering how they could just sit and seem lost somewhere in their thoughts even though a lot of action was going on around them?  Now I finally "get it".

Kati settling down to sleep for a bit.

We are having another wonderful day in Maine, with sunshine, and temps in the seventies.  We have played frisbee, done some house work, had a blood test at the doctors, walked, prepared healthy meals, but we have also rested more than once, relaxed, and given our bodies some time to recoup for the next demand.  The dogs are used to our up and down times and rest when we rest, and work when we work.  It all works somehow.
Take care, Liz.

Summer in Maine....

Our huge park like lawn.

The play of shadow and light.

What a beautiful day in the seventies today with all the trees full and green.  There is a delightful cool breeze, the sun is bright, and the shadows several degrees cooler than the sunny areas.  A perfect summer New England day.  We picked this property when we moved from the woods because it was a small house that looks like it is set in a huge park.  Of course, that means we have at least an acre of lawn to mow that circles the house, but the grounds are dotted with huge mature trees that play with the sun, creating all sorts of neat shadows.  We are far enough outside of town to be out of the hubbub, have no close neighbors on

Still have blueberries to pick!

 either side, are next door to a Dunkin' Donuts  http://www.dunkindonuts.com/    across the street from our bank and the mechanic who fixes our cars, a few doors down from Shain's (the best ice cream made in Maine) http://www.shainsofmaine.com/    and just a five minute drive from just about any purchase you can imagine, including Marden's.  http://mardens.com/  There is even a bus service to all major shopping and all the way to the coast if we ever needed it.  Our dogs have a gigantic fenced in area to play, then another large area to do agility, and there is still tons of lawn left for humans who want to be out without dogs under their feet.  New England is area full of cherished trees and we like it that way.  Fall is on the way, but for today, it is a wonderful summer day with no sweating, air conditioning, or damp air involved.  There is nowhere that I would rather be today.  The breezes keep the bugs away, the clear air feels invigorating, and the lush countryside inviting to explore.  Soon we will begin seeing splashes of bright strong colors as fall slowly moves in.  The beauty of fall in New England puts even the best artists to shame.  Mother Nature is the best painter of all!

Take care,
Liz

The dogs' play area including giant shade trees.

What do simple folks like us do on our anniversary???

We look in the tractor supply store, of course...lol.  Well, that is not ALL we did, but needed to find some good clippers for our dogs' paws...all 28 of them.  Our old clippers have bit the dust so we splurged on a new pair.  We also did a little grocery shopping, had delicious homemade BLTs made from our own tomatoes, got a long call from our son who presently lives in Malaysia, have some minute steaks planned for supper, and just chilled and enjoyed our dogs.  No fancy clothes, no going out to dinner, no big celebrations, no huge materialistic gifts.  We just thankfully appreciated what we presently have.  Our life together might seem very boring to most people, but it works for us.  Thanks for all the congratulations and well wishes!  We appreciate every kind thought.

Take Care,
Liz (and Ralph)
And seven dogs
And 8 parakeets!

Our two new dogs are both afraid of thunder......

l-r: Sadie the "panter" and Lucy the "tunnel maker".

Had a loud thundershower late this afternoon and our two new dogs are afraid of the loud thunder.  Lucy immediately climbed up on our bed and hid behind the many stacked pillows at the head, as if making a little "thunder safe den".  Sadie was more stressed out, panting and unable to settle down without being cuddled and petted and cuddled and petted.  So I asked a fellow dog lover (Bea) who told me about Ttouch.  At this point I know no more about it than you, the reader (or maybe you know much more than me), ..... but hope to study up on it and see if we can calm down these two newbies.  Who knows, maybe we can find a workable solution?  Will keep you posted if we try it out and it works.

Spent a busy two hours preening our dogs.....

Lexi, who will be 13 in October.

It was time to brush all the dogs, cut nails, cut fur from between toes, check ears, remove any mats, check teeth, and do all the other tasks it takes to keep seven dogs clean, brushed, and healthy.  I was adding it up: four paws times seven dogs is 28 paws to tend.  Each paw has a minimum of 4 nails only if the dew claws are removed, so that is 112 nails, plus the assorted dew claws we cut this morning.  Sam still has an abscess that has to be drained, so that is another thing to address.  No one is taking any meds at present, but every one has to have their glucosamine every day for good joint health.  In their kibble, we always add a little fresh boiled chicken breast and broth so that has to be purchased and cooked every three days.  Ralph takes them on two walks a day, between us they have two to three frisbee playing sessions a day, plus every dog does some sort of agility even if it is very minimal for the very old dogs.  What does all this caring do for them?  It keeps them feeling loved, adored, and important.  What does all this caring do for us?  It keeps us busy, occupied doing something positive, and in much healthier shape than some people we see in their 60's.  My grandfather always told me that if you care for something or someone besides yourself, you are much healthier for it.  How right he was (and is!).  Thank you, Gramps, and thank you Sam, Sadie, Lucy, Jazz, Lexi, Zac, and Kati.

Take care,
Liz

Television memory lane....

Every now and then Ralph and I will watch the whole series of an old show.  A while ago it was "All Creatures Great and Small", including the two movies made and the change from Carol Drinkwater to Lynda Bellingham playing the role of Helen Herriot.  The best seasons were the first three and the last season because those seasons dealt much more with veterinary issues and much less with soap opera stuff.  Ralph and I immensely enjoyed watching a few episodes each evening or weekend afternoons instead of the usual reruns or sensational stuff which seems to be the trend today.  There is something soothing about watching nature as it truly is.  It is the circle of life.

Lately we have been begun the quest of watching every episode of Northern Exposure.  What a trip down memory lane breathing in all the different characters, all who melded together so well, even Joel Fleischman who fought his indentured medical obligations  at every turn.  The writing for this show is incredible with all the characters having their good points and their bad points.  No exciting shoot outs, no stomach turning car chases, no blood and gore, no shock and awe.....just everyday people living their lives in their own eclectic beautiful ways.  I feel very fortunate to be married to someone who likes these  quiet, introspective shows, too.  My anxiety is still not under control, but these peaceful moments spent together in such a special way truly do help calm my soul.


Take care,
Liz

Still healing.....

Still not feeling 100% well yet, but heading in that direction.  Just got back home and taking some time to just rest.  Gave all the dogs a biscuit or half a biscuit according to their weight, refreshed all the dog water bowls, and now am pampering myself.  Ralph is still at the chiropractor getting "adjusted".

Our little house is starting to quiet down to normalcy once again.  Any dog who wasn't "fixed" is now "fixed".  All seven dogs are clean, bathed, healing, rested, exercised, loved, and adored.  Our next trick will be seeing if we can get a picture of all seven sitting together.  Our normal five are "old hats" at posing for our cameras but the new two will take some training.  It ought to be an interesting session getting them all to sit in one general area of the house and smile at the camera...lol.

Back l-r, Sam, Jazz, Lexi
Front l-r, Kati, Zac, Sadie, Lucy

Hopefully Ralph will pick me up a smoothie on his way home and I can pretend I am on a tropical beach somewhere just enjoying the sound of the waves caressing the sand.  Odd thing is, if I cannot see our dogs as part of that vision, then I would rather be right here.  Guess I am truly a dog person!

Take care,
Liz

Update...Sadie is home and resting

Sadie the sheltie and Lucy the BC

Sadie is back home and resting in her crate.  Her incision is very small so should heal quickly.  She snuggled with me for several minutes then began to get a little drowsy because of the medication.  Ralph gently put her in her crate.

It feels wonderful to have our two new dogs moving forward in joining our family.  It gives us all something to look forward to.  And to top it off, Zena is also rescued and beginning life in her new foster home.  In few weeks, the lives of 3 dogs have changed.  It is so uplifting to know how easy it is to make a difference in your own little corner of the world.

I thought of Warren Buffett's statement today about how that the wealthy have to step up to the plate and pay their fair share.  I think of all the greedy folks who value their worth by how much money they can hoard and keep from having to share it with the folks they consider beneath them.  I am so thankful I was brought up by my grandfather to see the folly in that approach to life.  Bless his heart for teaching me that helping others (including animals) is so much more important than grasping materialistic "things" and sitting on piles of money when those around you are in need.  Bless all the "everyday people" who know the difference and volunteer their time and meager funds to make their communities better.   Just sayin'.

Take care,
Liz

Getting over the hump.....

Still feeling under the weather.  Don't know if it is an illness or my anxiety pulling a fast on on me, but just taking things as they come.  Have heard from the vet that Sadie made it through her spaying just fine and Ralph will be able to pick her up this afternoon.  That's a thumbs up for our little girl.  Even if my own health does not improve this afternoon, I can still snuggle with Sadie when she needs it and let her know she will heal quickly.  How special is that!  All her blood work came back positive, so she is in good shape.  Now she just has to heal from her surgery, fatten up a bit, gain some agility muscle, and she will fit into our dog family beautifully.  Expecting lots of endearing moments with this little lady!

Have also heard from Gina, the foster mom of Zena.  Can you tell we all care about our dogs dearly?!

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"Doing well, other dogs are fine with her. Jonesy a little pinched lipped but didn't say anything. Howled last night as I left her in a crate in the dog room. So I put Emma in there with her as she kept answering her and I didn't hear anything until 3:30 when Emma decided she needed to be with us again. I let Emma in and Zena was fine. Can't blame her for being upset though. Zena has met everyone this morning except Duff. I haven't had a lot of interaction between them incase something should go wrong as Zena has just had surgery, err on the safe side.


Has she ever met cats - hasn't taken any notice of mine and we have one not any bigger than her duck toy. Zena is a very nice dog.
I'll try and keep Zena quiet for a week, which won't be easy then she is going to need to play with the others. I let her into the small dog run without a leash to trot about.  Emma's the most excited about her - more the merry Emma's thinks."

Gina

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By the way, Emma was one of our earlier NEBCR fosters that Gina adopted and is doing wonderfully on Gina's farm.  Ralph and I are very excited that Zena is also getting an opportunity to see if she can settle into this rural setting.  Keeping all fingers and toes crossed!  

Take care,

Liz

Zena is off to her new foster home....

Our latest foster Zena was spayed yesterday and today is off to her new foster home.  Since Zena has been trained on sheep herding and we do not have any sheep, Gina offered to foster her.  Gina has a huge farm with a bunch of sheep and a nice sized pond to jump into all day long.  Hopefully Zena will adapt to her new foster home quickly and who knows, maybe adopted permanently there.  How exciting would that be!  This is a delightful middle aged dog who likes to work and play hard.  Keeping all my fingers and toes crossed that things work out well for her at Gina's wonderful place.

Meant to be....

Sometimes, the powers that be send us very clear messages if we are quiet enough to hear them. Our last two dogs that passed away, one of old age, the other of pancreatic cancer, were Lucy and Sadie. The two new dogs that have just come into our lives are....drum roll inserted here....Lucy and Sadie. Lucy came to us on the 100th birthday of Lucile Ball and Sadie came to us on my grandfather's birthday. My grandfather brought me up. He was my mother, my father, and my grandfather all rolled into one. Yes, these are just coincidences....but are they also signs that life truly is a circle in many ways if we take the time to notice.

I am having another trying day anxiety wise but holding our dogs, tending to their different needs, and taking the time to honor what's good in my life can sometimes make a huge difference. Yes, I have an upset stomach, the trembles, feel out of sorts, and overwhelmed, but I am also experiencing moments of tenderness, laughter, and a bit of hope. My 11 year old little guy Sheltie Sam has an abscess in his cheek. He has had two surgeries to no avail. Whatever foreign body is in there has yet to work its way out. Yet, with natural remedies, he is full of life, beebopping around with joy in his heart. He rolls right over onto his back, lets me tend to his wound and keep it drained for him. No yelps. No complaints. What the animal doctors have charged us thousands of dollars in surgeries and could not correct, we are now handling in a natural way. Sometimes natural is the best approach for an 11 year old little guy who has been traumatized enough. Here's hoping the tincture will finally accomplish what all the surgeries could not. Keeping the faith!

Life is all about change, isn't it?

I chuckle because I keep having to change my password to get into my own blog since I keep forgetting it. Must be a sign of old age or something, but thankfully, I still manage to muck my way through all the demands needed to blog once again.

After deciding we would just let our dog family dwindle, and just foster once in a while, we jumped in head first and are in the process of adopting two new dogs. This will bring our pack back up to seven, one more than we were planning. Still, it all seems to work somehow and the dogs bring us great joy, love, and compassion. The more the merrier. So a giant welcome to Lucy the Border Collie and Sadie the Sheltie. May you bring us laughter and lots of doggy kisses for years to come!

So we have two new sweet dogs to hold and care for!

Sadie is a lovely little princess who actually prances when she runs. She is almost seven years old. Lucy is a tiny BC, one of the smallest I have ever seen but estimated to be between 2-4 years old. She is a pistol, just full of energy. With our other 5 "regulars", they ought to keep us hopping.

As I have mentioned a few times before, I have an anxiety disorder that rears its ugly head every now and then when I least expect it. Right now I am once again having a pretty tough time of it. Unpredictable panic attacks are no picnic but living panic free just doesn't seem to be in my immediate future. What IS in my future is being able to divert my own thoughts to positive ones by adopting, caring for, and loving these precious animals. No, my panic does not disappear with this approach but it does get me thinking about someone besides myself when the going is tough. I highly recommend that anyone with an anxiety disorder look for ways to help others during some of your most trying times. It makes a difference to who you are helping and helps you to feel better about yourself!

Presently in my stained glass phase of life.

On a journey of fulfilling one of my "bucket list" endeavors of working in stained glass. Have found a good teacher who taught me the proper techniques, have now completed two pieces and am presently working on a 3rd. Not ready to cross this off the list yet, though.

Long time away from here.....

Wow, time passes too quickly. Toss in a little laziness, and soon it is two years since blogging. I figure it is time to check in, at least. There have been many changes in our lives, but many things have also stayed the same. We moved closer to civilization but still own our house in the woods, too. We still have a pack of dogs, but a few of the faces have changed. We still have our parakeets, but have lost a few from old age and gained several to replace them. Ralph has officially retired but is still working half time at his same job. I still stay home with the dogs and care for the house but it is just a different house. Our son still resides on the other side of the world but makes it home to Maine every now and then so we can remember who he is. Our home has occasions it is loaded with people and other stretches of time it is very quiet. I still have my battles with anxiety, but also have times of peace. Basically, life just moves forward, ever changing but also remaining the same. It is like the great mandala, one of my favorite Peter, Paul, and Mary songs.

Uplifting Benefits of Technology

Who would have thought that I would enjoy Facebook so much?  I have run into students I taught in 1972 all the way through 1993 when I stopped teaching for health reasons.  It is so interesting seeing students interact with us that are decades apart, yet "the Voses" are the common denominator.  Some of our students are just 4 years younger than us, so they are 55-56 years old...yikes.  Others are still in their mid thirties somewhere, and every age group in between.  This is an outstanding giant moment back in time that would not have taken place without the internet and Facebook.

Another great thing is our home movies.  We are able now to transfer all those VHS tapes to digital and enjoy seeing snippets of our lives many years ago.  What fun it is to go back and relive the actual events.  Memories are wonderful but do get warped in our minds.  Visually seeing and hearing ourselves as things really were has turned out to be a much more positive adventure than one might think.  I guess I have come to appreciate all the positive aspects of all this ever-changing technology.

A Gift Has Left Us.

Lucy, our oldest sheltie, passed away last month.  She was 13.  We are still deeply missing her.  She got more cards and emails than I ever expect to generate when it is my turn to leave this earth.  

Lucy was five when one of my ex-choral students rescued her from a dark, dirty cellar where she had spent the first 5 years of her life.  Lucy weighed just 17 pounds when she was brought to us, was just loaded with fleas, had several fiery red hot spots on her body, and was extremely dehydrated.  She was so filthy from years of no bathing that there was no white visible on her coat.  She stunk so badly that we instantly had to bathe her just to see what was wrong with her skin.

Next she was taken to our vet, so he could check her out carefully, and to be sure the patchy spots on her were not some sort of mange.  Since we had other dogs, we had to keep them separated from her until we were sure what skin diseases she had.

Back at home, tar baths became a regular procedure until her skin began to clear a bit.  We put her on Front Line, and Heart Guard once we got the okay from the vet to do so.  She was not spayed and couldn't be for a time because she was too weak and also in heat.

Week by week, she began to gain weight, her coat slowly became healthy, and we were finally able to have her neutered.  There was a sadness about Lucy for several months...a depression of sorts because her life had been so horrid in the cellar.  She was afraid to go outside because she had not been exposed to that much light, so it took some time for her to get used to enjoying the outdoors.  Eventually her depression began to lift and this look of joy came over her face...this special light in her eyes.  She began to enjoy life.

Even with all the negatives that happened for those first five years, Lucy was the gentlest sheltie of all the ones we have had or presently have.  She loved children (unlike many shelties who tend to be skittish around little ones), and was always happiest resting her chin on someone's foot.

We are very thankful for our wonderful gift.  She turned out to be the most expensive free dog we ever rescued but worth a million times what we ever spent on her.  She gave us love, joy, and tons of kisses in her short time with us.  May she rest in quiet peace mixed with tons of security and love.  We miss you, Lucy.

Take care,

gardeningartist

Late summer harvest

My 4 shelties all like fresh veggies.  They get very excited when they see fresh green peppers and thankfully, with all the rain we had this summer, we have plenty of those.  Here are a few shots of our fresh garden peppers and the crazy dogs that eat them:

A strange summer

New England has had a very odd summer this year, with lots of rain, and little sunshine.  Thankfully the weather has been much better the last week or so, and the tomatoes in the garden are finally ripening.  Without sunshine, the tomatoes were all staying green, but the peppers were in seventh heaven.  Tomorrow, my husband and I are going to have BLTs for both lunch and supper, just because the tomatoes out of our garden are so delicious.   The cherry variety just pop in our mouths and release such a sweet, perfect taste.  

The dogs have had a great summer, all 6 staying healthy and busy.  On the hot days, they stay inside wherever the air-conditioning  is going on.  Here are few photos of some of them just staying cool and relaxed: