...that life is a very curvy road.

Had a wonderful visit from our son.  Now that he is on his way back to the other side of the globe, we now have several things to deal with, some quite serious and others quite fun.  Happy Birthday, Marc.

Lexi

Our three older dogs, Lexi (14), Jazz (12), and Sam (12) are needing a lot of extra attention, and I am the lady ready to give it.  Lexi's tumors are growing back very quickly, she is finding it very hard to get around and walk, so I am keeping her close 24/7 and helping her in every way possible.  She is too old to bear another surgery and the probable results is that the tumors would just come back like they did after the last surgery,  She will not be with us much longer so I want her to be feel comforted and loved in these days we have left with her. We have done everything humanly possible for her and now it is time for a higher power to decide how many more days we get to hug her and appreciate her. Bless her dear heart. She has spent her lifetime watching over me and is my very best doggie friend.

Jazz is still getting around pretty well, but sleeps most of the day, and is sometimes quite hard to wake up.  Both Lexi and Jazz still get their monthly acupuncture.  It keeps Jazz moving around and was doing so for Lexi, too.  Thankfully, Jazz still gets around fairly well once he has been up for a while, and still loves to amble around and bark at the younger dogs during their playtime.  Since he is mostly deaf, we have to use sign language with him, and go wake him up when it is time for a meal or to go pee.  He cannot hear us call him.

All getting a taste of ice cream

Sam is doing the best of the three at present but his quirk is that he has decided not to use the dog door.  I just have to remember to let him in and out often, and that works well.  He still gets around fine, his saliva gland is staying healthy with remedies from his homeopathic vet.  He gets two doses a day and that does the trick.  No more swollen faces, thanks to his vet.

The two middle aged dogs...Zac and Sadie are doing quite well.  Zac has tested positive for Lyme again this year (his vet called this morning with the results of his blood test) so we will have to go pick up some antibiotics for him to take.  Sadie is doing fine and acts like a much younger dog.

The young ones, Kati, Toby, and Lucy are full of energy, all healthy, and did I mention, full of energy? They do everything with great gusto and eagerness, from agility to just going for a walk.  They request several lengthy ball playing sessions a day so Ralph and I get exercised daily, too.

My great grandmother and her
twin sons.

Have been doing a lot of work on my ancestry tree and find it so interesting.  I have put up quite a few photos on Ancestry.com and plan to add more.  Tracing down my son's ancestors so he will have both my husband's and my family trees to go visit whenever he finds an interest to do so.

Have my stained glass piece close to finished so will be starting some new things very soon.  So glad to have found such a creative hobby that keeps my imaginative mind engaged.

Some of the plants I have been bringing over from the other house are beginning to get used to this new property.  My white clematis is in full bloom today down by the pond.  The spearmint and chocolate mint are growing strongly by the agility fence and will be used for tea this summer and through the next winter.  I always dry a bunch.  Also it is time to put in tomato, pepper, and cucumber plants since they always taste so much better than the supermarket rubber veggies.  Thankfully, we also have local farmers' markets with tasty Maine grown products.  A lot to be thankful for.


Life is a mixture of so many varied emotions and I plan to experience many of them in the coming weeks.  May you all embrace the many twists and turns that life brings you!
Take care,
gardeningartist

...about making lemonade when life gives lemons.

The huge moon!

This has been an unpredictable week, not that any future moment is 100% predictable, but this week has been extraordinarily odd.  For several weeks, my husband and I have been excitedly looking forward to a rare visit from our son.  We cherish these moments with him so dearly and they seem to pass much too quickly.

Our Son

When our son arrived this past Sunday evening, it was clear he was not feeling well. He had arrived with a bad cold and just not feeling up to par.  Ralph and I tried to coax him into going out and capturing some photos of the huge moon but he was just too ill and tired.

At Emergency Vet

We all turned in around 11 PM, and that was when we discovered that one of our old shelties had a large bleeding sore on her leg.  Not knowing what to do, my husband and I took her to the emergency vet in Portsmouth, NH.  It ended up being a sort of bed sore caused by sleeping on the hard floor.  Lexi has many soft beds to sleep on, but being a cold weather dog, she always chooses the cold wooden floor.  Anyway, her leg was a mess so it took a while to get it all bandaged using a doughnut sort of shape so she could not put pressure on the wound.  By 3 AM we were back home and finally got to rest.

Lexi

Monday and Tuesday went very well.  Marc rested a lot, we had supper with friends on Tuesday, Lexi went to a couple of vet visits, I had some acupuncture.  All seemed to be going along quite well.  Then Tuesday night, I got my son's cold, so now two people and one dog were ill.  By Thursday night, Ralph was added to the list.  Today, (Friday), our son is beginning to see the end of the worst part of his cold, I am in the middle of mine, and Ralph is at the beginning of his.  Lexi needs lots of care, but her leg is slowly healing.

When one thinks of our son visiting and all the ways we could have spent it, this is definitely a time when we have to settle just making lemonade when life gives us lemons.  We have all stayed in fairly good moods, taken good care of one another, and taken good care of all our dear dogs, too.  We have gone nowhere, and done nothing, but sometimes, just making lemonade is the best we can do.

Me

We are warm, we are all safe, we have a roof over our heads, we share a lot of love and humor, and are just waiting for our colds to take a hike.  They will eventually.  My husband's birthday, Mother's Day, and our son's birthday will all be honored in the next days, no matter if we party or just quietly support one another quietly through these special days.  It really doesn't matter.  What matters is that we are all together and share a bond of caring.  It can't get any better than that.  We are a family and that is what truly counts.



Take care,
gardeningartist

This March weather is just unbelievable.  So warm, sunny, and spring like.  All the windows in our home are open today, the dogs are having a grand time playing outside then resting inside, and both my husband and I feel somehow lighter with these refreshing temperatures.

Lexi and Toby snoozing on our bed.

We have several little blessings of which we are delightfully thankful.  First off, both of us and all our pets are presently quite healthy.  Our Lexi sheltie came through her surgery just fine and has been amusing us by now being able to come up the ramp and sleep on our bed all by herself once again after years of not being able to do so.  What a joy to have her close.  Also, we have a new family member who also enjoys sleeping next to us at night.  What a little pistol he is.  He runs like the wind, is now Lucy the BC's favorite playmate, and even like gardening with me.

Presently, my husband has 6 of our 8 dogs over at our agility building.  They love going there and learning how to handle all the different obstacles.  It is also a very positive work out for Ralph and helps to keep is aging body in shape.  Certainly, an especially fun way to stay active.

I will be 62 in two days.  The years have passed so quickly.  I can remember when I thought anyone that was in his/her sixties was super old.  Now that I am in this class, perhaps my youthful perceptions were a bit wrong.  I still seem to have plenty of life left in this body. It doesn't look young and "perky" any longer, but looks can be deceiving.

Ralph and I are certainly thrilled by much less than we used to be.  Just waking up to have another day to enjoy is very cool.  Getting moments to do things between health issues...lol...is pretty cool.  Being able to spend all our money on our dogs is such a cool thing.  Having so many caring, interesting people in our lives is mighty cool, too.  Yes, there are more stressful times due to health now that we are getting up there in years, but all the "coolness" in our lives balances it all out.

So on this gorgeous, sunny day in southern Maine, this "cool" family is thankful.  We have another shot at making memories.

Sending joy, peace, and meaning to all that read this!
Take care,
Gardeningartist

...our strange winter weather.

We have had cold days and warm days all winter.  The snow cover just is not staying in southern Maine, so on the warm days like today, it is exactly like Spring mud season over and over.  My oak wood floors glistened beautifully two days ago and today it looks as if a football teams has trampled through here straight off the field.

 I am not sure how I feel about our climate warming up.  Whether it is caused by atmospheric pollution or is a natural occurrence of the universe, I do know it seems strange.  Nature is taking a jolt in this area and flora and fauna are confused with this "new normal".  Many of our trees and flowers need a cold blanket of snow to sleep deeply.  Without that cover, the stress is taking its toll.

Will the plants and animals that are indigenous to our area be able to hang on or will our native plants and animals change with the climate?  For example, lilacs are very happy in our zone, but in the last years, I have noticed they are blooming earlier and earlier.  Some of my forsythias have gotten so confused that a few years ago, some buds actually opened in the fall (odd to see) and again in early spring which is their normal blooming time.  Our dogs get winter coats but when we have days in the 40F-50F range in the winter in Maine, the winter coat doesn't really know whether it should stay or shed.


I have to truthfully say, I enjoy having less snow and ice to deal with but, being a gardener, also can see the negative aspects of it, too.  It will be an interesting future seeing what the world holds for us as the ice caps grow smaller and smaller and our area gets warmer and warmer.  I know that Europe has been having some terrible times dealing with too much snow, too much ice, and too much cold.  Then there are also pockets in Alaska just buried in snow.  Is this all "normal" or are we changing our world ourselves with careless emissions of manmade gasses?  I don't know but do know it is worth watching and pondering about.  Just thinking....    

...about my addictions.

Everyone has addictions of one sort or another.  I don't drink, I don't smoke, never done drugs, don't drink coffee, the list goes on.  But that does not mean I am at all free of addictions.  I love facebook because it has given me the opportunity to reconnect with so many wonderful people who too briefly passed through my life during my childhood, my own school days, and my teaching years.  To be able to reconnect with so many is such a unique gift I never thought would be possible.  Several years ago at Thanksgiving, we were going around the table stating what we each were thankful for and my "clever" son answered "technology".  At the time we all laughed and remarked "How deep of you!"  Now I am beginning to believe he was way ahead of us in his things to be thankful for.  Today, I can truthfully say I agree with him.  I am on my computer way too much, but it is a wonderful, rewarding addiction to have.

Another addiction is our dogs.  As heaven takes them back, we keep adopting new ones.  Since we have become dog rescuers and owners, we have received more delight and joy in our home than we could ever imagine.  From when we get up in the morning until when we finally drop off to sleep at night, our lives revolve around our dogs.  We feed them, hug them, tend their wounds, train them, take them for walks and rides, comfort them, play games with them, bathe them...the responsibilities are many.  But they love us deeply and do everything in their power to help us feel the world is a wonderful place to be a part of and how very lucky we are.  Dogs stay in the moment and only anticipate the very next moment.  Their anticipation is always filled with eagerness and joy.  Right now, five of our dogs are with Ralph at the agility building going through their paces and our other two are here with me, both having much needed quiet naps.  They appreciate all the things we too easily take for granted.


Another addiction of mine is NCIS.  That sounds so surface like, but I love the show and the interactions between the characters.  When I was a little girl, we had a neighbor who loved Perry Mason.  It was on every Sunday evening, and she would have her coffee and toast already for her once a week fix.  Her large arch-shaped living room doors would be closed from everyone, and that hour would be hers (and Mr. Mason's).  So if we were there playing with her daughter (a childhood friend), we were not allowed to bother her for that hour.  Any other time, she was always available and doted on us all.  I am sort of like this with NCIS except that it is on nearly everyday so has now almost become my background music.  It is on no matter how many times I have seen it.  Addiction?  You bet.

Of course there are addictions I am fighting....like eating too much food, being too sedentary, being too concerned about health issues, yadda-yadda but I am not alone in these areas.  These are "fighting one step at a time" addictions.  Have been losing weight, getting out and about, seeing the right health gurus, and so on.  These will be pesky foes as long as I am alive, so might has well stay in the present and not get wound up about what's ahead down the road for me.



So I will play on my computer with NCIS playing in the background, hug my dogs, watch what I eat, get out and go shopping, and keep myself as healthy as possible.  And I will, as Marc is, be very thankful for technology...lol.

...about aging.

Getting old is serious stuff.  Our bodies are not as agreeable to be flexible as they were when we were thirty and we find ourselves having to get more and more things checked out so that our bodies keep working properly.  Our minds slowly change also and we start to find we must pause more to find the right word, the right thought, or the right memory to share with others.  Often times, I see comments about "old people" getting in the way or slowing down traffic or making shopping much harder for those younger folks who still have the "taken for granted" ability to zip in and out of situations with hardly a thought.  As we age, "zipping" becomes more of a memory than an actual way of moving.



So how do us older folks feel about this whole process?  To be honest, sometimes it is downright depressing to feel in the way holding up the works and making younger folks irritated.  But there is also an amusing side to all of this, too, because laughing at all the changes that age can cause is much better than moping over it.  We are aware that we are nearer the end of our lives than the beginning, but it lets down so many barriers that we do not have to worry about.  That can be fun.  While younger folks are still attempting to behave with decorum, we older folks have gained the right to just relax our behaviors.  It is easier to say what we truly feel, irritate people who are being obnoxious, and just generally have fun with it.  We can be easily open with our doctors, with our family members, with our friends, and with total strangers.  We have time to stop and fully embrace an appealing moment because there is no hurry to rush anywhere.  We can take a nap in the middle of the day without guilt.  We can do hobbies that appeal to us, take our time with them, and begin to let others do the "shoveling" of all the stuff we never liked to do anyway.

Yes, it is an interesting time...not at all what I expected, but still interesting.  Waking up is not taken for granted now but rather a honored blessing.  Being able to get around and do our day to day tasks is a true gift and one deeply appreciated.  It is so positive to not be wanting more "stuff" because we finally have the time to completely enjoy the things we already have amassed and never had the time to use fully.  We find ourself paring down on materialistic things just because we are tired to keep moving them about and dusting them...lol.  We enjoy having less space but with a very comfortable chair and our favorite things at our fingertips.  We finally understand the saying that "less is more".  Time passes much quicker and it is much more urgent to spend it in enjoyable ways and with enjoyable people and pets.  Life is definitely a mandala, spinning round and round, the seasons passing by quickly.  Hopefully, most of us find much humor mixed into the whole process.

Take care,
Liz

...about the humor in being married for many years.

When a couple has been together for as many years as we have, we begin to have our own language and behaviors just like twins do when they are young. Many times through the day, we find ourselves chuckling over the things we do so naturally that would look ridiculous to others.  To us, these habits are amusing.  For example, I put on jeans and a shirt and wear them the entire day.  My outfit works for shopping, playing frisbee with the dogs, watching tv, doing housework, and so on.  Ralph, on the other hand, has school clothes, agility clothes, dog walking clothes, cleaning clothes, shopping clothes, tv watching clothes, yaddah-yaddah.  So when we get ready to do something, I always have to wait for him to put on the appropriate clothes.  Now granted, to anyone outside our family, the clothes look basically the same, but he finds a humorous comfort in this habit.  While he is changing, I have learned to just play a game that lasts a few minutes on my computer so I don't have to be annoyed waiting for him.

Another thing is his Christmas duck made out of an old piece of very rough wood.  I have all the Christmas decoration boxes labelled so I can find what I need each season.  Well, while I was otherwise occupied one day many years ago, Ralph added "No Duck" to all the boxes except the one he put it in, which he labelled "DUCK!!!" .....so when he gets out the decorations each year, that duck is the very first thing he gets out and puts up on the mantle.  Anyone who saw the boxes would probably wonder what the duck labels are all about.  

The differences in our personalities and expectations is like day and night.  He can hide something he is waiting for me to find, and if it takes months or even years for me to find it, he never gets impatient.  It is very odd to discover something…a note or a little gift…several months after he hid it for me to discover.  This has happened on several occasions.  If I hide something I want him to discover, it eats away at me steadily until I finally have to tell him where it is.  The most I have been able to keep my mouth shut is maybe a couple days…lol.  Then I get impatient and ask him why he didn't look in his sock drawer or whatever.  How he can maintain that much patience I have no idea?  It amazes me.  

We made a pact as we aged to help finish each other's sentences since we kept forgetting words.  It worked well, but now that we have aged even more, sometimes neither of us can remember a word we want to say, so our conversations take on a very unique and oddly funny banter back and forth while we discover what we are not finding the words to say.  It is not unlike the game of Jeopardy in some cases or Name That Tune.  "Did you remember to pick up the…you know…the thing I asked you to get?"  I might ask.  "What thing?" he inquires.  "You know, the third thing on the list I gave you…" I respond.  "I lost the list", he replies, "but can you remember what store I was supposed to buy it?"  On and on we go until we finally hit the jackpot.  It never ceases to be an adventurous conversational journey when we are in this mode of trying to remember something.  It usually gets us both laughing.

We also have little jokes between us that others are not aware of.  Through years of living together, we don't have to say anything but we are both thinking the same funny thoughts.  Mixed up sentences are always fun like "he married his dead wife 30 years ago".  I read that one today in a biography.  I haven't shared it with Ralph yet, but this would keep one liners running through our heads for five minutes... and if we both actually wrote down our individual muses, our thoughts would be very similar.  Then we always have the running jokes like when we are given fries at the drive up window after we asked for none, and one of us will always mumble, "They must have been all out of no fries."  

Yes, being married and in each other's daily lives for 41 years is an interesting experience.  I have to say that humor is the reigning force that keeps it all working.  Ralph is at the agility building in Berwick teaching lessons right now, and yes, he is wearing his agility outfit….and yes, it looks like everything else he wears.  I still have on the jeans and shirt I put on this morning.  Married life goes on….lol.

....about the new year 2012.

It is now the end of year 2011 and what a year it has been.  The nicest event is gaining two new dogs to our canine family.  Lucy and Sadie are both wonderful little beings and we feel so blessed to have them join our family.  As the months have passed, they have meshed into our pack beautifully and brought joy to so many of our friends who visit us to spend time with the dogs.  Our older dogs, Lexi, Jazz, and Sam are delightful to have.  They are so well trained, spend much time sleeping, and show so much joy to be with us doing what they can manage.  We love them so dearly and although their time left with us might be short, we are treasuring every moment.  Kati and Zac are a special team who are the competing agility members of the crew at present.  They are also the frisbee stars, catching any frisbee thrown their way and bringing it right back to our feet.  Lots of times, Zac passes it off to Kati and she brings it in.  Teamwork!

My anxiety came back full force in February and decided to hang around almost all the rest of the year but finally, after a lot of work, I have tamed it once again. I feel very thankful to have such a nice group of friends and professionals to help me learn better ways to deal with panic/anxiety issues.  Thank you, each and every one of you!

Ralph retired at the end of June, then went back to work half time in July…lol…but it is wonderful to have him here at home much more.  Being here in Sanford, we have much less driving to get groceries, building supplies, etc which enables us to have more time just to relax and do our hobbies.  I am heavily into stained glass and Ralph is dividing his time between dog agility and woodworking.  

Hopefully, although we are in our sixties, we still have a lot of interesting years ahead of us and many more adventures to experience.  Health wise, we are both chugging along just fine.  I have lost nearly 50 pounds this year and hope to lose some more weight in 2012.  For both of us, having 7 energetic dogs keeps us both much more exercised than we might be otherwise so besides the quiet joy they bring us emotionally, there is a physical health benefit, too.  A lot of people remark how lucky the dogs are to have us, but the really astute folks also are aware of how lucky we are to have the dogs!  We are thankful to care for them.

Neither Ralph nor I have any ridiculous New Year's resolutions except what we always embrace….to continue to make our little corner of the world a pleasant, positive place…. one that contains plenty of humor and caring for all people with whom we interact.  We will continue to appreciate the wonderful beauty of diversity in the people around us and touch our lives.  Life can't get much nicer than that!

So to all who take the time to read this, have an adventurous 2012!  Both positive and negative things are bound to happen on the journey, but we all have the inner strength to move forward step by step and savor special little moments whenever they occur. Happy New Year!!

Take care,

Liz

....about how life changes day to day.

The Christmas season is here bringing much hope for positive changes to occur in the world. Our wishes are always for peace, good health, and equality for all people everywhere.  May we always have this desire within our hearts...the desire for goodness, tolerance, and understanding.

Sometimes though, unexpected changes happen in our own lives that change our treasured holiday plans.  This year there is some illness my extended family, and my own anxiety is still not under control.  I have had to cancel some special things I was really looking forward to experiencing. I feel so thankful that my dear friends and family understand, but a little sad that everything didn't come together without bumps in the road.

At these times, how we decide to process these changes shows us what we are made of.  I find it so hard to adapt to change but when given no opportunity to do otherwise, will work hard to embrace the positive, play down the negative, and eke out the best experiences I can within the present limitations.  Our son is home for a long visit, all our dogs are healthy, my husband is healthy, and except for my anxiety issues, I am doing well also.  Our tree is beautiful, the fire in the fireplace is delightfully warming, our home is clean, food is plentiful, I am being faithful to my diet, and Christmas joy abounds in our little home.  We say prayers for family and friends who are suffering and make ourselves available if needed.  Next week, we will have our grand niece with us to help out our extended family.  In helping them, it will bring more joy into our own lives.

For myself, when I am feeling calm, I take in every moment of happiness around me.  When struggling with stress and anxiety, I listen to my body's signals, and treat myself with gentleness and respect. It took me years to understand the importance of being as respectful to myself as I am to others.  May we all embrace the wisdom of giving ourselves a break when we need it and to be kind and forgiving to ourselves when we cannot always live up to our own expectations.



The New Year will soon be here with new adventures awaiting.

Take care

...Sam's Christmas letter to everyone.

Sam, our little old sheltie boy, has written the following for our Christmas cards and letters:

Hello Everyone!

Another year has nearly gone by and I decided it was time to write my outstanding celebratory

missive to let you know how we in the Vose household are doing. It's been unusually warm here in Maine this fall. My mom and dad have been enjoying the warmth, but for someone with my heavy coat, warm weather is highly overrated. I like to lie in the white, fluffy snow and cool down my belly. I don't understand why but snow doesn't stick around when it's 50-60 degrees every day.  Go figure!

Mom has been spending a lot of time doing stained glass projects. I guess it's her latest hobby or something! She says she likes to "paint with glass". I'm not sure what that means, since she

doesn't use a paint brush at all, but I definitely approve of the work that she does.

Dad retired in July and has been working half time since then. He really seems to enjoy having the extra time at home. I enjoy having Dad here more, but he gives us a treat when he leaves for work in the morning and less times going to work means less treats. Oh well, life is full of tradeoffs,  I guess.

My human brother Marc visited in July with his friend Cheryl. We had a good time with them and Cheryl cooked some unusual foods that we had never eaten before. The cuisine was really yummy (I should know, since I am an expert in food). Marc moved from China to Malaysia this summer. I'm not sure where those places are, but I'm quite sure they are way beyond our play spot at Wells Beach. Marc is coming home for Christmas this year, too. We're all truly looking forward to that.

A little while ago, mom found an email address for my dadʼs Uncle George. George lives in Texas and Dad had lost contact with him. Now Dad is writing to both Uncle George and Aunt Irene, George's sister who lives in Florida. Dad has been having fun learning about the Voses of Washington County, Maine. I don't know where Texas, Florida or Washington County are, but Mom has assured me those aren't at Well's Beach either. I'll have to trust her on that.

My dog pack is doing quite well under my wise guidance. We added two new members to our

family. My mom decided that we should adopt a small border collie named Lucy, and then found out that Kati's mother Sadie became available for adoption. As soon as we adopted Sadie, another border collie named Zena suddenly needed a home. Zena stayed here for a few days before we found a great home for her with our friend Gina in Lebanon. It took a while for everything to settle down but now we are all meshing together beautifully. Of course, most of this was accomplished under my firm paw.

Most of us dogs still do agility, but three of us (including me) are getting up there in years so Dad takes it easy on us. Zac and Kati have been competing in events and bringing home lots of ribbons. Dad says he's going to try Lucy and Sadie in competition as soon as they are ready, probably next spring. I have retired from my job with Dad as the agility demo dog and have passed my duties and my students on to Kati. Dad says Kati does very well, but he also says he misses having me do it since I was so great at it.

We all hope you have had a wonderful year and that you have a happy holiday season. If you are lucky, your festivities will include an abundance of sloppy kisses and crunchy treats. That's my goal!

Sam, Ace Reporter for the Sanford Voses, Demo Dog, Ret.

....about the holiday season.

The holiday season is upon us once again.  There are so many delightful aspects to this time of year that warm me through and through.  The colorful decorations bring such joy to our senses, as does the smells of fresh trees and traditional cooking of pies, cookies, turkeys, hams or whatever one's tradition might be.  As in every season, I embrace the joy of diversity...the enlightenment that we all don't have to celebrate the same way or share the same beliefs.  Some of us are more about our own inner feelings and memories, some of us are about our religions, some of us are about getting together with family, ...the list is infinite.  I feel one of the most important ideas I like to embrace is understanding and respect for all people.


For example, I have always called my decorated tree a Christmas tree, but am not bothered in the slightest by anyone who calls theirs a holiday tree.  I have always wished folks of the Christian faith a Merry Christmas, and those of other faiths a happy holiday.  I am not offended if someone wishes me a happy holiday.  I feel so blessed that the person took the time to share a heart felt greeting with me.  I feel sad for the souls who are so persistent that their religion is the "right" religion and everyone HAS to adhere to their faith or else!  How utterly closed minded that is.  There is room on this beautiful planet for everyone, every faith, every ethnic background, every color of skin, male or female, gay or straight, fat or thin, tall or short, old or young, educated or uneducated, rich or poor, ...gosh, the list is infinite.  We are all here together and have it within ourselves to love masses of people no matter who they are.


So to all of you, I share any greeting that fits your belief system and I do so with graciousness, thankfulness, sincerity, and love.  Life is much too short to be excluding anyone who is different from me.  I feel comfortable and caring enough in my inner soul to embrace all peoples with honesty and simple joy.  That is what Christmas means to me.

Take care,
Liz

...about my brother who just passed away.

Just got the news this evening from my niece Sarah that my half-brother Tom passed away.  I am in shock even though I did not know him very well.  Tom was a strikingly tall man...around 6'5"...and had a face full of character.  He could look quite serious, but when he smiled, his face beamed.  I feel so blessed that I got to meet him and that Marc and Ralph got to spend time with him also.  This is all due to my niece.  Although she lives on the west coast, she came across country and got us together.  Not only that, but Tom came to spend another special day with us after Sarah was back on the other side of the country.

Ralph, Marc, and Tom

Tom was on his way to California to live out his remaining years near his daughter and his grandchildren.  Since he could not bear to part with his Harley, he was crossing the country by motorcycle.  He checked in with Sarah every evening so she would know he was safe.  Last night, he did not check in, and although she called his cell several times, there was no call back.  Late today, a detective found my brother.  Tom had passed away in his motel room.  He had diabetes, and probably other conditions that he had shared with none of us, and died of natural causes.  He had made it all the way to Arizona so was not that far from his destination.  

Sarah and Scarlett

I am so very thankful to Sarah for approaching me by email and bringing my brother and me together.  What a very special lady she is.  I feel honored that she felt comfortable contacting me and feeling secure in knowing that Ralph and I would always be here for her, and welcome into our home warmly.  I had wished for a lifetime that I would get to meet the other half of my family and Sarah made a small part of that wish come true.  So in our grief, I also feel thankfulness and joy because Sarah made the impossible possible.  I am sending her all the love and understanding I can muster.  Bless her heart.  May my brother rest in peace.



Take care (and hug your loved ones!).
Liz

about the nice furniture my husband is making...

While I have been playing with my stained glass, my husband has been building furniture.  So far he has completed two beautiful chests/coffee tables and a nice rolling cart to hold our bird cage holding eight parakeets.

Presently, he is framing one of my stained glass pieces so it can be hung in the window in one of the bathrooms.  Next, he wants to build a tall unit to hold all our electronic devices that go with our living room TV.  It will be wonderful to have all that stuff behind doors in a beautiful cabinet.

...how nice it is here at home.

Lucy

Zac with his frisbee

Jazz in the leaves

I am a strong believer in diversity.  It takes all sorts of people to make an interesting world and I, for one, am glad we are not all the same.  My husband and I enjoy a simplistic life, and like it that way.  No bells or whistles.  We are thankful waking up each day relatively free of pain, having a predictably friendly day, then snuggling in to a quiet night.  We are not into having a million gadgets, traveling all over the world, or having our home full of tons of activity.

Sam

Many people would find having seven dogs anything but simplistic, but for us, it works.  Our lives, although probably dull to others, are very fulfilling to us.  Now that my anxiety is getting back under control, life feels so perfect, so right.  So while many others are still searching for their place in the world, we have found ours, are comfortable with it, and hope to enjoy our simplistic existence for many years to come.

Take care,
Liz