Adopting a Shelter Pet -When They Pick You

Dogs, Reflections, , , , ,

Quickly approaching, April 30th is National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day. If you have some extra love in your heart and room in your home and are considering adding a new pet, I encourage you to consider adopting from a shelter.

This post is a long time coming but it is the second in a series of posts that I am writing about our experiences adopting shelter dogs. The first post can be found here.

We have adopted 4 dogs from animal shelters and all of them have been wonderful pets. There are two things we do when going to get a new pet that I believe have contributed to us finding the right dog for us each time. First, we pray about it. Our prayer, “God please help us find the right dog.” Second, I have come to realize that we have let all of our dogs pick us. In very different ways each of our dogs has let us know that they wanted to be part of our family. Below is the story of Trooper.

Trooper was the second dog we adopted from the shelter. It was 2009 and Scout had been with us for 2 years. My husband’s work took him away from home for up to two months at a time and the girls (three of who still lived at home at the time) were at school or work all day during the week. Our routine during the week was that Scout and I would drop the girls off at school in the morning and when we returned home, we would go for a 30 – 60-minute walk depending on the weather. We would then come back home, and Scout would usually go lay on one of the girls’ beds while I did whatever chores I needed to get done that day. Around 2:00 p.m. Scout and I would get back in the van and go pick up the girls from school. When we returned home, we would go for an afternoon walk, usually one or more of the girls would come along. The evenings were usually busy with both Scout and I spending time with the girls.

The problem was that I felt that during those daytime hours when it was just Scout and me at home, we both were a bit bored. I thought we both needed something more – a puppy. I began praying about it and I asked my husband what he thought. He said that another shelter dog would be ok, so I began looking at the animal shelter website.

When I saw his picture on their website I knew I wanted to meet the dog they called Jack.

Trooper about one year old

It was a Friday afternoon. My husband was not scheduled to come home for vacation for a couple of weeks. Our oldest daughter was working and the younger two would be away for the weekend. I went to the shelter, by myself. to meet Jack. According to their website he had come in as a stray, was about 6 months old and was a shepherd mix. We later learned that he was a Leonberger.

At the shelter I told the attendant that I was interested in meeting Jack. Since there was no one else there they brought him out to the lobby to meet me. The first thing Jack did was put his front paws on my chest, but when I pushed his paws down and knelt down in front of him, he sat down and held up his paw for me. As I took his paw in my hand, he looked deep into my eyes, so much so that I felt like he was looking into my soul.

That was when I knew that Jack, who later became Trooper, was coming home with me. He picked me.

We couldn’t have asked for a better dog (family member). He was a quick learner, especially with his mentor and best buddy Scout teaching what was acceptable behavior. He was fun and funny, a gentle giant and a loving and loyal friend. He was with us until January of 2022. He outlived the average life expectancy of his breed by several years, but it still broke our hearts to say goodbye and he will forever be missed.

Thanks for reading.

Monthly Inspiration -Celebrating 10 Years

Inspiration, Reflections

Hello and welcome!

Sometime in April WordPress will send me a notice congratulating me on 10 years of blogging. It’s hard to believe that I (actually my daughter who helped me set up my blog) signed up with WordPress 10 years ago this month. After setting up the account my daughter designed the header on my page, that’s why you won’t see my orange, white and green header on another blog. Then I began playing around, setting up pages and widgets and such. It wasn’t until June that I actually got brave enough to publish my first post, which really didn’t say much.

Recently I’ve been looking back at some of my early posts, many of which have to do with soapmaking, the original intention of this blog. I did come across a post that I published in September 2015 that, according to my stats, has only been viewed 9 times and didn’t have any likes or comments. I thought it was a good post – maybe one of my favorites – so I decided to repost it here today as our monthly inspiration.

It Could Have Been A Bad day

September 8, 2015

When I got up Monday morning, and went to make a pot of coffee, I discovered that for some reason the coffee pot was not working. I tried jiggling the cord, flipping the switch a couple of times and even though the green light was on, indicting that it was getting power, nothing happened.  I unplugged it and plugged it back in. I left it on and walked away from it for a few minutes, as if I was going to somehow will it to work. It didn’t, and oh how disappointed I was that I wouldn’t have a cup of coffee to start the day. Can you imagine anything worse than having to start the day without that cup of coffee, that little, or big, (depending on how strong you like your coffee) boost of caffeine, to get you going. Does it get any worse?

Well, the truth is that, while my coffee pot did not work and I did try several things to get it to start and yes, I was pretty disappointed that I wasn’t going to have that first cup of coffee to start my day, this was nowhere near the worst thing that could have happened to me today.

You see, I had already woke up of my own free will, with no alarms to startled me awake, no emergency phone calls, and not even the dogs barking to wake me. When I woke I opened my eyes to see that it was nearly 8:00 a.m., so I knew that I could see. I could hear the blower from the air conditioner running, so I still had my hearing, the power was not off, and it was a comfortable temperature in the house. Before I got out of bed I kissed my husband and he kissed me and said “I love you,”. He too was alive. I stood up and all of my body parts seemed to be functioning fine.

As I walked out of the bedroom Scout wagged his tail at me and Trooper followed me to the living room and then waited for me to let him outside. The dogs were ok this morning.  When I went outside the sun was shining, it was a beautiful morning, and I thought about how much fun we had yesterday with so many family members and friends spending time with us at our farm. It was a really good time.

I decided to let my husband sleep while I went to the farm to let the chickens out for the day. Since I didn’t have my morning coffee, I grabbed a bottle of iced tea and took it with me. The van started and ran well, and I drove to the farm without incident. I was greeted at the farm by my second youngest daughter who had camped at the farm with a friend. She and Trooper went for a walk, while I tended the chickens. When I opened the coop, the chickens began piling out. I didn’t have to battle the rooster this morning, even though I didn’t stick around long for him to see that it was me there.

After chatting with my daughter for a few minutes I decided to go into town for coffee, so I asked if she wanted to go. We picked up coffee and breakfast for my husband and youngest daughter as well. Upon returning home, I was joined by my two youngest daughters on the deck for breakfast and coffee and a nice visit. These times with the girls don’t happen much anymore as they are busy with college and working and leading their own lives. Their older sisters are married with jobs and homes and responsibilities of their own. So I do value our times together.

The day went on with clean up at the farm, a siesta, a swim in the pond, a fun afternoon with my husband, and trip to Kmart to buy a new coffee pot.

I was blessed in so many ways, and I certainly can imagine many, many things worse than my coffee pot not making me my early morning cup of coffee. But our society is so dramatic and programmed to think negatively, that we let the little things that we take for granted become the big things that cause us stress. So many times I hear, or read, about things being “the worst thing that could happen” and I think “no, I can think of far worse things.” Often times, we or someone I know will have an issue, like a flat tire for example that is stressing them out, and my thought is “if this is the worst of my (or their) problems then I (they) should be on my (their) knees, thanking God.” I remember several years ago reading a blog that was written by a mother who was homeschooling her children. She was about to start teaching them algebra, and said she couldn’t imagine anything worse. My reply was, ” be thankful that you are not sitting in a hospital by their bedside, praying for them to wake up from a coma.”

I’ve said this prayer many times in my life, “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Well, the wisdom came when I realized that, for the most part, I can’t control people, the way they think, talk, or act. I also can’t control many situations; things like the coffee pot not working or a flat tire. What I can control is the way that I react. If I choose to react negatively then I will only cause myself stress. I will not have the serenity that I pray for. It may sound cliché “seeing the cup as half full instead of half empty”, “don’t cry over spilled milk”, or “count your blessings”, but I find that having a true realization of all the blessing that I have been given can minimalize my stress and help me deal with the “crises” of everyday life. Yes, I believe that attitude is everything.  I could have chosen to let my situation, and my disappointment, control my life, but instead I chose to make it a good day.

Thanks for visiting.

A Good Week

Birds, crochet, Fencing, Flowers, Horses, Nature, Pansies, Planting, Pond, Reflections, Ruby, The Farm

Hello and Welcome!

Spring Has Sprung

This week turned out to be much like I expected. Robins and red winged blackbirds have returned to the area and the daffodils are poking up through the ground. The garlic had actually sprouted last fall but it has now resumed growing after its winter break. I have yet to hear the frogs sing.

Last year I made this bird house out of corks. We hung it in a tree at the farm. It was late spring, and I suspect the birds already had their nests built so this house went unoccupied. I am hoping someone will make it home this year.

Crafting

I finished the afghan I was crocheting (picture above) this week and started another. The one I am making now will be bigger than this one. It is the paw print pattern that I like to crochet. I intend to donate it to the Humane Society so they can raffle it off at one of their fundraisers.

When the Grass is Greener

Last spring our neighbor decided to expand the area where he lets his horses graze. Our fence is their barrier where our property meets his.

Colby Jack has discovered that this time of year the grass on our side of the fence is greener and tastier than what is in his pasture.

The problem is that he is not quite tall enough to reach the grass without bending the top of our fence.

Here’s a closer look. Can you see how the top part of the fence is bent over? Last year the owner strung an electric wire to keep Colby Jack away from our fence, but it didn’t stay in place very long. We haven’t complained because we feel bad for the horses that they are not provided better quality feed. At least the fence still keeps Ranger in.

A Dip in the Pond

It is way too early for me to go in the pond. There was still ice on it yesterday,

but that didn’t bother Ruby who had to go looking for minnows or tadpoles.

Playing in the Dirt

In the last several years it has become sort of a tradition for us to pot up some pansies in early spring and set them in the flower bed along our deck. They are bright and cheery and add some much-needed color while we wait for everything else to come back to life. On Thursday my husband made my day by going the greenhouse and coming home with two flats of pansies.

So, I got to play in the dirt. 🙂

There were 36 pansies in the two flats, and I divided them into 12 pots. Oh, so pretty. We may still have a few nights when temperatures drop well below freezing, but the nice thing about have these in pots is that we can bring them indoors to protect them from the cold.

While I was “playing in the dirt” I planted some spinach and pea seeds that we will grow in containers on our deck. I don’t think it’s too early since these are cold season crops.

My husband spent a little time with his hands in the dirt as well. Since we grow most of our plants from seed, he started eggplant and several types of peppers that we will grow indoors under grow lights until late May when we can get them into the garden. He will be starting tomatoes next. Planting season has begun!

Overall, it was a good and productive week and now that spring has sprung it only gets better from here. 🙂

Thanks for visiting.

Shifting Gears -2025 Update

Chickens, Eggs, Health, Reflections, spring

Hello and welcome!

Vehicle Shopping

In a recent post I told you all that we were car shopping, wanting find a reliable, used vehicle to replace our minivan. After countless hours of searching online, researching different types of vehicles, test driving a few vehicles, and not finding what we are looking for we have decided that having some repairs done on our minivan with the hopes that it will continue to serve us for another year, or more, is the best thing to do.

So, we have suspended our car shopping and are moving on to other things. Forgive me, but I am going to repeat that in hopes that the internet will hear/ see or detect it and stop bombarding me with vehicle advertisements. We are no longer shopping for a vehicle. I doubt that will help but worth a try. 🙂

Spring

There is not much to be done at the farm as we wait for spring to truly get here but we’ve observed a couple of the earliest signs of spring, the buds on the trees are swelling which means the sap is flowing. This is something I learned to watch for several years ago when we were collecting sap and making maple syrup. We haven’t done that in a few years since we no longer have a source of inexpensive wood to burn for boiling the sap into syrup. The process uses a lot of wood and can be quite expensive. 🙂

The other sign is that our hens are laying eggs again. It was back when we were tapping maple trees that I noticed that the chickens begin laying eggs again around the same time that the sap begins flowing. In the past two weeks we have gone from getting one or two eggs every couple of days to getting as many as 13 eggs a day. I am grateful that I was able to get eggs from my sister throughout the winter while our hens were resting. Her flock are first year layers who didn’t take a break. I am even more grateful that our hens are laying again.

Projects

There are projects that need to be done in the house, however. One that we have tackled this past week is painting our kitchen. I had planned on doing this in November, but those plans changed when my dad got sick. It feels good to finally be back on track.

My husband also changed the wax seal in the toilet this week. I love that he is able and willing to do this job, so we don’t have to pay a professional to have it done.

Health

Last year I got into a routine of exercising at least 30 minutes almost every day. Exercise is said to be the best thing a person with Parkison’s Disease can do. I also altered my eating habits, so I was eating less and including more fresh fruits and vegetables in my diet. I ate few desserts and limited them to just a few bites when I did indulge. As a result, I lost 30 pounds and felt good.

In November and December, when I was busy taking care of my dad’s affairs, I had slacked off on my exercise routine and got off track with my diet plan. I gained about 3 pounds back. In January I got back on track with my exercise and I am again to doing at least 30 minutes a day on either the recumbent bike or the stationary bike. I do feel better on the days that I exercise than if I miss a day. I am also working on getting back on track with eating right. If only I didn’t like sweets so much.

Crafting

I completed a few craft projects since the beginning of the year. I’ve made three more of the reusable shopping bags like I had made for my daughters for Christmas. I also made two hoodie style shirts. One for my sister and one for myself. The picture below is the one I made for me. The one I made for my sister went together well and she loved it when I gave it to her. When making mine I apparently wasn’t paying attention when I sewed the hood on backwards. After realizing what I had done I said “OH NO!” shook my head and decided to take a break because it wasn’t worth getting upset over.

I vacuumed the house and after lunch and a nap spent about two hours using a seam ripper to remove all of the stitches that held the hood in place. The next day I pinned the hood in place and held up the shirt to make sure it was right before sewing it on. Believe it or not I again had the hood backwards. Thankful that I checked, I unpinned the hood and repinned it the right way. Lesson learned!

I am also in the process of crocheting a baby afghan. I expect to have that finished in the next few days.

Last week my husband took me to Joann Fabrics to do some shopping. They are in the process of closing their stores and liquidating their stock. It was early in the process, so the sale prices were not great, but I wanted to get some things before they were sold out. We still have two other craft stores in the area that sell fabric and yarn, but their selections are not as good as Joann Fabric. It is sad that they are closing. We will certainly miss shopping there.

Looking Forward

Our weather forecast for the upcoming week shows a dry week with temperatures in the 50’s Fahrenheit most days, so I am looking forward to getting outdoors. I expect to see daffodils and garlic poking up through the ground and that robins and red winged blackbirds have returned to the area. Perhaps I will even hear frogs singing. Just a few of the things I love about spring.

Thanks for visiting.

What are you enjoying about spring?

Monthly Inspiration

Inspiration, Reflections, spring

Hello and Welcome. March has arrived and we are headed into my favorite season. Despite the sunshine March came in like a Lion, with high winds and below freezing temperatures. We are forecast to have warmer days this coming week, which means we’re heading in the right direction. 😀 But while we await spring, I will share some “spring” quotes with you.

“No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.” – Hal Borland

“In the Spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.” – Mark Twain

“Despite the forecast, live like it’s spring.” – Lilly Pulitzer

“Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.” ― Anthony J. D’Angelo

“In winter, I plot and plan. In spring, I move.” – Henry Rollins

“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.” –Margaret Atwood

“Garden as though you will live forever.” – William Kent

“Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush.” – Doug Larson

“Spring is nature’s way of saying, ‘Let’s Party!'” – Robin Williams

Lastly if you want to quote me, I say, “Spring – Bring it on!!!”🌼🌞🌷

Thanks for visiting.