The BiRtHdAy Girl!

Thank-you all for your kind and supportive comments on my last post.  Your encouragement has helped more than you know! We ended our week on a positive note, with a birthday.

Because many of our dogs have come from shelters, or an owner who simply didn't know, the birth date of most of our dogs is unknown. Of course I know when Todd's is, and we are lucky in that we also know Annie's--Her birthday was yesterday.  She reached a milestone by turning 14 years old!

Annie may be 14, but she still has a lot of spark and spunk! Goldens are known for being a quiet breed, but Annie isn't and she always lets me know by barking (and barking and barking) when she wants something, or if I'm not moving fast enough for her.  

The life expectancy of a Golden is 12-14 years. We know that each day with Annie is a gift, and just as we've been doing, we intend to treat the ones we have with her that way.  Enjoy your Saturday!

In The Midst of Crazy

~Annie~

Its been nearly a week since I posted, and I honestly don't know where the week has gone. On Monday Carl saw the orthopedist and a cast was put onto his leg. He returned to work Tuesday.  However he's still limited in what he is able to do. Because of that, the daily list of things for me to do is really pretty long. Unfortunately along with work it has been zapping any extra time out of the day and taking the joy along with it. When everything falls on your shoulders it can be overwhelming.

I feel so lucky in that I have good, supportive friends who have shared my load by listening, brought baked treats and even taken me to lunch.  Each have told me the truth as they see it.  And that truth is, is that no-one has a life that looks like a pinterest board. No one has a life that stays like the page in a magazine. And no one can go through life without having those days (or weeks) where the to-do list has things listed on it that should have been done last week--Like the work on our barn...

~Lucas~

The truth is real life, just as Charlie looks like right now, can be messy. But the beauty isn't in the perfection, but rather in seeing the beauty in the everyday ordinary things and Charlie too. I find I've been comparing and putting on the mask of perfection that led me, and can make anyone feel overwhelmed. Its been really easy for me to live in that overwhelmed place.  But I have been reminded that it doesn't change anything.

So today, I've decided to remain positive in the midst of crazy. With the dogs and their antics and positive energy, I am ready to do just that.  I just need to remember to hang on, because like Todd, the ride may continue to be fast and a little bit bumpy!

Does Annie Know?

Annie, who will be 14 in just a couple of weeks came into the rescue because her owner had stage 4 cancer.    He was no longer able to care for her, and wanted to make sure she would be cared for after he passed.  Since Annie came to us, I've heard from him a few times, asking how she was doing.  Of course I'd respond back and always include the newest picture of her. Knowing how difficult it was for him to give Annie up, and with his declining health, I always let him initiate the contact. I've not heard from him since late summer.

A couple of weeks ago, in the middle of the night I was awakened by Annie. We keep a small night-lite on and in the shadows I could see that she was standing in the doorway of the bedroom.  She was looking down the hallway and was wagging her tail and whining.  What she was doing would have normally gotten the attention of the other dogs, but this time it didn't.  I watched her and fell back to sleep.  I'd forgotten all about that until this morning when I received an e-mail from the son of Annie's former owner, (who was always included in the e-mails) telling me that his father had passed away a few weeks ago. Coincidence?  Perhaps. But I have to wonder, does Annie know?

The Glass Half Full Day

When I finished work on New Years Eve, I had grandiose plans for the three days that I had off work. To start, I was going to stay caught up on my blog reading, do things around the house, and then there were the 2 new shops that have opened in a nearby town that I wanted to check-out. It didn't matter (too much) that I had a spouse with a broken foot, he would be just fine....He wasn't fine....We spent an exhaustive entire New Years day at the hospital.  At the end of it, despite varying opinions that he should be admitted to the hospital, Carl and I were both on our way home. A stop at the Arby's drive-thru for our first meal of the day, we both thought the message on the cup summed it all up. We remain very grateful for all the well wishes and prayers from friends and family and we are thankful that Carl's injury was not more serious than it is.

Staying with the half-theme, the roofer came on New Years day and he is now about halfway way finished putting the new roof on our barn.  We just wonder now when he'll return to finish the other half.

Yesterday I received an e-mail from someone interested in adopting Humble. The family seemed like they may be a match until it was mentioned that their farm has about 15 cats. They felt that since the cats were outside, it wouldn't be an issue--Humble would have no doubt felt like she was in heaven to have that many cats around.  But with the current dogs allowed to be off lead, and the hope that Humble could be as well, I decided that they weren't a match for her. So, for now, Humble remains here with us, which of course is just fine.

While Carl stays in bed with his foot propped up, with the TV remote and his computer nearby, we are looking forward to a quiet day at home--And in keeping with the theme off the soda-cup, we are hoping it's a FULL glass kind of day--If Charlie could see, I think he'd agree to one too!