Too Stupid to Live??

Would you like to know what a person looks like that is "too stupid to live?" Well, just look at the side bar for a picture of me, and you'll see one. Once again, I've let myself get talked into something that I really shouldn't have...What have I gotten myself talked into you might be asking? Committing a crime? Doing something that my Mother wouldn't have approved of? Buying a brand new sports car? No, it's nothing that simple...I've let myself get talked into taking a new foster dog from the rescue. I know, I know, I am supposed to be done fostering, and volunteering with the Golden Retriever Rescue in my area. And, I know, I know, we already have one foster dog--But he will hopefully be going to a new home next week--So just how did I let myself get talked into not just one new foster dog, but TWO???!!! Yes, that's 2 foster dogs--I have no idea how it happened. But "Bubba and Toby" are a bonded pair of ten-year olds coming from a nearby rescue in West Virginia who can no longer care for them. They're coming this evening. I've not told Carl, who just happens to be working tonight--Do you think he'll notice 2 new dogs? Do you think he's going to kill me when I tell him?? Stay tuned...Or if I never post again, you'll know what happened...

A Tale of a Yard Sale

This weekend my trip to Lancaster Pennsylvania wasn't to do all the touristy things, but to participate in a favorite American (??) event, a yard sale! Carl has been bugging me for quite some time to do something about all the things I have packed up in boxes in our garage--So, when our friend Sid said she was going to have one, I thought the time had come to part with the treasures I haven't laid eyes on since we put our last house on the market nearly 3 years ago.

I've only done one yard-sale in my life. It was prior to our leaving Alaska. I sold enough to pay for our plane tickets to Seattle and pay our expenses for coming to Virginia. I didn't have this kind of expectation going into this one because I know from others experiences that it's really hit or miss, and I didn't have that much to sell. But things that you think will sell right away don't, and things that you think you will have forever are gone right away. My friend Sid did pretty well. But me...Well, here's a rundown on how the day went and my profits:

To start the day, from our barn, I opened a box of two never used camp-chairs and found where mice had made a home...I was once again reassured that our barn is indeed a "mouse-free zone." Of course I threw everything away--Profit...zero-dollars

I did not a single nibble on an entire basket of vintage cookie cutters that I had priced at 50 cents each--I would have even taken a quarter for one. Profit...zero dollars

A buyer of a "Precious Moments Collectable" who also finagled a lower price on a couple of table cloths was caught by my friend and I trying to take a few things that she didn't pay for. Profit...$4.00 and skinned up shins and black-eye from when I tackled and wrestled the 80 pound elderly lady to the ground--Just kidding, I didn't tackle her! ;-)

Miscellaneous knick-knacks, cat related items, and an unused wedding present bought by non-descript buyers...Profit $15.00

Questions from several people if we were selling jewelry...Response: No--But wait a minute, where's that bracelet and the kleptomaniac senior citizen from earlier in the day? Profit...zero-dollars

Inquiry by various people who asked how much I was selling Hamlet for. Response: He's priceless...Profit...beyond measure.

Birthdays and Blackberries

Time...I don't know where it goes...Today is my birthday and since it's my last one that I'll celebrate in my 40's, I was trying to remember just what I was doing when I turned 40...I can't remember...It must've been pretty memorable...Time and the years really do seem to have a way of hurrying past. It has been a busy week for me. Along with working, Carl has been assigned to a "detail" at another government agency, which has him gone from home long hours. It has left me to take care of the crew alone; I don't know how single parents do it.

On the flip side my poison ivy is almost a bad memory now. It's all gone from my face, however it did end up spreading onto my hands. For those of you who've never had it, imagine having the feel of thick itchy sand in between your fingers--It's really miserable, I'll be so glad when it's all gone!! With your help I "think" I have it identified and am "leaving the leaves of three, be" because I do not want to go through this again anytime soon!!

In between my scratching, I did notice a few things that are happening around me. The first is Tanner. I would say that he's about 95% recovered from his bout with vestibular syndrome. I took these pictures on Tuesday evening and you can see that the tilt in his head is gone. The stagger to his walk is almost gone as well. Of course I'm thrilled and so relieved!! Tanner is now about 14 years old and looking at his pictures, I am reminded that he's been through so much in the 2 years that he's been with us. We've dealt with his having seizures, separation and storm anxiety, laryngeal paralysis, allergies and glaucoma. ALL of which I'm happy to say are things of the past for him. I really hope that the time that he has left with us can be quiet happy and healthy times for him.

Something else that snuck up on me is the ripening of the wild blackberries. For some reason, it seems early this year. But I guess since the strawberries have all but completed their task for the summer, it's their turn. We are lucky enough to have them growing in several places on our property, and unlike the poison ivy that we have all around, I couldn't be happier about it!

There is nothing like the sweetness of blackberries fresh from the patch! I remember as a kid when we would pick them for my Mom. The thought of her blackberry cobbler was incentive enough to brave seeing a snake and being scratched by the bushes. While I of course worry about seeing a snake, I am however in competition to pick the berries before our 2 berry EATERS Sheba and Rudi get to them. I'm not sure how they acquired their love for them or even realized they were there. It may very well have come from seeing me snack on them during a walk. Our boy Maguire who recently passed seemed to have been acquainted with them on his own because he knew exactly what they were and would so delicately eat them. Rudi and Sheba being girls are not nearly that graceful. They are bulldozing scavengers and their sharp sense of smell has enabled them to quickly find and polish off the ripened ones.

I did manage to get enough for a cobbler which I'll bake later and will celebrate my birthday at home before I'm off to Lancaster Pennsylvania for a visit with our friend Sid. As I write this, the sun has come out, my day lilies are in bloom, the birds are at the feeder, the pups are around my feet snoozing after their breakfast and a walk, it's a good start to a birthday. I hope you have a good day too!!

A Thursday of Three's & An Old Foe

I don't know what's happening to me. Maybe it's the thought of my birthday coming up and turning a whopping 49, that has made me reminiscent about my life and summertime. Last night I went out to the edge of the yard to look at the stars and try to video the lightning bugs (fire-flies) for those of you who've never seen them. For some reason it didn't work, but I'm not giving up. But as I stood there with 3 of our not-so-fearless dogs I also remembered that I'm afraid of being outside in the dark, so before it all turned into something from "The Blair Witch Project" I quickly got back inside.

Maybe one reason why I'm feeling this way is because this week I've also had the return of a summertime foe that has not been a part of my life for many years, and that's poison-ivy!! This week its very (!!)itchy-arrival has reminded me of all those summers when as a kid I was plagued with it. I don't know how I got it. The only thing that I can figure is that I must've come in contact with it while weeding my flowerbeds on Monday. That'll teach me to do yard work! But I have a "poison ivy rash" all over my face and near my eyes, which have been swollen from it for the last 2 days. I also have it on a few places on my hands. Thankfully medication is helping to ease the symptoms.

It's always good to "know your enemy" and I do think that I could have avoided all of this if I only knew what this "plant" called poison-ivy actually looked like. Everyone always says "it has 3 leaves." Okay, that's good to know, but do you have any idea how many things have 3 leaves or come in threes around here?

Do you see my point?? I know we need to get rid of it. Anything that has the word "poison" in it can't be good anyway. But since I have no idea what the enemy looks like, for now I won't be evicting something that wants to grow in my yard--I'll just sit on my porch or stay inside and scratch.