Devotion

Well here it is Saturday already. Thanksgiving was a real nice time with our “family” and the food was all delicious. I had a bit too much one of vegetable, brussel sprouts, but I won’t go there.

I just came in from the light rain we are getting here in the South and it is warmer than it has been when I am out with the dogs on their first trip outside. The twins were off doing their thing and Otis, my nine year old, was sitting as he always does, right beside me as I sipped my coffee and smoked my first cigarette of the day. (Wish I could say it was my last, but that would be a wish and a lie)

I began to realize the other day and have been paying closer attention to Otis’ every move when we are together and when we are just in the same room; he is not just my buddy, he is my devoted buddy. There is a difference. The young ones love me, this I am sure, Marley loves to snuggle with me when he is tired, Brock still, after living here for almost fourteen weeks now, will not go to any other human but me, but Otis is immeasurably different...he is true devotion.

A devoted dog will endure anything for their master, he will succumb to any condition you place him in, he will stand in the pouring down cold rain beside you, he will lay in an uncomfortable position if it means he can be closer to you, he would risk his life for yours. He has the heart and mind of one of those dogs you read about, one that is afraid of the flames and heat of a fire but will run through the house of smoke to find and pull you to safety, one that would jump into a river to pull you out, or even lies on top of you in feet of snow in an effort to keep you warm and alive. He reminds me of Lassie, the ultimate devoted dog.

As I look at him curled up on the floor beside me as I sit here and type, I am overwhelmed with a feeling of love, for God to have given me this wonderful gift of Otis, for allowing us to find each other in a time when we were both in need of rescuing nine years ago, I am so thankful. Otis is my faithful buddy and if I only loved him half as much as he loves me, Otis would be okay with that, he is committed. He gives to me unconditionally and I only hope that he can feel the love and devotion I feel for him as well. We are indispensable buddies and I wouldn’t-couldn’t trade him for the winning lottery ticket because you can’t put a dollar amount on love.

Happy Thanksgiving!



I am thankful for my family and friends…For this meal…and that I saw which part of the turkey the dog was licking…

Life is not always sunny side up

Did you ever wish that you could stop time, now I know almost everyone has? I admit I too wish this, not to stop wrinkles from invading my face, or to stop the body from sagging, or to stop the weight from adhering to the thighs. I wish I could have stopped time about nine years ago.

Nine years ago my hubby and I were so engrossed with each other, we had it all; the newness and infatuation, love and passion, the carefree life without the big house and all the responsibilities we seem to have today. Each day was filled with ecstasy and bliss and oh so less tiring and hectic.

Now today we have a three bedroom house, three dogs, one cat, two full-time jobs, a large back and front yard to care for, four vehicles to keep clean, and so on. We had less nine years ago, but in many ways we had so much more, we had more of each other and less of the “things”. We still had two dogs and two cats, I could never ever live without my babies, but the house was smaller, the chores were less, and our attitudes in life were more carefree and less complicated.

Today we are closer in our relationship mentally and yet the physical has begun to lessen, the sizzling fervor is not as frequent; I am up each morning between 4:30am and 5:00am so you can guess that I am usually in bed at 9:00. I work a full time job with a minimum of five hours overtime each week, and I need not preach to do the woman’s choir, all the work we do in our homes either before or after, and most times a combination of both, when we finish with our “real” job. It almost feels as if I no longer choose what to do each day, the job, the chores, the fur-children, and even things like the weather now dictate what I am to do almost every minute of every day and energy is a word that is no longer in my vocabulary.

I have been diagnosed with depression in the past, and if I were ever to divulge my past relating to my childhood and young adulthood you would understand why. Serious depression is not the one or two days you are feeling sad, or the grief you may experience during a loss, it is a somber life alternating condition that steals your life one day at a time.

First you lose your desire to do the things that once you brought joy, you stop going out and cease to interact with humans whenever possible, you just feel like sleeping all the time, you lose your desire to perform your daily activities, are irritable, have a loss of appetite, inability to concentrate, memory problems, and aches and pains. It is no joke to be this depressed and when you finally realize this is happening it is when you know you have to seek help. I did and I got better and I met the wonderful man I am married to and life was astonishingly incredible, like I was just born and the entire world was new and exciting, and it was sunny every day. It was as if I had never smiled before and now I just could not stop.

I am still very much in love with my husband, he is my whole world, but yet I feel some of the old feelings creeping back in and I know I have to do something about it, but I am just unsure what to do. I have tried all the latest medications and none work, or if they do work, they cause me too many side effects that I throw them away. I don’t want to see a “professional” as I don’t feel I have gone that far to the dark side, I still see the sun, just not as often as I did nine years ago…or even three years ago. So today as I am home baking for Thanksgiving tomorrow, I wonder what happened to that young lady that once lived each day with such zealous, when I seeked excitement and had so much optimism. I am hopeful that this has been brought on in part because of my dad’s passing three years ago, dwelling on the fact that my family is so small and the ones I love the most, my brother and his family live in NY, the stress of my on going back problems, and the stress of work, and a few other things that I will just keep inside. My biggest worry doesn’t have to do with me, it has to do with my husband, he thinks I am depressed because of something he has done or not done, and that is so untrue, he is the one that is bringing me sunshine each day and without him there would be all darkness, he is still the love of my life and for him, I will seek a way to find myself and bring back that young lady that was filled with joy and laughed; I know she is still in me and I won’t give up looking for her.

So with tomorrow being Thanksgiving I am thankful for my loving and devoted husband, my family and friends, my fur-children, and I am so thankful for life; I may not be perfect at this moment of time in my life, but my life is more perfect than most.

Domestic Rules

All domestic dogs must abide by these rules.

1) When you have been caught " in the act " of teaching your people not to leave you alone for any period of time, (even if it is to pick up dog food), you must use this common technique to diffuse anger. Once you hear their footsteps or the key in the lock, quickly move away from the chewed up shoe, rug, or houseplant. You then tilt your head and give a look of confusion. It will be for certain that you will NOT be punished.

2) Once a " mess " as humans call it, has been created, do anything and everything to make it appear to be the felines fault. For example, put the felines toy in the middle of your destruction. This act is called " framing " and tends to work only sometimes, but is always worth a shot.

3) This one is exceptionally important. When you want to go for a walk, you must continually jump up and down, cry, whimper, bark, beg, scratch at the door and fetch your leash. You must make your person understand, for they will not know what you want unless you exaggerate each one of these actions.

4) When you are given a bone, do not share it with ANYONE, not even the person who gave it to you. You must guard it with your life, even if you have no intention of eating it. Everyone wants your bone. After all, it is the best bone in the world.

5) If your person is reading the newspaper or if the children are working on their homework, tear it up. It is your duty as a dog to demonstrate to people how to get their priorities straight. Why waste time reading or working on homework when you can be enjoying a car ride or a walk in the park?

6) When a person says the " W " word, give him/her a glimpse of how intelligent you are. Reveal the urgency to go for a W-A-L-K. If only our people knew we could spell!

7) About collection . . . collect as many balls, bones, sticks and toys as you can. If you have the largest collection on the block, it makes you Top Dog.

8) New studies reveal that humans are attracted to the smell of dog breath. Knowing this, take every opportunity to breathe in your persons face. This displays love and affection.

9) When your person has a guest over, you must always sit in between the two people. If you have two people, do not let them sleep next to each other or spend quality time alone . . . there isn't any need for that when they could be playing ball or fetch!

10) Show signs of frustration when people make irrational demands. People tend to care about petty things, like busy streets, getting dirty, etc. People cannot comprehend the urgency to get to the park and sniff every blade of grass. They just simply don't know how to have fun. They'd rather worry! So, when your person is holding you back from getting to the park to roll in the dirt, BARK! Let your person know you are displeased with this nonsense.

11) When your person instructs you to do silly tricks, honor the human. Let it be known that you very well know how to sit, give paw and fetch. It's a good thing they don't know what else we know!

12) When personal hygiene is in question, take immediate action! Locate guests and assume position. People will get the hint and they'll love the fact that you're so thorough.

13) When peeing on someone's property or belongings, make sure to make eye contact with the owner. They like this, it shows respect.

14) It doesn't matter what size you are, barking instills fear in people. Even if you're a toy poodle in a fenced in yard and the person is fifty feet away, bark. They will surely run away with terror.

15) Last, but not least, don't forget your most important job of all. When your person is feeling depressed or down, offer comfort, love and affection. Your person relies on you to lick his/her face, which makes all human problems instantly vanish!


I love #15 it is so true and the one of my babies that knows that rule as number one is my Otis. God provided me a very special rescue when he brought Otis and I together.
By Kelly Denise Baker

Domestic Rules

All domestic dogs must abide by these rules.

1) When you have been caught " in the act " of teaching your people not to leave you alone for any period of time, (even if it is to pick up dog food), you must use this common technique to diffuse anger. Once you hear their footsteps or the key in the lock, quickly move away from the chewed up shoe, rug, or houseplant. You then tilt your head and give a look of confusion. It will be for certain that you will NOT be punished.

2) Once a " mess " as humans call it, has been created, do anything and everything to make it appear to be the felines fault. For example, put the felines toy in the middle of your destruction. This act is called " framing " and tends to work only sometimes, but is always worth a shot.

3) This one is exceptionally important. When you want to go for a walk, you must continually jump up and down, cry, whimper, bark, beg, scratch at the door and fetch your leash. You must make your person understand, for they will not know what you want unless you exaggerate each one of these actions.

4) When you are given a bone, do not share it with ANYONE, not even the person who gave it to you. You must guard it with your life, even if you have no intention of eating it. Everyone wants your bone. After all, it is the best bone in the world.

5) If your person is reading the newspaper or if the children are working on their homework, tear it up. It is your duty as a dog to demonstrate to people how to get their priorities straight. Why waste time reading or working on homework when you can be enjoying a car ride or a walk in the park?

6) When a person says the " W " word, give him/her a glimpse of how intelligent you are. Reveal the urgency to go for a W-A-L-K. If only our people knew we could spell!

7) About collection . . . collect as many balls, bones, sticks and toys as you can. If you have the largest collection on the block, it makes you Top Dog.

8) New studies reveal that humans are attracted to the smell of dog breath. Knowing this, take every opportunity to breathe in your persons face. This displays love and affection.

9) When your person has a guest over, you must always sit in between the two people. If you have two people, do not let them sleep next to each other or spend quality time alone . . . there isn't any need for that when they could be playing ball or fetch!

10) Show signs of frustration when people make irrational demands. People tend to care about petty things, like busy streets, getting dirty, etc. People cannot comprehend the urgency to get to the park and sniff every blade of grass. They just simply don't know how to have fun. They'd rather worry! So, when your person is holding you back from getting to the park to roll in the dirt, BARK! Let your person know you are displeased with this nonsense.

11) When your person instructs you to do silly tricks, honor the human. Let it be known that you very well know how to sit, give paw and fetch. It's a good thing they don't know what else we know!

12) When personal hygiene is in question, take immediate action! Locate guests and assume position. People will get the hint and they'll love the fact that you're so thorough.

13) When peeing on someone's property or belongings, make sure to make eye contact with the owner. They like this, it shows respect.

14) It doesn't matter what size you are, barking instills fear in people. Even if you're a toy poodle in a fenced in yard and the person is fifty feet away, bark. They will surely run away with terror.

15) Last, but not least, don't forget your most important job of all. When your person is feeling depressed or down, offer comfort, love and affection. Your person relies on you to lick his/her face, which makes all human problems instantly vanish!


I love #15 it is so true and the one of my babies that knows that rule as number one is my Otis. God provided me a very special rescue when he brought Otis and I together.
By Kelly Denise Baker

Week-end Update

Well, the weekend was slow going on Saturday, but Sunday I was up at 5:00 and playing with the dogs. Hubby and I went grocery shopping and I got all the necessities to begin baking for the holidays starting Wednesday. We are going to family’s house for Thanksgiving and we are hosting the corvette club Christmas party soon, and then will need to also bake many items for Christmas gifts and for Christmas dinner as well. So I am going to load up on Diet Mountain Dew until my eyes pop just to stay awake.

We also went to see The Trans Siberian Orchestra concert yesterday afternoon. It was AWESOME! The music is a mix of what should be orchestra music but with a heavy rock accent. The light show is what was so amazing and the strobes were intense. They also had fire and pyrotechnics and it blew me away. As the cost was only $45.00 per ticket, of which they donate $1.00 of every ticket to local charity (Greenville for this concert) it was so worth the money and I am already looking forward to attend again next year. They have a web-site if anyone would like to check them out.

I was up at 4:30 this morning, and was able to play with the dogs, finish some laundry, eat breakfast and get showered and dressed for work. I am now writing this from my desk at work and it is 9:30am and I am already starting on the Diet Mountain Dew, this even after I have consumed about 6 cups of caffeinated coffee and my eye lids are getting sleepy. Where are the old days of the 70’s when you swallowed your speed verses drinking it. Does anyone remember the little black beauties, or the pink hearts, wow, those days are long over, but I am not sure my heart could handle it anyhow these days.

I took the advice of a blogger who left me a comment on a natural vitamin that would help my back pain and it great for what about a dozen things that ail you. The vitamin supplement cost me about $16.00 and I have only been on for two days, told it takes about two weeks to kick in, I will let you know how it is working out.

Well, I have to get back to work before I find my forehead on the keyboard and tying who knows what…that isn’t as bad as who it may be sent to by accident.

New Prescription

Well after my very busy weekend last week I began my Monday back at work at 6:45am. The hours in the weekday just fly by being so busy and most importantly having to be so precise in my work and not make errors that would shut the plant down due to lack of materials. On Tuesday I finally got in to see the Rheumatologist, a doctor I have been trying to get in to see since August when I was still out on medical leave. She was absolutely wonderful and gave me a full exam including blood work and X-Rays. (No results yet) The part that made her so wonderful is that she met with me in the room and talked with me, then she examined me, and then we talked again. How many doctors these days spend so much time with a patient? Well I don’t recall much after Tuesday except getting up with the dogs no later than 5:00am (Wednesday at 4:00am), getting coffee and going outside with them, come back in and read some emails and blogs, then going to work, coming home for lunch and letting the dogs out again, back to work, and then home for the evening.

I get home bring the dogs out, read the mail, and then start dinner. After dinner I clean the litter box and then back out with the dogs again so I can have a cigarette and they can run and play some. I usually come back in wash the dishes and clean up the kitchen, put away leftovers and then some days I will do a load or two of laundry, other days I will just wash my face and sit on the sofa and watch some TV. I usually can make it till 10:00 in the evening before started to get so tired I have to go to bed, but this week I began a new prescription the doctor gave me; she said it would take away the pain and give me energy! HA, it is like a sleeping pill.

I have not made it to 9:00 all week, and last night Friday night, Hubby took a little nap on the sofa from 7:15-8:00. Then he got up and went to the computer, and I then proceeded to fall asleep and slept until the dogs woke me at 10:00 to go outside for their last pee. When I came back in, I kissed hubby good night and went to bed. I slept all night until I just woke up at 5:00.

Now, this has got to end, I feel as if my life is flying right by me! It is scaring me to be honest, yes the medication relieves the pain, but what good it that if I am either working or sleeping all the time I am awake? Where is my life in-between? How long before my husband has had enough of a wife that never can spend anytime with him after dinner and is fast asleep by 8:00?

So today, having only been on the pills since Tuesday I will begin to wean myself off; there are all kinds of side effects if you abruptly stop taking them and I certainly don’t want to go down that road. It is difficult when you are in daily pain and something finally works well to feel the need to stop taking what is working, but honestly folks, how well it is working doesn’t matter when you feel nothing and your life is spent alone and hubby is waiting in the background hoping someday his wife returns to him with enough energy to, if nothing else, sit beside him and snuggle watching TV or talking, after the clock on the wall strikes 8:00.

Leftover Saturday

Well here it is already, Sunday morning and before you know it this day will be over and the work week will be starting. I feel like the last two days have been a week in itself. Friday work started off slow and then immediately following lunch as the saying goes, “all hell broke loose.” I was mentally drained when I was finally able to tear myself away from my desk and head for the exit. We met the corvette club for a dinner gathering at a new restaurant and then a good friend of ours, who had a dinner date we had not met before, suggested the four of us go out for a couple drinks, so we did. The evening ended after midnight. I can tell you the boys were happy to see us when we pulled into the driveway.

Yesterday, the boys woke me up at 6:00 and I had to force myself to get up, and to be quite honest I would have loved an IV of coffee for my veins as I think the “couple” drinks were more like a few. What can I say I was drained from the work week, I was out with hubby and friends, the wine was tasty, and I was not driving. So as I head outside with the boys and I slowly bend down to pet Brock, it started immediately, my head began to pound as if the little drummer boy had stopped in for a personal concert just for me; I said to myself it is either the little drummer boy or Thumper from the from the forest and Bambi will be looking for him soon.

The days activities were already lined up, head to the department store charity event by 7:00, get to a full body massage appointment by 9:00, come home and do some house chores, then get dressed for a funeral at 3:00, and end the day with a birthday party at 7:00. What was I thinking last night! Oh well, too late to feel sorry for myself I had things to do and people counting on me.

I left for the store, bought only three pairs of socks because there was absolutely no way I was about to try anything on that would have me bending over starting the concert in my head all over again. On my way to the massage I stopped at the local pharmacy and picked up some powered aspirin, at Diet Mt. Dew, the largest single serving power bar I could find, and some breath mints and I was on my way.

I did take a nap when I got back from the masseuse, but it helped very little; so off I go to the funeral and then the party. Wow, when will this day end already?

So now I sit this Sunday morning telling myself I really accomplished quite a bit yesterday and I should be proud of myself; now as I think of all that has to be done today I am depressing myself. The massage felt great when I was getting it, but she hit my sore spots many times and with a great deal of pressure, so much that I can feel all four simply sitting here as if they are poking me from the inside as if to say , “What were you thinking letting her abuse us like that?” I thought I was doing a good thing, you know how that sometimes works out in life. As I am drinking my coffee and typing this blog I am also scheduling the daily events in my mind; get started on the house work while hubby is still asleep, then as soon as he is up, get the laundry going and run the dust cloth around the house and follow it with the vacuum, take a shower and get the grocery shopping done before the store gets crowded, and then, maybe just possibly have time to curl up on this brisk Sunday with hubby on the couch and watch some football this afternoon as homemade soup simmers on the stove.

How Much Time?

How many of us go though our daily activities every day, week after week, sometimes month after month without ever thinking to pick up the phone and say hello and I love you to a relative or friend that does not live close by? We all get so busy with life…we work, take care of kids (two legged or four legged), have activities or clubs we belong to, have to cook dinner, do the household chores, and the list goes on and on.

My friend’s dad died today, and it made me cry. My father passed away a couple years ago and although he still lived in NY and me here in SC we talked on the phone almost every day. I loved my dad, and yet I love other members of my small family and friends too, but we talk maybe once a month, once every couple months…when we find time.

Life is so very short and we take for granted that we will be here tomorrow, but we may not be, our loved ones may not be, but yet we still procrastinate in making that call. I think we as humans believe we are invincible; I am healthy they are healthy so I will call tomorrow, which in reality ends up being in a few moths at best.

So I guess what I am trying to say is if you have been putting that call off because you have no time, make time, life tomorrow is not a guarantee. You will always feel better for making the time now than wishing you had made the time later

Veteran's Day

Found this online today and thought it appropriate.

Vietnam veteran Lyle Hurley of Woodbridge, Virginia is reflected in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial during ceremonies to mark The Wall's 25th anniversary on the National Mall November 7, 2007 in Washington, DC. Hurley stated, 'all the names mean so much' to him and that he was real sorry that he was 'here and they are not.' Organizers commemorated the 25th anniversary with 'The Reading of the Names,' the four-day event during which the over 58,000 names inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial are read aloud. For the fourth time in The Wall's history all of the names were read in Washington, D.C.

By Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.

Top 20 Reasons Why Dogs Don't Use Computers

1. TwaLIHJSKLN;lkspfdfrO{gO DsA[M,bN HyAqR4tDc TgROo TgYPmE WeIjTyH P;AzWqS, …
(Too Darn Hard to Type With Paws)
2. Butt-sniffing is more direct and less deceiving than online chat rooms.
3. Annoyed by the lack of a Newsgroups entitled "alt.pictures.master's.leg"
4. Saliva-coated mouse gets mighty difficult to maneuver.
5. SIT and STAY were hard enough, GREP and AWK are out of the question.
6. SmellU-SmellME communications software is still in beta testing.
7. The barking keeps activating voice recognition software.
8. 'Cause dogs ain't GEEKS! Now, cats on the other hand...
9. Three words: Carpal Paw Syndrome.
10. They are awaiting the introduction of the Microsoft Opposable Thumb.
11. Still trying to come up with an "emoticon" that signifies tail-wagging.
12. Not at all fooled by the Chuckwagon screen saver.
13. Keep bruising their noses trying to fetch that MPEG Frisbee.
14. Involuntary tail wagging is a dead giveaway that they're
browsing www.pethouse.com instead of working.
15. Fire hydrant icon is simply frustrating.
16. Can't help attacking the screen when they hear "You've Got Mail".
17. Too difficult to "mark" every Web site they visit.
18. Hard to read the monitor with their heads cocked to one side.
19. FETCH command not available on all platforms.
20. Can't Stick their heads out of Windows '98.

(Author Unknown)

Colored Leaves

Today is a glorious day! Brock woke me up at 5:30 this morning, that is one hour later than “normal” wake up time. I started the coffee and waited until three cups were brewed and took it outside with the dogs. By allowing only three of the twelve cups to brew before taking my java means my mug will be full of dark and incredibly strong caffeinated bliss.

The frost was upon the browning grass; as fall moves in each and every day now the once lush and green grass is turning more of a golden yellow with splashes of tan and brown.
As I gazed around outside this crisp morning, it was clearly evident that fall was ending its magnificent display of nature’s palate of what was one of the greatest color performances we have seen in the nine years we have been in SC. What once was spectacular color poking from every branch, on every tree, was now reduced to tan, brown and yellow speckled brittle leaves upon our lawn.

Watching the dogs this morning reminded me of when I was a small child, raking a pile of leaves (okay so my dad really raked them) and then running, jumping and sliding into the massive pile. Hubby had blown the leaves off the patio and from around the sunroom into just such a pile at the side of the house yesterday after work. The dogs ran right for it, no hesitation, as if they had been dreaming of doing it all night and were just waiting patiently for me to open the back door so they could jump in. They were running, barking, tails a wagging and having a splendid time without a care in the world.

I was almost tempted to join the joviality, but what with the frost on the ground, and the darkness still upon us in anticipation of the morning sunrise, and the fact that I still had yet to finish my first cup of Joe, I sat silently with a huge smile on my face watching the children folic in merriment knowing they would be a mess after play and I would be wiping and brushing their coats, but hey, kids will be kids, even mine, the ones that have four paws.

The Boys

Well, this morning Otis was like a puppy himself. The young ones were running and playing extremely hard and Otis looked over at me as if to say, “Mom I want to go and play with them.” So I patted him on the belly and said if you can go, then go and have some fun! He ran and barked and played until he was plum tuckered out and panting for water, but I tell you he looked so happy I swear he had a smile on his face!

Marley has just two modes, one is full throttle and the other is sleeping either on my lap, beside me on the couch, or sleeping on my head if we are in bed. He is so full of life I am at times jealous for my yester-years when I was able to fully function on just a mere three hours sleep. He is a bully as well I have to admit when it comes to his brother Brock. He will patiently stand on top of the hill in our backyard, steady and calm, watching and waiting for the opportunity to pounce upon Brock unsuspectingly as he rounds the corner. He can be relentless at times with his sibling, chasing him and playfully biting his back leg and his ear and so on, but when Brock is in the same mood they may play chase for an hour at a time. They both will hide behind one of the bushes and wait for the other to come by, they are smart little devils I give them that. Now when Marley is all done with playing he will come and lay upon me and fall fast asleep and during these moments I cannot even remember the bully in him, because at these times he is the most adorable and precious baby sleeping like an angel in my arms.

Brock is a funny boy. We adopted him seven months after Marley as he never found a forever home and was still at the no kill shelter past his one year birthday. He is taller and longer than Marley, while Marley is tan and white, Brock is 100% black including most of his tongue. While Marley’s tail is long and flips over and hangs to one side, it is pale in comparison to Brock’s long and beautiful tail. It reminds me of a horse’s tail or the mane of a horse as it falls to one side and is lush and full. Brock is a shy boy, he will only come to me even after living here with hubby and I since the middle of August. Hubby tries daily to win him over, but nothing has worked yet so we wait it out. Brock is the calm one of the siblings, they look nothing alike except they are both small in stature, but their personalities is what is worlds apart. Brock is gently and sweet as Marley is rough and tough. Brock gives the softest and gentlest kisses and is a clown as he plays in house by himself with his favorite toy, a green ball that has lost its squeak. I am so happy I was able to join them back together again and be a family even if they themselves have no recognition of each other back when they were just puppies in the shelter with their other six siblings.

Family to me is not just the ones that share my same blood; they are the friends I have chosen to be family. Sometimes the word friendship cannot express how you feel for someone that is when they become more than a friend, they become family. My family must also include the fur children because with out them my world would not be as happy or joyful and it would have more dark days and heavy clouds surrounding me. They bring to me what no human can and it is something I feel deep within my heart that words will never be able to explain.

Otis

What a week it has been. This getting back to work full time has really got me wore out early in the evening and I have been just too tired to write recently. I still get up with the dogs at 5:00 am or earlier and we go outside and they do their thing and then the three of them run and chase and play and I quietly sit in my green lounge chair and drink my coffee and smoke my cigarette. I love this time of day. It is so peaceful and calming to just be out among the stars and the moon while most of my world around me is still asleep.

After Otis has finished his business and playing with the young ones, he will come and sit on my feet, all 55 pounds of him and allow me to rub and pet his chin and belly. He is now ten and I worry that we will only have a few more years of this together. He is my big baby and he came into my life when I was at rock bottom.

I had just had a miscarriage with my new husband we had lost our dog Scooby, and my mother-in-law died; all this all took place in a week’s time. I was devastated to say the least, and I desperately needed a “baby” to love and care for. That is when I found Otis, six months old at a shelter in Rhode Island where I lived at the time. He was a God send to me and helped me overcome all the losses I had just been through. If you saw the blog on “in memory of my dog Sandy” we lost last year, you will understand how important Otis is to me. I love him more than I love some people, to be honest, more than I love most people.

I have the new babies as well now Marley and Brook and they are a joy and love in my life, and they are young and so full of life, I guess that is what makes me sad looking at Otis these days, knowing he doesn’t run as fast as he used to, doesn’t play as long as he used to, has the gray hairs around his chin, and rests with me more now verses tearing around the backyard.

I will cherish every moment I have with him; he already gets an extra treat each day, he gets extra attention and hugs and love from me every morning and we spend time just laying on the floor; Otis gets a belly rub and I get the warmth of his love beside me.

My fur-children are a gift from God that I cherish each and every day, and I say thank you to the Lord above every morning for giving me all that I have in my life and an extra special thank you for the gift of Otis.

Get out and Vote!

Today is Election Day in America. No matter who your party affiliation is or who you are supporting, please vote today! There is nothing more American and constitutional than our right to vote, especially us woman who were not given this right until the Nineteenth Amendment Passed by Congress June 4, 1919 and then Ratified August 18, 1920. For more information on The Woman’s Suffrage please follow the link below and explore the stories of some very heroic woman in their dedication and their desire to unlock opportunities that were open to men, yet denied to woman and you can truly appreciate what many went through and some even died, in the belief for our right as woman to cast our votes and enjoy American freedom of choice. I feel especially proud to have been born in the same great state of New York, where the woman began the suffrage so that today I can walk to the voting polls and cast my ballot, please do the same and get out and vote. http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/nineteentham.htm

The SUV and Me

I live in America, the home of free and the SUV. Yes, I am now the very proud owner of a SUV, the Honda CR-V to be exact. This is my very first ever new vehicle. My first car was a boat sized used blue 1979 Cadillac, bought for $950.00 from a friend and co-worker at the time. The price was chosen as it was the amount he was being offered by the car dealer if he were to trade it in on the new truck he picked out. I truly loved this car! I had it about two years and on a trip I was making to NY from RI, in the winter, thru the snow, heading out at about 6:00AM, the heater decided to quit working. I had to be in NY by 8:00am so I had no option but to keep going, heat or no heat….what a trip that was! I have also owned, all bought as used vehicles mind you, a 1986 Eldorado America’s Cup Edition Cadillac, beautiful car that was parked at the used car dealership. It was, as I found out, not for sale as it belonged to the dealer’s wife, needless to say when I left the lot it no longer belonged to anyone but me; as the saying goes, everything is for sale! For a very short few months I owned a new Saturn…this car was so small I thought I was supposed to be driving some clowns around under the BIG TOP at the circus. It had belonged to my ex-mother-in-law who had only owned it about 6 months before she suddenly passed away.

My husband at the time had been involved in an accident with my beautiful white and blue America Edition Eldorado and thought he would be nice and give me the Saturn, okay I am not impressed or happy about this. I promptly began shopping again for another used new car. I found a green 1989 Jaguar sitting on a lot one day, and before the week was over I was driving down the road with my leather heated seats and large silver Jaguar hood ornament staring back at me while I was behind the wheel. After my current husband and I sold that car to move to SC from RI and put some money down on a new home, I drove his white Monte Carlo, then I was given a 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP (super charged!) because my sister-in-law passed away one year after she bought the car brand new and paid in full with cash. Now that car was awesome, it was black, not the easiest to keep clean, but it had all the features I could have wanted on a car that was manufactured for 2001. It had 6 way power leather heated seats, auto lights (no more forgetting to turn them off and running the battery down) auto day/night mirror…how cool is that, no more having to switch the little black thingy under the mirror when darkness appeared and the bright lights came from behind, moorn roof, a CD player, and controls for the radio on the steering wheel.

Well as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end, and so the GTP was traded earlier this week for my new 2009 Honda CR-V. It is awesome and I could not be happier! I found it a bit odd at first, going from a car to an SUV is different of course, the entire vehicle is higher, and it handles slightly different, and so on. After only having it a few days, I can’t imagine driving anything else, except of course my corvette. Talk about features, the list is too long, but suffice to say my husband is the best for putting up with my indecisiveness in choosing a new vehicle, allowing me to complain about it for one day, after we had already signed on the dotted line (it was different than cars I had driven so it was a change I had to get accustomed to), and for just allowing me to the proud owner and driver of this new white beauty in the driveway.

My husband tries extremely hard to make sure I am happy without spoiling me, and trust me that is not an easy task. His pet name for me is “Queen of Return” as I will buy bags of clothes and shoes at my favorite department store and then come home and try them all on again only to bring 80% of them back, this is a given. So you can imagine how hard it was for me to pick something to drive for the next 6 years that I would NOT be able to return! We did our homework and this is the number one rated vehicle in its class, it was affordable, it is “cute” and fun to drive, but it is also very safe receiving a 9.1 safety rating. It will be great for the three dogs and I (hubby too) to take drives to the pet store together and it has plenty of room to bring home bags of dog food, treats, new toys and should I ever need to get one I could even fit a large dog house! I can honestly say, we are extremely lucky to have been given the opportunity and very grateful as well to have had the ability to buy this vehicle for years of safe fun for the entire family; myself, hubby, and the fur-children-Otis, Marley and Brock.