Texas Lady

R has gone deer hunting at his brother’s house.  The dogs and I have been baching it.  The weather is cool and rainy with fog in morning and nights, so I’ve stayed pretty close to home.  I drank the bottle of Champagne then ate Cheetos because it was too cloyingly sweet.  Then that made me hungry so I ate a baked potato.  Now I have a sour stomach.  Wonder where that came from.  Yeah…Right

I spent the past 24 hours backing up computers and files for 2016 and dumping them all to dvds.  Finally finished that tonight so I’m good until 2018 now.  I have a copy on 2 PCs, a backup drive, a copy in the cloud and now a hard copy on DVDs.  I’m good now.

Tomorrow I’m planning on getting back in the sewing room again.  I’m doing tote bags to donate then will get to my wall hangings I stitched that need to be framed and then to my new purse….maybe not in that exact order, of course.

New Year’s libation for one in front of the computer

All is quiet around here.  Have to take 2 dogs to the vet Monday.  I have a hair appt. one day.  Other than that I’m planning to sew.  Birthdays are coming up and I need some “things” done.  And some “things” to donate.  Going to learn to do ball caps, too, this year.  I’ve got a lot of plans, yes indeedy!

I made it!  One more time.  And I did it my way for the most part, and without my usual depression this year.  I usually battle Seasonal Affective Disorder in the fall months but we increased the wattage of our lights and slowly my depression is fading.  Well, what do you know??????????!!!!!!!!!!  So I’ve been sewing up a storm for everyone and making ornaments and tote bags and lace and snowflakes and….

See What I mean?  I’ve been sewing a LOT!  And this is not all of it either.  Since xmas is over now I’ve started sewing again.  I have 5 or 6 tote bags to do, wall hangings for myself to frame, and a purse for myself to sew.  Then I’ll do some more blankets, of course, because they’re my favorite things to stitch since they allow me the most creativity in designs.  I’ll be doing more lace, as well, since I have fallen in love with it.  I already have ideas for transitioning some from xmas to normal life…we’ll see.

And we have fallen in love with Miss Khandi and are keeping her  (as if we needed another dog, right?  LOL).  She’s really a great little girl and plays with our dogs and gets along with them just fine.  She’s happy and peaceful and loving, well-socialized, good on a leash, etc., etc., etc.,…  So, we’ll take her in next week to get ready for her heartworm treatment probably some time in January depending on when the vet schedules her.

We took our xmas decorations down today.  This is what it looked like xmas eve:

This week I’m planning more sewing, a run for groceries at some point, a trip to the bank, and to spend the rest of my time with my little family.  What will you be doing this week?

FSL Angels

Khandi

And I’ve made it just fine, for once.  I’m still sewing up a storm and mostly finished with xmas items.  I’ve been making free standing lace items this week and using thread like crazy.  I have a bunch of stuff stitched out but still in the washaway stabilizer.  Hope to get them out and assembled this week.  Tomorrow Bandit goes in for his 4 week checkup and I have to have blood drawn for a follow up, so I probably won’t get much sewing done.  I’ll post some more pictures later.  Midnight is not exactly the best time to find and edit photos, at least for me.

And we have a new foster, even though we swore no more fostering.  We named her Khandi (xmas candy=khandi???).  She’s really sweet, happy and healthy except she’s high heartworm positive.  We’re medicating for a month and then will go back for a recheck to see if we can do the heartworm treatment.  Then, we’ll have her up for adoption and hope to find her a wonderful home.

Just thought I’d spend a moment to check in since I haven’t been posting much in recent months.  Hi, y’all!!!!!!!

I’m in the sewing room today, still working on xmas gifts for next month.  Almost done with most of them but the rush is on.  I’ve left the things that require sewing with the embellishing for last…and I dread the sewing.  I have already added more projects to my list of things I want to do though.  I never run out of ideas…just run into ideas I’ve sometimes promised to others that I should have never volunteered for.  Will I ever learn to say no?  LOL  Doing another project (3 pieces) with glow in the dark thread again today.  Wish me luck.  Since it’s new thread I’m learning its properties and they’re not all good.  One spool (so far) breaks repeatedly.  I had to finally change to another spool.  It was $20 per spool so that sux big time.  I hope that’s the only one that frays.

Fancy and R in Petsmart

Miss Fancypants turned 16 years old Wednesday.  We spent the bulk of the day making it a special one for her.  First we went to Starbucks for a puppy whip.  Then we went through the bank drive through, then to PetSmart for shopping.  Last stop was for cheeseburgers to take home to share with the other pups for her birthday celebration with the entire family.  She was so tired on the way home that she fell asleep in my arms.  She normally is the only one who stays awake the entire time she’s in the car but not that day.  So sweet!  With her age and health issues we never know how long we’ll get to keep her before her days are done so we try to enjoy all the moments now we can.  It was a great day.

A week ago I bent over (just at the waist) to reach into the cabinet below the fish tank to retrieve a new filter.  Ouch!!  My lower back screamed at me.  I knew enough to start icing and NSAIDs immediately and by the end of the day it was better…until I bent down to reach the mouthwash after brushing my teeth before bed.  A bolt of lightening shot through my back generating up to my head and down to my ankle.  It hurt so bad I was shaking and couldn’t put any weight on my left leg.  I thought I would fall down.  I couldn’t walk over to sit down and I couldn’t stand much longer.  R was snoring and I didn’t want to wake him to ask for help.  What to do?!!!!!!!!!  I ended up standing, shaking until my left leg would hold me then hobbled over to sit on the toilet lid until I could manage better.  I could not walk without holding the walls and wasn’t sure I could make it to get my cane out of the closet.  Thankfully I did make it and got more ice and medicine until I could breathe again.  Monday I was at the doctor and am on steroids.  Good news is that the pain is gone.  I hate the side effects of the steroids but I’ll survive.  I’ve got to be careful bending over.  <smile>

I made a sign with glow in the dark thread for Halloween night.  Sign is on right in daylight; on left is what it looks like in the dark.  What?  Thought it was supposed to glow; it barely shows up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Not happy.  Gonna try some more designs with a different brand of thread.

My husband made a comment today that has led to some thinking that I hadn’t bargained for.  We’re always sharing stories of cute things the dogs do that make our lives much more happy.  We have a lot of dog-related memories that still make us smile and that we’ll never forget even after that dog has left our lives.  DH said something to the effect: It’s your attitude toward the things that the dogs do that make them so enjoyable.  You choose to view them in positive and amusing ways when others may not see them that way, and that is a big part of why we have so many of the memories we have.  I remarked that I wish I’d been this kind of mother when I was raising my children because it sure would have made their lives better.

Since then I’ve thought back to why things are different now and then.  When I was raising my children I was surviving the effects of an abusive childhood, abandonment, childhood emotional and sexual abuse, and rape.  I had no tools to work with in the aftermath of the abuses.  I didn’t know how to handle the fear, shame, anger and loss I lived with every day.  I tried to do the best I could with my children and to give them a better life than I’d had.  What mother doesn’t want her child to have a better life?  Since I had no positive role models I couldn’t come to terms with my past life.  There were times I was angry and my children became the scapegoats.  There were times I was preoccupied and distant to my kids.  I was unreasonable, excitable and hard to understand.  I didn’t know what normal was but I was trying to model it for my children.  I failed miserably but fortunately both of my adult children are responsible, loving people who have also survived their childhoods.

Once they were grown and on their own, I received the opportunity to work through my issues and try to learn to live my life differently, lovingly, calmly and openly.  I’m nowhere near any kind of perfection and I learn new things every day, but I took that chance at recovery to learn to love and be loved.  Eventually I adopted a little rescue dog named Sassie, who taught me about unconditional love.  The rest is my life today.

I love my dogs unconditionally every day, and they love me (us).  I’ve had the chance to foster and rescue many animals over the past 16 years. Each one has taught me new lessons.  Each one I’ve loved.  Each one is/has been a part of who I am.

So, when I came home and found 2 tiny Chihuahua puppies standing proudly in the kitchen amid the aftermath of destroying 2 doggie pads, I could have been upset.  But seeing how very proud they were of their accomplishments changed my perspective immediately.  I ran for the camera and took photographs which I shared with everyone with the caption: It snowed in Dickinson!!!!!!!!!  It’s become one of our most precious memories when it could have ended in a sulk instead.  I wish this was what I had modeled for my children…..

Yesterday was one of those days you hate.  We had to put one of our fosters to sleep.  He was at his new home walking with his human daddy while his mom was at work.  A big dog attacked Freckles and his dad.  His mom called us for help as she could not get there fast enough.  We picked him up and rushed him to our vet’s office, but he’d lost too much blood and was in too much pain.  He would have required lengthy surgery to repair the damage and he wasn’t in any shape to survive the surgery.  If he survived the surgery he still may have not survived the recovery which would have probably been two months or more and over $5000 in monetary cost.  The decision was made to euthanize and we stayed with him until he breathed his last breath, telling him how much everyone loved him and how much he would be missed.  He was such a sweet little dog who never hurt a fly and who loved his family and was loved by everyone he met.  Rest in peace, little one.  No more pain now.  Run free!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I looked and I have no new photos to share.  It seems like I’ve been so busy since I posted last but I don’t know that I have anything to show for it.  We’re looking at patio covers.  Here is someone I know at Lowe’s.  What do you think of this gazebo?It’s $1000 but made of steel.  Two of them will cover most of my patio (16′ x 33′).  I’ve just got to figure out how to pay for them.  LOL  I owe R a motor for his boat first so maybe by xmas???

Today we took Pepper to his new vet…yeah, right!  We went but they were idiots so we didn’t stay.  Went back to our current vet, convinced it was a bad move to try to change.  LOL  He had a wonderful time riding all over the county with us, so much so that he refused to get out of my lap when we took him back to his mom.  He was afraid we’d leave without him and he wouldn’t get to go.  Guess we’ll have to take him more in the future.  Mom takes him when she drives through to pay bills but said she hadn’t taken him anywhere for about 4 days.  Last time we were at her house, R took him for a walk on the leash.  Pepper came back with his tail wagging and his little tongue hanging down to his knees.  He was so hot!  And he never gets to go walking because Mom’s not able to take him.  It was too hot for them to go any further but I think Pepper would have walked until he collapsed that day.  He was such a happy boy.  R takes Bandit walking most every night but after dark so they don’t overheat.  Sometimes one or another of the girls will want to go, but most of them are just as lazy as their mother.  I never walk with them because of my back issues (can’t even make it through the grocery store sometimes without sitting down at least once) but I try to do things in small bursts of energy throughout the day when I can.

Still going to the gym 3 or 4 times per week.  R goes more often than I do but I do like it.  I even ordered myself a swimsuit so I can swim and get in the hot tub.  It’s supposed to be here Wednesday via FedEx.  I hope I like it better than the last one I bought.  LOL

R is headed for bed and me for the tub so I’d better go get a nightgown before he crashes; I hate to turn the light on in his eyes.  Good night, All.

My purple bath & hand towels

R’s red bath towel

7 white hand towels

So I did actually do today what I said I would.  I monogrammed all the gym towels, finished the laundry, and cleaned off the hutch in my office.  Now we’re having DSL connection issues.  When I called them tonight they could see where our service shut down 78 times already today.  Frustrating at times but we just have to go with the flow until they get it fixed.

All else is calm and happy; tomorrow is a gym and grocery day.  Monday I start jury duty, so R will have to be running this place on his own.  Rottsa Ruck!

Zoe, Gypsy, Mimi & Dusty resting in my lap.

Bandit totally exhausted after a two-day fishing trip with R

We have a great pack of dogs right now.  They’ve patiently watched all the rescue dogs come in and go out over the years, and they’re still mellow and sweet and happy on a daily basis.  And spoiled, of course.

Tomorrow I’m going to try to get back into the sewing room….finally!  We started back at the gym last week so I’m going to monogram all our gym towels in case they get lost.  That’s the first project and may be all that gets done since there’s about 10 towels to be done (2 purple -hand and bath, 1 red bath, 7 or 8 white hand).  But I received a purse pattern I’d ordered that I already have the fabric for, so that will be on my agenda, as well as doing some more tote bags then starting on xmas gifts.  No way I could do all that in one day or even 1 week.  But I’ll get a start on it and that’s what matters.

We have been going at least 4 days per week to the gym for the past two weeks.  Since we’re old codgers coming from non-existent fitness levels it’s going to take a while to see any noticeable fitness.  But we’re plugging away and are bound and determined to make it work.  This is the 3rd gym for us in 16 years.  We actually joined this one four years ago when I retired and then neither of us ever went once.  I finally cancelled the membership.  But we’re both retired now so we’re trying it again.  We like it so far.

I think the exercise is helping me get through this bout with depression.  It’s gotten pretty bad; I had to decide if I wanted to stay married or call it a day.  I decided I wouldn’t give up without a fight so that’s the path we’re on.  We decided to move our dogs to a different vet because we’re driving 35 minutes each way to get there and then the same to get home. With Mommas and my sister’s dog it’s even farther (Galveston and Texas City) then to Friendswood and back.  We found a vet close to us that seems to offer the same value of care so we’re trying them out.  All papers turned in to the new one, and the old one has been notified that we’re transitioning out of their practice.  They’re still our friends though.  That’ll not change.

Tomorrow I hope I have sewing pictures to post.  Wish me luck!!!!