A pet portrait
dogs, paintings
This is a sweet girl that I painted for a friend.
I have enjoyed doing more paintings this fall and hope to continue the trend into the new year.
dogs
Prairie Fires
dogs 
Kansas scenery might not have a reputation for being very interesting, but I find it pretty. When the prairie fires are lit, it becomes striking. But I rarely see that, so I was happy to catch a field at the dog park being cleared.
Our local dog park was pretty nice as is, but it is now getting a makeover. I’ve excitedly watched the process and look forward to the summer’s blooms. We tried something similar by our bee hives, but skipped a couple of steps, including the burn. For a few months after tilling and planting wildflower seeds, it looked so-so, but nothing like I’d hoped. And soon, the weeds and grass took back over.
Plus, I got systemic poison ivy from all of that horrid vine in the air from the field being tilled. Ugh.
Our house is right on I70, so I’d be nervous about doing a burn off. With that smoke rolling through the sky, visibility on the turnpike could get bad.
So, I’ll enjoy the native plants at the dog park, since it doesn’t look like we will be getting a field of them at the cottage.
With so much smoke around while the fields were being burnt, my asthma was acting up, so we didn’t watch the fiery show for long. Instead, we headed down to the Kaw River at the backside of the dog run.
Molly enjoyed the change of pace. But she loves everything. That happy girl doesn’t care where we take her, she is just glad to be there.
Dorothy was glad to go too.
There are many times when I wish I lived by the beach or in the mountains, places where there is always a beautiful place to explore.
But honestly? I’m pretty happy right here. Beauty can be found just about anywhere if you look for it.
I ❤️ The Dog Park
dogs, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Goldendoodle Puppies
Our city has a magnificent dog park. Miles of trails through fields and the woods. Some of the trails are paved, some dirt, some gravel. Lately, I’ve been lucky enough to find heart shaped rocks in the gravel, like these two little ones.
I thought it would be cool to use my blue crystal heart as a bowl to collect other rocks in.
This one was in the paved area.
And this little piece of my own heart came running up to me with an exciting greeting. It’s Wally! One of Sugar’s babies, and he seemed to remember me.
He lives nearby, in the neighborhood Ryan and I walked through regularly. There wasn’t a week that went by when Ryan didn’t mention that he hoped we’d run into Wally, who had been one of his faves. He had actually dog sat this boy for a week for the new owners and was pretty fond of him.
We hadn’t come across this cutey in our many walks, but the week Ry died, his brother took me on a “Ryan Walk” and guess who was there? Wally was out on a walk too! I am afraid I cried too hard to be able to greet him. But I made up for it when we ran into him at the dog park. He got lots of snuggles from me.
In the fall, the bales are harvested in the many fields the trails go through and Molly likes to show off her jumping skills by leaping up onto them. Sugar can also leap into the air, but sees no reason to do it.
Dorothy enjoys the view from way up high, and likes to be sat up there with Molly. Someone her height doesn’t often get to see the world from this angle.
Farewell, Summer
dogs, family, Sugarwings
It has been hot around here, more than usual for a KS summer, but also, green and vibrant. It has been a wet summer too, without the typical blowing dust that the heat usually brings. Our garden and flowers are still thriving.
More so than I have, even though I try to not let the extra hot days get to me, because I know I will miss summer and wish for some extreme heat when the seasons change and the cold creeps back.
The dogs and I have spent as much time outside as we can. Molly has spent the summer learning to perfect the art of digging.
She has some impressive skills.
We have been attending adolescent puppy classes and she did well there too. I enjoyed the classes so much that I hope to sign up for the next step in classes.
I’d love to master some dog training skills myself and am considering keeping litters an extra month for further training. I’ve also contacted the local shelter to offer myself as a foster home for litters (no answer so far).
This probably makes me sound like a crotch edgy, old lady, but why the heck does school start so early? “Dagnabbit, back in my day” schools began after Labor Day. Sugarwings’ school starts up mid August, and I’m never quite ready to lose her company so soon.
But there they go, off to high school! (With a grown up, hairstyle!)
My hair got a makeover too.
Although, between the humidity and my lack of hot iron skills, it only looks good the day I get it done at the beauty shop. Maybe with Autumn arriving, it will cooperate more, most of the summer, I’ve sported a frizzy mass of messy, limp curls.
Or just lake hair. Which might not look great, but feels pretty good.
North Carolina Riverbank Fairies
dogs, fairies, sea shell fairies
One morning in NC, I took the dogs for a walk along the stream that flowed through our campgrounds. The glimmer of sparkling, mica rocks caught my attention, so we paused to gather up fairy materials.
Molly has been going to puppy school and this fairy building adventure showed me just how well the training has paid off. It isn’t easy to hold two leashes and arrange rocks into a little sprite at the same time. She made it easy, though. There was no pulling or impatience on her part at all.
And little, 6lb Dorothy was a doll herself. I whipped up a fairy quickly and they didn’t get in the way one bit.
Well, at least not until I had finished.
Then, Molly gave the fairy a “hug”.
Catabwa Falls, Asheville
Corona virus, dogs, family, Hearts, sea shell fairies, Travel
We took both dogs up the trail to Catawba Falls to see the waterfall.
Along the way, my son watched for edible treats the woods had to offer.
While my eyes scan for heart shaped rocks or stones to craft a riverbank fairy, he is on the lookout for mushrooms and berries.
While he found very few on this walk, he marks the spots where they were to check back later.
Molly was a perfect trail dog. Dorothy needed a lift for a great deal of the way.
Although she did enjoy the trip, even if her tiny legs needed a break. I am going to get a sling/carrier for her for future trips. Since her littermate and mama died, she can’t be left behind, the poor girl needs to have us around.
I see more hiking in her future.
While we found the scenery scrumptious, we were far from the only viewers. This place was packed as you got up toward the higher spots. The trails that led upward weren’t bad, but once you hit the start of the falls, it gets crowded as everyone stops to enjoy them.
Because of the Covid upticks, we wanted to avoid being in a mass of humanity, so we settled into a little rocky pool, not too high up where we had a private place to enjoy the river and still see the falls up in the distance.
I applaud people for wanting to be in outdoor locations now, but man. That was a lot of them! Still, we had many peaceful moments. You can skirt crowds if you make an effort.
And if there are going to be multitudes of hikers passing by, I probably should consider wearing makeup. Oh well.
Downtown Asheville is equally busy, but we managed a scenic hike through it while keeping mostly distant, and masking.
It’s been years since I had time to check out the area, and it’s not just vibrant and bust, it’s funky and fun too.
My favorite building?
My son did the carpentry trim on this one, of course it gets my vote!
He also made rock fairies with me while we relaxed at the falls. What a sweet son.
Izzy the Brave
dogs, Goldendoodle Puppies
Thank you so much to the dozens of people who wanted to help Izzy! I appreciate the outpouring of care towards this sweet girl, and I know that anyone of those potential homes would have been a happy place for her to grow and heal in.
When Izzy’s owner no longer wanted her, stating that she was belligerent and the puppy biting was not controllable, my good friend, Anette, and I both worked with the owner, helping her with tips and training information.
A week later, she contacted us again, saying, nope, no way, come get this dog. Anette is the owner of Izzy’s father and Izzy had gone to her as pick of the litter.
And what a pick! Lil Iz was a strong leader of the litter. She was curious, smart, and outgoing. Not to mention, as beautiful as she was silky soft and cuddly.
Anette jumped in her car and was on her way to central Nebraska to pick up that pup within minutes, she called me from the car for us to make a plan. Legally, the puppy was hers to take in, I was hurting and so worried, I felt like I had to have her back in my arms. Anette is a soft hearted breeder who understood that after raising this baby for 8 weeks, I loved it and also that if Izzy had problems, she might respond more to me.
I got busy making appointments for personal trainers and vets. The description of her behavior was troubling because I knew she had been good natured and learned commands when with me. I though I’d have to work with her for weeks for obedience training.
Instead, I found a well behaved, non-nipping, sweet dog who was terrified. She recognized me right away and came running across the yard to me.
When I bent down to pet her, she literally screamed in fear. It was a high, screeching yip, that did not let up. We discovered that she was frightened of hands, doors, small enclosed areas, people, and loud noises. But I also saw Anette’s little grandchild gently taking a stick out of Izzy’s mouth and her being happy for his attention.
While extremely skittish around my home and dogs all morning, she slowly opened up to our love. I started calling her Izzy the Brave to give her some positive reinforcement for overcoming her issues. She was being curious again, slowly approaching new things, looking to me to ask if it was okay, then bravely checking it out.
I knew then that what she truly needed was not just training but a lot of love. If I were to be in charge of the process, she would bond with me, then have to go through it all again with the new family who eventually became her forever home.
I wanted to hold her close.
That was great for me, but not her. I found a great couple who already had one of her siblings from two years ago. They will bond with her and focus on the retraining themselves, so that she does not have to readjust to multiple families.
While I hated having everything go so wrong for the poor girl, I was thrilled to have had her in my arms again, and to now know that she is in the arms of a family who will always treasure her.
And it meant a lot to see how many wonderful people reached out and offered to take this sad, scared baby into their own hearts. Thank you.
A happy ending
cottage, dogs
When the pups were living in our breezeway, a bird came through the window whose screen I’d removed to provide access for Sugar. We kept a bench under the window so she could hop in and out of it to spend time with her babies as she chose to while still being able to shut the door to keep the pups inside.
A nest was built on top of a flower pot shaped like a bird house (seems fitting!). I would climb up on Sugar’s bench each day to peek in and check on the progress of the two little eggs inside. One hatched and I was excitedly awaiting the second’s arrival.
But then tragedy struck the little family, the mama bird got caught in a fly strip. I cannot, (and will not to save you the vision) tell you what a horrific experience that was.
Just awful.
I expected the baby to die on its own. But no! It grew and thrived, with a tuff of fluffy down poofing up on its head and a sweet little chirpy song coming from the nest. The papa bird must’ve raised it alone. The other egg never hatched, I guess because the mom wasn’t around to sit on it.
Once I discovered that it was still living, I left it alone, knowing how fragile its existence was. Then, I stopped hearing its chirpyness and looked inside, yep, she’d grown up and left.
I brought the nest indoors and put it under glass to remind me of the hope that came after the hideous moments of trying to get that mama out of the fly strip and watching it die.
Plus, nests are just cool.
I might decorate it or Foof it up somehow later on. But for now, I am enjoying the simplicity of the nest in the white pottery under glass.
New Looks for the Doodles
dogs, Goldendoodle Puppies
Molly and Sugar were both way over due for new doos. Sugar couldn’t get a haircut for 4 months because of pregnancy and nursing. And honestly, Molly was so dang cute as a fluff ball so furry you couldn’t even tell if there was a dog in there or not, that I was enjoying her as she was.
With the heat in Kansas, it just wasn’t fair for me to leave her that way just because I thought it was adorable.
Once she was shaved, we discovered there was barely anything under that mop! She is a tiny thing.
Sugar looked sleek under her mountain of hair too.
Do you see the little heart/hole in the sidewalk that she found for me on our walk?
Here is a close up. I’d never have noticed it if she hadn’t called my attention to that spot. Thank you, Shuggie, I love you too!
Before her Sugarbabies went to their homes, they shared a heart with me too. This is a crystal that I’ve had in the yard for years.
I had no idea that one side was heart shaped until the puppies flipped it over while playing with it.
Of course, I took that as an ‘I love you’ message from them.
I hope those little puppies know how much I loved them too. My yard seems very empty without their lively personalities.
My time with them seemed much too short. Saying good bye was rough.
Saying farewell
dogs, Goldendoodle Puppies
By this weekend, our dog population will have dwindled down to just four, Dorothy (who is getting tons of attention after losing her brother), Molly, Sugar, and Honey.
The pups are starting to leave for their new families.
Sugar is ready to say goodbye. She has been sleeping on the blankets that go to their new homes, and letting me rub toys and blankies all over her to get the scent nicely saturated. But is avoiding anyone trying to nurse. She is over it.
The bags are packed with necessities and goodies to take along.
As hard as it is to say goodbye, I do love seeing the pups meet their new people. They seem to know that person is theirs now.
While it is hard for me to watch them go, it might be even tougher for Molly.
She cannot stand to have them out of her sight. I see a lot of games of fetch in my future to distract the poor girl through her sadness of losing her rollicking, lil playmates.
And who will their mommy hunt tasty tidbits for!? She brought this critter right into the house to them. At least the mice and birds she catches have been delivered outdoors.
I will miss their endless fascination and curiosity. Oh and the enthusiasm! They kept things lively around here. I loved to show them new things to watch their excitement in exploring it.
I loved taking care of them too, the bathing, and brushing, and medicating. I was rubbing Neosporin onto one fluffy boy’s fat tummy after another while sitting out on the patio and visiting the other day and someone asked if I actually enjoyed all of that work.
Yes, I do. It doesn’t seem like work to tend to these babies’ needs. And they are here for such a short time, I try to savor all the moments.
Maybe it is from raising kids, then grandfairies and looking back at how fast it all flew by.
My lessons have taught me to look for smiles and love where I can find them, and treasure each one.
