Karla's Cottage – Page 46 – by Karla Nathan

The prettiest rock, ever

By Karla Nathan / August 19, 2021

My last post was about this lazy Susan crafted from sliced geodes, that I felt was an extravagant, but happy purchase. Well, my husband topped that gift that I gave to myself, with a beautiful surprise for our anniversary.

It is the ultimate in heart shaped rocks! A blue crystal geode that seems to have a natural shape that has been enhanced with polishing.

That makes my own heart pitter.

I promptly displayed it with some other special rocks and think it is an ideal addition to my lazy Susan.

This is a quartz crystal heart that I have had for years, but had never noticed the shape until the puppies flipped it over in a flower pot. When they showed me that it was a heart, I brought it in the house where it belongs.

One edge is a little sharp, not softly rounded as it should be, but since it was pointed out to me by dogs, you have to give it some leeway, right? It might not be perfect, but I thanked them for it and forgave them for decimating my flower pot.

And do you see the broken heart outlined with a dark vein in the tall geode? Top right. That one is from an estate sale earlier this summer.

I only gave Rich an Apple Watch for our anniversary and he gave me the prettiest rock I have ever seen. Poor guy, he didn’t get nearly the personal gift that I did.

An indulgence

cottage

By Karla Nathan / August 16, 2021

Not too long ago, I saw this stone lazy Susan at Homegoods and passed it up due to price and the fact that I didn’t really need it.

Well, you can see how that turned out!

It is made of quartz geodes!

After an evening of wishing I’d snapped it up, I rushed back to the store the next morning to find it waiting for me.

Doesn’t it look like it is made for my dining table?

While I might be a thrifty shopper, I am not a stupid one. And for 50 bucks, this was a no brainer, I should not have squabbled with myself over it, that really isn’t so much. Heck, I’ve blown more than that at the renfest, letting the granfairies split geodes.

I’m very happy that I went back for it.

Catabwa Falls, Asheville

Corona virus, dogs, family, Hearts, sea shell fairies, Travel

By Karla Nathan / August 13, 2021

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.

I 💚 North Carolina

fairies, family, Hearts, sea shell fairies, Travel

By Karla Nathan / August 10, 2021

It was hard to say good bye to NC (and to my kids there).

Especially when we returned to a sweltering, soggy, heat wave in Kansas.

The mild, mountain weather almost made me forget what humidity felt like.

Oh, but I had a very quick reminder on our return!

As much as I hate having Dewdrop and Adam living so far away, I certainly understand why they do.

I fell in love with the region too.

Izzy the Brave

dogs, Goldendoodle Puppies

By Karla Nathan / August 7, 2021

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.

Rock Chalk

paintings

By Karla Nathan / August 2, 2021

Years and years ago, I painted a couple of “Jayhawks on Parade” as part of a fundraiser involving the local collage mascot. Here is one of them, a peacock. Mugs, books, shirts and other stuff were sold with the pictures of the birds too. This is a coffee cup I’d give to my MIL, that was recently returned when she moved into a healthcare facility. This mug gave me a big smile. I’d done the painting part and participated in the mosaic with good friends.

A whole box of stuff came back, including a painting I will not show that makes me want to apologize to anyone I’d gifted artwork to in the past.

Oh my.

Somethings you just don’t want to revisit, do you? At the time, I must’ve liked it, but with hindsight, I realize it was a mistake.

Much as a lot of things from the 80s for me! Let’s not talk about that big headed perm. Some things, like that badly done watercolor should stay in the past.

It’s Just Some stuff

Corona virus, cottage, Current Affairs, family

By Karla Nathan / July 28, 2021

Having the puppies leave for their new families is rewarding.

No matter how many times I tell myself this, it doesn’t make it any easier, I miss my puppies! A few days after they went off on their new paths, we had family come to visit. That was a welcome distraction.

Especially when they brought their own cute doggies along.

And of course, I still have this pup.

Who looks all grown up with her new haircut.

We have had one problem after another. So many that they are blending into one another, to form one big blob of problematic messiness. But none too big, just an ongoing onslaught.

I tripped and cracked a rib, one puppy got sick, another got slightly injured, but all are okay. I had a three year old washer break, replaced it with a brand new one that didn’t work, was lucky enough to get that one replaced and the newest one floods my laundry room. I wasn’t shopping for the best deal, or certain options on the machines, I was just taking what the store could get and was glad to get one. But man, none of them were working?

Of course during the pandemic, we are used to shortages and I figure that if my biggest issue is having trouble replacing appliances (I am looking at you, 8 month back order on a dishwasher), I am doing okay.

Our hot tub died on us last year, and one turned up to buy last week. It was not the one we wanted, but it was the one we could get. It worked and we were glad to get it.
I started to climb in the other day for a relaxing soak on my achey rib after pulling weeds in the garden, had my shirt half off when I looked up to see a workman in the tower.

He had a bird’s eye view of a grandma starting to strip. Poor guy.

Our hot tub area is typically private, but a couple times a year, some brave soul climbs the tower to work on it. I am not complaining about that either, that tower has been lucrative to us.

Our desk top Mac needed replaced, I was able to get one, not the one I wanted, but one I needed. iPads were in stock, Rich could replace his along with his broken Rigid drill (whose ID number was blurred and the warranty wasn’t honored). We needed a new microwave, tires for my car, three new outdoor and two indoor faucets replaced. Our camper has developed a weird electrical thing and hundreds of dollars later, is still not right. There are more little broken issues, big issues, sad things, annoying things, but I am trying to look at it from the point of view that somehow it works out and we are lucky to afford the repairs, replacements, and to find something in stock somehow to get that done, even with shortages.

Then, our 7 month old truck broke down in Southern Missouri while Rich was camping. The pandemic shortages became hard to ignore when we discovered it could be up to six months to get the part to fix it. And I spent hours on the phone with rental companies trying to find a way to get a truck to the Ozarks to pick up Rich, Honey, and the RV.

Our local dealership came through and loaned us this shiny, blue savior and I drove 6-1/2 hours to fetch them and scoop them up to bring home.

So far, the GM dealer is treating us very well and we hope to get this solved in a way that we don’t miss the rest of boating and camping season by not having a truck for months.

Except for a sick puppy, who is better, and a sore rib which is getting better, it’s all just stuff right? (Expensive stuff, but just stuff) I know that and have been rolling with it as good as I can.

Believe me, I know that I am speaking from privilege and that my life is good, these are minor things. I’m quick to thank and commiserate with the salesmen, clerks, repairmen, and parts people who are dealing with the brunt of not being able to get the things that are needed. My problems are small.

After losing a son, losing a truck doesn’t seem like much.

But, a series of stresses does add up and I felt pretty dang sorry for myself yesterday. My rib hurt, I’d been in the truck for 13 hours, and I just didn’t want to think about the deeper reasons that there were so many empty shelves and so few choices when shopping. Driving through parts of Missouri where the virus is spreading like wildfire and hospitals are over filled, and seeing that no one is wearing masks was the final straw.

While I work on being grateful for what I have, it is painful to know that the virus is still spreading and the healing our world needs has slowed down and instead things are getting worse again, not better.

A happy ending

cottage, dogs

By Karla Nathan / July 24, 2021

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

By Karla Nathan / July 21, 2021

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.

A little trip down memory lane, or up I29, I should say

Uncategorized

By Karla Nathan / July 17, 2021

Rich and I went to visit friends in Nebraska and decided to take a detour through Sioux City on the way home.

While it wasn’t exactly on the way (we had to go north an hour before going back south to KS), it was nice to have the freedom to meander about and take the time to explore the city where we met.

And to drive by my mom’s old house, where I raised my boys through their preschool years. Way, way before we lived there, it was the home of Ann Landers and Dear Abby as children. Maybe the aura of of their advice giving habits lingered in the air, and that is why I tend to be so bossy like to help people know what is the best thing to do.

We visited some of Rich’s college days’ haunts, had a loose meat type, Charlie Boy sammy, and mostly drove around murmuring about how much things had changed, stayed the same, or wondered if we were going the right way, is this the place, or is that it?

Typical old folk talk when revisiting the past locales of their youth.

The day’s drive was a nostalgic continuation of our visit to see our friends, Rich’s college buddies.

We’d sat on the porch of their beautiful lake home and drank wine while reminiscing for hours.

Being with these good friends felt like we were right back where we were decades ago. Although, our surroundings were no where near this nice way back when!

And who knew that there were glorious, natural sand beaches right outside of Omaha?!?

The lakes are dredged from the Platte River, which apparently is sandy bottomed.

It makes for clear, clean water and beaches you’d expect to see on a tropical Island, not in Nebraska. I think that this area has to be one of the Midwest’s biggest secrets.

We had a quick trip, just one night, but we sure packed a lot into it. I felt like I’d been on a trip to an exotic beach as well as down memory lane, all in a little over 24 hours.