In my quest for solitude...

So this beautiful boy would have less people to possibly jump on...

We tried the trail at this land trust about a half a mile away from my house. I had never been there before so I didn't know what to expect. But I rarely see any cars in the small clearing on the side of the road where the trail begins so we gave it a shot today.

I prayed it wouldn't be a mess to get through like the one a few weeks ago. But it was actually a beautiful walk through woodlands loaded with ferns....

I took the picture below just before a large deer shot across the path in front of us. Tanner gave the poor thing a run for its money I'm afraid...he is one fast dog...but I think in the end the deer was faster. I was worried Tanner would chase it too far from me but he came back pretty quickly.

Then we passed through a meadow full of wild blueberries...yum.

Then through some more woods when suddenly we came across this unexpected sight. Wow...how gorgeous !!!

Tanner had fun splashing around in the water while I took pictures...

And blue sky...what a welcome sight that was with all the rain we have had here in June.

To the left of this picture was a large beaver den but I couldn't get a good shot of it. I also missed getting a picture of the large blue heron that flew up out of the grasses in front of me & off to the other side of the water.

The reflections were really pretty on the calm serene water.

After we finished playing near the water we continued on our way through some really pretty woodlands. It was such a nice walk & I know we will definitely go there again soon.

Lessons learned today...

When you head out at 7 am for a short hike on the lower mountain trails....

...don't forget your trail map at home....you'll need it when you decide to climb all the way to the top and then take the wrong trail down the wrong side of the mountain.

...don't decide to eat breakfast when you get home because you are only planning to take a quick 1 hour hike....you'll be very hungry when you have to climb the moutain twice because you took the wrong trail down and you end up hiking for 3 & a half hours instead of 1

...don't leave your camera at home because you think you're taking the same trail you usually do & you've photgraphed it before....when your 1 hour hike turns into 3.5 you'll be kicking yourself every time you see something you wish you could photograph...like the gorgeous view from the top.

Tag ..you're it

Hey Kristi ...thanks for the blog award. Not sure how many people follow my blog but I'll join the fun anyway and anyone who wants to play along consider yourself tagged. (that means you Brenda and you Sonya...you're the only people other than Kristi that I know read my blog from time to time)

Here are the rules for this Award:

Post 10 honest things about yourself and post the award on your blog.

Give this award to some people who follow your blog.

10 Honest things about me

1. I love being single...I also hate it

2. I didn't eat vegetables till I was in my late 20's...even now there are many I don't like

3. I'm afraid of dying & leaving my kids without a mother. There was a long span of time when I was a child that I woke my Mom up every night because I was afraid of dying. I'm amazed to this day at her patience with me during all those months of being woken up by me.

4. I love spicy food..the hotter the better

5. I have always wanted to write a book...either a novel, a cookbook or a photographic "coffee table" book

6. Although I think Michael Jackson made some bad choices in life I never believed he was a child molester. I'm really sad that he has passed away

7. My favorite color is orange

8. 30 years ago I graduated from hairdressing school but never pursued a career as a stylist. It has saved me many dollars through the years though in being able to cut my children's hair rather than have to pay at a salon for their haircuts.

9. I am really grossed out by body piercings. Pierced tongues, nipples & those big discs in the earlobes turn my stomach. The only one that doesn't bother me (other than ears) is a belly button piercing. I don't judge anyone for their piercings...my weak stomach just does not like them.

10. I'll talk to anyone and love people...but I'm a bit of a recluse as well & love my time alone.

Sadness

Such a sad day today to hear first that Farrah Faucett had lost her long battle with cancer. And then the news that Michael Jackson has died from cardiac arrest.

I grew up watching Farrah on Charlies Angels and when I was in high school everyone (except me with the curly hair) was wearing the "wings" that she had made famous. Such a classic beauty.

Michael Jackson is someone I have always admired..even when everyone else was calling him a freak. I think he was definitely a troubled unusual person but I have always thought he had a truly gentle soul. And talent? No question there...the world has lost one of its most talented today with his death.

Tanner update

Hi everyone...just a quick update to tell you Tanner is home and doing great. Even though he had tested positive for a lethal dose of anti freeze (which I still have no idea where he found it) His kidney values every time they were checked were in the normal range. They are pretty confident that he has no kidney damage which is a very very good thing.

He still smells of skunk and is definitley getting a bath this weekend if the sun ever comes out. But he is his usual sweet spunky self and we are really lucky he is ok. One more test on Saturday to check his kidney values again. Keeping my fingers crossed that comes through normal...then I will breathe a big sigh of relief and try to forget this horrible nightmare.

Pray for Tanner

I'm not a religious person but I do pray in my own way. These past few days its been for this sweet boy. Anyone out there who wants to send some good wishes or prayers his way would be really appreciated.
They say "when it rains it pours" and with my luck that's the way things always seem to happen. I have been very stressed lately as Jake's Dad suddenly decided he didn't need to make his support payments. So now being short $900 and facing summer camp payments for Jake at $225 a week the stress & worry about how to pay the bills is pretty intense. Then Saturday night my sweet pup runs out the door for less than a minute & comes back with something yellow all over him & horrible fumes coming from him. When he started to act like he was going to get sick I called the urgent care 24hr vet clinic, who referred me to call animal poison control. After talking with them they told me I should bring him to the clinic to be tested for anti freeze which is deadly to animals within a couple of days after ingestion.

We drive 40m minutes to get there only to be told he had been sprayed by skunk(who knew skunk spray was yellow?) It didn't smell like skunk to me...but now that they mentioned that it did begin to (and my car really smells like it now !!!) So we see the Dr since we are already there & after talking with her I decided to have the test done for the deadly ingredient in anti freeze just to be safe even though we were pretty sure the skunk may be the only issue. After we drove 40 minutes to get home at 1am the vet calls me to say the test was positive...with a lethal dose of ethylene glycol. I lost it...and poor Jake sitting next to me in the car did too when he saw my reaction.

We turned the car around & made the 40 minute ride back to begin him on immediate treatment .... 3-5 days of intensive iv fluid treatment & medications to try to stop the deadly effects of the anti freeze that causes kidneys to shut down in 24-48 hours. The cost estimate for what needed to be done was a staggering $1500-$5000. You can imagine how scary that was to me since I'm already wondering how to pay for summer camp. But not as scary as the thought of losing my beloved dog who has become such a huge part of my life.

We got home at 3am and I barely slept waiting for morning to come so I could call to get the results of his kidney values....thankfully they were in the normal range...but then the wait for the next test 24 hours later began so see if the EG had begun to do damage & raise his kidney values. Today his kidney values are again in the normal range in both tests (early am & tonight)..again a good sign. They are hopeful that he hasn't suffered any kidney damage which would be so great. But after the treatment the past 48 hours he still is showing some level of the EG in his bloodstream...but not at the lethal levels of 2 days ago. He needed to stay one more night on the iv fluids and is scheduled to come home tomorrow. I need to have his blood tested again at the end of the week & I won't rest easy till his blood work comes back clear of the EG.

The odd thing is that if he hadn't got sprayed by the skunk & I hadn't thought the smell of that was chemical then I probably never would have known he had gotten into anti freeze and he'd be dead or dying by now. Things happen for odd reasons don't they? Fate is a funny thing. That skunk was a real blessing. No more running free for my dog...my neighbors yard is too dangerous with the stuff we saw over there for a young dog to get into trouble with. He'll have to get his running done on hikes from now on.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a full recovery with no kidney damage. Keep us in your prayers please ok?

I miss....

...my long hair. I want it back : (

A gift of love

My daughter gave me this lovely arbor for Mothers Day and I have kept her waiting too long to see how beautiful it looks. Here it is Mand....I finally got it assembled & in place. Isn't it gorgeous? Love, love love it !!! And it will always make me think of my beautiful, thoughtful girl. The garden behind it always makes me think of her too since she & I planted it together on Mothers Day 2 years ago.


This was truly a gift of love & I will always cherish it. Love how it frames the view across my front yard. I'm thinking a walkway to the front door needs to get added to my wish list of things to accomplish someday.

As soon as the cement in the holes sets those bricks at the bottom will be gone & plants will go into place. Can't you just imagine this with a pretty flowering vine climbing up it?

And speaking of love.......how much do I love this girl for helping me get this project done? I can do many things but building things is just not something I enjoy or am very good at. Liz to the rescue! She pretty much built the whole thing while I handed her things as she needed them.

She has been my closest friend for more than 35 years and she is such an amazing person. Love this girl!!!

I never would have got this done as quickly without her help. Thanks Liz...you're the best !!

And thank you Mand for this beautiful gift of love. Hurry home safely so you can see it in person. Love you !!! (P.S. .... You're stuck with me)

Blessing # 22...

...for my 52 blessings project. Can you guess what it is Brenda?

Eye Spy....

Eye spy a little dog....well actually he's not so little , but in this picture he is. Can you spot him poking his head up from behind the ferns?

I actually love the way the sun is shining through the trees in this picture. Tanner & I went to the mountain early in the morning on Saturday & Sunday this past weekend to do some hiking. I'd rather sleep in a bit on the weekends, but the goal was to get our hike in before too many people arrived to hike. The less people on the trails with us, the less people for Tanner to try to jump on. Thankfully we saw no bears while we were out there alone.

Its so peaceful being there so early in the morning & unlike our walks through town, Tanner can run off leash when we hike so I try to do it with him as much as possible. He is such a bundle of energy and being able to run some of it off is so good for him.

These are the times I'm really thankful for my health because I know there are some people who are unable to do something as simple as taking a hike in the woods.

We couldn't have a hike without Tanner burying his head in the ground looking for critters. Someday I swear he is going to stick his head in a hole & come out with a chipmunk clamped on to the end of his nose.

Its supposed to rain most of this week so I don't think any hiking will be in our immediate future. Have a great week everyone.

Been there, done that...never again!!!

Remember this barn from a post a while back?

One of my favorite barns in the area & I get to admire it every day on my way to work. This is Stillwater Farm. No one lives on the property it is a historical place to visit & admire. Behind the barn is an "interpretive trail" that I have been wanting to check out for a long time but just never have. So last week after work one night I asked Jake if he wanted to go for a hike there with me. He had the same opinion as me afterward...never again!!!

The trail was only .8 miles long but we couldn't wait for it to end. There was so much ice storm damage that hadn't been cleaned up and we spent most of the hike picking our way though the damage (most of it much worse than this)

And it was so grown over in places that sometimes the only way we could tell we were still on the trail was by following the blue dots on the trees. There was some beauty along the way amid the branches & swarms of mosquitoes...like this mountain laurel getting ready to bloom

And here's Jake sporting the latest in hiking fashion with the dogs leash around his neck :) This was just before we got a bit lost because there were so many trees down in this area that we couldn't find any blue dots. As we stood there looking for blue dots & swatting mosquitoes I leaned my hand against the tree next to me & it fell down just missing Jake...scary moment !!!

Finally back where we started from I was able to get a couple of nice photos near the barn.If we had known when we were lounging around here that we had multiple ticks crawling all over the inside & outside of our clothes & all over the dog I don't think we would have stayed around to take photos.

I'm glad I got these nice photos, but like I said...been there, done that...never again.

Ok...I just HAD to share this

Ever want to try a new color combo on your page...then give this site a try.

So fun. And if you like one of the 3 colors it gives you you can check "hold" to keep it & spin again to change the others till you have a combination you like. Or really challenge yourseld 7 use the colors it gives you on the first spin.

I am definitely going to be using this site a lot. Enjoy.

That is NOT a dog !!!

Thats what my neighbors teenage boy said when he looked out the door & saw a black bear on their terrace.

Just a couple minutes later as he worked his way down the road he crossed right in front of my car as I was taking Jake to his baseball game....at 5pm!!! Thats scary that he is making the rounds in broad daylight while everyone is out in their yards etc.

And this was not the same size bear that I saw in my front yard a year ago. This one was VERY large. Standing on all 4 feet his back would have been about to my waist. Lovely....I'll be looking over my shoulder on every walk I take with the dog...thats for darn sure !!!

On a mission...

I have a confession to make. I'm an addict. A magazine addict that is. In addition to the subscriptions I have I also have a really hard time checking out at a store without picking up whatever magazine catches my eye that day. Also friends & family pass along magazines to me when they are done with them...

The result? I have a coffee table full of about 30 magazines. So my mission is to spend one night a week trying to get through as many magazines as I can....starting tonight!!! Hopefully I won't fall asleep in the cozy chair again while trying to make progress.

Hope you are all having a great week !!

Layout share

I'm not loving this one too much. Not sure exactly why but it just doesn't do much for me. Ah well there are always going to be layouts that are not my favorites. But this was another photo I have been wanting to scrap for a while so I'm still glad to be able to add it to my scrapbook.

The title & journaling area was cut with the Slice. The pattern paper & die cut on the right are from Crate Paper & the butterfly is from K & Co.

WOW !!!

They don't call them bold painted daisies for nothing do they? Loving this picture !!! I have the perfect black frame & black mat to place an enlargement of this in so that gorgeous hot pink can just pop right out at me whenever I need the dose of springtime.

Tanner likes them too !!!

And just a random shot of a section of the garden with my favorite deep purple Iris' on the top right, Purple catmint (Walkers Low variety), painted daisies, and geranium at the bottom.

Catmint (not the same as catnip I don't think) is a great perennial. After it blooms you can cut it back & it will bloom again. It gets bigger every year but not in an invasive way. Just a great plant !!! Love it !!!

The Funnel

I've been a bad blogger lately haven't I? Why....look no further than this photo & you may guess why. The funnel.

Ok...I know...that makes no sense at all does it? Let me explain...

Flash back 30 years to my late teen years. I wasn't a bad kid...but like so many teens in the 70's I went through my partying phase. There was a group of people we hung out with & usually we ended up at the same house. In the corner of the living room was a big white chair that the homeowners had affectionately called "the funnel" because everyone who sat in it got "sucked in" and fell fast asleep. There was also a phrase attached to the chair "you snooze , you lose" but thats a story for another time (thankfully I never fell asleep in that chair though : )

Now flash forward to today. See that cozy chair inthe photo above. Its my own modern day "funnel". I bought this amazing chair for my bedroom about a year ago so I'd have my own little reading nook. But most nights I was in the living room & the chair was sitting unused. So a couple of weeks ago I moved it to the living room and it has been so nice to relax & recline in it each night. The problem? It "sucks me in" every time and before I know it I'm sound asleep.

So I apologize for my boring blog these days...I do have another layout to share...but for now...I'm fading fast again. zzzzzzzzzzzz