A few of Elizabeth's first litter.
I want that boot!
Buckshot mines the yard.
Buckshot marks the yard with recycled fleece.Sunday, December 30, 2012
Puppy Pics
I want that boot!Buckshot marks the yard with recycled fleece.
Back Door Doggie Diner
Buckshot, has many friends. He's our Feists/Terrier mix. Across the street, puppy Haze, sits at her front door watching for him. He sits at our low living room window looking for her. For a while they came and went through her bendable gate. Now there's a cement block against it. We tried penning the two in her backyard, but Buckshot slipped out, and we can't figure out where.
Lucky, the short-legged, round-bodied dog down the street, wants to play, too, but he's leashed and loudly protests it. Boo, the black, long-haired Chihuahua lives next door and can't wait to get to our yard and make his mini-markings after Buckshot. He is so short and fast, he appears to be skimming the grass not running in it. And then there's mini-Callie, the black Dachshund. Her coat is shiny and soft. She came for a play date in the house and barked too loud and moved too fast for Buckshot. Guess what he did? Sat on her.
And then there's Elizabeth, Buckshot's first love. She deserves her own paragraph. Outweighing him by at least fifteen pounds, they learned their first lessons of love last spring. He had been fixed, but the desire was still there. When she went into estrus, he wanted to "do" something for her, but he couldn't figure out where. He was all around her until he figured out under the tail was where the action was. Try as he might, he wasn't tall enough, even when he stood on one leg on his tiptoes. She gave birth to sixteen puppies. None were his, of course. When he finally got to see her, he had eyes for her only. One of the puppies sunk her teeth into his leash and held him. He couldn't figure out why he couldn't move. Not long ago, Elizabeth's keeper took her to be spade. It was too late. Another litter's on the way.
What do all these dogs have in common? Wholesome Holistic Treats For Dogs. I bought them at Walmart and share them at our backdoor. They are healthy dog biscuits fortified with vitamins and minerals free of animal by-product meals, artificial color and preservatives. Made with chicken, wheat, peas, cranberries, carrots and apples, they are shaped into drumsticks, carrots, and apples about two inches long. They smell delicious. In an emergency . . . Callie gets the tip of the tip of a carrot shape. Boo gets the whole tip. Buckshot has to have the drumstick and carrot shapes snapped in two and the apple quartered, but only one treat at a time. Haze is taller than he, but shorter than Elizabeth. These two leap for the whole piece, and Elizabeth asks for second and thirds.
I took an eight cup Ziplock box of deer neck stew out of the freezer last week. There wasn't room in the refrigerator for it, so I set it on top of the shelves outside the backdoor and went about my day. I heard a clatter that was too late for reindeer, looked out and saw Elizabeth hauling it off. I wasn't about to come between a dog and her food. She consumed the contents in record time. I couldn't be mad at her. New mom's have to keep up their strength.
If JB hadn't insisted Buckshot come home with us a year ago, we wouldn't have a community dog yard with treats. And I would be short of dog stories to share.
2012 Red Convertible Travel Series
Lucky, the short-legged, round-bodied dog down the street, wants to play, too, but he's leashed and loudly protests it. Boo, the black, long-haired Chihuahua lives next door and can't wait to get to our yard and make his mini-markings after Buckshot. He is so short and fast, he appears to be skimming the grass not running in it. And then there's mini-Callie, the black Dachshund. Her coat is shiny and soft. She came for a play date in the house and barked too loud and moved too fast for Buckshot. Guess what he did? Sat on her.
And then there's Elizabeth, Buckshot's first love. She deserves her own paragraph. Outweighing him by at least fifteen pounds, they learned their first lessons of love last spring. He had been fixed, but the desire was still there. When she went into estrus, he wanted to "do" something for her, but he couldn't figure out where. He was all around her until he figured out under the tail was where the action was. Try as he might, he wasn't tall enough, even when he stood on one leg on his tiptoes. She gave birth to sixteen puppies. None were his, of course. When he finally got to see her, he had eyes for her only. One of the puppies sunk her teeth into his leash and held him. He couldn't figure out why he couldn't move. Not long ago, Elizabeth's keeper took her to be spade. It was too late. Another litter's on the way.
What do all these dogs have in common? Wholesome Holistic Treats For Dogs. I bought them at Walmart and share them at our backdoor. They are healthy dog biscuits fortified with vitamins and minerals free of animal by-product meals, artificial color and preservatives. Made with chicken, wheat, peas, cranberries, carrots and apples, they are shaped into drumsticks, carrots, and apples about two inches long. They smell delicious. In an emergency . . . Callie gets the tip of the tip of a carrot shape. Boo gets the whole tip. Buckshot has to have the drumstick and carrot shapes snapped in two and the apple quartered, but only one treat at a time. Haze is taller than he, but shorter than Elizabeth. These two leap for the whole piece, and Elizabeth asks for second and thirds.
I took an eight cup Ziplock box of deer neck stew out of the freezer last week. There wasn't room in the refrigerator for it, so I set it on top of the shelves outside the backdoor and went about my day. I heard a clatter that was too late for reindeer, looked out and saw Elizabeth hauling it off. I wasn't about to come between a dog and her food. She consumed the contents in record time. I couldn't be mad at her. New mom's have to keep up their strength.
If JB hadn't insisted Buckshot come home with us a year ago, we wouldn't have a community dog yard with treats. And I would be short of dog stories to share.
2012 Red Convertible Travel Series
Monday, December 24, 2012
Christmas 2012 No End-of-the-World to report
Perry Como is singing "That Christmas Feeling" in our living room.. Madchen, with her sticking-out-every-direction orange hair and huge white ruff, naps her ample body on my three-ring binder on the desk. She's holding down my excitement. The draft of my Young Adult novel Up and Out will be ready for queries after the first of the year. My editor wrote, "You have written a novel. Congratulations! Enjoy the moment and then get back to work. There are no published writers, only published re-writers." I'm up to the challenge.
There's been an uneasiness about 12/21/12. I admit, I was a little concerned until I felt led to go about business as usual and make plans for next year. Only God knows what's what, when, where, why and how. If this world comes to an end, maybe there's a better one taking its place: A knowing among all life that we are all connected. All life living together in peace and harmony. Each person recognizing, acknowledging and working cooperatively with their God-Self. Earth is treated with respect and appreciation for giving us a place to live, food and water.
Whatever happens, our lives go on uninterrupted, whether we wear skin or not. Only the body dies. I can witness to this. For over thirty years, I've worked with the deceased. Their body died, but their life didn't skip a beat. I help those who are stuck go on to the Light.
12/21/12 came and went. Life goes on. Merry Christmas and best wishes for the best New Year ever!
2012 Red Convertible Travel Series
There's been an uneasiness about 12/21/12. I admit, I was a little concerned until I felt led to go about business as usual and make plans for next year. Only God knows what's what, when, where, why and how. If this world comes to an end, maybe there's a better one taking its place: A knowing among all life that we are all connected. All life living together in peace and harmony. Each person recognizing, acknowledging and working cooperatively with their God-Self. Earth is treated with respect and appreciation for giving us a place to live, food and water.
Whatever happens, our lives go on uninterrupted, whether we wear skin or not. Only the body dies. I can witness to this. For over thirty years, I've worked with the deceased. Their body died, but their life didn't skip a beat. I help those who are stuck go on to the Light.
12/21/12 came and went. Life goes on. Merry Christmas and best wishes for the best New Year ever!
2012 Red Convertible Travel Series
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Newtown, CT and Clarksdale, MS commonality
Who would have thought the two would stand in the same sentence? Newtown is an Andy Griffith type community. Homey. Comfortable. Safe. Clarksdale is Deep South America. Mannerly men and soft-spoken women. Old homes with expansive porches and pillars. Visitors come from around the world to see and experience where "The Blues" began.
When the school children and staff were killed, the shots were heard around the world. When a local 80 year old woman's home was broken into in Clarksdale, she was robbed, beaten to death and set on fire. And the suspect stole her car. It all makes us sick. All life is connected. When one hurts, we all hurt. Patrick Marshall, Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Wahoo, NE, says, "Make your concern active: Do something to comfort the living." They are creating a banner for locals to sign. Cards and letter, money, toys and other items are headed their way and from many other communities, too.
I found this article comforting. If you can't access it as is, copy and paste.
http://lightworkers.org/channeling/173312/message-matthew-december-15-2012
Grace, Love and Peace to all.
2012 Red Convertible Travel Series
When the school children and staff were killed, the shots were heard around the world. When a local 80 year old woman's home was broken into in Clarksdale, she was robbed, beaten to death and set on fire. And the suspect stole her car. It all makes us sick. All life is connected. When one hurts, we all hurt. Patrick Marshall, Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Wahoo, NE, says, "Make your concern active: Do something to comfort the living." They are creating a banner for locals to sign. Cards and letter, money, toys and other items are headed their way and from many other communities, too.
I found this article comforting. If you can't access it as is, copy and paste.
http://lightworkers.org/channeling/173312/message-matthew-december-15-2012
Grace, Love and Peace to all.
2012 Red Convertible Travel Series
Sunday, December 09, 2012
The X in Christmas
I was accused of being lazy when I used Xmas for Christmas. Patrick Marshall, our Pastor at the First Presbyterian Church in Wahoo, NE, wrote about its history in the December newsletter.
"Centuries ago, when Christianity first started taking root and growing, the dominant language of our faith was Greek (the whole New Testament was written in Greek). In Greek, the word for Christ is Christo. The Greek alphabet doesn't have a C in it. So when you want to say Christo, you had to use the Greek letter X, which was pronounced Chi (not ch like chair, but more like the ch in how we say Christ). In Greek then, the word Christ looked like this: Xpistou.
"When it became illegal to be a Christian and the Roman Empire started persecuting, arresting, and killing Christians, they had to be a little more discreet about the fact that they were talking about Jesus. So instead of spelling out his name, they would simply abbreviate it with an X, the first letter in Chirst. When the Roman Emperor Constantine made Christianity legal in 313 A.D., he did so, in part, becuase he had a vision before a major battle of a shield in the sky with Greek letters XP on it (chi and rho, the first two letters of Christ).
"So for over 1700 years, the letter X has been used by Christians as an abbreviation for Christ. The word Xmas, then, is not an attempt to take Christ out of Christmas. Christ is right there in it. You have to look for him.
". . . Christmas (and Christianity) isn't about finding Christ in the obvious places. We have to search for him in this world and in our lives. Because then and now, God always shows up where we least expect him: in a manger; a conversation with a friend, or in something as simple as a letter. Merry Christmas."
Merry Xmas and Best Wishes for the New Year.
Grace, Peace and Plenty to you and yours now and always.
Love,
Maeann
2012 Red Convertible Travel Series
"Centuries ago, when Christianity first started taking root and growing, the dominant language of our faith was Greek (the whole New Testament was written in Greek). In Greek, the word for Christ is Christo. The Greek alphabet doesn't have a C in it. So when you want to say Christo, you had to use the Greek letter X, which was pronounced Chi (not ch like chair, but more like the ch in how we say Christ). In Greek then, the word Christ looked like this: Xpistou.
"When it became illegal to be a Christian and the Roman Empire started persecuting, arresting, and killing Christians, they had to be a little more discreet about the fact that they were talking about Jesus. So instead of spelling out his name, they would simply abbreviate it with an X, the first letter in Chirst. When the Roman Emperor Constantine made Christianity legal in 313 A.D., he did so, in part, becuase he had a vision before a major battle of a shield in the sky with Greek letters XP on it (chi and rho, the first two letters of Christ).
"So for over 1700 years, the letter X has been used by Christians as an abbreviation for Christ. The word Xmas, then, is not an attempt to take Christ out of Christmas. Christ is right there in it. You have to look for him.
". . . Christmas (and Christianity) isn't about finding Christ in the obvious places. We have to search for him in this world and in our lives. Because then and now, God always shows up where we least expect him: in a manger; a conversation with a friend, or in something as simple as a letter. Merry Christmas."
Merry Xmas and Best Wishes for the New Year.
Grace, Peace and Plenty to you and yours now and always.
Love,
Maeann
2012 Red Convertible Travel Series
Sunday, December 02, 2012
McCarty's Pottery & Gallery Restaurant
If you have people on your Christmas list who like pottery, check out mccartyspottery.com/faq.html
Last October Jani and I visited their shop at Merigold, MS, in what was originally a mule barn. Shoppers were shoulder to shoulder, and they were buying.
Should you be on the premises, be sure to visit the gardens. Decades of work have gone into them.
If you want an elegant lunch, their Gallery Restaurant is worth it. We were served without a reservation, but there were other's present who had made them. www.mccartyspottery.com/gallery.html
The bunny is McCartys, too.
The dark stripe on the cup represents the MS River.
Vegetable soup. Tasty.
We chose the shrimp enchilada with creamed spinach and Merigold tomatoes.
For dessert we shared a footed pottery goblet of Chocolate Cobbler with ice cream. It was a large serving and awesome. It served our chocolate fix for the day.
Last October Jani and I visited their shop at Merigold, MS, in what was originally a mule barn. Shoppers were shoulder to shoulder, and they were buying.
Should you be on the premises, be sure to visit the gardens. Decades of work have gone into them.
If you want an elegant lunch, their Gallery Restaurant is worth it. We were served without a reservation, but there were other's present who had made them. www.mccartyspottery.com/gallery.html
The dark stripe on the cup represents the MS River.
Vegetable soup. Tasty.
We chose the shrimp enchilada with creamed spinach and Merigold tomatoes.
For dessert we shared a footed pottery goblet of Chocolate Cobbler with ice cream. It was a large serving and awesome. It served our chocolate fix for the day.
Mississippi has lots of treasures. Happy shopping! And Happy Holidays!
Peace and Grace to all.
2012 Red Convertible Travel Series
Deep Soth Williamson and Simmons graves Sardis, MS
Our maternal grandfather was RoyWilliamson. As a small child, he and his family left Ohio and homesteaded in Saunders County, Nebraska in the late 1800's. When we asked him where they came prior to Ohio, he said they waved at Columbus. His wife, our grandmother, was Mae Simmons. As a child, her family also traveled from Ohio to homestead at Lynn, Kansas. They were married 56 years. Grandma was a wife, mother and homemaker. She passed in the 1970's.
Jani and I randomly visit cemeteries. At Sardis, MS, we were shocked to find Williamson's and Simmons.
Oh, if these stones could just talk.
Masonic carving on Rose Hill Williamson stone. Grandpa was a 50 year Mason in Nebraska.
Jani and I randomly visit cemeteries. At Sardis, MS, we were shocked to find Williamson's and Simmons.
Masonic carving on Rose Hill Williamson stone. Grandpa was a 50 year Mason in Nebraska.
And Jani and I found Williamson's at the cemetery in Muthill, Scotland. I think this is a job for Ancestry.com.
2012 Red Convertible Travel Series
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