A LONG POST TO LAST A LONG TIME.

I wrote a blog post at work while on my lunch hour.
It was a long one.
I read it over and corrected the spelling and tidied it up
but somehow it wasn't right.

I had tried to tell a story and tie it into how I was feeling.
To show some parallels to my story and that story.
It just wasn't working so I deleted it...

So, I'll try again, in a different way, here ya go.

I love blogging.
I love telling stories and sharing ideas and plans and dreams.
I love reading the comments and the friends who take the time to do so, take my breath away.

I love visiting other blogs.
I love the stories, the ideas, the thoughts and laughter and tears.
I sit down with my coffee or pop and read about and listen to other peoples lives.
It's like going to a cafe and "visiting".
But it's perfect for a hermit like me and oddly enough
I think we share things that we might not if we were face to face.
Blogging means a lot to me.

That being said, I have no time.
I've talked about that problem all the time.
Then the other day, someone who I view as indestructible
suddenly has to have surgery.
I'm sure it will all come out fine but still...
it made me think about TIME and what I'm doing with mine.

So I've decided to back away from the Internet a bit.
I'm not going to blog for a while.
I'm not sure how long but I need time.
I can't guarantee that I will comment on other blogs either
but I know that I will be reading posts on my phone when I can steal a few moments.

I'm going to back away from Facebook too
except for my Art page.
I will be on Instagram because it's easy.
I snap a photo and share.
You are welcome to visit me there
and if you have an account, please share!

What am I going to do with the TIME?
I'm going to work on my Art.
Create stuff and get to work and finally write/illustrate my books
that I have been talking about forever.

Speaking of Art-
I finished up 25 images and took them into the Art/Antique place that's going to sell them on commission.
She told me that she would put them out but didn't have time until the next day.
I said that was fine and then I mentioned I only had one that was really for Valentines Day.
I pulled it out and showed her and she started to laugh.
She said she loved it and set it on her front counter!
Then she pulled out another and set that on her counter too.
She pulled out yet another and burst out laughing and called over to a vendor to come look!
She said she loved them and I felt rather good.

I made up another batch and they are all hanging up at the clinic.
If you'd like to see them, I've posted them in 4 separate posts on my Art blog.
You can click the link to the right (on the bunny).

I met my friend for breakfast the other day and told her my plans.
How I was going to back away from the Internet a bit, so I could get some things done.
Work on my book and things.
I told her my name was still on the waiting list for the Antique and Collectibles Mall,
the place I had my booth before.
It's been about 8 months and still no call.
I told her how I needed to call and cancel but....
there was this part of me that still wanted to do it.
I have a LOT of STUFF that I still need to get rid of but...
I can still envision what all my booth could be.
And I had a lot of Art ideas for the booth too, but....
She shook her head and said -  "Yes, let the booth idea go!"

So today on my lunch hour as I'm typing out the now deleted blog post
and telling the story and then I got to the part about time and Art
and the booth and...

My cell phone rings.

It was the Antiques and Collectibles Mall.
They had an opening, was I still interested?

I gotta say, I mean that was a SIGN, right?
I mean Hello! The Universe calling!

So I said I was interested and I'd stop in tonight if I got off in time
otherwise I'd be by in the morning.
He said that was fine.

So then my evening worker showed up a half hour early and I was able to drive to Mall.
The guy was surprised I made it in and showed me two spaces that were available.
I was happy I had come right away rather than wait and maybe not get to pick.
As he walked me to the spaces
I told myself that the location and the "number" would be a sign for me.
Like, if it had the number 7 in it.
Weird, I know but...

So he showed me #17.
It wasn't far from my old booth space.
A very good location.
And it was one of the very few booth that had electricity.
He said only a couple of them had that.

The other booth was 41.
Actually it was the first booth in the place.
I told him I'd take 17. The one with the electricity.
I could see in my mind the lights strung across the top....

I had to sign a contract and he went over the details.
Obviously he didn't remember me.
He told me how the place was shopped by a lot of dealers.
How shopkeepers came in and bought for their own shops.
He said they had buyers from all over the country and people as far as Australia
and China have come in and loaded up containers to take back.

He said that traffic was good and unless it was priced too high,
most things sold.
I had images of things I wanted to make for the booth
flying through my head as he talked.

We went back to the counter and I had to pay first months rent
and get my tags.
I recognized the woman working.
She was actually the one who had taken over my old space.
But she didn't recognize me either.
Actually that happens to me often.
I think because I'm forever changing my hair and I think it was shorter and very blonde back then
and now it's to my shoulders and brown/grey.
Anyway, they were both talking to me and suddenly she said I looked kinda familiar.
Did I come in there often? she asked.

I said no...
I had a booth space there before.
They looked at me quizzically and I added -
"In fact you have my space now".
"What?" she asked and then she said -
"OMG you are the artist!"
and they both smiled really big and laughed.
I got to tell ya,  that made me feel so GOOD!

It was really nice to feel good.

So that's what's going on.
I'm kinda disappearing but not really.
I'll post on my Art blog sometimes,  but I will definitely be on Instagram.
I've started Following a lot of childrens book publishing houses
and authors and illustrators. (wink, wink)
And like I mentioned in a prior post,
alot of old blogger friends now are on Instagram.

So.......I'll wrap this up.
Just know that Blogland and the friends that I've made mean the world to me.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

I leave you with two images.
The first is of Blue when he tummy has told him its dinner time and he turns to me and
gives me the "look".

The second one is him on his bed that's in the living room.
(He has a twin bed upstairs.)
He "almost" fits on it.

He's been doing well.
I just keep him super calm and he hasn't had another episode.
So.... Life is Good.

FOCUS on What's IMPORTANT

Wow, I didn't realize how long it's been since I posted.
It's the New Year and almost a month is gone.
I've been struggling with some things.
I really think I'm one of those people who needs sunshine in order to remain positive.
I've been trying to remember to put it out there into THE UNIVERSE
and while it seems so easy to do, it's not always for me.
I forget.
So, I'm writing this to remind myself and others that our thoughts
can really have an effect on our lives.

I HAVE been thinking POSITIVE about my Blue.
He's been calm and so far, so good.
That's my focus... on him doing good each day.

Then there's Katy.
Her previous mom calls weekly.
I kinda wish she'd stop but I don't have the heart to tell her to do so.
In our last conversation, I was sick and tired, seems like I'm always sick and tired lately BUT
I told her that while Katy WAS using the potty pads as I had told her before,
she was also using a spot under the kitchen table and close to the hutch.
AND another spot in the living room by the bookcase.
Since Katy is teeny tiny,  it's just a small little circle.
Still, it's PEE and I told her previous mom that she was now wearing a doggie diaper.
(and I left out the part where I had bought some special cleaner for dog urine.)

Her "previous mom" instantly told me how she had been so surprised when I had told her how Katy used the potty pads and didn't pee in the house because Katy had peed in HER house!...............
.........................................................

yeah.

Then she offered to take her back.
She said that she missed her
and that it wasn't that she WANTED her back but
she felt bad about her peeing in my house.
I told her to let me think about it, that I'd let her know.
She said for me to not feel bad if I wanted to give her back
and the cash she had gifted to me, that I could keep that, not to worry.
I was again caught off guard and said I'd think about it and let her know.

So I thought about it and I cleaned the areas and then I had an idea.
I have a lot of doggy beds and I put a small one on each of the "spots".
I watched Katy walk up to them and look at them and then she'd crawl into them and go to sleep.
So far, that's worked.
But to be honest, her favorite spot is Blue's bed and then this happened -

Yeah, I can't give her back.

I posted this photo on Instagram.
I'm on Instagram a lot.
I highly recommend it.
Many of my Blogger friends who have quit blogging, post over there now.
I also posted ALL my dog/cat photos that I'm working on.
If you aren't familiar with Instagram, people will "LIKE" your photos.
AND of ALL my photos the one of Blue and Katy has gotten the most likes!
LOL!

So anyway, that's some of the things going on.
There's been some work things too.
Things I thought had been resolved but I'm still working on.
Let's just say, good help is hard to find.

And other annoying little crap that is NOTHING in the grand scheme of things
but has the capacity to drive a person insane.
House stuff.
Things wearing out and needing repairs and me trying to figure out how to do them.
I know everyone deals with this kind of stuff but it gets exhausting dealing with it on my own.
Whine, whine, whine.
But I'm grateful that I have a home and that I have access to the Internet and YouTube.
I swear there's a video about EVERYTHING on Youtube.
Still, when you have to go to the Hardware Store for the same damn issue 3 times,
it gets tiring.
Yep, I need some cheese for all this whining!

OK, so...
Art related...
The place where I had my Art before and now will take my stuff on a commissioned basis,
is excited about my new stuff.
(I sent her a message and a link to my Instagram.)
I'm also doing the same ones for the clinic and I actually got my business cards made.
I'm currently working on larger prints with quotes.
So I'll do those up and put them at the clinic and then... forget about them.
Just replenish as needed.

Soon I will start on my dog/cat/horse stuffed animals
and I'll work on my house that seems to have decided to fall apart all at once.
AND in my lunacy, I'm going to work on packaging my Catmint that I have.
I'm thinking I can sell that at the clinic.

And maybe put it in an Etsy shop along with other cat related stuff.... maybe.

A Blogger friend sent me an email a while back about my passion, my purpose in life.
She didn't think my Art was my REAL passion but rather my taking in needy animals.
Rescuing.
She said something along the lines of how THAT was my purpose and
how everything else is extra.
I've thought about this for a long time.
How all my Art is animal related.
How the stuffed animals I want to make, how they will be made to look like little rescues.
How the books I want to write, about Kanga, and Jimmy and of course Blue,
are all about animals that someone at some point didn't want and how they are PERFECT.

Yep. I've been thinking a lot about just enjoying life
and not to stress so much and to stop being sick all the time.
(I'm sick again as I write this!)
Yep. Lots of thoughts.
Just trying to get my head on straight and keep it that way
and just dealing with life.

So... How has your first month gone?
How are YOU doing?
I know we need to have faith and focus on the GOOD and focus it into being.
I'm trying to do that with my small little life.
Focus on the things I can control and not let what I can't control overwhelm me.

and I'll just keep trying to be true to Myself and do what I feel I need to do.
Even if others don't understand.

INSTAGRAM - MAGGIE

I got to thinking about how I post to Instagram all the time and then many times I don't post any of those photos here.
I take the photos with my phone and then after I post to Instagram,
I'm able to share to Facebook, Twitter and Flickr with a click of a button and I do
but then I forget about it and never share here!
So, I'm going to start posting them here too!
(Not every single photo but most.)
That will mean more frequent posts.
Yep, some days it will be just random photos with a brief description or thought
and other days I'll be writing and rambling like usual.
Most of my photos are OF COURSE of the dogs I care for at the kennel
but every once in a while it will be something else.

Here's Maggie. One of my "Boarding Buddies".

She's a Sheltie. 
Very shy and timid and really likes to run.
Whenever I take her out to the play area I know that she will spend some time running around and around.
When it's time to go in she won't come to me right away.
She'll get closer but then she'll run.
That's kinda typical of a Sheltie.
To get this photo I had to sit down on the ground and wait for her to come to me and investigate.
Most times I just start walking back inside and she will either follow or if not, she eventually come in
if I will leave the door open to the building and her kennel door to her run open.
Then she will appear in the doorway and walk slowly across the laundry room floor and into her run.
I always pretend to be busy washing dog dishes or folding dog towels
because if I turn towards her, most times she'll run back outside.
That's just how most Shetland Sheepdogs are.
It's just better to let them do their own thing and NEVER try to chase them.
She's a beautiful girl and actually very easy to care for.