ANOTHER CRAPPY STORY

 

Alright. Here's the post I tried to write before but was too upset.

I've waited several days to cool down and being on vacation has definitely helped.

I wrote many drafts but reading them over I could tell that I still needed more time.

I was still ranting and raving.

But this is what the problem is in a nutshell.

Kind of a long story even though I tried to condense it down.

So grab a cup of coffee or maybe just skip over this one.

But I'm posting it so that I can get the frustration out of my head.

I used to board this Border Collie

and her mate years ago.

The most beautiful Border Collies ever.

Then they had puppies. I called "S" who I knew always wanted a Border Collie and said that one of these pups would be the one to get.

That the Mom dog had the best disposition, that you could look at her eyes and see a sweet gentle soul

  and her mate? Well breathtaking is the best description.

White on one side of his face, black on the other,the softest coat ever.

You just had to see him to appreciate him.

If I were to get a puppy, one of those pups would have been it. But I don't adopt puppies.

Even if I wanted to, there is always an adult dog that pops up and REALLY needs a home.

So I told "S" that except for the Momma dog herself, you couldn't find a better Border Collie.

But "S" said that the timing wasn't right for them.

Not too long afterwards, the boy dog was tragically hit by a car and died. I told "S" that there would be no more litters from these two.

Fast forward to this summer.

The girl who owned these dogs has gotten married and had a baby in the last few years and now they are moving...and they need a home for the Momma dog. So she posted a sign "Free to Good Home" at the clinic.

I call "S" and tell her that she now has the chance to have THE perfect dog.

 

But the timing STILL isn't right. A lot of things are going on within their family..she says if it was later in the year or maybe the Fall. But not now.

So the sign stays up, but no takers.

The owner calls me, she knows how much I adored the Mom dog and I tell her I have tried but could find no one.

Weeks go by and finally the day before the move arrives and the owner calls again. I tell her she will have to take her to the shelter.

I tell her who to ask for and to tell them I sent her.

Then I call the shelter and talk to my contact there.

They are OVER capacity. No room for another dog.

and if they did me a favor, well, I can't have that happen. It would mean a dog losing their life to make a space.

No. That is something I could never live with.

I call the owner and tell her to bring her to me.

I take care of her for a week and suddenly a friend of mine calls to tell me that a relative is desperately hunting for a Border Collie for her husband.

His Border Collie had died suddenly a while back and he was missing him terribly and they have been looking for a nice dog forever.

So I arrange for them to meet with Momma dog and she is all over the family.

There's a toddler and a little kid and she's dancing around in happiness.

She brings them the Frisbee and the woman throws it. We stand there talking as she throws it again and again.

Finally everyone agrees that it's a match.

We go to load her in the back of the SUV but she leaps in between the kids and sits nicely looking straight ahead , like "Let's go Home!"

I'm so happy I could cry.

A week goes by and they call. She's scratching.
They've been added milk to her food and I tell them to stop and see if that's it.

A week later, they call again, still scratching.
I had treated her with a flea preventative, so I know that's not it. But she's about due for a treatment soon so I tell them to apply it again. Then the next week I get a text. They need to return her, they are downsizing and could I help them also find a home for their other dog?

(which I actually did have someone who would take their other dog, a boxer, but they wanted money for her and she still needed to be spayed, so the adoption fell through.)

so back to Mom dog.

I take her back. When the wife drops her off, she tells me that her husband was actually upset because she wouldn't help him with the cows.

I don't even try to explain that she doesn't even know what a cow is, she's been a city dog her whole life.

I call "S" again. It's Fall now, is the timing better?

Maybe in a week.

Finally she goes to their home early one morning. "S" works 3rd shift so apparently after introducing Momma to their dog and her husband (who Momma dog greeted with kisses right away), she lies down to sleep. Then her husband does the same. Leaving Momma loose in a strange house.

 

They get up in late afternoon and "discuss" the new addition.

At 5:00 pm that night, "S" and Momma are standing outside my work door.

It's not going to work out.

She tells me how they slept most the day and I ask how she did.

"Oh fine! She didn't bother a thing." But the timing isn't good right now.

I take her back and give her some dinner.

I take her outside and throw the rope toy to her.

I look at her soft eyes and I wish I could explain to her why all these people have let her down.

Over and Over and Over.

and she's such a good girl.

 

So she's with me now. She will be 6 soon and the shelters are full of young dogs.

Just the other night there were TV News stories about how the shelters are discounting adoption fees because they are so overwhelmed with dogs who desperately need homes.

and....I can't let her down too.

I hope that someone good will cross our path soon.

and that brings me to something else.

I'm thinking of maybe adding a button to my blog. A donation button for my rescues.

I've seen it on a couple of other blogs. There's an artist that I follow that rescues farm animals.

She has a donation button and uses the money for vet care and food.

So I might put up a button, I don't know,,,still thinking but it makes me feel weird. I get discounted vet care but my bill has been really climbing.

I don't want any donations from my Followers (unless you are a secret millionaire!)

No, I'm hoping some movie star, famous singer or talk show host, someone like that will Google Border Collie or something and stumble onto my blog and feel like throwing some cash our way.

In the mean time, I searching for a forever home for her.

and I mean FOREVER.

 

MINIMALISM and ALL that STUFF and HAPPINESS

...thinking a lot.

cleaning, sorting and rediscovering "treasures".
I've been reading a lot about happiness
and how clearing the clutter, minimalism, simplicity....
can make you happy.
I've decided that while it could indeed make some people happy, it's not for me.
I had an Ah-Ha moment.
It's a very cool rainy October day today and while going through some boxes of things and also thinking about all that I've read, it dawned on me that I used to live a totally minimal life.

Very simple. One room, with a Murphy bed that pulled down out of the wall, a tiny 2 burner stove and a mini fridge.

(I've written about this place before, in fact I think it's one of my most favorite posts.
http://oldblackcatboo.blogspot.com/2010/10/i-lived-in-this-house-and-halloween.html
anyway...)
at the time, even though I didn't count my clothing, I know I had LESS than 33 items at the time.
So much for the 333 project.
and I was very SAD and miserable.

Now, some people might have been in paradise, knowing that they could pack up all their STUFF in a bag within minutes and be on their way to adventure.
But I didn't feel like that. I feel alone and ungrounded.
Just twisting in the wind.
Of course back then, there was no Internet.
No links to all the great ideas and images.
No way to type out and share my thoughts and feelings without leaving my room.
and of course. I wasn't allowed to have a dog.
Actually I wasn't allowed any pets at all but I smuggled in a cat.
Just me and my cat...

and now today as I find things that I forgotten I had, I feel happy and motivated.
I have new ideas about things to create.
Which is probably why I accumulated these things in the first place.
Now, I'm not saying that I haven't held up some items and turned it over and over and thought "WTH?"
and then tossed it.
I've have cleaned out my china hutch in the kitchen, next to the table that I paint at and filled it with bins of paint and jars of paintbrushes. On top of the hutch are my decorative shoes boxes filled with papers. pens. pencils, shiny things.
Above my white kitchen cabinets, I have white shoe boxes with others supplies. (dog brushes, heart-worm pills, etc.)
All very neat and tidy...
Yep.
I'm keeping what I need and really want. I just probably have more STUFF that I NEED than most people.
Kinda like my pets.
Yes, I have more than most people but THEY make me happy.
To some people, they would seem like a lot of work but they give me a purpose.
Some people like to manicure theirs nails while watching TV, I trim dog/cat nails.
While some people like to go window shopping, I'm home bathing my dogs.
Some people go to sports events, I throw a ball or Frisbee.
I know there are people who feel like just ONE dog is overwhelming.
I know that TOO well because that IS why I have some of my dogs.
So, I'm organizing and cleaning
and vacuuming up pet hair but basically I'm a lot Happier and I NEED to remember this day,
even if it means that I sometimes I feel like an indentured servant to the clinic I work at.
and Yes, I do have a BIG vet bill that seems to almost get paid and then something happens to pump it back up.
But at least I have that safety net.
Lots of reflection today.
But in a good way,

to realize, that I AM happy.

TOMORROW....

I start my vacation.

I'm using up the last of my vacation hours.
Of course I have lists and lists of things to accomplish.
I always have a list.
But first I will sleep in.
Wake up when I wake up.

That's the best part of vacation!
I hope to stay off the computer as much as I can.
That's hard for me to do, I'm addicted.
I do have a few posts half done. Maybe I will finish one.
Maybe not.
I have one that I've written over and over but never posted because I sound like a raving lunatic.
I've had some stuff going on that's made me "angry"....
I need to cool off before I write about it.
I'm not trying to be mysterious, it's actually the same old stuff...
people behaving badly, again.
It just leaves me mentally exhausted.
BUT, I will push that out of my mind and get to my lists and hopefully have something FUN to post about
SOON.
But first, some rest.

COOL CRISP AUTUMN AIR

I love it!
Perfect Fall weather.

A slight nip in the air that whips you fully awake.
Cool blasts of wind send the leaves dancing in circles in the yard.
The crunch of twigs beneath my feet as the tree limbs bend, sway and creak.
It feels like there is Magic in the air.
Ghosts and Goblins are about to appear
and Halloween will soon be here!
A perfect Fall day for a walk,

a trip to the park or just stay home and hang laundry on the line in the fresh autumn breeze.

A Shih-Tzu, Two Cats and Another Cat

are listed on Ebay tonight! HERE

F stands for.....

I said that I wouldn't complain about cooler weather.

I was SO sick of all the HEAT.
But right now it's 57° INSIDE my house.

I've been working some overtime and I finally have the weekend off.
I have BIG plans.
Yard work plans.
Taking all the air-conditioners out of the windows plans.
Spray painting some things outside.
Maybe even painting the front steps.
and the storm door.....
and here it is, 33°F° outside right now! at 7:15 am.
high for today?
51°

Blue: "What's it All About Jimmy?"