Less Barking, More Wagging

In an interesting turn of events, Jim and I ended up with another dog.  It's good to be a two-dog household again, for the most part.  Although certain sacrifices do have to be made.*  

When we were 'searching' for what would end up becoming Nelson, I had sent a facebook message to an individual that I was virtually certain was the Kim Novotny that Jim and I had gotten Jasper from.  I told her we were interested in possibly adopting another GSD.  She never responded.

Two years later, a message shows up on my FB page, from Kim Novotny no less!  She said she doesn't get on FB very often (true that), and that she was sorry, but she no longer bred GSD's.  But, there WAS a breeder she knew of and she actually had one of their dogs.  Good stock, she said.

So, I googled the name she gave me, and found a website for Vom Gildaf German Shephards. She had 2 puppies 7 weeks old, and 6 more that were 5 weeks old.  She was available the next morning at 9:30 if we wanted to come to Burlington to see them.  We did.  True to form, we fell in love with X'Caliber.  He came home a week later.  We renamed him Rockefeller (Rocky to close friends).

So now we have Nelson and Rockefeller.  With Jim being 'semi' (not!) retired, it's nice not to have to keep him in a kennel all day (referring to Rocky, not Jim) while we are at work.  Well, it's nice for ME, not so sure about Jim LOL.  With this winter being SOOOO brutally cold and the never-ending snow, let's just say housebreaking has been a challenge.  But, we're making our way!

Less Barking!  More Wagging!

* sacrifices include some sleep deprivation, exorbitant vet, toys and food costs, and investing in a heavy-duty vacuum cleaner.  This list is NOT all inclusive.

Wish I'd Written This...

I grew up with practical parents. A mother, God love her, who washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it, then reused it. She was the original recycle queen before they had a name for it. A father who was happier getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones.



Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away.



I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat and Mom in a house dress, lawn mower in one hand, and dish-towel in the other. It was the time for fixing things. A curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress. Things we keep.



It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy. All that re-fixing, eating, renewing, I wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there'd always be more.



But then my mother died, and on that clear summer's night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't any more.



Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away...never to return.. So... While we have it..... it's best we love it.... And care for it... And fix it when it's broken......... And heal it when it's sick.



This is true. For marriage....... And old cars..... And children with bad report cards..... And dogs with bad hips.... And aging parents...... And grandparents. We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it.

Some things we keep. Like a best friend that moved away or a classmate we grew up with.



There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special........ And so, we keep them close!



I received this from someone who thinks I am a 'keeper', so I've sent it to the people I think of in the same way... Now it's your turn to send this to those people that are "keepers" in your life. Good friends are like stars.... You don't always see them, but you know they are always there. Keep them close!



When you die, 10 things GOD won't ask you:



1..... God won't ask what kind of car you drove. He'll ask how many people you drove who didn't have transportation..



2..... God won't ask the square footage of your house, He'll ask how many people you welcomed into your home.



3..... God won't ask about the clothes you had in your closet, He'll ask how many you helped to clothe.



4..... God won't ask what your highest salary was. He'll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it.



5..... God won't ask what your job title was. He'll ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.



6..... God won't ask how many friends you had. He'll ask how many people to whom you were a friend.



7..... God won't ask in what neighborhood you lived, He'll ask how you treated your neighbors.



8..... God won't ask about the color of your skin, He'll ask about the content of your character.





9..... God won't ask why it took you so long to find Him and ask Him into your house, He'll lovingly take you to heaven and not to the gates of Hell.





10..... God won't have to ask how many people you forwarded this to, He already knows your decision.

From afar

My friend won't see this, but that's ok. She will feel it in her heart. God has given me a friend of new proportions. A friend in a sense I have not felt for many years. Interestingly, I did not realize it until tonight, looking upon some pictures from the day. Taken on a cell phone, they were only a moment in time. Until I looked upon them closely, and realized there was a friendship deeper and more intimate then I previously saw from the surface. In that moment, I realized that God placed that person in my life for a very specific purpose. This friend brought God's word into my life. This person changed my life in a profound and silent way. Reconnecting me. God works in mysterious ways. I am 59 years old, and He still surprises me with His endless love. I will never understand. I will always be grateful, and appreciate. I am glad I am open enough to see when He intervenes. Thank you for your blessings, My Lord. Always, Mary

Uncertainty

I have something that is really important to tell someone who is really important.  The problem is, I can't.  Not because I don't want to.  Because I just can't figure out how.  I've never been very good at expressing my feelings anyway (just ask any of my ex-husbands LOL).  (actually, that's not funny).  But when the subject is wrapped up around my emotions, it is tremendously difficult for me to find the meaning.  I can find the words, but I can't present them in a manner that conveys the meaning clearly.  I think that's because I can't even get my own head around the main points.  See?
I'm doing it right now.

Anyway, I am just blogging this to get it off my chest, because I'm really angry and disappointed in myself and the "someone who is really important."  And I'm trying to clear my head so that I can tell this "someone" the "thing" that is really important.  I can't chicken out.  But it's also really important that I get the communication RIGHT.  And face-to-face.  Although I have already written down everything in 'outline' format as well as in 'narrative' format, I know myself well enough to know that if anyone else reads it, they will tilt their heads to the side like a dog does when it hears something weird, and go "Huh?"

*sigh*

I should have entitled this 'Insecurity' instead of 'Uncertainty'.  Is this making any sense to you? 

Hope I can do this!

Goodbye, 2012!

What an awesome year this has been!  At the start of it, I had two big events to plan and execute: a very special 20th wedding anniversary gift for Jim, and a surprise 60th birthday party for Jim.  Yes, he does sort of monopolize alot of my thoughts, which is fine by me!  I managed to pull off both of these events (thank goodness, I had a lot of help from daughters Kelly, Molly, Jamie and Beth for the party!).  Delivered to Jim a beautiful pen and ink sketching of our Cedarburg home in September.  On December 26th, delivered a surprise birthday party with 30 wonderful relatives.  Hope to post some pictures later when I can figure out how   :)

There were a few other very important things in 2012 - Molly's graduation (HOORAY!!!), a new puppy named Nelson (not quite so hooray), and of course losing Mike Holmblad    :(
But while reflecting on the year, I realized the most memorable part has been that I feel I've been able to get closer to so many of the people I love.  Not sure how much losing Mike impacted that, but I'm glad it did.  My priorities have been refocused, and I no longer spend much time worrying about if everything is 'perfect' or 'done'.  I can let that go and spend the time listening to those I love as they talk about their plans, their struggles, their joys, and their laughter.  Much better!

Thanks also to the slower pace of my job (for which I am very grateful), I can spend more time getting ready for the visits from family, so I am better prepared and relaxed when they DO arrive.  As always, I have list upon list upon list to help me stay organized and remember what needs to be done.

Since Nelson has arrived, I've been walking him almost every day, twice a day.  Lost 10 pounds, which feels great because I now have a whole bunch of clothes to wear that were just too snug before.  So it sort of feels like I have a new wardrobe, too!  And, Jim replaced my wedding ring which I was no longer able to wear with a new one.  Same original diamond (thank goodness), but a sparkling new setting, AND one that I can fit over my expanding knuckles!

So, this is a pretty boring post, I know.  But for me, the year has been full of changes, many of them good ones.  It's a good feeling to look back on the year that is passing, and like the person reflected in the mirror just a little more then you did at the start of that year. 

Many happy reflections to you!!

On Being In Love

What was the most memorable part of my summer? By Mary Rentscher

Well, the truth is that as of this writing, the Summer is not really quite over yet, so I reserve the right to write an addendum if something more memorable occurs!  But frankly, that is unlikely.  My summer has already been quite remarkable.  Life changing, really.

I won't bore you with the details of how this unfolded (come talk with me personally if you want those).  It began very slowly.  Almost imperceptibly.  An empty spot.  A yearning.  Family discussions.  Reviewing household finances.  Dropping subtle hints to close family members.  Should we do it?  IS IT TIME TO EXPAND OUR FAMILY!!??  All the expenses!  The dirt!  The pooping and drooling and teething.  Sitters and schooling and grooming!   "YES", my husband and I shout in unison!  And off we go to move on to the details!

Oh! Wait!  I hope you haven't gotten the wrong idea!  It's adding a PUPPY to our family that we were talking about!  In late May, we added a 10 1/2 pound furball we named "Nelson" to our family.  As of this writing, he is...well, I don't know how much he weighs because I can't pick him up anymore - he's too wriggly.  Somewhere around 35 pounds.  We think he will get to maybe 60 pounds.  His dad is "mostly German Shepherd" and his mom is "mostly black Lab", so yes, he is a mutt, which is fine with us.  He has livened up our summer (that's one way of putting it), and keeps us on our toes (literally, because he is still not fully house-broken).  He doesn't have full run of the house yet (see earlier sentence regarding house-training), and he and our 3 cats have so far only met through the gate at the kitchen door.  Our cats are not happy.  But, really, are cats ever happy? 

After losing our two older dogs within the past year, it is nice to have a dog in the house again.  Don't tell Nelson I said that.  He already has an attitude.