My Special Relationship With My Precious Dog

           

LILITHANN - Lily was not my first dog but probably will be my last dog. Prior to her birth in November, 2005 I was of the thought that I would not be able to have another dog because I believe it is very important for us humans to seriously navigate the many questions that must be answered before consenting to the responsibilities that are inherent with having a dog or any pet.  

Considering my "sunset" station in this journey of my life, my number one concern was that the dog could live longer than me and that was a horrible thought because I would not be able to insure that a loving and responsible home would be in her future. Financial issues were also a concern but certainly not at the top of my list.

So anyway, I didn't make any active plans to get another dog. I still had my precious Calico Tabby cat, Puff who grew up with my previous wonderful Yorkshire Terrier dog, Pixie.  And the cat was fabulous comfort for me and provided lots of love for eighteen years. 

Lily and Puff

And then, as life has a way of shaping our journeys, I started reading about Cavalier King Charles Spaniel dogs. The breed was new to me and I liked everything I read about them. But, they were expensive! So, I just filed my new information in the back of my mind and proceeded with my simple stable and quiet life.

But then, quite some time later I was at the grocery store one day and saw a darling little puppy in a lady's shopping cart. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was the first time I had seen one other than the many pictures I had looked at. The lady and I chatted and yes she confirmed that it was a Cavalier! And, her comments were glowing about her experience with the breed.

Again I tucked all the new information away until one day I decided to look at the Internet to see what might be available. The standard weight of these "jewels" can be as much as 25 pounds which is more than what is best for me considering my low back injury/surgery. And, then I found that there were breeders that were providing some Cavaliers that were on the lower end of the weight scale.

AND, I think it was in February 2006, that my girl friend (who passed away 2 years ago) and I were driving to Sacramento International Airport to pick up a baby girl puppy. On our way home, my girlfriend insisted on holding her. There was no way she was going to let her stay in the crate. The puppy snuggled in her neck and nibbled on her ear lobe. It was so exciting and she was so very tiny. Yes, she is the "jewel" in the middle of the next photo. The one with her little tail in the air! You can see she is the littlest in the photo. Just the right size!

Sadly, TODAY is ONE YEAR since my Lily left for the Rainbow Bridge.

My heart is so heavy as it is every single day. I miss her more than my words can say. For various reasons we had a certain bond that is indescribable. My grief/loss is as great as it was the day she left.

It was a few days ago that I just happened to see the poem written in 1922 by Rudyard Kipling (1865 - 1936).  I would like to share it with you.

"The Power Of A Dog"  by  Rudyard Kipling

THERE is sorrow enough in the natural way

From men and women to fill our day;

And when we are certain of sorrow in store,

Why do we always arrange for more?

Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware      

Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.

Buy a pup and your money will buy

Love unflinching that cannot lie—

Perfect passion and worship fed

By a kick in the ribs or a pat on the head.      

Nevertheless it is hardly fair

To risk your heart for a dog to tear.

When the fourteen years which Nature permits

Are closing in asthma, or tumor, or fits,

And the vet’s unspoken prescription runs      

To lethal chambers or loaded guns,

Then you will find—it’s your own affair—

But … you’ve given your heart to a dog to tear.

When the body that lived at your single will,

With its whimper of welcome, is stilled (how still!).      

When the spirit that answered your every mood

Is gone—wherever it goes—for good,

You will discover how much you care,

And will give your heart to a dog to tear.

We’ve sorrow enough in the natural way,      

When it comes to burying Christian clay.

Our loves are not given, but only lent,

At compound interest of cent per cent.

Though it is not always the case, I believe,

That the longer we’ve kept ’em, the more do we grieve:      

For, when debts are payable, right or wrong,

A short-time loan is as bad as a long—

So why in—Heaven (before we are there)

Should we give our hearts to a dog to tear?

The poem is "pretty heavy" but also some "food for thought".

But there is no way I would have wanted to do anything differently. I think the love
from our dogs/pets, even though it has a time limit, can help soothe the sorrows of
today just by us having had the love.

Please hug the ones you love and never forget your four legged "jewels".

Wishing you Well.

Mary

Beautiful Memories of Capitola

I am so blessed to have many wonderful memories of activities and fun that "My Special Man" and I did during the 5 years that we were together. I remember this trip as if it was yesterday. And, I wanted to share this with you even though I posted it on another blog back in 2012. I hope you enjoy one of the many picturesque places to visit or maybe live in California.

A week ago today, we left for a mini vacation to the coast. The weather we left behind was in the low 100 range and had been for several days. The change of climate to temperatures in the 70's was a very pleasant change.

When we checked into our motel on 41st Avenue the lobby was very inviting. We were pleasantly surprised with a nice upgrade to a very large luxury suite at the Best Western Plus Capitola-By-The-Sea Inn and Suites.

This little fella looks playful and fun! Don't ya think?

The first evening we dined at a very impressive restaurant, Cafe' Cruz who "believes that using healthy, high quality ingredients translates into the best tasting food". They use the freshest local produce (organic when possible), freshly caught fish from sustainable sources, fresh natural California poultry and pork, and Harris Ranch Beef (naturally raised in California), complemented by other top of the line ingredients. And, wow - the food was great!  This restaurant was only a few blocks from our motel and very conveniently located on the same street.

 

We entered through the rear parking area. The restaurant was quite large with many rooms and was filled with enthusiastic diners on a Monday Night! The menu was extensive and the service was exceptional and without fault.

 

Many murals were on the walls depicting their philosophy of natural cuisine.

 

We entered walking through one of the garden rooms that was beautifully appointed with lovely plants and fire pits for warmth as the evening cooled.

The next morning we drove a short distance to Capitola Village where there are many boutique shops, art galleries, wine tasting rooms, restaurants and beautiful surroundings.  The first stop was at Mr. Toots Coffee House for some special coffees. 

 

 

The air was cool but not to cool to sit outside on the little balcony overlooking the colorful Venetian Hotel, Wharf and Sea. If you look closely you can see the little table where we sat below the Mr. Toots sign. It was so relaxing. 

 

This is the enjoyable picturesque view from the outdoor eateries on The Esplande where we enjoyed our coffees.

 

The colorful buildings are all part of The Venetian Hotel which is in the Mediterranean style with hand-carved doors thematic of Venice, Italy. So charming. 

 

At the far end of the individual accommodations, near the Wharf, there were beautiful gardens with a plaque commemorating the destination by the Department of Parks and Recreation National Registry as the First California Condominium Sea Side Resort 1924. See the photo below.  

 

This is the seaside view of The Venetian Hotel taken from The Wharf. You can see the gardens on the far left of the photo.



This is a photo from the Chamber of Commerce website showing the seaside view of the Esplanade.



And, here is a little friend on The Wharf sitting and waiting for some tidbits that may present for his enjoyment!

 And - - - - - What a handsome guy he is!

 More tomorrow about The Wharf and Shadowbrook Restaurant.

Yes, I may do another "Memories" post of this little trip to the coast. We were fortunate to be able to do a lot of travel during the five years including a very educational three week trip to Germany. 

It saddens me that we didn't have more time together but I am certainly grateful for what we had.

I sure hope you are having a Blessed Weekend.      WE HAVE SUNSHINE.    Hallelujah !

Mary

White Stuff

No, it's not snow but HAIL. Wow, did it come down fast and heavy yesterday. I can always tell if the noise is hail by the sound of pinging on medal objects.

Before long it was looking quite white around here.

But, today the sun is shining brightly. Happy, Happy!

Sunshine - Sunshine - Sunshine.      But, it is Cold!       Earlier this morning it was in the high 20's. Lots of frost on the rooftops. 

Such a sad looking garden. However, I see lots of new growth and lots of green.

Lots of branches down along with leaves and winter debris that will have to be cleaned up. I hope I am able to do the cleanup when the weather gets warmer. But, I am not sure my body will cooperate.

The iris are showing nice growth. Have to wait some before I know more about some of the new things I planted.

Oh, a couple sweet snow drops!

And, these are the Naked Lady bulbs surrounding the sundial.

Beautiful lush green moss in many places throughout the garden.

New growth on the forsythia.                And the White Hydrangea.  Wonderful. 

This is the first time I have been outside in days. It felt good but a little nippy cold. Tomorrow, more rain and then a dry spell for about a week.

Thank you for walking with me in the garden, today.
If you garden, hope yours is giving you signs of new life. It is such a special time of year. New beginnings and all.

Mary

Venus Or Mars

     Women are much more complicated than men. 

               Men are very simple. And you know why?

                           It’s because their brains are so different. 

Interesting and entertaining concepts from the Internet.  

 Concepts that probably will be debated forever forward!  

First, I want to start with men. Men’s brains are very unique. Most women don’t realize that whether we are having sex or watching sports, our brains are made up of little boxes.

We’ve got a box for everything. We’ve got a box for the car. We’ve got a box for the money. We’ve got a box for the job. We’ve got a box for you. We’ve got a box for the kids. We’ve got a box for your mother somewhere in the basement.

We’ve got boxes everywhere. And the rule is: the boxes don’t touch. When a man discusses a particular subject, we go to that particular box, we pull that box out, we open the box, and we discuss only what is in THAT BOX. And then we close the box and put it away being very, very careful not to touch other boxes.

Now women’s brains are very, very different from men’s brains. Women’s brains are made up of a big ball of wire. And everything is connected to everything. The money is connected to the car and the car is connected to your job and your kids are connected to your mother and everythingisallconnected.

It’s like the internet superhighway, and it’s all driven by energy that we call emotion. It’s one of the reasons why women tend to remember… everything.

Because if you take an event and you connect it to an emotion and it burns in your memory and you can remember it forever. The same thing happens for men. It just doesn’t happen very often, because quite frankly… we don’t care. Women tend to care about everything.

Now men, we have a box in our brain that most women are not aware of. This particular box has nothing in it. In fact, we call it the ‘nothing’ box.

And of all the boxes a man has in his brain, the ‘nothing’ box is our favorite box. If a man has a chance, he’ll go to his nothing box every time. That’s why a man can do something seemingly completely brain dead for hours on end. You know, like fishing.

Now they’ve actually measured this. The University of Pennsylvania a couple of years ago did a study and discovered that men have the ability to think about absolutely nothing, and still breathe.

Women can’t do it. Their mind has never stopped. And they don’t understand the ‘nothing’ box, and it drives them CRAZY because nothing drives a woman more crazy and makes them feel more irritated than to watch a man doing nothing.

The California Weather conditions continue to be devastating for so many. With the most recent storm there are increased mud/hillside slides, roads covered with water, very fast flowing creeks and rivers, many levee breaks, stranded vehicles and people stranded in their homes an cars. 

The streets where I moved from in San Jose are flooded with very high water. The local news is showing pictures of areas that I am very familiar with all the way to Monterey County and Los Angeles and I can hardly believe what I see. 

My home is dry and I am safe. However, the home next to me which sits lower than mine has a very flooded back yard covered with dirty brown water. It is taking longer to be absorbed with each new storm. 

The Murphys Park is severely flooded.

Mary

I've Been Thinking About This For A Long Time

Did I get your attention? 

Now, seriously, I have been doing my homework and I am very close to making the decision about which model to order. And, I think this is the one.

 Luxe Bidet Neo 320 - Self Cleaning Dual Nozzle 

 Hot and Cold  Water Non-Electric Mechanical Bidet Toilet Attachment

Available in blue or white control.

With a rating of 4.5 out of 5 by more than 1600 reviews, I think it looks like this model would be a good choice. In addition, at $63.00 plus free shipping, why not!

With my skill level I should be able to install it myself. It sounds pretty easy and straight forward.

OK now, with continued research I came upon a caveat with the above product. It has nothing to do with the product but with the style/contour of the Kohler one piece, round bowl/lid toilet that I want the bidet for. My model toilet is one of the very few models that it will not work with. When I bought the toilets at the time of remodeling I did not even consider anything other than quality and appearance.

So, anyway with further research I found a product that "most likely" will fit/work. Not surprising, it is a lot more expensive. But, I kid you not - it does everything. How many things can a toilet seat do? If I said "dance" I wouldn't be surprised if it did!

                                 BRONDELL SWASH 1000 BIDET SEAT. 

Out of all the customer reviews from various sellers that I read all of them had very high ratings. That's pretty good!

As you can see, the appearance is different in that the seat back is raised and larger. This would not be a problem for me because I would be using it in the second bathroom. As I said, It is very PRICEY. Lots of "bells and whistles". But, nothing I wouldn't always use.  I don't make these kind of decisions quickly. So, I'll probably think more about it for a few days.

There is another alternative. That would be to buy a different toilet that would work with the first bidet I researched. But, then there would also be the expense of the new toilet and a plumber and the inconvenience. As the same as the first bidet model, this model is also an easy installation and something I could do.  Both of the Bidets could be used on another toilet if I was to move.

Now, you may ask - - - WHY, am I interested in this product?     In my next post, I will give you a little background.

Hope you have a good Holiday Weekend. We are having heavy rains and snow not far away up the hill.

Mary

A Very Nice Day

It has been bright and sunny for three days straight! What a gift. However, another storm is rolling in to start tomorrow. Thankfully, the sunshine has really helped my mood.

The folks that have had to evacuate because of the Oroville Dam failure have now been able to go back to their homes. Wonderful! Of course, there is a lot of work continuing on the project as well as many other areas in Northern California that are experiencing dreadful conditions caused by excessive rain fall, flooding, sink holes, serious mudslides and dislocated residents to shelters and serious roadway conditions.

Since yesterday was so lovely, I went to the Ophthalmologist office to pick up new prescription eyeglasses which I am very pleased with.  They had been ready for days and days. And, then I drove to a nearby town to have lunch at a favorite restaurant called The Pickle Patch.

It sure does not look like anything special. But, looks are deceiving.  Actually, it is an old farmhouse that has been nicely revived into a lovely destination for lunch, and special events. Lunches are available Monday through Friday. And, special events are catered. The line was long for ordering lunch but moved quickly. And, they bring your food to your table.

After walking through what was probably the living room (which is now filled with small tables for guests) you then see the counter where you order. Everything is freshly prepared and delicious. It is mostly deli foods like soups, salads, sandwiches and deserts. Walking out the door you see on the left there is a covered patio with tables and then surprisingly there are beautiful gardens with umbrella tables and nice appointments.        Surprising, isn't it?           Feels like "a diamond in the rough" when you think about the ambiance.

And, this is another nice seating area with the summer blooming wisteria pergola.

The gardens are huge and appointed with water fountains, beautiful flowers, bird houses, decorative objects and various types of sculptures.

These photos are from their website.     I enjoyed great homemade soup and salad !  And, the sunshine was wonderful as I sat at a pleasant location in the gardens.

Yes, it was A Very Nice Day.

Take Care.

Mary

Stunning Oroville Dam Breach

This disaster is in an area 150 miles northeast of San Francisco that I have some familiar knowledge about. In my earlier life during the late 1960's my husband and I spent some time in Oroville and he interviewed for a position with the county. We were considering moving from Southern California. At that time the area which is in the Sierra Nevada Foothills seemed very rural especially in comparison with where we would have been moving from. I recall that the Dam was near completion and was finished in 1968.

Facebook

• Twitter

• Google Plus

• Embed

 

Residents Forced From Homes in California Flooding Emergency.            These newspaper photos are horrendous, aren't they?

 

Mandatory evacuations remained in effect Monday afternoon for nearly 190,000 people in Northern California after a spillway serving the country's tallest dam developed a hole that threatened to release uncontrolled floodwaters, officials said.

The emergency spillway off the Oroville Dam was the second to fail in a matter of days, after the dam's primary spillway developed a 200-foot-long, 30-foot-deep hole last week.

Officials and contractors were working feverishly to get as much water out of Lake Oroville as possible by Thursday, when another round of storms is expected to sweep across the area.

My heart goes out to all those effected by this terrible situation. Let's all send lots of positive energy and prayers their way.

With all the inclement weather conditions across the nation be sure to stay warm, safe and healthy.

Mary