HAPPY Halloween

May today bring you
unexpected surprises
of SWEETNESS
and JOY.

M & M

When I have to travel, the dogs go to Mystic Pet Resort. Gareth & Lena treat all the dogs as their own, & that includes M &M. They have their own kennel & yard. And when it's not crazy-busy, they're out of the kennel & Gareth makes a bed for them in the shop. When I went to pick them up, Gareth said, "It doesn't matter if you put a bed out for Maggie, she'll lie on the floor."

I said, "I know! She does that at home!" I was working in my office, so I brought their beds in with me. And here's Maggie:

And here's Millie:

SO SWEET. :-)

Blogging Break

I got nothin'. I got crickets. I'm just not feeling like I want to write anything. So I'm not. Back when I feel a bit more inspired. :-)

Stop Asking Me Questions

Tom Wilson, "Biff" in Back to the Future. Hahahaha En-JOY. Back tomorrow.

I'll meet you in your world

I've done a bit of traveling & haven't been on-line much these past few days. I'm sort of back now, but will be picking Mum up from the airport later today. Then! I get to hear about her adventures in the D.R. with Brother D building a house for Cambiando Vidas. While they were away, I spent some time with SIL & the nieces. They've just moved into a new home; colonial, last decorated circa 1980-something. It has good bones, but needs a bit of updating.

Anyway, the eldest has her own room for the first time, but was scared to sleep in her bed because she said there was a ghost. If you're a parent, do you logically explain that ghosts & monsters aren't real & that they don't exist? How convinced is your child after that convo? Here's a different approach: enter her world. Leave the argument about real or existing behind. It doesn't matter if something is real or not, the feeling of fear is. That's what you're really dealing with. So, here's what we did: Ghost Begone spray:

• a few drops of Rescue Remedy flower essence
• a few drops of Young Living Purification essential oil (aromatherapy)
  
• a few drops of carnation oil

Spray into corners of room. Rescue Remedy is great for stress or fear. I put the essential oils in because they smell good, but they also are sort of a "convincer" that there's something in the spray--along with the suggestion that when you smell it, you know it's working. I just happened to have some Young Living essential oils, but you could use anything that smells good. The spray also gives the child a sense of being able to do something; to have a sense of control. So now she just sprays a bit before she goes to bed. And ghosts are gone! It doesn't matter if they existed in the first place.

After we cleared out the ghosts, the next day I got up v. early and went to . . . a really cool place that I will write about in my next post tomorrow. :-)

Dave Dobson Judo Quote

In keeping with my Autumn theme, here's a beautiful photo from Microsoft clipart:

and a quote from Dave Dobson's 1988 Funshop:

Quote of the Day

Action is the antidote to despair.~Joan Baez

Day of Rest: Doggie Acupuncture

Millie falls asleep during acupuncture.

If you look closely, you'll see acupuncture needles around Millie's hip area. I have a WONDERFUL book, Four Paws, Five Directions that is all about acupuncture for dogs (and cats, too). May today be a healing day of rest. :-)

And she's off to the Domican Republic

I'm taking Mum out for dinner tonight & then I'll be taking her to the airport tomorrow morning. At 3 a.m.--not even the crack of dawn! Lest you think she'll be sunning herself on the beach, sipping a margarita--and loyal readers of this blog will know that's a joke--she'll be doing this:

Because that's the kind of thing she does when she travels. No ordinary vacations for her. And this time, Queen Anne is co-leading the build for Cambiando Vidas. And this time, she's roped my brother into joining. So now I don't have to go. ;-) Thanks, Bro!

Special Day

Today is special, and both are boss-related. Firstly, according to my calendar, & prolly Hallmark, it's National Boss's Day. I guess that's to balance out National Secretary's Day. Except now they're called "administrative assistants." But I digress. In honour of today, I'd like to take this opportunity to honour my boss, John Morgan.

He's taught me an awful lot about sales:

• It's better to under-promise & over deliver.
• Negative reversals!
• Radio people are auditory: Even tho I'm v. visual, I've learned to communicate with Auditories.
• No doesn't mean no. It means no for now. And it means maybe 3 months from now. It could even become a yes.
• Which brings me to: keep going until.
• It doesn't matter how much time I spend or how long it takes me to do something, the bottom line is results.
• My success is my responsibility--v. empowering & sometimes daunting.
  

Another thing that he's reminded me of is the specialness that comes with birthdays. He has a tradition where you can honour a person's birthday twice a day just with a clock. "9:28, make a wish!" he'll say for his son's birthday. It's not just people, he has birthday celebrations for Snuffy, the black-nosed beagle because, you know, Snuffy is part of the fam. Every year he gets a pound cake & birthday gifts. For real. So, HAPPY BOSS'S DAY, John, and . . .

Autumn Day

Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile. ~ William Cullen Bryant



This is my favourite season; the colours, the fresh apples, the crisp air... il fait frais! It's raining which we desperately need. When it's sunshiney again, I'll take a pic of my wild pear tree in the front yard. Such a show off with the colours! Back tomorrow . . . .

Autumn

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. ~ Albert Camus

Dobson Quote

What are you reinforcing? A story of why something is the way it is? A reason for why you are the way you are? Something from your past? Syanara.

Day of Rest

Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit. ~Edward Abby

Really?

I know someone who makes a point of buying things that are only American.

This is right up his alley.

Proper

Mum came for a visit and brought over her own egg cups to have soft-boiled eggs. [It's a British Thing.] She said, "I didn't think you had any proper egg cups." Well, I had 2, but we used hers. Anyway, I got around to getting some:

See? Proper.

Dobson Frog

I always think of Dave Dobson when I see frogs. He had a collection of them around his house. He liked the metaphor of Frogs into Princes. My brother challenged me to put my 3 & 1/2 year-old niece to sleep. Those who've heard my labyrinth CD can laugh right about now. Anyway, I've created stories for her about Dobson Frog. And she only hears these stories when it's time to sleeeeep. And I've anchored her feet to . . . begin to get sleepy. Thanks, Dave.

Another flea market find

Never-been-used photo album:

Inscription inside to Henry; a "great boyfriend & great friend."

Poor Marie-Yvonne. What happened?
Did Henry not have or want reminders of loved ones?
Was the photo album too girly for him?
Did he not want a friend-sister-girlfriend?
We'll never know.

Fleamarket Finds

When I was a little girl of 5-ish, we had a go-cart like this one:

I seem to recall Mum backing over it in the driveway.

What can you say about this next . . . er, item?

Eeeewwwww!

And this. This book:

I understand the Idiot's Guide to computers & plumbing & whatever, but really? The Kennedys warrant an Idiot's Guide? [Do you ever want to make it Kenendies when you're writing the plural? No? Just me? OK, then.]

XM Radio Guy Hutton pointed out that the above book is very . . . thin. Hahahaha He said it was funny, but not $3 funny.

Fleamarket Daze

I collect quotes. I've tried to keep them in notebooks, but invariable they get shelved or I don't have them when I need them. So I've taken to writing them on recipe cards. Those are easy to carry in my purse, have at my desk, etc. The quote below is the one I pulled for today's post:

What sort of decisions do you make when no one's looking? ~Seth Godin

I went to the flea market this weekend. I got a new rug for my art studio & a v. cool wicker dining set. Oh! And a bread knife that I was in desperate need of so that I didn't have to hack thru Mum's GF bread. Toward the end of my shopping, there was a knife set with those kind of knives they have at Outback. Nice, sturdy--will also hack thru bread. Well. I was going to get a set of 6, and the seller was going to throw in a set of forks, as well. Who doesn't need more forks? For $3. It just gets better and better!

Until it doesn't. He leans in and says in a hushed tone, "I'm a thief. I get them from a steakhouse. Drives my wife crazy."

What would you do? He was packing them up in a bag.

"Oooooohhhhh. I wish you hadn't told me that." And I didn't get them. No judgement on Thief Guy, but . . . well. No utilitarian-last-forever steak knives for me.

Day of Rest

There's something a dog sleeping in the sun that is so cozy. HAPPY Day of Rest.

Religious Dog Food

Really?

Quote of the Day

Everybody has their own private Mount Everest they were put on this earth to climb. You may never reach the summit; for that you will be forgiven. But if you don’t make at least one serious attempt to get above the snow line, years later you will find yourself lying on your deathbed, and all you will feel is emptiness. ~Hugh Macleod, Ignore Everybody

M & M

Look at that face:

SO SWEET.

I know there are people who thought I was making a mistake taking on 2 geriatric dogs. I'm setting myself up for a lot of work, not to mention inevitable heart ache. When I first got them, someone asked me, "What are you getting out of this?" "I'm not getting anything. I'm doing this to give."

But I was wrong. It turns out, you can't give without getting. And we have settled into a life together so quickly & easily, I know it was meant to be.

Fancy new dog ramp:

Well. Perhaps not that fancy. Functional.

Hanging out on the back porch.

I'm loving these girls. And somewhere in their lives, before they got dumped off on a highway from some truck, they were well-loved by someone. I can tell by their gentleness. They aren't aggressive about their food, they don't startle when I bring my hand to pet them, they don't get spazzy when I walk toward them when they're lying on the floor. They're used to someone stepping over or around them. They trust someone to touch them kindly. And these 2 gentle giants have come home to live out the rest of their days in loving kindness.

It turns out that I am getting far more than I am giving.