Man's Best Friend

Ah, man's best friend.  What can I say to disagree with this.  I love dogs...any kind of dogs.  I was fortunate to have had two in my life and they were indeed the "love's of my life".  Our first dog or rather our daughter's dog was the runt of the litter.   I knew even though she said she would take care of him, I would be the one to REALLY take care of him.  His name was Tyson and we only had him for 7 years. During that time, he was hit by a car which left him with seizures which in the end would be the cause of his death.  He took medicine to control his seizures but it never stopped them.  If you have ever seen an animal have seizures then you know what I am talking about...if you haven't be glad because it is heart breaking.  He was a very sweet and loving dog but never seemed right after he was hit. I believe he was blind because he would chase balls and relied upon his senses to find them. I tried to find a photo of him, but I couldn't locate one.  I believe his photos are in one of the many boxes of photos that I have categorized but could not find.  He was a mix of a Labrador and a terrier but looked exactly like a black lab.

I never thought I would recover from his death, leaving his bed and food bowls out for over a month after he died because I could not bear to see them gone from where he ate and slept everyday.  He would die in my arms after a week of severe seizures.

Meet Josie...

My Josie ~ the love of my life

I waited over a year before I decided to get another dog.  This time she would be a Labrador/Golden Retriever mix.  Her coloring was like that of a yellow lab but her face was shaped like that of a Golden Retriever and instead of having large paws, she had very delicate small ones like that of a Golden Retriever.  Oddly, the first time I saw her she was outside laying on the back of another Labrador sleeping.  It was such an adorable sight!  She would also be the runt of the litter and never grow to the size of most Labradors and keep her girlish figure of 51 pounds nearly all of her life.  Her birthday was one day before mine...another sign she was destined to be with me!  And mine she was, following me from room to room even if I was only to be gone for a second.  At night, she would jump up upon the foot of our bed and lay there for about 20 minutes and would always jump back down to her bed onto the floor in her corner contented that we were all together.  I suppose she just wanted to make sure we were tucked in. HAHA

She was like my child and went with us wherever we went.  She only spent two visits in a kennel because I could not bear to leave her there.  I would make husband take her after the first visit because I could not stand watching her as she tried to escape the vet's office and the way her pleading eyes would look back at me when they dragged her to the kennel (and drag they did). The two times I did leave her, when I went to pick her up the vet would tell me she was such a happy and cheerful dog who greeted them every morning.  They would say they never had any problems with her...they loved her as much as I did.

At that time, we lived about 5 hours from our hometown and when we went to visit or if I had to go to help out with my husband's parents or mine she always went with me and would jump into the floorboard with her head under the seat.  She hated to sit on the seat of the car because it scared her so she was content in her small space behind my seat on her comfy blanket, head tucked under the seat.

She lived to be 12 years old.  True to what I have been told, you can never tell how sick a dog is until they refuse to eat.  That is when I noticed something was wrong.  Her appetite decreased and she developed a horrible cough.  When we took her to the vet, he said she had a spot on her lung and gave her two rounds of antibiotics which helped but never completely took her cough away.  This went on for about a year until one day she quit following me around and just lay on the floor. She struggled to get up, and quit jumping upon our bed.  Her cough had worsened and  the medicine (steroids) wasn't helping.  In the end she would go to the vet for more tests because I knew she was getting worse.  When husband went to pick her up the vet said she had gone into respiratory distress and if we took her home she would more than likely die before the night was over.  So, husband called me from the vet told me the news and came to pick me up to take me back to see her and talk with the vet about what we would do next.

What she did next amazed me.  Upon seeing me she tried with all her might to get off the table to get to me, something she hadn't done for sometime.  I went to her and held her and knew immediately that she was dying. She labored to breathe and could barely catch her breath but even as she labored to breathe, she looked up at me and smiled her sweet little smile.  I couldn't stand it any longer and agreed with our vet that we would put her to sleep. I did not want her to suffer any longer.  So, again my dog died in my arms.  I was devastated and once again found myself  in grief.  That was 3 years ago and even now, I grieve for her and my heart feels heavy with sadness.  You know, you keep expecting them to hop upon your bed or to follow you like before.

She Rules...This was her sofa and did not want to share with me!!!

Where she always waited for us when we were gone.

Several of my blog friends have recently lost their pets and each time I hear of a pet loss, it brings me back to the two I've lost, the unconditional love they gave me, their faithfulness and the joy they gave me while they were with me.  It never gets easier and I suppose there are those of you who after experiencing losing your pet would shut yourself off from having another one.  But for me, I want another and even if I have to go through watching them leave me all over again I'll still feel like nothing compares to having the love of a dog or any animal.

To all of you who have lost a beloved pet, one of our fuzzy friends my heart goes out to you and if I could say or do anything to ease the sadness that you are feeling I would.  All I can offer is the voice of someone who has been there. I can tell you that it does get easier, that one day you will be able to think about them without crying, that you will be able to remember them for the love and joy they brought to you, and that your heart will smile and sing again in remembrance of the gifts they brought to you.

Dancing Cheek to Cheek

My mother told me I was dancing before I was born.  She could feel my toes tapping wildly inside her for months.
Ginger Rogers






The art of dancing has always intrigued me and when I watch Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire dancing I am in another world, a world of gliding and swaying in step right along with them.  This is from the 1935 movie, Top Hat, a favorite of mine.

Enjoy!


A new item soon to be listed in my Etsy shop:

Handmade muslin rag wreath Complete with frayed and ragged edges!

A lovely set of (6) Fall Ballet note cards.  The print is designed by EvaAgnes, who's lovely Etsy shop of nostalgic and dreamy prints can be viewed here:  (HERE)

Be sure to stop by my Etsy shop to see what's new.  (HERE)

A Little Bird and Me

I have a sweet little story to share with all of you. It's about a bird that came to visit me during a time when I was going through a transformation of sorts.  Sometimes, I think I am always undergoing some kind of transformation or another which is good...I think.

Sweet furry friends

Before I tell you the story though, I wanted to include some interesting information on bird symbolism and spirituality:


Since ancient times, because of the Birds connection to the sky, they have been thought of as a supernatural link between the heavens and the earth.
 
Middle Eastern and Asian cultures often speak of birds as symbols of immortality. In East Indian myth, every bird in the world represents a departed soul, and in Christian art, birds often appear as saved souls.

The Crane is a symbol of long life and immortality. The Eagle typifies power, resurrection and generosity. The Falcon signifies, "A Light that Shines in the Darkness". The Nightingale suggests love and longing. The Owl is synonymous with death and darkness; yet it can also bring wisdom, insight and virtue. The Peacock heralds spring, birth, new growth, longevity, and love. And the tiny Sparrow, represents the love of God for even the "least" among us.


With this in mind, I will continue on with the story.  It was in the month of June several years ago when the bird visits started.  I believe the bird was a sparrow, or at least that is what kind of bird I thought it was.  Anyway, it was about 10 minutes before 8:00 a.m. when I heard this pecking on my bathroom window.  It was a constant, peck, peck, peck, a pause, and peck, peck, peck.  This went on for about 20 minutes.  I never got out of bed and really didn't think much about it.  The next morning at the same time give or take a few minutes I heard the peck, peck, peck, a pause, and peck, peck, peck again for about the same amount of time.  Still, I didn't get out of bed.  On the third morning, yet again at the same time the same peck, peck, peck. This time I got out of bed and went to the window and there was this little sparrow sitting on the ledge staring at me.  I looked at him and he looked at me and then he flew away.  


I remember feeling quite puzzled. Once again, the very next morning he appeared again.  He seemed determined to get me out of bed and when I did, he would look at me and I would look at him and he would fly away.  The next morning, I thought, "I'm going to ask him what he wants".  Sounds weird huh, but I really did think that if I thought about it in my mind hard enough I might be able to figure out why he kept coming.  A kind of thought talk... if you will...which I never did figure out. This went on for about 2 months with visits usually everyday or every other day and each time he appeared I would get up, we would look at each other, he would cock his sweet little head and then fly away (although at times, I saw him cheeping back at me...almost like he was talking, trying to tell me something.) I started to look forward to the visits and when I didn't here the peck, peck, peck I wondered where he was. 


One day, he didn't come, then another day passed, then a week, and then I never saw him again.  I felt sad and wondered if his visits were bringing me a message of sorts from a  higher power.  I never did figure it out but maybe I wasn't supposed to.  All I knew was that it was bigger than me. That it brought me great comfort and a sense that I wasn't alone in what I was going through was enough for me. Somehow I knew everything would be all right. 


 I often think back to that time in my life when that sweet little bird brought a bright light into an otherwise dark and very reflective period in my life and who knew the "song in my heart when I forgot it and sang it back to me when I could not remember the words".

Domestic Violence-A Hidden Secret

 I ran across a post I had written when I first started my blog in March of 2011 and it seems like a good place to start my passion for writing about social issues and inspirational topics.  This post goes deep into the soul of a battered woman.  The statistics are staggering and still this remains a topic that most people would like to pretend doesn't exist especially the women who are in this situation.  Some of you might say, "Why don't they leave their abusers?" A question I don't have an answer for.  I think this video and post is a voice for those women who struggle everyday with this "hidden secret"

Domestic Violence-A Hidden Secret

They say a picture is worth a thousand words so, I will let this video speak for itself and just add that according to statistical data obtained from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) domestic violence affects roughly 32 million Americans and this only reflects the number of cases reported.  I am so saddened by this issue that I just had to write about it.  It is a serious problem that does not get nearly the attention it should.  Here is some information that will surely surprise you...it did me.

In the United States 1/3 of domestic violence cases are never reported.  Why?
Could it be shame or a lack of confidence that keeps women from speaking out against domestic violence?  Or, perhaps the inability of resources designed to protect them from this type of violence in making women feel safe in coming forward for help?

The United States Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) defines domestic violence as a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner.  This can be physical with threats of violence, throwing objects, harming pets, unwanted physical contact or rape and murder.  Domestic violence can also be psychological involving mental and emotional abuse, economic and social control i.e. controlling victim's money or not allowing contact with friends and family...isolation.

Statistics from the End Abuse Organization states the following:

On average 3 women a day are murdered by husbands or boyfriends.  In 2005, 1,181 women were murdered by an intimate partner.

In 2008, the Center of Disease Control published data collected in 2005 that found women experienced 2 million injuries from intimate partners each year.

Nearly 1 in 4 women in the United States reports experiencing violence by a current or former spouse or boyfriend at some point in her life.

Women are more likely than men to be victimized by a current or former intimate partner.

Women represent 84% of spouse abuse victims and 86% of victims of abuse at the hands of a boyfriend or girlfriend and about 3/4 of the persons who commit family violence are male.

The statistics are staggering and I could go on and on.  One thing is for sure that no one in this type of situation goes unscathed.  15.5 million children in the United States live in families in which partner violence occurred at least once in the past year and 7 million children live in families in which severe partner violence occurred.
2/3 of the majority of nonfatal intimate partner victimizations of women occur at home.  Children under the age of 12 are residents of the households experiencing intimate partner violence in 38% of incidents involving female victims and in a single day in 2008, 16,458 children were living in a domestic violence shelter or transitional housing facility.  Another 6,430 children sought services at a non-residential program.  This is a social issue that merits more attention than it receives.

How is it that in the United States, a country that prides itself on being a world leader in personal freedom and a guardian of human rights can domestic abuse/violence exist?  If the video from the Coalition Against Battered Women: Domestic Abuse does not move you to tears then I don't have a clue what would.

For more info on Domestic Violence http://www.endabuse.org/ and http://domesticviolencestatistics.org .

A Change in the Wind...

I've been thinking lately about changing the direction of my blog.  That's not to say that I dislike the way it has progressed because it chugs along every week with different topics on one thing or another sort of like a hummingbird that flits around the feeder and never really stops moving.

~Image via Google~

I love visiting blogs where people write about their passion.  You can always tell where a person's heart is by what they write about and the images they post.  It is like taking a peek into someone's soul.

It has become harder for me to come up with inspiring posts about decorating, fashion, and make-up and while I have plenty of these posts in my archives non of these compare with those of you have made these topics your life's work.  Those of you who have studied design and thrive on the architecture, placement, and the design of a certain period or style, or those of you in the fashion industry who know the right kind of scarf, shoes, dresses, tops, and jackets to wear with what and of course those of you who re-design, re-work, paint and work with antiques.  All of you are nothing short of inspirational and your creativity comes out in your work.  This is where I fall short because it is not where my passions lay.

My passions lay in social issues and my writing pushes me in that direction.  Life for me is about the children who through no efforts of their own, go hungry or lack the opportunities that are often not afforded to them, the working poor who try to get ahead and somehow always fall short and the homeless.... people who are sometimes looked upon as the throwaways, the ones that have chosen a life on the streets because it seems a safer bet than the shelters offered to them.  This is where my soul takes me...writing about these issues brings out what makes my soul sad, these issues that lay beneath the surface of everyday life, the ones we seldom talk about or want to address.

So, my posts will be taking a turn with posts about inspirational topics and stories... and who doesn't like a good story!  Just like those of you who inspire me with your interior design, fashion, antique, d-i-y and beauty posts, I hope these articles give you cause for pause in your busy days.  That's not to say, you won't see fun and light-hearted posts and the occasional craft or design post to shake things up a bit too but is my hope, that I can through my writing on these topics, shed some light upon and bring some inspiration and hope to those who might somehow feel deserted and left behind.

I hope you will continue to visit and leave comments because I always love to hear what you have to say and your personal views as it relates to the topics I write about.  So, on to the New Year!

~Image via Google~

Transformation and The Dragonflies

Inspiration comes from the most unexpected places...

I wanted to share with you an experience that happened to me several years ago. At the time this occurred, our personal life had taken a dramatic change from what we were accustomed to and sent unexpected shock waves through me. It changed my world and sent me on an unexpected path I was little prepared for but destined to go through.  

One summer afternoon around 12:30 p.m., I went out to pick-up our mail.  When I opened my front door I was not prepared for what awaited me.  There before my stunned eyes were hundreds of dragonflies fluttering all around in my front yard in the most beautiful colors I have ever seen.  They weren't in any of my neighbor's yards...just mine.  I remember thinking "Why are all these dragonflies in my yard and no one else's"?  I wasn't fearful and even as I recall this phenomena now, I can still remember vividly the swarming of all of these dragonflies around me as I stood shell shocked in the front of my yard.  I continued down my steps looking to my right and then to my left until I arrived at my mailbox all the while staring in amazement at the beautiful sight of all of these dragonflies and wondering what it meant.  At the time, I didn't really know or understand the significance of what it meant only that it was destined to bring about some new change in my life.   As soon as I got back to my front porch they had all but retreated, I suppose back to where they came from.

The details of the changes and how we were affected by them are not important, but what is important is that my perspective on life was forever changed bringing with it a more "transparent and deeper look into my soul and the way I looked at others. 

I wanted to share with you a bit about the dragonfly and what it symbolizes.  I have a special place in my heart for them and what their visit meant to me on that warm summer day and how it forever changed me.

The dragonfly, in almost every part of the world symbolizes change and change in the perspective of self realization; and the kind of change that has its source in mental and emotional maturity and the understanding of the deeper meaning of life. 

The traditional association of Dragonflies with water also gives rise to this meaning to this amazing insect. The Dragonfly’s scurrying flight across water represents an act of going beyond what’s on the surface and looking into the deeper implications and aspects of life.

The dragonfly exhibits iridescence both on its wings as well as on its body. Iridescence is the property of an object to show itself in different colors depending on the angle and polarization of light falling on it. This property is seen and believed as the end of one’s self created illusions and a clear vision into the realities of life. The magical property of iridescence is also associated with the discovery of one’s own abilities by unmasking the real self and removing the doubts one casts on his/her own sense of identity. This again indirectly means self discovery and removal of inhibitions.

The eyes of the dragonfly are one of the most amazing and awe inspiring sights. Given almost 80% of the insect’s brain power is dedicated to its sight and the fact that it can see in all 360 degrees around it, it symbolizes the uninhibited vision of the mind and the ability to see beyond the limitations of the human self. It also in a manner of speaking symbolizes a man/woman’s rising from materialism to be able to see beyond the mundane into the vastness that is really our Universe, and our own minds.


I find myself looking back to this period in my life with awe, thankful for the experience and the changes that were the result of it.

Source of Information From:(HERE)

New Items Added to My Shop

I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year's Eve and that 2012 brings a faBulous New Year to each and every one of you!  I have recently added these new items to my Etsy Shop and wanted to share them with you:

A Sweet Fall Ballet Pillow cover.  The image is designed by EvaAgnes and her designs can be viewed here: EvaAgnes Etsy Shop

Gorgeous Lithuanian Linen Tea Towel

Lavender Sachet with Antique Mother of Pearl Buttons

Antique Print Picture of Grande Duchesse de Toscane [Jean of Austria, Grand Duchess of Tuscany]  

Sweet French Farmhouse Inspired tea towel

Lithuanian Linen Lavender Sachet

Another Lithuanian Linen Lavender Sachet

Lithuanian Linen Lavender Sachet with Grey Rick-Rack Hanger

Well, that is the extent of my new additions for now.  You can see them and other items here:  My Etsy Shop