What I Am Thankful For...

Photo by Tracey R. Simmons
This is how Hope looked before we
found out she had EPI.

This Thanksgiving season, I am thankful my deaf dog – Hope is doing so much better, health wise, after three months of non-stop diarrhea and severe weight lose. The vet figured out the problem – Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency. It took another five months for Hope’s weight to return to her adoptive weight, and it was because of the enzymes now being put on her food.

Hope entertaining Miss Pippin O'Chi
Photo by Tracey R. Simmons 2015

     
I am thankful for Diane who runs www.enzymediane.com  a business started to help those who have an animal like Hope, whose pancreas don’t work properly. She provides the enzymes needed for these animals to digest their food at a lower price, much lower then pharmaceutical companies whose only intention is making a profit. (Both get the pancreases from the same slaughterhouses.) She does it to help people who would be otherwise forced to put their beloved pet down, because they can’t afford several hundred dollars a month to keep their animal alive. Plus, her product works much better than the pharmaceutical companies – I know this to be a fact, because Hope started out on the prescription enzymes and now uses EnzymeDiane’s product.

Baby Pippin just after adoption
Photo by Tracey R. Simmons 2015

I am thankful for little Pippin O’Chi, who has brought such joy after death snatched my young and beloved Koda from me. Pippin’s love has been a balm to this broken heart. I am so glad ‘third time was the charm’ for me to adopt Miss Pippin. (Hey Pippin, could you quit eating Hope’s doggie landmines? It’s a nasty habit, and it makes your breath very odoriferous.)

Just a few of my favorite
Christmas DVDs and CDs

Lastly, I am thankful for Christmas movies and music. Break out the DVDs and the CDs!

Have Your Basic Needs Been Met?

There are some people who feel like they’re jumping from one frying pan into another when it comes to hurdles along life’s path. Maybe you’re one of them. It may seem like no matter how hard you try to stay upbeat, keep a stiff upper lip, think positive, or whatever expression one wants to use, life keeps throwing you to the ground. You continue getting up and trudging along, putting on a brave front; but inside you wonder: where is God; what’s the reason you seem to get more hurdles thrown in front of you; and why, oh, why can’t life smooth out like it seems to be for others?!

In difficult times, maybe you’ve tried talking to a family member or friend, but they don’t understand while giving the “It could be worse” or “When one door or window closes, God will open another” responses. Yes, it could be worse, but it could be a whole lot better too! In addition, you’ve seen a window or door open a tiny bit, just enough to give you hope, but then slammed closed with such force your breath is sucked away, leaving you bewildered.

Recently, I heard someone say something that was so simple and made a great deal of sense – “Did you have what you needed to get through this day, enough to meet your basic living needs for the day?” The answer was yes. “Be thankful for that and just deal with one day at a time!”

God provides for this HoneyBee.
Photo by Tracey R. Simmons 2015

                            During this Thanksgiving season, what are you thankful for?

A Home Furever

Photo By Michele Danz 2015

In this day and age, the media focuses their reporting on the negative events that happen throughout the world, and repeats it over and over for days. When it comes to positive and/or heartwarming stories, only a few make it to TV or in the newspapers. Those positive stories that do receive media coverage have little time on TV and little space in the newspapers.

Since I believe we need to hear more positive stories to bring us up, rather than make us feel fear, worry, and other sorts of negative feelings, I am going to share one that surprised me – pleasantly. I will add that all to often, we hear negatives stories about teens and young adults. This story is about my niece and nephew.

A two day mega pet adoption event occurred recently in a nearby large city. Over 26 animal rescues, humane societies, and animal controls brought more than 700 puppies, dogs, kittens and cats needing loving forever homes. I knew that my sister-in-law wanted another small young dog and preferred to get it from a rescue. The lucky dog would mainly be for her daughter, so I let them know about this event.

On a nice Saturday, we found ourselves waiting in a long line that snaked around large agriculture buildings on the state fairgrounds. Every ten minutes, the line moved a few feet forward. Eventually, we started seeing people leaving with new pets, and the waiting crowd "oohed" and "aahed."

After 50 minutes of waiting, we finally entered the building, seeing the cats and hearing the dogs barking. My sister-in-law and I zipped along the long aisles, looking left and right at the crates holding all sorts and sizes of dogs. If a small dog was spotted, we’d practically pounced to get a look, only to see a sign, “Adoption in Progress” or it was an older dog – seven years or more.

Only a few minutes had passed since we’d entered the building and we had already seen all the dogs. Michele was disappointed. I tried to reassure her that we could still check other rescues and Petfinders.com. Kellilynn spoke up, “You were going so fast, John and I couldn’t see anything. We were just trying to keep up!”

We allowed the two kids to take the lead as we looked again. They found a small male terrier mix that was said to be seven years old and named “Archie.” They wanted to know more about him, so an adoption counselor answered all the questions they had, including the fact that he was older.

Mom-Michele asked her children what they wanted to do since the dog was older. I was impressed with Kellilynn’s answer, “Older dogs need a home too!” And her 14-year-old younger brother agreed.

“Elvis Archibald Avenger” a.k.a. “Archie” was the 128^th dog adopted that day as we left to take him to his forever home.

Fall Creativeness

The season has changed, and Fall is here. A bit of Indian Summer visited for a few days with warmer temperatures, but some cold has blown in. With temps in the 30's last night, the woodstove was finally fired up. Aaahhhh, it's nice and warm in the house, and Pippin O'Chi can run around without a sweater, T-shirt or sweatshirt on. She is running around as a "naked Chihuahua."

With fall comes leaf raking. When you live in a heavily wooded area, leaves are like a crunchy, brown carpet that covers thickly over the grass. Some neighbors can't deal with a single leaf on their grass. One neighbor has been creative lately, giving me an oppportunity to tease him.

Last weekend, I heard him out using his lawn tractor, but the funny thing was when I saw how he was using it. He wasn't mowing the leaves to mulch them. He had his snowblade on the lawn tractor and was pushing the leaves. When I asked him about it, he said, "I can move more leaves quicker than I can raking or blowing them." 

Yesterday, I heard him using his leaf blower. Okay, maybe he needed to get into smaller areas, like corners between the house and porch, to get those pesky leaves out. No way - he was on the garage roof blowing the leaves off the roof. 

Hummm, do you think the leaf blower would get all the leaves out of the gutters if used?

Happy Fall to you all!