our family's dogs... and other things

All 3 of our children have dogs.  Our oldest son and his wife have a Golden Doodle.  They came by to visit yesterday (live about an hour and a half away) and brought Winston with them. Here are a few pics:

Winston

He is a beautiful dog... and a big baby (of course he is only 8 months old). But he listens well and seems to be very friendly and curious. He is the one who has Fred, the toad, as his buddy.

loves TV

Our daughter and her family in the hill country have only one dog at the moment . They lost an old dog recently, so being down to one dog in the house is strange for them (but they also have a cat, 2 horses, several turtles, and chickens).  Their dog is a Great Dane named Moose. He is a sweetie too. Loves people!  Here is a few pics of him:

Moose at the table

Moose in daughter' office at work

And youngest son and his family have Cookie, a French Bulldog. She too is a sweetheart... and is my 8 year old granddaughter's constant companion. They lost their old cat not too long ago, but also have a few snakes and turtles around the house.  Here is a a few pics of Cookie:

Cookie and granddaughter

So, as you can see, our family is very animal friendly. And when oldest son and wife visited yesterday, they brought us 2 large cat trees for our back porch. They figured the feral cats would enjoy them... and I'm sure they will. Right now the cats are suspicious, not sure exactly what to think of these strange new structures that have suddenly appeared. But I plan to take pictures once I see some activity on them.

***********************************

Now I have a question:

Does anyone recognize this?

My mother-in-law gave me these pieces years ago.  I don't think they make them anymore. I used to use them, but haven't in years. Just wondering what to do with them. Guess I could sell them on ebay? Any suggestions?

I'm trying to slowly clean out things around here, but when you've been in a house for 35 years, there's so much stuffed away in boxes and closets... and the garage and attic, etc. that it's an almost impossible task. I feel like it's difficult to make a dent in it. 

My friend says to just leave it for the kids to go through after we've gone, but I hate to do that. Had to do that for my brother and my mom and it's such a difficult job... and sad... I'd like to at least lessen the burden a bit. 

I also have a ton of mom's jewelry... a few good things I kept, but I'm not a jewelry person and mom had tons of costume jewelry. What do you do with stuff like that?

********************************************

Now this week we're heading to Ham's Peach Orchard in Terrell, TX. It's a fun place to go... and shop. I've posted about it before. We missed it last year as it was closed down with the pandemic. But we heard that they were opening again... cautiously... masks required upon entering and only so many allowed inside the shop at a time. That's OK with us. They sell their peaches and all types of products made with peaches from salsa's to pies, cakes, and ice-cream, etc.  They also sell local fresh fruit and veggies... can't wait. And I will take some pics!

Hope everyone has a great week! Next week is the 4th of July... and my 76th birthday... growing up we always celebrated my birthday on the 4th with the family and a picnic out by the lake. Now DH and I don't celebrate much... (his is the following week in July), but we generally go out to eat with the kids or just get a cake and celebrate quietly at home. It's enough. 

Take care, be safe, and as always, thanks for coming by! 

Hugs (virtual),

Rian

 

Is it Friday May 1st already?

rabbit, rabbit!  not so white rabbit.... 

Happy First day of the month! Rabbit Rabbit! not so white rabbit!
Somehow this pic seemed more appropriate these days of worry and confusion than a cute little white rabbit...

I've been trying to post every 2 days. Yesterday got away from me again. But it shouldn't matter too much as there's not much new going on. 

Have you noticed that the days pass very fast... and the nights not so much? It's weird - as from the time I get up (around 7:30 or 8:00), fix coffee for DH and tea for myself, watch a few minutes of the news, and do a few other things - before I know it, it's 2 or 3 pm.??? This is generally the time I think of getting dressed (either that or taking a nap). Not sure why... as no one goes in or out. But my mom always told me that you should never stay in pj's all day. 

We had 2 outings this week, both to collect groceries from curb-side pick-up (as much as I'm a home-body, it is nice to get out). DH worked in the yard a bit, mowing and trimming. I baked some frosted tea cakes and am thinking about trying my hand at making yeast rolls - something I've never done.

****************************************** 

daughter and hubby

Our daughter's 50th birthday is this Sunday... but we won't be there. Normally we try to drive down for her birthdays - and this is a big one. But we're not ready to venture out quite yet. The hill country in Texas is so beautiful in the spring.... bluebonnets everywhere! She will send pictures and I will share. They have a few acres with horses, chickens, dogs, etc.  - and 3 ponds on the property. 


                                                     

These pics are our granddaughter with their Great Dane taken  last Easter when we were there. Everything was so green and the fields so full of flowers. She graduates this year and will be going off to college this fall... but with this pandemic, we're not so sure about either graduation or the fall. She's worked so hard and has done so well that having this uncertainty is hard (not just for her of course, but for all those graduating seniors).

I have to post a picture of the chickens (you know how much I like chickens)...

chickens drinking from front pond

Guess I'll close here and get back to making another mask. I read somewhere that flannel makes a better mask than cotton as it's not as porous. So I made a cat mask to send to  grand daughter. She has an adorable little cat called Gizmo.

Here's the mask:

It's Friday! (not necessarily TGIF... but still Friday) I hope you have a lovely weekend... get out and enjoy nature, try doing or making something new, or just make someone smile! 

Hugs,
Rian

Catching up... dogs, kids, cats, turtles, and lizards

daughter's new dog?

Our daughter texted me this picture this morning saying, "Lord, help me." When I inquired what was going on, she explained that this American Great Dane's owner was moving to Germany. The owners were advised by their Vet that the shipping as well as the long incubation time involved might not be a good idea.

So my daughter is seeing if he is going to make a good fit into their household (which already consists of 2 horses, 2 dogs, 1 cat, 12 chickens, assorted turtles, and 3 fish filled ponds). So far she says he is extremely sweet, doesn't bother with the chickens, is a bit afraid of the horses, and is avoiding the cat. She didn't mention how he was getting along with the other 2 dogs... They live on acreage in the hill country... so there's plenty of room for a big dog to run. I guess we shall see. 

Years ago they took in Diego, a 135 lb Rottweiler. He was a sweetheart... up there in age and has since passed away, but the funny thing is that he took a liking to DH (who isn't a dog lover)... and would follow him around everywhere when we visited.  DH doesn't dislike dogs, but he's never felt very comfortable around them. Diego tried his best to change that.

Made next level up in swimming ! Now she's a Turtle 2!

Next news here is that our grand daughter just made Turtle 2! 
She loves swimming and was excited to go up a level...

Pottery class resumed yesterday. Just getting all our equipment back into the studio and put away on a shelf or in a locker takes time. Clay is heavy. Dropped one box which contained some cheeky chickens I was bringing in to fire - decapitated one and eye fell off another. 

Since I haven't thrown anything in over 6 months, I wasn't sure I could.  However, muscle memory came into play and although I didn't throw much... did finish throwing, trimming, and getting a handle on one mug. Spent a lot of time reminiscing with the ladies from both the pottery and painting classes... and sculpted a few chickens in between. Thinking about making some hanging chimes for this summer's project.

our 3 cats 

Tux, Ghost, and Julie send their regards. I've got chicken cooking in the Aga behind them... and they are waiting for a taste.

And turtle and lizard report! We're seeing box turtles several times a week these days... coming to eat in both the back and front yards. One was a tiny fellow maybe as big as a half dollar. Good to see those as not many little ones make it - are probably eaten by raccoons or other critters. The lizard in the following pic was taken by our Nest Doorbell. He must live somewhere close by the doorbell as he gets his picture snapped at least once a day...as he passes the camera.

doorbell lizard

Have a great Sunday!