fair trade

  
Good helpers. Blue supervising. Sneaky mom picture. Shhh don’t tell. They are front yard raking for chocolate cake I’m baking. Fair trade. I’d rather be raking with them than doing dishes. 
October 25, 2015

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cat vs. dog

I carried Blue dog to the basement today. He let me and didn’t thrash about. I am so tired of my animals not getting along. Get over it already. Snuggles the cat ran. Blue got ahold of her with his mouth. She got her claws into his face and held on. I didn’t know what to do then. I made him drop her. She ran upstairs and hid in the laundry room. She came out for my youngest son, age ten. She let me pick her up. No blood. Just saliva on her tummy. I held her. Told her she was the fuzzball boss and needed to let Blue know it. Carried her to the basement where the dog still was. Blue was waiting at the bottom of the stairs but not barking. That was good. Better was that when Snuggles snarled at him from my arms and went to jump, Blue ran up the stairs on his own and Snuggles found a basement spot of her own. Since then Blue has fussed at the top of the basement stairs, but won’t venture down on his own. He doesn’t like the feel of the painted wood. Too slippery. Afraid he’ll fall. They look too steep from the top. We’ll try again another day, even though my sons think I am crazy for what I did today. Just get along. I also told Miss Snuggles that I loved them both. She is my favorite cat and Blue is my favorite dog. That my heart was big enough to love them both. Oh. She heard me. She’s thinking about. Though feline plotting is more like it. *sigh* =^.^=

March 16, 2014

burrowed in

I am “a winter person.” I am. I love the coziness of winter. Bundled up clothes. Sweatshirts and sweaters. Fuzzy socks. Fleece blankets. Soup and hot drinks. I don’t mind shoveling snow either and have done LOTS of that THIS winter! Granted, I am also appreciative when my snowblower owning neighbors help me out with those extra big drifts. Blue is a snow dog. He and I have had a lot of fun making side by side tracks in fresh snow and climbing through drifts. Ice is another matter. I don’t mess around with ice, like the wintry mix hitting my windows now with a rat a tat tat. Burrowed in suits me just fine, as does winter. However, I am saying so quietly, just a whisper. When spring comes I will delight in the green and sigh at the daffodils. Summertime’s hot makes me wilt a bit, but I love the length of the days. Then the colors of fall foliage and a briskness in the air. Each season has beauty. Winter is for hibernating, resting, burrowing. Suits me. Especially this year. Honestly, my favorite season is whatever season I am in.

February 17, 2014

I am the crazy lady who just planted sugar snap peas in her garden while a persistent summer rain fell on June 29th. Of course reading the back of the packet more closely now (after the fact), since I missed sowing in April-May, I should have waited until August to plant for a fall crop. Oh well. Seeds are cheap and I have a purposeful crop in my garden now, not weeds. The thistles are cut down and uprooted. The volunteer sunflowers are welcome to stay, for they invite the birds and make me smile.

June 29, 2013

I’m packing away
a comforter today
the one my Grandma made
to top my childhood twin bed
twas my winter comforter
made of heavy fabric
for extra warmth
with a tangible weight to it
you know
when you’re nestled underneath
you can feel it
even as you sleep
Grandma and Grandpa’s love
always with you
they worked as a tag team
in nearly everything
my sister’s bed
sported a matching comforter
Grandma made two
nearly the same
a lot like my sister and I
for years I’ve said
(a bit tongue in cheek)
“She is the blonde version
and I’m the brunette.”
but beyond our similar look
face shape, smiles bright,
dimpled chin from our dad
we’re more alike than not
on the inside
I’m packing away
a comforter today
thankful
for the warmth, comfort and strength
this decades old blanket
made with Thompson Love
gave me
through the fall, winter and spring
now past

June 17, 2013

I am in love with the light this fall. This morning’s sky looks like a pastel drawing. And yes, I hung out of my oldest son’s second story window to take this photograph from above the treetops. I took the screen out long ago for moments such as this. Just know, it’s better in person. Changing in brightness, hue and warm orange glow before my very eyes. I’m greeting the sun with a smile on my lips and good morning wishes for you. ~ Janean

October 17, 2012