Storms

She wants us to look at her...don't do it.

No, I won't look

Fake spring. Hey, works for me.

So we're back to dampness, cold, windchills, and grey skies. Yeah, this is fun. Central Indiana had a major storm push through last night. I woke up when the warning sirens went off the first time, at 2a.m.

I would love to know what goes on inside a dog's head when a storm approaches. Sarge is one of those nervous dogs that doesn't tolerate loud noises, or thunderstorms. I allow him full access to the house, so he can find his own safe zone. Turns out he likes the bathtub in the hall bath. Unfortunately, he won't stay there. And that is the thought process I would really like to understand. If the safe place he chooses is safe NOW, why is it not safe in 3 minutes?

So he paces the hall, trots around the kitchen and dining room tables, paces the hall, and then jumps on the bed to check if I am still there. When in this manic phase, he won't lay down next to me. Gracie will and does. But Sarge has to keep moving. It must be some type of survival instinct.

Needless to say, we didn't get a lot of sleep last night. The sirens wailed 3 times between 2 and 3 a.m. Scary storm.

Whatever you do today, stay safe.
Linda

A Nice Surprise!

My photo!

That was added to a mug from Snapfish

Other side of mug

I had a very pleasant surprise this morning. When I went out to the mailbox and newspaper box to get yesterday's mail and the Sunday paper, I had a box from Snapfish. Inside was this lovely mug. My friend Jean had requested some of my photos a few weeks back. She wanted to have prints made and hang them in her kitchen, so I emailed her a variety. And this is what she did!

It comes at a time when we all need to hear that we should celebrate SPRING! Because, as I've been saying for weeks, it's just around the corner. Do you hear us, SPRING? There is still snow on the ground in central Indiana, although the temperature is going up. We want you to arrive, now, Ms.Spring. Please!

Thank you, Jean. Have a wonderful weekend.
Linda

SNOW!

Our deck this morning!

I like the state of Wisconsin. It's pretty, and not extremely crowded, and my friend Sandy lives in Green Bay. But I don't live there. Why, you may ask? It's cold. Wisconsin gets a lot of snow. And it's cold.

So I live in central Indiana. We aren't suppose to have a hundred snow storms a season. Yes, I am exaggerating. It really wasn't a hundred, but boy, does it feel like it.

The dogs are thrilled. They love to run around in freshly fallen snow, chasing one another. I am not so thrilled. It will all be gone within a day or two, because the weathermen on television have told us so. Uh huh. Temperatures are once again suppose to rise, and now they are talking about flash floods next week. But these are the same people who told us yesterday morning that this storm would bring "a light dusting, maybe an inch" of snow. Last night, it was 3 to 7 inches. This morning, they are saying it depends on where you live. Well, DUH!

Ya gotta laugh, right? If you don't laugh, you may cry. Have a good day.
Linda

Warning for Dog Owners

Go to this blog and read the entry: http://www.petmd.com/blogs/fullyvetted/2011/feb/xylitol_now_in_drugs

Xylitol is a sugar substitute that is cheap. Therefore, it is popping up in places you wouldn't think. Like prescription medicines that YOUR dog might need. And it can kill the dog. This is a great article that needs to be read by every single dog owner.

We thank you!

Linda, Gracie, and Sarge

Wild Dogs

Gracie. The Alpha dog in the house

Sarge. The challenger

Yes, she is biting Sarge's tail

The dogs don't do this every day, but there are some days that they play, vigorously. This morning was one of those days.

It began in the house, right after breakfast. Gracie will antagonize Sarge until he chases her. They then race through the house, snarling in good fun, chewing on each other. When Gracie wants to get his attention, she will grab Sarge by his full, fluffy Sheltie tail. As you may notice, Gracie doesn't have a tail. A little stump is all. She was born that way.

But the longer Sarge is with us, and it is now 1 1/2 years, the more bold he has become. When he has had enough, he will let Gracie know in no uncertain terms. She'll back off, and sometimes come to me: MOM, he won't let me do what I want!

Better than any television show.....
Linda

Thinking Green

Brown County State Park, Nashville, IN

Sigh. These photos remind me of how much I enjoy walking on trails, when everything is green. Is it me, or has this been the longest winter on record? I know that really isn't true, but it just seems like I have yearned for moderate weather and green grass for a very long time. Perhaps our drought last summer, and the corresponding brown we looked at for months, has something to do with it.

Raining today, turning to snow tonight. The dogs and I have walked every day this past week, but today that won't happen, so I think they'll have a play date at doggie day care.  Spoiled rotten brats, but I love them anyway.

Enjoy your day. Think positive that good weather is just around the corner. It gives us all hope for the future. It's funny, but having been born and raised in the Midwest, I always said I stayed here because I loved the change of seasons. Now as the cold, snow, ice and sleet take their toll, I realize it's changing from spring to summer, and summer to fall that I love. We could just cut out winter altogether, and I'd be thrilled!

Have a great day.
Linda

So very nice

It is extremely windy today, but warm. Took the dogs for a very long walk at the park. Evidently everyone has the same idea: enjoy the warm weather while it is here, for the park was crowded.

The above photos are from August 2009, but I don't know where. I only labeled the folder with a date and not the location. This is not a good idea as we get older. I forget stuff. All kinds of stuff. Where I was when I was taking pictures is one of those things that just slips through the cracks of my brain. What's left of it.

Enjoy yourselves. Get outside. Doesn't it feel good?
Linda

SPRING!

I'm sorry. I didn't post anything this morning, because I was outside. In the fresh air. Doing anything but being inside. Central Indiana hit 63 degrees today, with 67 predicted for tomorrow. The record high for February 17th is 69, so there is a possibility we could break the record.

The bad news? Snow next Tuesday into Wednesday.

But we had a short respite. Enough to bring everyone alive again. It's been a very, very long winter in the Midwest. Have a great day, no matter where you are.
Linda

One of our Favorite Dogs

Gracie has the bone

Watch it, Max.

Now it's a stuffed toy

This is Max. He was my granddaughter's dog until a series of circumstances made it necessary for Max to live with someone else. The story is long and twisted, and I don't have all the facts so I won't even attempt to relate it. In these photos, Gracie is 7 or 8 months old. This is in the days before Sarge.

Max is about a year older than Gracie. They got along great from the start. Chased each other all over my stepdaughter's house, just wearing themselves out like little kids.

On this particular weekend, I had gone up to the suburbs of Chicago to help with a garage sale. Tammie had been cleaning out the house for weeks and had a ton of stuff to sell. We would alternate between tying the dogs up in the yard (no fence) in the shade, and putting them in the house so they could cool down. It was a typical hot August in Chicago. About 3 hours into the sale, Terra and Jill, my grown granddaughters, came out and saw a box filled with their stuffed animals. It seems that no matter how old they get, stuffed animals are hard to give away or sell, so the box promptly went back into the house. They set it in the family room, with the dogs. The dogs who were loose in the house. Now had it been Max alone, there would not be a problem. He is just too small to stand up and get into a large box. But Max had his good buddy Gracie visiting. Gracie just had to reach in, pick and choose what she wanted, and drop it on the floor.

The next time one of us went into the house, there was a sea of stuffed animals all over the furniture and floor. Some had been decapitated. Some were missing a leg or ear. The dogs were napping amidst the rubble, content and obviously spent.

Life with dogs. Lots of fun.
Linda

Happy Valentine's Day

No, I won't look at you mom.

OH, alright! How's this?

I am elegant. I am Sheltie. Gracie isn't.

The dogs and I wish you a very Happy Valentine's Day. May you get Fannie May candy, a card, flowers, jewelry, and whatever else you desire.

We are spoiled already. The past two days were warmer, sunny, and just uplifting. It's amazing how the sun can alter your mood. Today is overcast and windy, more on the cold side. Winter is not done with us yet.

Stay safe. Have a good day. And remember these immortal words from John Lennon and Paul McCartney: Would you believe in a love at first sight, yes, I'm certain that it happens all the time. What do you see when you turn out the light? I can't tell you but I know it's mine....OH, I get by with a little help from my friends. Very, very true.
Linda

Warm and Sunny Sunday

Hosta blooms from my garden at the house in Marshall IL

Holly Hock bloom from Marshall garden 2008

Gracie, June 2009 the day after surgery

It pains me to look at these pics

In the process of searching for more flower photos to brighten up my day, I found the few shots I took of Gracie in my backyard, the day after her surgery. When she was 6 months old, I had her spayed and all of her dew claws removed. The front dew claws grew quite fast and I was constantly being scratched, unintentionally, by them. They were long and sharp. Both hind leg dew claws were deformed, and I was afraid she would catch them on something and rip them off. One had a double claw and it kind of dangled, begging to be torn.

A tech at the vets had wrapped her legs in the elastic bandages (orange in photo), and told me not to remove them for 48 hours. I did wait until the 2nd day, then realized I couldn't get a scissor, knife, or my finger under the bandage to loosen or remove it. Plus, my dog's paw was swollen. I called them at 8a.m., frantic, and they told me to bring her right in. I felt like the worse dog mom in existence. How did I not see that the bandage was too tight? But when they tell you she has to be crated so she won't pull out her stitches, and can only come out to go outside, and the dog won't hardly eat, and she looks at you with those puppy eyes, well, you get the idea. My heart was already laden with guilt. How could I do this to my baby?

They checked her circulation in her legs after removing the bandages, and gave me an extra 3 days of pain meds for her. That eased my mind somewhat. By the end of the first week, she was pretty much back to being my little brat, but the collar had to stay on for the full 2 weeks, until the stitches were removed. As a result of all of this, Gracie shakes every single time we go to the vets. Lots of hugs and kisses on those days.

Dog moms will totally understand this post. Have a good one.
Linda

Getting Better all the time

Private garden in Plainfield, IN 2009

Another backyard garden in Plainfield IN

In June 2009, shortly after I bought this house, my friend Pat and I went on the Plainfield IN garden walk. It was an extremely hot and humid Saturday with very bright sun. Not the ideal for taking photographs. But that is why we have Photoshop Elements. I haven't graduated to the full Photoshop yet. It intimidates me, big time.

Looking at these photos gives me hope that decent weather is just around the corner. Our forecast is certainly better: 40's, 50's and 60's over the next 7 days. Yeah, I can handle that.

One thing I do want to mention about the above photos. The first two were in the backyard of a single woman who did all of the landscaping herself. She had been hurt in an accident, and used the hard work as her own form of physical therapy. Pretty amazing what the human spirit can push the body to do.

Enjoy yourselves today.
Linda

More Gardens

Forgive me, but I am just so tired of below zero wind chills and temperatures, snow, ice, slush, salt on everything, that all I want is green and spring. So once again I am digging into the photo archives. The above are from Champaign, IL. in 2008.

I love birdhouses. When my husband and I were in the craft business, we made a lot of decorative birdhouses. I had two basic patterns, and he would cut everything out, we would assemble them together, then I would paint them. How I wish I had kept one of everything we did, but unfortunately I didn't. I have only one birdhouse that Ken made and that I painted. The above photo is not it. This was on a walk that had several birdhouses scattered along the path. Except for the upkeep, I would love to have a large lot with a winding path where the birds could be at home.

Have a good day.
Linda

Misc Wednesday

Part of a lily pond from the Champaign IL garden walk, 2008

Plants placed in the cracks of a stone wall

I think these are bluebells, but not sure

An intriguing stone wall on a private home

Cold. It's only 5 above this morning, so back to images of SPRING. Green stuff.

I taught my aquatic aerobics class last night, and we were all comparing notes on how many times we've fallen on the ice. It is scary. Fortunately, no one has been seriously injured. There was an article in the Indianapolis Star this week about the number of people seeking medical help at the hospitals for broken bones or concussions, from slipping on the ice.

My friend, Pat, and I are planning a May vacation to North and South Carolina. We don't have any firm plans yet, but I am going to get serious about surfing the net and setting up the dates. Pat is also feeling the down side of endless snow and ice. There are mountains of snow piled everywhere in the suburbs of Chicago. It is depressing. So we both need something to look forward to, to brighten our outlook. Nothing like a vacation!

Whatever you do today, enjoy yourselves. Stay comfortable.
Linda

Spring is just around the corner

Somewhere on the Champaign IL garden walk, June 2008

This was behind a private residence. A major thunderstorm was moving in.

Good Morning. I'm listening to the morning news as I type this, and another large snow event is moving east. This time the snow is going to hit Oklahoma, Missouri, Kentucky, and I imagine, Tennessee. Not Indiana. Not us. The forecast is for 30's and 40's this weekend, and possible 50 degrees next week. I spent the good part of yesterday afternoon chipping and scraping ice off my driveway. In some areas, the ice was 5 to 6 inches thick. I can survive anything with a weather forecast of 50 degrees after the past 2 months.

I attended the June 2008 garden tour in Champaign, IL. with a friend. It was a typical Illinois summer day, with the sky turning various shades of grey as storm clouds moved in. My favorite weather to take photographs. It intensifies the colors, giving a depth to the subjects. That particular area of Illinois gets hit hard in the warmer months. My kind of weather. I love summer storms, the play of light and shadows, the way the clouds move.

Spring is just around the corner, bringing with it the thunder and lightning. I can't wait.
Have a great day.
Liinda

Misc. Flowers

Not sure where I took this

Tammie's garden in Crete, IL

From one of the many garden walks I've participated in

More images of green. Green is such a nice, soothing color. It means we are alive, the earth will renew the gardens, all is well with the world.

It ain't snow and ice.

Found this quote from John Lennon this morning. This was on the blog of Tammie Tutterow, one of the altered art designers I follow. "Count your age by friends, not by years. Count your life by smiles, not by tears." Love this, and obviously it is from a song that John wrote, but I don't recognize the lyrics. Wherever it came from, it is positive, good advice.

All you need is love.
Linda

I refuse to acknowledge any more snow

Taken in the backyard of my former home in Marshall IL

One of the many Holly Hock plants I had in the Marshall gardens

It is snowing yet again. Enough said.

So if I can't go out to take new photos, we are going through the archives of old photos on the laptop. Said computer has Windows Vista as an operating system. I don't like it, never did. There is probably a mental block against this OS, but I am desperate and will try to work out the issues so I can grab some pics.

I had a large lot in Marshall, with a field on the south side, a small factory that was very quiet, and a neighbor to the west. She had dense woods to the west of her property. Marshall IL is located in the Wabash Valley of central Illinois and Indiana. It is actually starting into southern Illinois, which is so different from the Chicago metro area, you have a hard time believing you're in the same state. The Wabash Valley is hot in the summer months. Humid and hot. There were times we would be 20 degrees warmer than the northern part of the state. Great weather for flower gardens. And boy, did I have flower gardens.

The other and perhaps scary aspect of living in the Valley were the storms. I have never been through thunderstorms like those I experienced while living in Marshall. It seemed we had one tornado watch after another, from March to November, and if a twister didn't touch down, the wind damage could still be severe. Along with this came torrential rains and lightning. This house had lightning rods affixed to it that were grounded in cement alongside the structure. I was told by an experienced, well seasoned roofer (ie: old) that those rods had probably saved the house more than once.

Do ya see a theme here, guys? I am not talking about snow, or sleet, or the fact I can't walk down my driveway. I am looking towards SPRING. Sigh.
Linda

The Third Day in the House

Our cul de sac on Tuesday

Gosh, am I wishing or what? Outside of card

Inside of card

So. Trapped in the house with two dogs who, suddenly, do NOT want to go outside. Imagine that. Just because they have to skate across the yard on top of 5 inches of solid ice, they don't want to step outside the door. They want me to open the door, look outside, and then get a treat. I have heard from other dog moms via email in the past few days. Almost all of the dogs are in the same boat.

Nothing has been done to our street. The forecast is a high of 18 degrees today with sun. The gentleman who lives across the street from me has his car frozen to the street. With the longest driveway in the circle, I am afraid to creep in reverse down that driveway, for fear I am going to hit his car. I've missed my part time job all week. MAJOR CABIN FEVER HERE!!!

Back to keeping busy. My subconscious must be telling me something with this card. When I found this vintage image in a Crafty Secrets booklet, I knew I had to make a card with green paper. Because all we are looking at is grey, white, and yuck. Is yuck a color? I think so.

New manta: spring is just around the corner, spring is just around the corner.........
Snow is in the forecast for this weekend. Shoot me now.
Linda