i think it's amazing how many different emotions we feel during the holidays. it seems like everything triggers certain feelings or memories this time of the year. i was unpacking my ornaments and decorations a few days ago - and i pulled out Deuce's Christmas collar out. i don't think i mentioned it on here that my dear friend passed away this past spring. i have had a few dogs in my life, but none that touched me more than Deuce. he was truly the best companion dog i have ever known. and he was my spoilt little guy - who went with me everywhere - and missed me terribly when i was gone... so much that he would tear up the entire house.. but i cleaned it up and forgave him everytime. and he forgave me for leaving when i returned. after a few months of mourning my freind, my stepdaughter's boxer had a litter of pups. they are 3/4 boxer and 1/4 pitbulls. she sent me a text with a pic of one on her phone and i fell in love with her. i went to see the pups and asked her if i could hold the little fawn colored one with the little white paws in the first pic she sent me and she warned me that she cries all the time - but when i took her - she didn't cry or whine... she just laid in my arms - 3 days old and stole my heart. i went back to see her at 5 days old and Eden told me she was worse with the whining - i took her again and she was at peace once more and i was completely taken. Eden said it was weird that she didn't cry because she cried when anyone else held her and it made her mad. haha - she liked me!i looked at my poor husband - who kept shaking his head. we had decided thaqt we weren't going to adopt anymore babbys ( we call them ). but he knew i loved her to pieces. over the next few weeks the girls sent me text pics of her and i went over as much as i could to visit. at 4 weeks, Eden asked me to bring her home because she wasn't getting enough to eat - fighting with 8 brothers and sisters was hard for a pup. and they started to get fleas and she wanted me to take her. i brought her home and treated her fleas, i weaned her and today she is 3 months old and doing wonderful. her name is Bootsie Belle. she is just a sweetheart - but dosen't like going to the vet much - shots, you know. she has the sweetest big brown eyes i've ever seen and she's just precious. she's about 10 pounds now - but i still tote her around in my arms like a tiny dog :) she dosen't replace Deuce, but she needed a good home and has one, and i love her as much as i love the others. Deuce is still at home with us always. we're planning on putting a garden out back in the future and i'll put him out there so he'll always be home. my mother's ornamants that she bought in mexico when she was pregnant with me - and the carousel ornament my father sent me made me sad - because i won't get to spend Christmas with them here - but only in my heart and in my mind - i miss them terribly. but then i open the ornaments my daughters make me every year (that's our tradition - we have to make a new ornament every year for each other) and i'm happy - even though i don't get to spend Christmas with them, we know that we are thinking of each other. so - here's to you and your families and i hope you have a wonderful holiday season whether you are with your family or alone or with your puppies :) ... and remember that when you are driving or shopping or just sitting there working, that someone is always thinking of you. my best to everyone this season and always. ~Veenie. p.s. wonder what kind of hijinx i'm in for with this little pup! i'll keep you posted in the future!

hey! no i haven' ttotally fallen off the face of the earth - i'm still here - i have been having trouble with my computer this summer - for some reason i can't seem to get faespace to work on my computer but i can manage to get it on my hubby's - so i am borrowing.

i finally got the chance to go on the road with my sweet hubby - so here i am... in the big rig... fiddling with the computer whilst he gets a quick nap. we're currently in Goldsboro, NC and will soon be on our merry way back through Pennsylvania... we were in upstate NY - close to Canada - yesterday and i had such a wonderful time - the scenery was gorgeous - i haven't been that far north since 1986 when i moved down from Maine. there was a house that had little rubber duckies as lawn decorations and they all had little rain hats on and they were yellow and pink and blue. Tim told me about them but i didn't realize how cute they actually were! i even saw a reindeer farm!  how cool is that? and i get to spend some lovely quailty time with my dearest... i do believe this is the longest amount of time we've spent together.. well since we've been together! but it's good. i do pray tht i'm not getting on his nerves... and he is the type who would never tell me if i were... because he would never intentionally hurt my feelings. the poor doggies are at home - with granny and Cryssi... poor Deucie didn't know what to do when i left... Cryssi said he ran away the first morning i was gone and headed out into the woods then stood next to the truck loooking very confused - but has now taken up sleeping in the bed with granny. gotta' love granny for putting up with an 80 pound beastie on your feet while you're trying to catch your z's!  the others - eh - they could care less as long as Cryssi's there to dote on them and give them food at "hungie time".  but Deucie - he's a momma's baby. i gave him a bath last week and he no sooner gets out of the tub when one of the kids puts a big pink magic marker dot right between his eyes. i keep telling them that just because he's white does not make him a big mobile coloring page!

so i hope everyone has been having a lovely summer and continues to do so...

toodles!!!

so my sweet old friend, Duece, gave me a scare this morning... i won't go into too many details but i had to take him to the vet today - he's fine and resting now  after having some anitbiotics - he apparantly has some tumors in his mouth and on his leg that need to be removed - one ruptured and scared me quite terribly!!!  the doctors have told me tht tumors are extremely common in Boxers ( i've read that they are esp common in white boxers ). my sweet hubby and i love these lil adopted babies as much as we do our own offspring... and they can't speak for themselves... they need us too!  Duece is going in for surgery on thursday morning for a little while and his doctors are really wonderful women so he should be fine in a few days.. and we'll get to find out if the tumors are cancerous. i know he' s getting older and these things will start to become more common.

to all of you who have these lil babies that love you, give them a hug from me and Duece...

for they are true blessings to you all!

~Veenie

hi everyone!   i hope the new year is ringing well with all...   i just had a lil story i thought you might enjoy...  if you've seen my pics you know i have 3 lovely dogs. well, Tim had been cooking Christmas dinner all night on Christmas eve and woke up and started again after unwrapping his gifts, anxiously awaiting for his first Christmas family dinner - he said he'd never hosted Christmas dinner at his house before and was so excited that his mother and step-father were coming. what can i say, the man loooves to cook! .... and apparantly i looove to eat it ( the hips are showing - good greif! )

The puppies waited patiently at the kitchen threshold both days waiting for any unwanted scrap of ham or turkey... looking so sweet and innocent, and my love was in his best spirits, happily tossing them a bite when the time came around - in their appreciation they wolfed it down and made those big sad eyes.."please sir.. i want some more!!!"

 Dinnertime came and we were enjoying the company - the spread was glorious! a huge country ham and a 20 lb. turkey that my darling had rotessiere grilled himself.. mmm.... mashed potatoes, his own goumet mac n cheese, cranberry, baked bean and bacon casserole, corn souffle, steamed green beans, home made cole slaw, gravy, steamed broccoli - cauliflower and carrots with a cheese sauce ( on the side ), dinner rolls ( which unfortunately rose too much and fell before i got them into the oven... but they were still edible ), pumpkin and sweet potato pies, and the stuffing, of course.  Your pick and choosing of any and all! the aroma was heavenly!

dinner was almost through and the dogs wanted to go outside - i guess they'd had their fill. Tim and Will were standing in the kitchen talking when the dogs started barking and were just going crazy! then they saw it - a GINOURMOUS skunk the dogs were chasing - poor Duecie got his new Christmas collar caught in the barbed wire fence for a minute and after a couple of scrapes he got through. the guys were  hollering and calling for the dogs to get back here out on the back porch. and my sweetheart witnessed it - poor Duecie got a terrible green revelation - right on top of his pretty white head! Ollie managed to see this and avoid a direct hit. he and my poor green headed boxer retreated and ran hard and fast back to the house... where the guys were... Tim managed to jump out of the way but not before Duece ran into the house and hid directly under the table where the yummy dinner was sitting... the pungent aroma overwhelming the scent of Christmas turkey and gravy!  Willl was in the way of Duece and his pants got "stink bomb" bumped by his head - right before Tim slammed the door shut and left poor Will out there with Ollie and the skunk! he was rapping on the door for a minute before Tim let him in! i had to coax my timid, smelly friend out from under the table to get him back outside before changing into some old clothes and bathing his head in peroxide, baking sodaa, and dish soap  - careful not to get it into my poor baby's eyes and having to hose him down with cold water outside!  Lil Oreo was happily munching on the dinner her daddy put in her bowl the whole time - not a care in the world.

almost puts me in mind of the incident with the Bumpus hounds in the final kitchen scene of "A Christmas Story"... only OUR food managed to survive!

the skunk is still hanging around, nibbling on some grubs in bases of our oak trees out back in the evenings... occasionally polluting the air - giving us fair warning to NOT let the dogs out - it's HIS time right now! and it was definitely a memorable first Christmas dinner for my sweet husband!

 

ah - so here it is - the new year. resolutions are being made, parties are over, diets are starting, and the wrong dates are being written on homework and checks ( grr... )... christmas decorations are being packed away and trees are being packed up or recycled... or in my case... chucked into the compost pile!!! after the battle this year, un-decorating was so much easier than putting them on the tree... and unraveling 8 - 100 light strands on lights, well...  the battle actually ended rather peaceful - to my surprise.  and the tree was really agreeable after the third round :)  and my blue fairy barbie enjoyed being the tree topper this year!

i hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and holiday season... and i hope all of your new years hopes and dreams come true.

much love to you all!

~Veenie