Pet Pride

Hey, guys! It's time to join Bozo from Mumbai and show our stuff! Have your two-legged friend sign in here and let's have some fun!

My mom went to the Lavender Festival in Sequim, Washington and would you believe it! they had a pet sitting place where people could leave their pets while they visited the Lavender Farms! Now, I don't know about you, but frankly, I'm glad my mom left me at home! Who wants to spend the day in a strange place, in a CAGE!! I think Mom took these pics to show me so I wouldn't stay mad at her for going away for a whole day!! Look at these!!





There was a lady there at the festival that even had two llamas! I bet they were hoping no one wanted to ride them!



By the time I looked at these pics, all I wanted to do was crawl up in my rocking chair and go to sleep! What a life!

Shadow Shot Sunday!

Shadow Shot Sunday is hosted by Hey Harriet and it will send you looking for lovely, magical shadows in the most unexpected places as well as the obvious! Join us and share the fun! Click here to sign up!



These are shadows on our deck steps that lead to the stepping stones surrounded by Irish Moss! It was a beautiful morning!



Lovely lavender shadows at the Lavender Festival that I visited on Sunday with friends. This chair was the perfect place to sit for a moment and enjoy the beauty.

 

And daisies! I love them! It was a great day!

 

Evening, Wisdom and Beauty

 

It's so hard when I have to, and so easy when I want to. ~Annie Gottlier

Life is a shipwreck but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats. ~Voltaire

 

Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine. ~Anthony J. D'Angelo, The College Blue Book

 

If you don't get everything you want, think of the things you don't get that you don't want. ~Oscar Wilde

 

I had the blues because I had no shoes until upon the street, I met a man who had no feet. ~Ancient Persian Saying

There Are Beautiful Souls!

A friend Rhode Island sent this to me and while I have no way of proving that it is for real, I'd like to hope that it is just so I can continue believing that there are these kinds of people in our world today.

It is not known who replied, but there is a beautiful soul working in the dead letter office of the US postal service.



Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey.. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:

Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick. I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.
Love, Meredith

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, 'To Meredith' in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies..' Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey &Meredith and this note:

Dear Meredith,
Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away. Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by. Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you. I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I'm easy to find, I am wherever there is love.

Love,
God

Sky Watch Friday!

Join us and the hosts of Sky Watch, Klaus, Sandy, Ivar, Wren, Fishing Guy and Louise and share your beautiful skies along with people all over the world! There is so much beauty and all you have to do is lift your eyes. Click here to sign up and share the beauty!



As usual, we had lots of beautiful skies in Seattle this past week and here are a few. The sunset shot was taken at the harbor and I caught the others from our deck. We do have a fabulous view of the skies!!

 

 

 

 

Evening, Wisdom, Love and Beauty

Do I love you because you're beautiful,
Or are you beautiful because I love you?
~Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, Cinderella



Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love. ~Albert Einstein



There is no surprise more magical than the surprise of being loved. It is God's finger on man's shoulder. ~Charles Morgan



You have to walk carefully in the beginning of love; the running across fields into your lover's arms can only come later when you're sure they won't laugh if you trip. ~Jonathan Carroll, "Outside the Dog Museum"



Forget love - I'd rather fall in chocolate! ~Sandra J. Dykes

Life Lessons Worth Practicing

The following has been around for a while, I keep it on the wall next to my desk. It's worth reading every day as a reminder of what's important.

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written.

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life.. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."


Friends are the family that we choose for ourselves.

Evening Wisdom, Summer, Beauty

 

In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.
Buddha



Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.
Rabindranath Tagore

 

I love the sea's sounds and the way it reflects the sky. The colours that shimmer across its surface are unbelievable. This, combined with the colour of the water over white sand, surprises me every time.
John Dyer

 

God waits to win back his own flowers as gifts from man's hands.
Rabindranath Tagore

T- Shirts for the Week

 

This is my statement for the week --- well, probably for longer than that, hard to hide the truth!

At least I'm not here yet, but who knows???

Definitely here -- NOW!

Evening Words, Wisdom and Beauty

If your heart is a volcano, how shall you expect flowers to bloom?
Kahlil Gibran



Faith is a knowledge within the heart, beyond the reach of proof.
Kahlil Gibran

Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity.
Kahlil Gibran



Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need.
Kahlil Gibran



If you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work.
Kahlil Gibran

That's My World -- Lavender Festival - My Version

That's My World is hosted each week by Klaus, Sandy, Ivar, Wren, Fishing Guy and Louise. Click here to sign up and join the fun and share your world with us!

A month or so ago I wrote about the Lavender Festival that's held in Sequim, Washington every year and I posted pictures supplied by Google. I mentioned at the time that I would be making a trip to the festival this year and yesterday I spent the day there with good friends from Portland. It was such a lovely trip and a gorgeous day and I did get lots of photos of my own and I want to share those with you today.

We passed another ferry on our way across the Sound to the area where Sequim is located. It's about a two hour trip from my house to Sequim with a twenty minute ferry ride.



The next three shots were taken at a couple of different farms. There is community location near downtown Sequim where you can see lots of products produced in the area by local artists, there are great stands where you can choose from a huge variety of delicious, delectable foods. And from there you can take a bus to the various farms -- we visited five.





The colors are exquisite, the sweet, heady fragrance permeates the air. The sun was warm, the breeze cool!





At the last farm, they had these llamas and they were friendly buggers!



Sunset on the Sound as we returned to the mainland at the end of a gorgeous, breathtaking and fun day! Definitely an early birthday present for me from my wonderful friends, James and Chiaki! Thank you, my friends! You're the best!

Look Back - Part 12 - A Celebration for Today

Today is my youngest daughter’s forty-first birthday and I can remember that day as if it were yesterday. I was determined that this delivery would not be like the birth of my first child, Robyn -- I spent 36 hours in labor before she finally put in an appearance. She was beautiful and the baby I wasn't supposed to be able to have. My husband was in Vietnam and didn't see his first daughter until she was six months old. I promised myself that next time would be different.

So this time, when I began to have contractions and my husband wanted to take me to the hospital right away -- we were living in Madrid, Spain and the hospital was on the air base located twenty-two miles from our apartment near downtown Madrid -- I persuaded him to wait for a bit to make sure it wasn't a false alarm. Finally about nine o'clock that evening I decided it might be time to go. We parked the car in the parking lot at the hospital and then I insisted on walking until I had a contraction, then we'd wait until it passed, turn around and walk the other way until the next one came. When we were almost turning around in a circle, I decided it was time to go inside the hospital. My beautiful daughter, Kerith Elena Kirkwood, was born about an hour later.

Now, how could that possibly have been forty one years ago? Memories as clear and sharp as black and white photos. It was a great day then and it's a great day today.

Happy Birthday, my beautiful one!

A Fun Day!

My friends from Portland came to get me this morning and we went to the Lavender Festival in Sequim. We had a fabulous time and I didn't get home until nearly eleven tonight, so I apologize for not commenting on your blogs today. I will try to make up for that tomorrow.

I did a "That's My World" post on the festival several weeks ago, but didn't have any of my own pics, but I have lots now and will re-do that post for "That's My World" tomorrow. It was such a lovely day with lovely friends and so much beauty!