Wednesday, February 3, 2021

Sweet Hearts - Broken and Otherwise

 


Hello, Dear Friends, I hope that you are keeping the faith 

and moving forward into this new year with courage and hope.

I have been thinking of you. 

I'm sorry that I have not been around much lately.

xxoxx

The truth is, my heart is a bit broken. 

We had to say goodbye to our dear and loyal companion, 

Whitey Bear, two days before Christmas. 



 This is the last photo I took of him, and my heart aches to think that he will no longer be by my side. My sweet, brave, protector, my funny little fluff-ball, who burped like a 12 year old boy, loved to rub his whole face in the grass, and so enjoyed going for walks and exploring with us, and his best buddy, Kai. 

Kai searched for him everywhere, for a couple of long, lonely weeks, but I think that he instinctively knew that it was Whitey's time to go. 

We were graced with his unconditional love for 12 wonderful years, after finding him as a traumatized stray,  and we are heartbroken, but grateful for our time together. 


I suppose we will search for a new companion for little Kai at some point, but I can't bear to think of that now. Kai seems to be coping well, and enjoying all of the extra attention. Just looking at these photos of Whitey Bear makes me cry. 

On top of everything that is going on with the pandemic, the country, and the world, it seems there is no end to the sorrow, at times. 

I know losing a dog is a very small grief in the grand scheme of things, but anyone who has loved a dog and has been loved by one in return, knows how I feel. 



Kai stays very close to me now. Sometimes he goes 

outside with Ramblin' Man, but he runs inside 

through his pet door every so often to make sure 

I am still here.

xx 

He especially loves when I stop for a cup of tea. 

He'll gather all of his chewie bones and put them 

in a pile by my feet. He's a sweet, funny little guy. I have 

to be careful not to give him too many treats.....

He's not getting as much exercise as he used to. 

It's been so cool and rainy, 

and our walks don't hold the same joy these days.  


We moved the daybed back into the kitchen, 

after we had moved it into the living room last fall to 

make it easier for Whitey Bear to use the pet door (behind the curtain). 



I've put out my Valentine's decorations to help cheer the gloom. 

Hearts, to remind us how fragile they are. 

xx

I made this lace heart from a coat hanger, lace and glue

a few years ago. 


My 'Kitchen Queen' Hoosier cupboard likes to be the center of attention, 

so I gathered all of my hearts and valentines to display them here. 




Some sweet little things. 











Red gingham always cheers the heart :)


I felt the urge to do something with my time indoors, so 

I made a magnetic recipe board out of an old baking pan

and some scrapbook paper. 



 Ramblin' Man spray-painted the baking pan for me, 

using primer as a first coat. 

I applied the scrapbook paper with double-sided tape

so that I could change it if I wanted to.

 I put some of the stickers onto magnets. 

I bought them ages ago just because I thought they were so cute.



I painted a wooden heart red and glued a magnet to the back. 



The Mr. drilled a hole in the top for hanging. 

I didn't notice the little note he wrote me until 

I took these photos.

I wonder what he's guilty of...

Hmmmm...did he break another plate?  

xx

He still calls me Sweetheart. 

I call him Honey.

I know that if he calls me by my name, he means business. 

I only call him by his name for the same reason. 

xx  

I am not really fond of my real name, Karen, these days. 

It has a bad connotation. 

My nickname was Kay, when I was young. 

I may go back to that. 

It's sad to be labeled, but this is the world that we live in. 

I feel sad for all of the victims of the bad Karen's.



I had so much fun making the baking pan magnetic board, so I 

decided to make one for my refrigerator, too. 

I had all of the supplies to make them on hand. 

I'm trying to use things that I already have, so that I don't

have to go into the stores, except for necessities.



 My daughter made these cute photo magnets of my 3 grand-littles

out of canning jar lids for Christmas. I thought they would look so cute 

on a round baking pan. 

Don't you love the 'neighborhood' scrapbook paper?

I used colors to coordinate with the photos. 

I used strong magnets to hold it onto the fridge. 

xx


A little bit of humor and truth. 

xx


I crocheted this itty-bitty sweater for my new baby grandson 

at Christmas. 





I sewed some lavender heart sachets out of vintage chenille fabric,

and crocheted some scrubby pads and dish cloths 

for a dear one as a gift.

I've been trying to stay busy. 

It keeps me grounded and sane in this insane world. 

A beautiful sunrise. 


Another beautiful sunrise. 

Can you see the tree aura?


After the beautiful sunrise, the day usually looks like this...





It's been a mild winter so far,  here in western Washington State,

and the 'Glacier' pansies have continued to bloom in my deck garden. 




The succulents have survived tucked under the eaves 

where it stays dry in our wet winter weather. 

I planted them in 

vintage enamel pans drilled with drainage holes. 


I baked some healthy oatmeal bars 
and they turned out delicious. 
Canola oil and applesauce replaces 
all the butter, and the sugar is reduced 
by adding raisins for sweetness. 
They are nice for a quick breakfast
or a snack at midday. 

Here's the easy recipe:


 Oatmeal Bars

Coat a 13x9 inch baking pan with cooking spray

or use parchment to line the pan. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Ingredients

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/3 cup canola oil

1 Tbsp. maple syrup

2 cups quick-cooking oats

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground allspice

1/2 cup raisins


In a large bowl, beat the sugar, applesauce, oil and syrup until well blended. 

In a separate bowl, combine oats, flour, baking soda, salt and allspice. 

Gradually beat into applesauce mixture until blended. 

Stir in raisins. 

Spread batter into prepared pan. 

Bake for 15-20 minutes until edges begin to brown. 

Cool completely. 

Cut into bars. 

xxxx



My hard-working little kitchen. 


This magazine graphic caught my eye when I was 

browsing through an old issue from 2009. 

I love my old clipboard. 





Some hearts are green with envy. 
xx

My blue stair landing on the way to my sewing room

makes me happy. 

I haven't done any serious sewing these days, 

but that is something on my list. 

I've been doing a lot of organizing, purging and packing 

things up for storage, lately. 

We've been watching the new offerings on Masterpiece Theater, too. 

We are loving, 'All Creatures Great and Small'. 

I remember when the books came out - the first in 1972,

when I fell in love with James Herriot's beautiful memoirs 

of life as a country veterinarian in the Yorkshire Dales of  Northern England. 


As you can see, I've collected nearly all of them. 

xx 

"All things bright and beautiful,

All creatures great and small,

All things wise and wonderful,

The Lord God made them all."

- Cecil Frances Alexander -

1818-1895

What are you doing, reading, watching or cooking

during this long, long winter? 

I hope that you are finding peace, contentment and 

maybe a little joy, too. 



Please take care of yourselves, dear friends. 

I'll be thinking of you.

xoxo

16 comments:

  1. Dear Karen, I am so sorry to hear about Whitey Bear, once the kids have grown having pets it like having children again, without the sass. Hope you are doing well, and once again the pictures and post and always heartwarming.

    Hugs diane

    ReplyDelete
  2. how annoying to have your name taken, but I do love nicknames (DH calls me L or Elle) and K is good. Maybe K-something...
    I'm so sorry and feel your loss for Whitey bear... I grieved for the better part of a year losing Cole. I wonder has he made his spirit known to you? Cole came to me three times, unmistakably. The last time was a strong mental message to let him go run free, that he'd see me again in spirit. 12 years of love is hard to let go of, it takes time to heal. The old adage it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved, is so true. But the lost part, is hard to live with isn't it? your photos are so good, and when I watch the videos cottagefairy with the woman who lives in Wash state, I think of you and your cottage. LeeAnna

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am saddened to hear that you had to say goodbye to your Whitey Bear. Dogs are my favourite humans, too. You will miss him. With so much sadness at this time it must be comforting to wander around your home and look upon all the lovely vignettes you have so lovingly created. You have a unique and beautiful gift, Karen, of making your home comfortable and timeless; a place that wherever one looks it is akin to being embraced by the warmest of hugs. Your home is magical where gorgeous-ness and beautiful memories swirl around and around. May these beautiful memories warm your heart at this sad time. Take care beautiful lady.❤️

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Sweet Lady: I won't go so far as calling you sweetheart but that would be fitting for now in this month. I call my hubby, Honey, also and he calls me everything in the book! (All good things though). I am so sorry for the loss of your sweet Whitey Bear. It is just so hard losing a dog as they are our special kids. They leave big holes in our hearts. All your hearts look lovely and I love the little trays you are making. We don't often know what makes us put some little odd things in our shopping carts, until the time is right and then it was planned all along. Stay warm and well during these days and I am always thinking of you up on your beautiful mountain..xxoJudy

    ReplyDelete
  5. My dear and sweet friend!Karen is a beautiful name and you are the most beautiful Karen I "know". I am sorry for your loss. Having your loyal friend for twelve years is a blessing,I hope your good memories with him could give you comfort and peace. Love your cozy and gorgeous home,precious vignettes of your wonderful corner of the world!Hugs!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I am so sorry for your loss, you must have so many special memories, I hope you find comfort in them.

    It was nice to see photographs of your home and decorations.
    The colour skies you've enjoyed are amazing.

    Stay well, stay strong.
    Thinking of you and sending my good wishes.

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
  7. It is so good to hear all your news again although I'm so sorry to hear about Whitey Bear, you must miss him so. What a difficult year it's been all round. You will have to look back at your blogposts over the years to see all the fun you had together. The weather continues to be changeable but mainly cold but those bright days are a treat for us all. You have been busy making all sorts of things in the warm indoors as we wait for better days. Take care x

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dear Karen, I'm so sorry your heart aches missing your beloved dog, Whitey Bear. He was such a loyal companion, and I know you will miss your wonderful walks together. In time, you may get another dog to comfort Kai and you. The magnetic recipe board is a cute idea. I love the wooden red heart on it. The photo magnets of the grandkids your daughter made are so cute. I love that wee little sweater you made for your grandson, it's adorable. And the blue space on the way to your sewing room is so charming. Love that green heart. You have taken some beautiful sunrise photos. They must be glorious to see. I haven't gotten out early enough to see the sunrises here, but every now and then, I'll see one come up through my living room window. It's a different and special way of life living in the mountains, and I think of you often having lived this way for so many years. It's wonderful.

    I'm sending you thoughts of comfort and love as you grieve for Whitey Bear, and know that I am only an e-mail away. Take care, Karen.

    ~Sheri

    ReplyDelete
  9. so nice to see you today karen, i am so sorry to hear about your sweet companion whitey bear. the sadness from the loss of a pet runs very deep!!

    your skies and sunrises are so pretty...as are your valentines decorations. i did not put mine out this year. no one shares my safe bubble right now and i was not sure it was worth the effort just for me. it took forever to put christmas away, my space is clean and uncluttered and i thought i would just leave it that way!! your space always looks so beautiful!!

    i have made those cookie sheet projects. i covered the entire cookie sheet with fabric and use it to post craft ideas in my scrapbooking space. i love yours and mine too!! i also really like the heart you made with lace, that one is so pretty!!

    the oatmeal bars look and sound so good, i may have to give those a try!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Karen,
    Thanks so much for stopping by!! I always love seeing your pretty Kitchen...I love the baking sheet idea...So pretty!! I have been re-organizing my Craft Room and I have done a lot of purging....But I passed a lot of things on to others who will use them....It seems like I do not have enough hours in the day sometimes and I wonder how I even did what I did when I was still working!! Stay safe, healthy and happy!!
    Hugs,
    Debbie

    ReplyDelete
  11. Dear Karen. Yes our fur babies take a piece of our heart when they leave us. I’m so sorry. What a good doggie life you gave him. Such strange times we are in and such a pleasure to visit your pretty blog and read your wise words. Mimi xxx

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh Karen I am so very sorry to hear about your loss of Whitey Bear, oh yes I do understand the hurt that comes, it took us a couple of years before we were ready to get another furbaby after losing our dog and two cats, we went with another cat, when we went to the humane society this little guy just jumped out to my hubby and I could have taken them all so we went with what my hubby felt was the one and they are so close, first furbaby that my hubby has been really attached to.
    Your home looks so sweet all dressed up for Valentines day!! Those oatmeal bars sound lovely too. Good to see you are keeping creative at this time, that has certainly kept me sane through this past year!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oh, my dear friend! I well know the pain of saying goodbye to a beloved pet. I'm sending a big, strong hug.
    Amalia
    xo

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love all your gorgeous photos..visiting your blog is like paging through an issue of a magazine...so pretty. I am so sorry for your loss. I know this pain too well, and I truly feel for you. {{Hugs}}

    ReplyDelete
  15. Looking back through the decades of my life, the years are marked by the animals who lived with us; a few dogs, several horses, and always cats. With the passing of each one, whether due to old age or misfortune, there has been sorrow. When I was grieving a particularly dear cat companion, my son remarked that no one animal can be 'replaced'--but there will be another, also unique, who needs to join us.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Karen, I am so sorry to hear about little Whitey Bear! It will take years to really move on and then you'll never forget him. I turned 75 on my birthday and my husband asked me what I really wanted. I replied a PUPPY and he agreed! So after waiting so many years, I have an American Cocker Spaniel! I love him dearly! I enjoyed all the rest of your blog post. I hope you are well. I now have two blogs. A new version of www.mysouthernheart.com and one I started when I moved back to Iowa in 2012 from Oregon: www.sweetjourneyhome.com I need to blog more faithfully. I miss it when I don't.

    Blessings,
    Dianne

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for stopping by! Your comments are important to me and are very much appreciated. xx Karen

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...