Superbowl Sunday

My eldest son, Gabe and sweet wife, Erica, hosted Superbowl Sunday. 

Their house sported the blue and green Seahawk's colors,

with the '12th Man' banner showing fan loyalty.

Seahawk's fans are legendary for their loyalty.
Their cheers have been recorded
on the University of Washington's seismographs!

Our front door welcome.....

Gabe greets his guests.

Daughter in Law, Jenn showing her team spirit.

My two son's, Dustin and Gabe at a recent game.

 These two die-hard fans have season tickets.

Daughter, Heather and hubby, Eric brought along
Seahawk's donuts!

Daughter-in law, Jenn, baked football and jersey cookies.

Of course it wouldn't be a Seahawk's party
without Skittles!

Or appropriately colored refreshments!

A little pre-game warm-up, tossing the football.

Daughter Heather, Jenn and Dustin.

Seahawk's memorabilia.

The mantel.

Bobble-head dolls.

The 'Fan Cave' ready for pre-game fun.

My favorite Seahawk's fans.

 From left to right, Erica, Ramblin' Man, Heather,
Jenn, Dustin, Gabe,
 and Eric front and center.

Daughter, Jennie had yet to arrive.

Sporting her Seahawk's manicure.

The game begins!

Everyone must touch Dustin's lucky Seahawk's stone!

The amazing half-time show!

'Trash Talking' via Skype with adorable cousin Ashley
 and husband Rob
back in New England during half-time.

(We went to their wedding in October)

It was an exciting game, but in the end,
we had to concede that the Patriots
won the game.

So with spirits dashed,
we made the long way home.....

There's always next year!

It was a good run.

You made the 12th man proud, Seahawks!
xoxo

Thank you, Gabe and Erica for hosting a fun night!
xoxo
This year's game was the most watched Superbowl in history
with nearly 50% of all television viewers
tuning in!

Did you watch the Superbowl? 

A Sunny Morning

We have had some beautiful mornings here in the 

foothills of the Cascade Mountains inWashington State. 

This was the temperature around 11 a.m. 

Last week we had an afternoon temperature over 70 degrees! 

I can't say this is unusual because I have noticed over 

the years that we always have a warm stretch around

the 1st of February for a week or longer. 

I have always scheduled my early spring cleanup

 in the gardens for this time.

I do have to admit that we have 

had an unusually mild winter, though,  

Our mornings have been much more subdued since

losing Champ. 

We are slowly creating a new 'normal'. 

Here you can see Weenie Baby peeking in 

through the glass door. 

(She is free to come in and out through the pet door)

She is enjoying the morning sunshine on the deck. 

I always put a dog bed out on sunny mornings

so she can sunbathe. 

My 'Glacier' pansies have started blooming in

this warm weather. 

This little 'Johnny Jump Up' self seeded among my succulents

from a hanging basket last year. 

It has truly brightened my spirits to see these sweet little faces

smiling up at me. 

Sunshine is very much appreciated, as winters 

here can be very gray and dismal. 

My 'accidental' crystal sculpture glows 

in the morning light. 

I had set them here with plans to pack them away

after the holidays, but when I saw 

how they captured the light the next morning, 

I let them stay. 

They make me smile. :)

My Ramblin' Man has been keeping me in flowers

to lift my spirits. 

And I've been keeping him in baked goods

to do the same. 

He's had a tough time the last two weeks, 

not only has he lost Champ, but his best 

friend and boss of 15 years will no longer be 

working with him side by side - 

a victim of corporate down-sizing. 

Of course his best friend will always be just that, 

but work will never be the same. 

He said that he just lost his two best friends :(

So as we move forward, we try to keep busy and stick 

to routine. 

Whitey is once again finding interest in our morning

walks, accompanied by Weenie Baby and Peanut, 

my daughter's mini-dachshunds who will be 

staying with us for a few months so my daughter

can save for a home of her own while living as a room-mate.

It was tough going for
Whitey since losing his best friend, and he wouldn't

even get up off his bed, but he is coming around

and starting to enjoy life once again. 

I have been busy in the sunshine, making piles of brambles

and weeds for Ramblin' Man to pick up on his days off! 

I like to keep him busy to take his mind off 

his troubles. *grin*

Look what I uncovered! Daffodils getting ready to bloom! 

These were planted years ago from a bargain bag

of assorted un-named varieties. 

They are always the first to bloom, planted

in the sunniest corner of the property. 

Isn't it surprising that Washington State, being so far

North, would have such mild winters?

We have a true maritime climate.  

It is not the same on the other side of the Cascade Mountains. 

Here we have a modified climate due to the warm

South Pacific jet stream that comes up from Hawaii, 

but when that stream shifts, we can get blasted

from Alaska and Canada. 

We are not done with winter yet! These daffodils have bloomed

in a foot of snow before! The snow never lasts long, though. 

We are considered a 'Temperate Rain Forest'

due to the copious amounts of rain we always get

in the spring, fall and winter, with moderate

temperatures - not too hot and not too cold.

The average temperatures range from 46 degrees
in winter, to 76 degrees in summer.

It is a wonderful climate, if you like moss! Anything that
stays stationary long enough gets a nice coating!

They joke that Seattle-ites have webbed feet!

It does give clay pots that lovely antique patina!

So while that sun is shining, I am taking full advantage
of it. I love getting a head start on my gardening chores.

I never know when Old Man Winter will strike again!

Sending loving thoughts and prayers to all of
my friends and family suffering through
 the storms on the East Coast.
I remember them well.

xoxo

Thank you, Dear Friends, once again for your sweet
condolences for the loss of our dog, Champ.

I am glad to be back among you once again,
and will be catching up with all of you in the next few days.

'When the path that you're on turns surprisingly rough...
When wherever you're going, the going gets tough...
When you're giving your all but it's just not enough...
...all you need is a friend!'

-Jan Miller Girando-

from the book 'The Blessings of Friendship'

Mary Engelbreit

xoxo

A Heartfelt Thankyou

I want to thank you, Dear Friends, for your 

kind and caring expressions of sympathy 

for the loss of our rescue dog, Champ. 

Reading all of your kind words has helped so much, 

and makes me realize, once again, 

how very Dear you all are to me. 

You are a community of the most thoughtful, 

lovely, empathetic people and it is 

the one reason I love to blog. 

I know that losing a pet is not the most world

shaking event in the scheme of things, 

and that a pet can never equal the loss and 

pain that occurs with family members, 

or the daily struggle of those dealing

with serious health issues and 

other tragedies. 

But you have extended your love and kindness, 

for this small grief, sharing your own 

personal experiences to ease the sadness. 

For that I am most humbly grateful. 

I think what touches us most about our pets is

their capacity for unconditional love, loyalty, 

patience, and their silent long suffering. 

Most of all, I think it is their innocence

and openness that captures our hearts. 

All qualities that we, as humans, 

find so difficult to sustain, 

except for those in the sainthood. 

It is the loss of this innocence that effects us

so deeply when we lose these 

precious companions. 

It is this that we recognize as the common

bond we share as pet owners, 

and what makes us kindred spirits. 

I know some of you have expressed concern over Whitey, 

in the loss of his best friend, once again. 

He is definitely grieving, and we are doing all we can

to help him along. He is doing the same for us. 

We have brought in reinforcements in the form 

of these two little sweetie-pies - Weenie Baby

and Peanut, my daughter's mini-dachshunds. 

They have been frequent house-guests over the years, 

and once again, they will be having an extended

stay here, as my daughter is preparing to move

in as a room-mate, to save for a home of her own

for a few months, and can't take these little ones with her. 

They are a wonderful distraction and companions

for Whitey at this time, and they all get along

very well. 

It is a blessing for me, too, having these little 

charmers to cheer up my days.

They bring some happiness to our morning walks, 

as this was a favorite activity for Whitey

with Champ. 

Whitey has most definitely lost his enthusiasm, 

but I am hoping in the next few weeks that these

little bundles of activity will help bring him around. 

Of course, we will have to find him a companion

eventually, but for now we can't even begin

to think of replacing Champ. 

We also have this little character to keep us company -

Ling Ling, my Dear Mother's cat,

 who is always full of mischief. 

We took her jingly bell collar off because she has

no protection from those wild things with Champ gone

(until Whitey recovers and is interested in going outside once again). 

I hope the birds watch out, but luckily she hates the cold and wet 

weather and mostly stays inside. 

As does Miss Maggie, who wouldn't think of getting her 

little toes wet and stays burrowed in the blankets

until spring arrives. 

Like all cats, they keep us entertained! 

And then there is this guy - Birdy Boy, 

the cockatiel, who shares my time

in between, especially when I am blogging, 

as the computer is in 'his room'. 

Here he is taking a peek out the window

on a furlough from his cage. 

What would we do without these sweet, innocent

companions we take into our hearts? 

If only they could live forever. 

I want to thank you all, once again, for your kindness

and compassion. All of your words have helped

to mend a broken heart. 

A special thanks to Claudia for sharing the 'Rainbow Bridge'

with me and my readers. 

It gives all of us as animal lover's, hope. 

xoxo

I will be taking a short break 

and hope to return soon

with a stitched together, mended heart. 

xoxo

Losing Champ

In the wee hours of Monday morning we lost our beloved 

dog, Champ. 

Champ was a rescue dog from Border Collie Rescue, 

and we adopted him in June of 2012, 

one month after our sweet Little Bear had died of old age. 

Whitey and Little Bear were best friends and 

Whitey was showing signs of serious depression

and we knew we had to find him another companion. 

And so I found Champ. Champ was the only Border Collie

available for adoption at the time, up for

adoption for over a year. 

He had very special needs. Lots of space to run, no children, 

no livestock, and someone willing to love  him despite his many

challenges. 

He was an abused dog with severe trust issues, that

made him unpredictable. 

But we had big hearts, lots of room, and one look

at those amazingly intelligent eyes won us over. 

His foster 'Mom', Joy, had done an incredible job

of training him and he was very obedient, responsive, 

and full of energy. 

We knew we could win his trust, and so we agreed to adopt him. 

We had a two week grace period in which we came and 

visited him several times to 'get acquainted' and we 

also had to submit to a home inspection before we were allowed

to adopt. Most rescue dogs come from trauma, and the 

last thing the rescue league wanted was a failed adoption. 

We passed with flying colors and we prepared 

to pick him up June 30, 2012. 

And then my Father died after a long battle with Alzheimer's, 

and his funeral was right before Champ's adoption, but we 

went ahead because we needed this wonderful distraction

in our time of sorrow. 

Champ and Whitey became best pals very quickly

and Whitey came out of his depression. 

Oh, the adventures they had - always together, racing

each other, playing with balls, digging holes, and 

being the best guardians and companions 

to my Mr. and I up here on the edge of the wilderness. 

We always felt safe with these two alert and protective

companions by our side. 

I kept in touch with Champ's foster 'Mom' and 

she helped us through some of Champ's baffling behaviors, 

one of which was his propensity for aggressively ripping

out grass, shrubs and biting at any thing we swept, 

raked or cut with clippers. 

Once, he got a branch lodged in the roof of 

his mouth after 'helping' the Mr. clear brush all day. 

We didn't realize until a couple days later 

when he completely stopped

eating and took him to the Vet and she pulled it out. 

Six months into our adoption, 

Champ's foster 'Mom', Joy, 

died in a tragic accident. 

She loved to take her little pack of Border Collies, 

some her own and others she was fostering, 

into the mountain forests

for long hikes.  On one such hike, 

an avalanche triggered high

above, came down and swept her away.

 Her beloved dogs survived and led rescuers to her,

 but it was too late. 

We were on our own, but Champ gradually 

lost his distrust of people and became

 a lovable, goofy, energetic

companion, full of joy and energy 

and constantly wanting to play ball. 

He especially loved my Ramblin' Man and they

 were inseparable when the Mr. was home. 

But we couldn't completely stop 

one of  his behavior's and that 

was the aggressive reaction to frustration 

or loud noises, such as gun shots, 

power tools, even my vacuum cleaner. 

If we were aware of these things, 

we would lovingly calm him down 

and put him in his safe place on his bed

in the kitchen. 

But when we were unaware, 

or didn't catch him in time, 

he would rip and tear

and swallow things whole. He had two previous 

operations for bowel obstruction

due to swallowing foreign objects 

before we adopted him. 

That is how we lost our beloved companion 

in the early hours of Monday morning. 

We noticed he was walking a little 'hunched', 

with his tail tucked,  Sunday morning, 

although he seemed fine later in the day, 

but by evening it was clear that

 there was something very wrong. 

We could see the pain in his eyes

 and this normally energetic dog, 

was lethargic and reluctant to move. 

Earlier in the day, someone was shooting a gun 

in the valley below,and we found Champ 

ripping up mouthfuls of sod before

 we brought him inside. 

We took the long, dark ride to the emergency vet clinic, 

and after examinations and x-rays, 

the prognosis was grave. 

He had swallowed a large rock 

and it had perforated his intestines. 

The vet was clear - 

she didn't think he would survive. 

And so, we had to say goodbye 

to this brave and courageous dog, 

who survived his early abuse and trauma, 

only to succumb to the residual effects. 

We are completely heartbroken. 

He was such a wonderful part

 of our little 'circle of trust', 

as my Ramblin' Man called us. 

Although we only had this remarkable dog 

for such a short time, 

he taught us so many things. 

The value of unconditional love, 

joy, patience, tolerance, 

resilience and the value of play. 

He had just recently started smiling

 - actually smiling in such a loving and trusting way. 

His once wary eyes were soft with 

love and trust - something that we knew

 was very difficult for him. 

Now poor Whitey has lost his best friend

 once more, and so have we. 

I like to think that he is romping in doggy paradise

 right now, reunited with Joy, his foster Mom, 

hiking the trails together once more. 

Some companions leave indelible marks 

on your spirit, 

and Champ was one. 

We didn't rescue him, he rescued us. 

Our life has been enriched immeasurably by 

the humble love and devotion

 of this courageous dog. 

We will always love and miss you, Champ. 

We will never forget you. 

Rest in Peace, our beloved friend. 

xoxo