One day.....

You showed up like a ray of sunshine
on that island beach,
welcoming me to your world.

Little did I know that love that you sought that day
would bring you home with me to my world.

Little did I know that we would have a world together.

You were quite possibly the sweetest dog
to ever walk the earth,
and everyone who met you thought the same.

Our precious brown eyed girl,
you will forever be missed,
and even though it seems like we are worlds apart now,
I know that I will see you again one day.

We love you so.

And she is one of those who make me...

Winston Churchill once said ...."The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man." Well, in my case, the inside of a woman. They are truly magnificent, mysterious, beyond our imagination, beings of strength, and love, and respect. I cannot express the joy I have when I spend time with them... in the saddle,... on the ground.... it matters not. They are truly the beings of fairy tales. Ask any girl who owns a horse that also owns her.

Yesterday, I went out to ride. They were all in the front pasture, enjoying the new spring grass. As I drove up the dirt drive I rolled down my window, hit the car horn, and called to them with a whistle. All four horses lifted their heads, with the wind blowing in their manes, to acknowledge me. Recognizing I was one of "their" peeps, all of them, without hesitation, turned tail to the wind and galloped to where I was headed... the shed...where all things FOOD.. and GOOD, came from. Before they could catch me I had walked out and 3 of the 4 headed to their blessed MECCA,the shed, but one of them, MY horse... she stopped and came over to me, away from her herd, away from the blessed shed....blessing my heart in ways she could never understand.. and told me that she was MINE and I was HERS. Together we walked to the shed, which held the delicious peppermint horse treats, but on our way there she would stop and look back, and wait for me, then again would begin the journey. I am a silly girl. I know that she is smart enough to understand that there are no treats without the girl who can pull out the bucket of treats, but her little gesture, as great it was to me, and as small it was to her, was beyond something I can put into words. If you are a girl with a horse that you love, you get me, understand what I can't seem to find words for. All I can say is ..I don't know much about him or all the great things he did, but as far as horses were concerned.... Mr Churchhill was right on.

Crawling out of the grave.... to slide right back in...

For more than a week I have been sick. It doesn't matter the precautions you take, viruses are crafty mutating living seekers of warm, moist places to call home. Last weekend was 4 days of slowly migrating from bed to claw foot tub to soak for an hour and back to bed again. Rick actually said, on more than one occasion, "You're going BACK to bed AGAIN?" Yep, rest and push fluids, rest and push fluids, inside and out. Thankfully I had my furry Nigthingale caretakers on vigil snuggled next to me, periodically creeping up to gently tickle my mouth whilst they checked for breath and any sign of life. I would hear a big sigh and then the "kerplunk" of an exasperated dog, back onto the bed, not happy about her self imposed "watch" over me.

I was back to work on Tuesday, still feeling pretty cruddy, but somewhat able. And, as you may have suspected....I started to feel like I was going backwards yesterday, so again, this weekend I will dedicate myself to my bed, my bath, and the constant vigilance of overly concerned caretakers in hopes that I can kick this virus' ass before it kicks mine again.

Little Helpers....

If you have a pet you totally understand the concept of the little "non-helper". They show up when you are trying to accomplish something and they just tend to get in the way by laying down in the middle of the newspaper, your bills, the project your working on... but they do it in such a way that it is annoyingly cute. Do you have a furry four legged child like that? This is Taz helping me decide whether to go with the dark tile on the left or the light tile on the right....I asked her which one went best with the marble/glass tile border I choose. She obviously picked the dark tile.

Be still where you are..........

Okay.... I've been remiss.... I'm not a good blogger... OR a blogger's blogger (you know who you are..and you know me cuz I always comment on your thoughts, just hold mine back).

My very good friend is going to Mexico and has invited me to tag along. I want to go but I want to stay too. I love all of those around me, they center me. Sometimes it's scary how much of a homebody I am. I have developed those things I LOVE, much like Oprah's "Favorite Things"; LOVE (family, friends, furry 4-legged Angels), WATER (shower, hot tub, drinking), A WARM BED (a well made bed is a wonderful thing), FIRE (that flickers; candle by tub, fire at campsite, fireplace, etc.), A HOME (to come home to), SURPRIZES (Finding the unexpected when you least expect it), COOKING (it means you have the means to break bread for loved ones which, to me = PEACE), and the very most important is CONTENTEDNESS.

Truly, I believe, the secret to life is contentedness.... Love (first and foremost, you know we all can find it), Peace (it's hand in hand with love, I'd say), and contentedness (simple, simple, simple... if you're willing to be). Life is simple when you let it be. When you stop rushing forward and be still, sometimes you find.



Between the usual, ordinary days... sometimes God gives us the extraordinary, He blesses us and takes us by surprise and all we can do is feel grateful, thankful, and most assuredly overwhelmed.



My center, when I'm allowed to feel it, is serene contentedness, when I can sit back and take it in, and overflow, and ooze with that which I am saturating my heart with. That, my friend.... is a lovely thing.

All Saints Day....St. Tazisimo...

They are, you know... they're 4-legged saints... or maybe angels, if you must. They bless us and make us smile when we want to cry, bring us out when we want to curl up and hide...make us cry for joy at their antics and yet they hold a common bond to those who came before them. They are similar but, oh so, very, very different... which makes us love them for who they are.

You all know what I'm talking about. We do it again because of the last "angel" who tread their paws upon our hearts, but we are quickly reminded that they are gone and this new, little creature has very different "fingerprints of God" written all over them. They look into our souls, and know our most intimate ways, for they live with us, and love us without measure or judgment, and we realize that they are their own, special, individual beings, regardless of how much they remind us of their sister spirits. And they remind me, how very thankful we should be. All the time.

Peace and Solitude.....

Pathways....



I spent a peaceful day today, enjoying the last day of Summer, as the dawn of Autumn was climbing in the Hills, at a wonderful place called "Pathways Spiritual Sanctuary". A close friend of mine told me of this most special place nestled in the Black Hills, and took me there today. A generous individual named, Dave Snyder, opened this "slice of Heaven" up in July of this year. He created a walking path, approximately 2 miles long, that winds throughout his property. You get to experience whispering aspens, with their leaves dancing in the wind, and pines, gently swaying in the breeze. You eventually find yourself walking through a Labyrinth and then, a little later, next to the reflection pond. During your journey you also get to lumber onto the prairie, where, while you amble closely by, 7 horses acknowledge you, all while you finally see the Llama, resting in the grass, next to an old homestead. It was a calming, spiritual day. It was exactly what I needed, exactly what my soul needed. Obviously, it has inspired me to once again blog... about something interesting. Welcome Autumn.... looking forward to what you hold for me.