Several years ago there was a TV series called 'White Shadow' and I believe it was about a basketball coach - but with my memory, it could have been football, etc.
This is not about the coach.
Maybe 15 years ago when we our Border Collie/English Sheep dog (Boots) started showing her age and didn't have as much bounce to the ounce, I decided to start looking for a playmate for her. My search led me to a local rescuer of abandoned dogs and cats and we visited her to see a young female Eskie that had been left behind by her family and was running the streets frightened and alone. When we met 'Snowflake' she had been bathed and brushed and presented herself with much poise. My first impression was 'I don't want a white dog' ... second comment 'I don't want a white long-haired dog'. This was when she very quietly came over to me, looked at me with the most beautiful brown eyes I had ever seen and gave me a very soft kiss on my hand. WOW ... don't do that to me. I stayed firm. I walked out of there without her.
Hubby & I talked about her on the way home, but I would not commit. The next day while I was at work, hubby pulled up out in the parking lot and walked into my office with this beautiful white long-haired four-legged beauty on a lead. Yep ... she was ours.
First thing we did was to try to come up with a new name ... Snowflake just wasn't going to do.
After watching her follow hubby around the house for a day or so, I commented that she was just like a shadow ... a White Shadow ... and that name stuck. She became 'Shadow' ... Shad for short.
We enjoyed several years of delight from this beauty who by the way had made Boots' last year a joy. They shared a food bowl, they even shared the cave behind the rocker, one wrapped around the lamp post and the other close beside her.
A few years after Boots was gone, I noticed that Shadow didn't often react to loud noises - she just slept on. It wasn't long before I realized that she was deaf, probably a result of the noise from the trucks that would whiz by her in the streets and the honking horns of cars trying to avoid her. We soon developed a method of communication that included eye contact and hand signals. She was truly loved.
I have a picture in a pewter frame given me by the Veterinarian that takes care of all our 'babies' that has 'Pick of the Litter' engraved on it and the note that accompanied it attached. This sits along side the pictures of the other loved ones of my family.
For some people pets just don't fit into their lives. For us, we have always had at least one (but mostly two). Pets are forgiving, they give unconditional love when they receive it and sometimes even when they don't receive it. People perhaps should learn from the devotion shared between pets and their families.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
How Many Times Do I Gotta Learn to Walk?
This must really sound dumb ... but it's something that I keep count of due to my unusual life.
I first learned to walk about the age of 12-13 months, according to my Mom.
Then at age 6, I fell victim to a bone disease that put me in a childrens' hospital over 150 miles from my home and family and resulted in me having to learn to walk all over again.
The third 'restart' happened about 4-5 years later when I underwent corrective surgery on my other knee, ending up with crutches etc.
In 1990, the after effects of the original bone situation called for a total hip replacement and yep, that walker and cane gave me the confidence to once again, learn to walk.
Who ever would have thought that after 64 years that old demon would take over my life again! It did, and I ended up undergoing salvage hip surgery in January of 2009 and I'm still in the process of 'learning to walk again' . Oh I can get around with my quad-prong cane, but not without some difficulty.
For someone who has learned to be independent in spite of the inconveniences that have been thrown her way, this is difficult for me to take. I want to be able to get out of chair and step away on my own.
Although my patience is waning, my hopes are still high.
I first learned to walk about the age of 12-13 months, according to my Mom.
Then at age 6, I fell victim to a bone disease that put me in a childrens' hospital over 150 miles from my home and family and resulted in me having to learn to walk all over again.
The third 'restart' happened about 4-5 years later when I underwent corrective surgery on my other knee, ending up with crutches etc.
In 1990, the after effects of the original bone situation called for a total hip replacement and yep, that walker and cane gave me the confidence to once again, learn to walk.
Who ever would have thought that after 64 years that old demon would take over my life again! It did, and I ended up undergoing salvage hip surgery in January of 2009 and I'm still in the process of 'learning to walk again' . Oh I can get around with my quad-prong cane, but not without some difficulty.
For someone who has learned to be independent in spite of the inconveniences that have been thrown her way, this is difficult for me to take. I want to be able to get out of chair and step away on my own.
Although my patience is waning, my hopes are still high.
Monday, August 23, 2010
I think I Got it!
Well, I think I've got it ... thanks to the Discussion Group. At least I hope so.
Now I guess it's a case of checking to make sure that all (or any) followers show up on my site.
Some things I need to remember are not to display email addresses or names. Since I sometimes have problems remembering names (let alone email addresses) that shouldn't be a problem for me.
In the following week or month(s) you might think 'whatever in this world is she rambling on about' ... but those who do already know me are aware that I don't always punctuate my conversations - I go from one topic to another and usually have to back up to clarify 'what?'
I'll try to watch that but when I'm writing so many memories just jump in there and want to be shared.
Now I guess it's a case of checking to make sure that all (or any) followers show up on my site.
Some things I need to remember are not to display email addresses or names. Since I sometimes have problems remembering names (let alone email addresses) that shouldn't be a problem for me.
In the following week or month(s) you might think 'whatever in this world is she rambling on about' ... but those who do already know me are aware that I don't always punctuate my conversations - I go from one topic to another and usually have to back up to clarify 'what?'
I'll try to watch that but when I'm writing so many memories just jump in there and want to be shared.
Mom's Spaghetti
I'm wondering how many of you remember a special food dish that your Mom made regularly when you were growing up.
In my life, there were several but her Spaghetti stands out. Mom's ancestry was Irish/Dutch and she married very young which meant that she didn't really have much experience in cooking. Her spaghetti sauce has never been excelled in my mind, heart and stomach ... and I've certainly tried to find a resturant that matches it to no avail. I've tried a variety of combinations myself but haven't quite found it either.
The funny thing is that Mom would make her sauce for spaghetti one day and we would have chili the next day. She would add a can of red beans to the sauce and maybe some additional tomato sauce and VOILA - chili. The best!!
After I left home in 1956, I would travel back as often as I could. And every time I entered her home, I could smell the Cabbage Rolls cooking. Again, she really worked on this meal - using sauerkraut between layers of the cabbage wrapped beef with rice and smothered in tomato sauce.
I don't make these, and as a matter of fact haven't made spaghetti for a while because I would end up having to eat it all myself. Hubby doesn't like either. But I found a place in town that is 'close to' both in recipe. Don't get there very often, but plan to hit it at least once every 6 weeks at least.
In my life, there were several but her Spaghetti stands out. Mom's ancestry was Irish/Dutch and she married very young which meant that she didn't really have much experience in cooking. Her spaghetti sauce has never been excelled in my mind, heart and stomach ... and I've certainly tried to find a resturant that matches it to no avail. I've tried a variety of combinations myself but haven't quite found it either.
The funny thing is that Mom would make her sauce for spaghetti one day and we would have chili the next day. She would add a can of red beans to the sauce and maybe some additional tomato sauce and VOILA - chili. The best!!
After I left home in 1956, I would travel back as often as I could. And every time I entered her home, I could smell the Cabbage Rolls cooking. Again, she really worked on this meal - using sauerkraut between layers of the cabbage wrapped beef with rice and smothered in tomato sauce.
I don't make these, and as a matter of fact haven't made spaghetti for a while because I would end up having to eat it all myself. Hubby doesn't like either. But I found a place in town that is 'close to' both in recipe. Don't get there very often, but plan to hit it at least once every 6 weeks at least.
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