Today is National Roof Over Your Head Day
A few weeks I was at my grand son's preschool for Grandparent's Day. We did lots of fun things including an activity designed to help develop small mother skills. "Grandma, Grandma, I'm winning!" I explained that it was just an activity, no one was winning or losing. He saw it differently. "Grandma," he stated with as serious a face as I've ever seen on the kid, "Everything is about winning. Because winning means you get money and money is everything. If you don't have money you don't get food, or water, or a place to live." Well, he's not wrong. I still don't believe that winning is everything, but I do believe we all need and deserve food, water, and a place to live. Today is National Roof Over Your Head Day. Each day when I leave my house and walk my dog or simply [...]
National Mutt Day!
Today is National Mutt Day! This is a small part of the foreword of my new book was written by Hollywood dog trainer. R. Ruddell Weatherwax. "Dogs, or cats for that matter, who come from a shelter are more affordable than buying through a breeder or at a pet store. You know exactly what you’re getting with a shelter dog. In fact, most of the dogs that land in a shelter are not bad; they simply did not always come from ideal first homes. Maybe there was a family divorce or the owners moved overseas. There are a multitude of reasons a dog ends up in an animal shelter. My experience also has shown me that dogs adopted from a shelter, especially mutts, tend to have fewer vet bills than costly purebreds. They’re not just cheaper to get, but, with fewer health problems, shelter dogs are usually a bargain throughout [...]
Giving
I grew up in family of givers. As poor as we were, and we were so poor that we lived in what would be described as a ghetto area in a two bedroom house with eight children, we always had food to share. We had quite a few sketchy characters in and around our neighborhood, but everyone knew if you needed a meal you could always go to our house. We didn't recognize the lady, who I remember coming to us one night well after dinnertime. but that wasn't unusual because word of mouth often led people to our home to ask for help. She seemed an older woman to me, but now I think she has just had a hard life and cigarettes and booze aged her prematurely. Her skin was hard and brown and wrinkled. She was hunched over and her coat was not warm enough for the [...]
My Book Bought a Computer!
Yesterday was Cyber Monday. I don't usually buy anything because of Cyber Monday or Black Friday. If I buy at all I try and support small businesses. My house is all about vintage and resale [...]
Light, Joy, and Hope
A few of years ago I decided I wanted an outdoor clock for our porch. I searched everywhere I could think of, but they were either hideous, they were not suitable for the arctic Wisconsin [...]
A Simple Pair of Gloves
I am thankful for all we have. I've never been homeless but I have been close and I went bankrupt after taking care of my husband through his fight with Huntington's disease. This morning I [...]