Green Thumb Sunday

I've been busy in the yard this weekend having spent over 5 hours and two fingernails cleaning up the two beds along the entry way to the house. It was so overgrown you had to duck and dodge the limbs, fronds, and leaves just to get in my front door unskathed. It really needs to be completely replced, with the exception of the African Iris, because the plants there are not suited to the space requirement.

This bridal bouquet is the closest I came to flower gardening so far this weekend. I made the bouquet a couple weeks ago for a friend getting married on the 4th of July but she wanted something smaller so last night I tore it apart, removed a few flowers, and then redid it. Don't know if she will use it (was planning just to pick up a bouquet at the grocery store) but it's here and waiting if she likes it. I preferred the larger version but hubby thinks this is beautiful. I have to say it does look better than the photo.

Woody is going to meet the family and dog that has applied to adopt him. They wanted to meet him before adopting him and to test him with their own dog. Additionally, I will be doing their home visit so it's a two-birds-with-one-stone scenario.

I've been back writing again and am well over 200 pages and 50 chapters in my book. I have a friend reading it who says "hurry, hurry, I want tot know what happens" so I guess that is a good sign ;) I would love to do nothing other than work on it but my schedule is a bit busy for the next week or so. I am performing a wedding ceremony next weekend and need to work on what I am going to say, find an outfit appropriate for an officiate at a botanical garden, and I would love to get a visit in to my Aunt Flossie who is in the hospital.

Good Deal On A Used Car

OK, I added the part about it being for sale just for the effect - there was no sign on it. This car was parked at the restaurant tonight. Two parking spaces over a Mercedes was parked at an angle to take up two spaces :(

Woody Has An Interested Applicant

Go Woody.....Go Woody.....Go Woody

I Miss You Dad

I've been feeling blue and dreading this first Father's Day without him. A friend sent me this poem. Sorry, I have no idea who wrote it

YOU ARE MY FATHER

I will not look at this as goodbye

I will not allow the sorrow of losing you to destroy me

I will embrace what you have taught me through

the years and carry that with me.

You will forever be a part of my life,

and through me you will forever be a part of your

grandhchildren's lives as well. We are your legacy.

I am proud to have had you in my life.

You have raised me to the best of your ability

and for that I want to thank you.

Thank you for being kind, thank you for being stronger than

you know, and most of all, thank you for loving us.

You have inspired me too live life to the fullest,

and never back down.

I will not be taken over by the anger and

frustration of your loss.

Instead, I will remember the days when I was young

and you were my hero.

I will see you in my dreams.

There you will forever be healthy and strong.

Sorrow is inevitable, but I will face it with the same

courage you did, because you are my father.

What's For Dinner? Cake!

This is what I had for dinner...well, not literally this cake, but cake. Went with my friend Christina, who is getting married on July 4th, to do a taste test at the bakery after work. She wanted a vanilla cake but wanted to taste some fillings. She went wtih a really tasty and creamy filling called French cream which turned out to be a mixture of Bavarian cream and whipped cream. Yummy. I also liked the fresh strawberries in a glaze. Actually a combination of both the French cream and the strawberries would pretty much be perfecto!

Did i mention that I would be performing her wedding ceremony? Yup, Florida is one of eleven states where Notaries can perform weddings. This will be my first and I believe I am more nervous about this than the bride! LOL

Green Thumb Sunday - Poolside

WARNING: If you are one of those unforunate people who is having a wet, cold summer so far, you may want to pass on reading this entry. If you do choose to proceed, don't blame me if you charge an airline ticket to a tropical vacation on your credit card ;)


It's so hot here in central Florida that our pool water is OVER 90 degrees. Sitting here on the porch under a ceiling fan helps a lot but the pool is the real star during these pre-rainy season hot days. After years of inviting people to drop by to use the pool we actually had two people take us up on it!

I was a little embarrassed when my friend Christina and her fiance came because the pool garden is SO overgrown - so much so that you can't even walk around the perimeter of the pool. It is WAY to hot and humid to fix it now. That is my story and I am sticking to it!

See? Bad gardener, BAD gardener. It's to the point where you are in danger of being "pushed" in by the foliage if you try to trim it. It's like it's alive and exhibiting a self preservation technique.

Later today (when the sun goes on the other side of the house) my Cousins Erica & Sarah are coming over to swim a.k.a. cool off.

Here's a decent shot of Woody enjoying the hot sun. Eddie spent most of his time hunting in the overgrowth, Daisey loves the sun and lays out on the patio everyday, but Woody tends to stay inside and venture out for only moments at a time. It was a neighbor's barking dog that got hiss attention and caused him to hang out for a few minutes.

Can you believe these plants? A little water and some sun and they try to take over! LOL

Do you see Daisey in this photo? She tries to stay away humans when we are in or around the pool. She doesn't appreciate the pleasure of a swim. I guess we really need to get some professional help for this yard because so many of the plants are now huge and unmanageable.

My Second Foster, Peanut

I started volunteering for Ratbone back in the pre-blog days (2004). My first foster was Eddie (who I adopted) but my second was Peanut. She actually feel like my first because she was the first one that I had to let go.

She was a tiny little thing, only 9 pounds. Barely bigger than my chihuahua Chloe and let me tell you, there wasn't enough room in this house for both of those Divas! She was very sweet, loving, and would do just about anything for food!

Here she is with Eddie. They were great buddies and she followed him around like a puppy although she was actually older than him.

Her arrival is a long story but i will try to be make it short - I did a home visit of her adopters, then I transported her and a couple other dogs from a meeting place in Ocala to Clearwater where her new family took her. Week later they called saying they didn't have enough time for her. They seemed impatient about Ratbone picking her up (she was supposed to go back to her original fostermama according tot he "rules") so my husband, who goes to bed around 8:30 and NEVER leaves the house once he is has his jammies on, said "if they don't want her there than we should go get her." Gotta love him for that one.

So, 9:15 at night we got dressed, got in the car, and went and picked her up. She was a joy in every way except her relationship with Chloe. She went to people who immediately fell in love with her and brought a doggie bag from Perkins to her at first meeting (there was a terrible accident on the trip to meet them and the interstate was stopped so her new family grabbed dinner while waiting on us).

Her new family kept contact for a couple months and then nothing. I know in my heart she is doing well with her new family.

Update on Jake!

His new mama is crazy about him. I hear his "grandparents" came for a visit, fell in love with him, and wanted to take him home! I am so happy for Jakey because he is such a special little boy and deserve a special home and mama.

Home Show and Tricky Dogs Show

Jerry and I went to the Home Show at Tropicana Field on Saturday morning. I went because the Tricky Dogs Show was performing at 11am and there are two Ratbone alumni in the show ;)

Here he is arriving for the show and getting the dogs to their spots on stage.

He had three ratties, a poodle, a jack, and a corgi mix. Two of the ratties were Ratbone dogs and he spoke of the virtues of adopting homeless dogs during the act. He also talked about some fire safety techniques for the kiddos.

A palm tree and sun made of balloons as the entry decorations similar to the last time we went to the home show and it was a wreath and toy soldiers (near the holidays).

Jerry standing by the Batmobile movie car.

A wird pool table made from a mustang car.

Black Beans, Yellow Rice, and Sex

Last night instead of going out with my mom, Jerry and I hit the road in search of something different for dinner. There are literally hundreds of restaurants within a 10 mile radius, ok maybe 15 mile radius, of where we live but I find that we frequent the same dozen restaurants over and over just because they are "safe" (meaning everyone is OK with them).

Jerry and I pulled into a parking lot based on the sign for a Thai restaurant but ended up parking in front a Cuban one. Since we do have Thai every once in a while, and have never had Cuban together, we went in. He had a Cuban sandwhich but I ordered the dinner with black beans, yellow rice, roasted chicken, and Cubean bread. I enjoyed it very much despite the fact that I wanted to go to a New Orleans PoBoy place but Jerry wasn't going for that.

Today the two of us attended the home show at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. My favorite part was the Tricky Dogs Show . Two of his performing dogs are rat terriers that he adopted from Ratbone! After the show, I bought a Rays shirt at the official team wear store - wow, expensive. I figured it was time to join in on wearing team wear to work on game days.

Tonight I went to dinner with two gal pals and after we saw Sex and the City 2. I enjoyed it and don't understand why it received unfavorable reviews. Could be that some people are threatened by strong, outspoken, successfull, and sexual women? Humm...... Perhaps some people can't stomach that women aren't always happy with motherhood and relationship every minute. Yoiu watch it, you decide.

Tomorrow is another Ratbone home visit for a family wanting to adopt the foster dog of a family I did a home visit for about 3 weeks ago. Someone it feels like "family", lol.

Later bloggers,