Excuse me…God?

March 11, 2011 by 20 Comments

Awoke very early this morning, grabbed some coffee and sat down at my computer; my first stop was to my blog page where a new post from Ashley..plus 3 quickly caught my eye;  when I read it, well, it broke my heart.

Ashley tells of this precious little girl, named Maddie,  who is dying from an inoperable brain tumor.  If you can support this family, with a donation or in their quest to have Maddie go on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”, please do so.

                                                                        

I’m putting up the link to Ashley’s page with the hope that anyone stopping by my blog will head there and do whatever they can.
                                              http://www.ashleyplus3.com/2011/03/please-help.html


After visiting my fav bloggers, I clicked on the news of the day and sat in horror as I read about the earthquake and resulting tsunami hitting Japan, heading for the Hawaiian Islands, towards the states and beyond.  I’ll admit to not being a deeply religious person, what reverence I hold for God is kept deep inside but this morning was different.  I asked Him, out loud, to help all of these hurting, devastated beings and restore some element of calm, of peace, in their lives.

I’m always the first one to preach that God never gives any of us more than we can handle, especially when I relate this old story about a woman who complained to Him that the cross she carried in life was much too heavy of a burden.  God had her stand next to Him and made all the crosses of the world pass her by, one by one, telling her to pick out the one she wanted.  Finally, she picked out the smallest cross in the line; God looked over and said, “That was the cross you have been carrying all along.”

This is probably about as spiritual of a post that you will ever see from me but it was something I felt worth sharing.

Excuse me, God?  There are so many who desperately need your Divine Intervention, when you aren’t too busy…please!

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Happy Tails!

March 9, 2011 by 22 Comments
                                  
Just felt like departing from my norm, whatever that is, to write, once again, about my daughter Jill, the animal lover/rescuer extraordinaire`!  Did a blog about her a while back…take a peek to better understand where I’m heading today.
 

 

Oh, you’re back?  Good, now you understand the method to today’s writing-madness.
 
I cannot say enough about unwanted, abused, discarded animals; most of us probably feel the same.  Each day one more horror story unfolds on the news and it’s damn heartbreaking.  When people opt to lay down some heavy cash for a pricey pedigree, I often wonder if they realize just how many perfectly wonderful animals languish in shelters or are euthanized due to overcrowded rescue facilities; cats and dogs who would have been so grateful to live in some forever home.
 
Hey, I’m not scolding anyone owning some fancy-schmancy little fu-fu dog or cat, just suggesting that maybe more people could broaden their pet horizons and open their hearts, and homes, to some animal in need.  There’s always room for one more.

Sharing some photos of my Jill’s many, many animal successes….

“Bluto”…..a male Pit Bull found severely abused and emaciated; this poor boy was so badly beaten that he lost one eye.  Jill fostered him with love and much care and found an extraordinary family who adopted the dog.  He’s dressed up as a Pirate, eye patch and all, for Halloween, goes everywhere with his owners and is one incredible, happy dog today.
       Then….

   Bluto today….on a camping trip!          

“Mia”…..this pretty blue-eyed girl, another Pit Bull, was rescued by a representative of a highly reputable animal shelter who purchased Mia and her litter-mates from some dirtbag who was selling the tiny puppies outside of a local Wal-Mart.  Jill fostered some of the babies and fell in love with Mia, adopting her shortly after.  All of the dogs went into terrific homes.
                                  
“Iris”……this little “Schneltie” (Schnauzer-Sheltie mix) was a surrender from an owner who could no longer care for her or her mommy.  A little ball of yippy, cuddly, wiry fur, Iris became a permanent member of Jill’s household; how could she resist?
                                        

 

These two kittens were very young rescues; Jill bottle-fed and weaned them, finding a loving home for them when they were old enough to be adopted and……after both were spayed and neutered!  Both have extra toes that make their feet look like catcher’s mitts….
Babies………..

All grown up…..

If  only more people would be responsible and remember to….Spay and Neuter, this figure would drop, significantly…..
                  
“Walter”…..another Pit Bull who Jill recently pulled off a Brooklyn, New York, shelters’ “death row”.  This poor guy was found tied to a fence in freezing weather and starving to death. 
 
This is his picture, taken at the shelter,  just before Jill brought him home for fostering.   
“Walter” is now one happy boy, as you can see, and is ready and waiting to be adopted.
A few more photos of happy endings……..
Matt, Emma, Mia and Iris, out for a ride….
An armful of puppies, each one adopted and thriving today!
Think about it, please, if you’re looking for a pet….rescue animals and those from reputable shelters… have so much love to give!

 Share a story about a stray you took in or an animal you once rescued.

This story is about someone near and dear to my heart, my middle daughter who is an animal lover/rescuer/advocate.. extraordinaire`.  Jill is the Dog Control Officer for our town and works tirelessly to reunite lost pets with their owners as well as removing them from situations of abuse and neglect.  Many of the animals she rescues are never claimed by their owners but Jill constantly manages to find new, loving, forever homes for each one after she runs extensive background checks and makes several home visits for a perfect furry/human match.  She also makes it a point to stay in contact with every new adoptive family to be certain that the animals she places are thriving and happy.

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Dollar Store?…no more!

March 6, 2011 by 22 Comments

                                
                                                                   

It’s a dreary, rainy Sunday here in New York; not much incentive to get out and do anything exciting but I coerced my Grandkids, Emma and Matt, to come along with me to a local Dollar Store.  We drove the 15 minute trip into town through a heavy downpour and navigated over badly flooded roads; all for a cause.  You see,  next Saturday evening, my hubby’s club is hosting their annual Corned Beef Dinner and I’m usually the one who coordinates club events; my trip involved picking up table coverings, a few decorations and, of course, letting the kids pick out some mildly entertaining but worthless junk items.

Have to stop here for a moment and ramble about the club dinner.  Every damn year, someone who attends manages to worm their way into the club’s kitchen to ask….”Are you cooking Steaks, Hamburgers or something else?  My wife doesn’t eat Corned Beef”. 

Duh!!!  Read my lips dude….no don’t, because I’m cursing at you and having trouble holding it back.  That asinine comment is always followed by a request for some type of refund because someone came, knowing what the event was, but didn’t eat what was on the planned menu.  Bite me!

Anywayyyyy, back to the Dollar Store trip……

On a previous stop to that store, my Grandson Matt stopped me in an aisle exclaiming that “Gramma, they shouldn’t put stuff like that where little kids can see it”….and pointed to this….

                                                    
                 

I quickly ushered him away.

Today was different.  Matt had no problem returning to that aisle, grabbing that Kardashian Boobs Coffee Mug and yelling out…”Gramma, Daddy would LOVE this!”.

I grabbed him by the arm, placed the Boob caffeine receptacle back on the shelf and headed towards the kid’s crafts.  Of course, as luck would have it, there, next to construction paper, stickers, packages of half-dried up paints and glitter was this…..

                                                                     

Matt found it, without any difficulty at all, lying next to a Tom & Jerry coloring book…

Somehow, in the space of a couple of months, Matt’s innocence is fading away.  Blame it on one or two of the little heathens who ride on the school bus with him each day, teaching him, and other kids things that make parents, and grandparents, shiver.  Don’t get me started on bullies and the spawn of the devil; that’s a blog for another rainy Sunday.

So, where am I going with all of this incessant griping?  The Dollar Store, better known as The Used-To Be a Dollar Store, as we’ve come to know it…is gone.  Well almost.  Little, if anything priced there is just $1; most is $1.25 and up.  Sad sign of the times. 

Even the X-Rated assortment of Big Boob ceramics went for a hefty $1.79.

 

Matt’s saving his money…..

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