Brrrrr!

I woke up this morning covered in puppies!  The thermostat says a nice 70 degrees.... the puppies say different.  According to doggie weather, it is freezing in the house and all must be settled under the covers even if it means pushing mom to the floor.  The 2 above are:

 Sweet Pea: a white Jack Russell/Rat Terrier

&

Buttons: a Tea Cup Wiener Dog

The one you don't see is our English Bullie ... Peaches.  She wouldn' hold still for the picture.

At any rate, I figured, it can't possibly be that cold, and marched everyone outside to go "potty".  WOW!  Talk about your frigid air!

Back in the house and out of the wind, I slip off my boots and putter over to our weather station.  OK, so it says (with wind chill) -4.8 degrees.  Well shit, that is cold.  So, it's out to the kitchen to make some coffee, a dollop of instant chocolate milk added to the cup for a mocha coffee.  Yummy and warm.  Standing their drinking my coffee barefoot brings me to realize that my feet are freezing!  Maybe the dogs are right.  Hot air rises ... thermostat is at shoulder level in the dining room ... ok, so I sat on the floor with the dogs for 15 minutes ... yep it was freezing down there!  Alright, heres what I figured, I go out and get them each a thermal sweater (back from the store now...)I'll turn the heat up to 72 ... turn on the fireplace (witch is at floor level) ... and get them a blanket to cozy on in front of it for a few hours.  

Vet bills cost more than Dr.s visits since most companies don"t offer pet insurance,  so it's in my best interest to keep them warm and healthy.  Ok, maybe spoiled is a better word.  No, they aren't cold enough to be sick, but hey, If I'm cold, fur coat or not, the heats going up.  And well, if it gives me an excuse to cuddle with my puppies on this cold and lazy day, well hey, coodo's to me.  At any rate, the sun is shinning, the fireplace is burning, we are warm and cuddled, they are sleeping, the house is quiet, and I've got an awesome detectives novel to read!  Ta!

Hmmmmm.....Cold, Tired, need soft squisshy things....

Many Faces

The Many faces people show us very from their personalities.

Some hide fear behind a mask of hatred.

Others hide sadness behind a mask of aggressiveness.

And some of us try and understand why others wear a mask.

Recently I have seen behind the masks of many.  I took a few days and took a very close look at a lot of people.... some were just folks walking down the street.

Having done so I have come to value those I love more and more.

They don't wear masks or pretend to be something they're not.

Those few I hold dear are kind and loving, caring and compassionate, and above all... loyal beyond words.  With vast differences and quirks I love everyone of them.  Each loved one is unique and precious in their own right. 

So let us live... truly live... and put the masks away.

Old Ideas

Old Ideas of raising and rearing children have been pushed by the way side for far to long....Well, it's time to bring them back! There is nothing wrong with a bar of soap for a filthy mouth. I got the bar from my granny...in the mouth...scraped across the teeth when it was pulled out. After a few times of that, i learned to at least keep my mouth shut within hearing distance of an adult. And then there was that wooden spoon. You know then one...it could catch you up-side the head at 30 yards if you thought you could sneak your fingers where they didn't belong. For those times when you tested your parents patience to the final limit, there was a swift couple of whacks across the hind end to correct the situation. And getting in trouble at school was a no-no. The trip to the principle was no where near the fear of him calling your house and the terrible anticipation of what was waiting for you at home. And lets not forget those fabled words of dread "You just wait till your father gets home". In those days every child new what it meant "not to be able to sit down for a week"....and we feared it! It was common place for children to have a healthy fear of their parents. If you acted up, their were consequences to be paid.

It's time we started to bring these old ideas back. They have been missing for far to long. Today we here teenagers cussing out their parents in the grocery over a sucker. We see students slapping teachers. We see a rise in young kids stealing anything that isn't bolted down. Children are beating on their siblings. And some kids have severe eating disorders all in the name of making someone else happy.

I may only be 38 years old....and I recall my grandmother saying exactly what I'm now thinking:

"Things sure have changed for the worse since I was a kid...and it don't look to be getting any better"

New Things

Everything happens for one reason or another.  The universe just doesn't function by coincidence.  So, seems I had to know a few things.  My husband the druid, decided at last full moon that everyone needed exposing....well, when it rains it pours...and it sure came out of the woodwork.  So I've got friends left that I can count on one hand.  I've heard that few true friends are better than tons of acquaintances.....I found out over the past week how true that statement is.  So, if your reading this, then you are one of the small handfull of real people who know how to be real friends.  I haven't done this before...the blogging thing...with much success...I just couldn't figure out how to work some of the web sights.  But this one is simple...so, when I have something to share, I'll send you all a link.  Right now, i'm tired and i'm going to take a nap!

Toodles!