Introducing Sweet Bonnie and a Five Year Anniversary Giveaway

A few weeks we welcomed Bonnie to our family. She is a two year old brindle Cardigan corgi. I wasn't looking for another corgi but things just seemed to happen and before I knew it she was my new bed partner.  She is a perfect addition to our family! She loves Perl and they have so much fun playing together.  That relieves me and Miss Heidi (two old ladies) of the responsibility of entertaining Perl all day.  

We love her!

This month is the fifth anniversary of my blog.  So, it's time to have a giveaway.  To enter, simply follow my blog and leave a comment on this post before September 1 telling me a little about your favorite things.  The prize will be customized for the winner and I promise you'll like it!

My old shoes have thrived this summer because of all the rain.  The moss voluntarily came up on them and there's even a maple tree growing out of the one on the left.

Saying Goodby to a Special Friend

Tod and Hanna

It's never easy to let go even when you know it's for the best.  This morning I had to say goodbye to my nineteen year old male kitty, Tod. His kidneys were shutting down and my vet said it was time to help him to the bridge.   He was the most loving and gentle creature I have ever known.  Until the last few weeks, he was by my side no matter what I was doing.  One of his favorite things was helping me change the sheets on my bed.  It was a game to him.  He loved to get under the fitted sheet and I'd tickle him.

Throughout the years, my pets have been such a joyful blessing to my life and this handsome guy was no exception!

Arabelle's Visit

Arabelle is spending the week with us while her new family is on vacation.  I've enjoyed her so much!  I have taken her in the car with me whenever I run errands and she loves riding and napping.  I'm keeping her totally separated from Hanna. I don't want to take any chances of them fighting.  I will miss her when she goes to her other home on Sunday but I don't think it will be as difficult as the first time.

 

I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! 

Heidi's Surgery

Last week I took my corgi girl, Heidi, to have a growth removed from her back.  There's a wonderful group of vets in Richmond who specialize in dental cleaning and surgery only.  They charge about half of what a full service vet office charges and they are wonderful.  Heidi had no problems, is healing nicely, and goes back this week to have her stitches taken out.

 

 

hile we were there we got to meet, Chilly, who is owned by one of the vets.  He was the sweetest dog!  A few months ago he was an entry in a national contest to find a groom for a canine wedding held in NY to benefit a animal charity.  Chilly won!  He and his family flew to NY and he got married!

 

 

This is one side of the vet office that was decorated by a local artist named "Happy".  His art is amazing!

 

 

The office car is painted to look like a cat.  The car on the other side is a dog.  What fun!

 

Arabelle's New Home

 

 

Several of you have asked and I can finally post about Arabelle's new family.  About six weeks ago, Arabelle went to live with friends who have a male corgi named Jenkins. Jenkins is actually  brother to one of my other corgi girls.  The first week she was gone was very hard!  I was reminded of her pretty little face by so many things.   However, there was no question that I made the right decision.  My other two corgi girls are so much happier and she's loving her new family. 

 

 

Yesterday her new mom called to ask if I would like to keep her for a few days while they go out of town in November.  I couldn't possibly say no. I'm so excited!   I'm planning fun things for just the two of us when she's here.  We'll definitely be going to visit my neice at the bay so she can ride in the golf cart.  

Ocracoke Island

A friend and I drove to Nags Head, NC, last Thursday morning to spend a few nights with another friend.  We decided to get  up early Friday morning, drive south to Hatteras (about 70 miles) and take the 40-minute ferry over to Ocracoke Island.   We drove through a few rain showers on the way but otherwise the weather was beautiful with lots of sunshine and breezes.  The beaches on the island are totally undeveloped and preserved.

We ate lunch at this restauarant and I would highly recommend it if you ever go to Ocracoke.

On the way back  that afternoon, we stopped in Rodanthe to see this cottage that was used in the Nicholas Sparks movie, Nights in Rodanthe.  It is now rental property.

The view from the market.

This morning I participated in the Manteo Market as a vendor. My sales were good and as always, I loved the market.

This mural of Manteo was painted on the wall in the restaurant where we ate lunch. 

The Roanoke Island Inn is about a block from the market.  I'd love  to stay there sometime when I participate in the market but I'm sure it is expensive!

My Trip to the Outer Banks

 I love the sight and sound of the ocean!

I just got back from spending four glorious days in Nags Head, NC, with great friends.  My trip could not have been more perfect!  The temperature was in the 70's most of the time, we ate at great seafood restaurants and I had a successful day of selling at the market on Saturday.

The market was outside in a beautiful waterfront park  in the charming little town of  Manteo.  Manteo has  great shops, old southern homes and very friendly residents.  It is about 15 minutes from  Nags Head and the ocean.

It seemed like everyone who came to the market brought their dog.  The SPCA was sponsoring a "Dog Wash" and it was hilarious to watch all the different breeds  being bathed.

I had breakfast this morning at Mel's Diner in Grandy, NC.  I couldn't resist taking picture of this antique Ford parked in front of it.  It sure seems strange to refer to a car that was popular during my early years as antique.  So, what does that make me?

I'm excited about having dinner tonight with my daughters for Mother's Day.  I hope all of you are having a great day!

Arabelle's Day at the Bay

Arabelle

My mom and I left yesterday to visit relatives who live on the Cheasapeake Bay.  Mom says the trip was mostly about me so I could tell you about it today.

On the way to the beach, I got to eat lunch at McDonald's and share my mom's McNuggets.  I only get "people food" on special occasions. 

 

My cousin has a new kitten and what a terror he is!  He's tiny (about 10 weeks) but I was so intimidated by him.  He tried to smack my nose with his sharp claws.  I yelped and hid behind my cousin.  It was so embarrassing!  He doesn't have a name yet but I have a few suggestions...

The beach was beautiful this morning. I ran laps, played in the water and rolled on dead bugs.  Mom says she's still picking little seashells out of my fur.

 

I had a wonderful nap on the way home, except for a few nightmares dreams about that evil kitten.

A Day of Corgi Maintenance

Today was a busy day at my house.  I had to take Hanna to the vet at 7:30 for a dental cleaning.  Later I decided it was time to give Heidi a good brushing.  Can you believe all that hair?  I always leave it in the backyard hoping the birds will gather some of it for their nests.  I'd be very excited if I ever found a used nest with corgi hair in it.  Miss Heidi's expression makes me think she'd rather be playing with the Frisbee.

A Facebook friend gave me permission to share this picture of her pretty little Ellie and her new puppies.  She has five girls and one boy.  What a mega dose of cuteness!

Hope you have a great weekend!

A Beautiful Day!

Even though I had a hard time getting up this morning, I'm excited about this beautiful day and getting outside to work in my yard.  It's time to prune my crepe myrtle and get some leaves out of my flower beds.

The corgi girls will  get in the way help me.  Arabelle will  stand beside me with her frisbee in her mouth and sad eyes until I throw it.  Heidi gets excited when she sees Arabelle with the frisbee and starts pulling up grass or flowers around her.  Hanna will be walking around like a princess because she doesn't like to get dirty.  Once in a while she might assist in digging a hole if there's a mole or vole around.  It's not a Tasha Tudor kind of scene, for sure.  Her corgis always looked like garden statues.

Fresh air and sunshine always make you rest better.  I hope your day is beautiful too!

Arabelle's Trip To The Groomer!

Well, I'll try to make this long story short.  I left Arabelle at the groomers around 9 a.m. and the groomer (Annie) asked me to pick her up at 1:00.  It was like leaving my child at the babysitter's the first day.  I was a wreck!  I worried about her all morning.  I was there to pick her up at 12:45 and anxiously waited for 1:00.  The door was locked to the shop because the owner was the only one working and she was in the back of the building.  She has a darling retail shop in the front and I guess she was afraid of someone coming off the street and stealing merchandise while she was grooming.  I waited and waited and around 1:30 I started to panic.  I kept thinking that maybe she left and I wouldn't be able to get Arabelle.  You all know by now that I'm crazy about my corgi girls and very protective.  I keep thinking about my baby being in there scared and tears starting falling.  At about 1:45, Annie and Arabelle came from the grooming area both smiling.  Arabelle looked like she was saying "Hi mom, what are you doing here?" Annie said "Didn't you get my message"?  She left a message on my home phone that she wouldn't be ready at 1:00 and I didn't go home.

The end of the story is Annie did a beautiful job  and got all the loose undercoat off Arabelle, which I've never been able to do. Tonight my granddaughter took this sweet picture of her.  She is exhausted and I am too!

Trick-or-Treaters

Hanna is watching for them!

Last night Hanna got  dressed up in her pig costume and she and I  set up on the front porch to accommodate the trick-or-treaters. (The other two corgi girls were in the back yard digging to China.)  Six children showed up and Hanna was so excited to see them.  After about thirty minutes, it started raining "cats and dogs" and it was all over.

I think Hanna is saying "Mom, where are they?" in this picture.

What in the world will I do with all those bite size chocolate bars I have left over?!?

Bored Corgis!

Heidi

 Would you recognize a bored corgi if you saw one?  This week has been so hard for my furgirls. The heat and humidity have been terrible!   They get so hot with their double fur coats.  We haven't been able to play frisbee in the backyard or even take a walk.

Hanna has taken one long continuous nap! 

  

I'm not sure where Miss Arabelle was when I was taking pictures today.   She was probably somewhere aggravating the cat.  



Arabelle



Miss Arabelle all dressed up in her red bandana!



I decided this week to take Arabelle to the assisted living center to visit our friend.  She hasn't had training to be a therapy dog, but she is very sociable.  The plan was to have a short visit with our friend and deliver the candy sundae I made for her.   However, when we arrived, most of the residents were outside for an ice cream social and  Arabelle got to visit with lots of folks.  She did quite well!  Maybe because Hanna is so much older, she's willing to sit for a while and visit with each person.  Not Arabelle, she wanted to say "hi" and "goodbye" in the same sentence, but they loved her anyway.

This was made with buttermints I found at Michael's.

We had a great visit and I'm sure I'll be taking Arabelle again.  Also, I'm sure Heidi won't be going.  She hates wheels and bites the lawnmower when it's running.  Needless to say, I don't trust her around wheelchairs!

Hanna Visits Her Friends

Hanna and I had an excellent visit with our friends at the assisted living facility yesterday.  Hanna gave  lots of kisses and was her usual sweet self.  After our group visit, we visited our personal friend who lives there and Hanna took a quick nap.  We left when  she went to the dining room for lunch.  Hanna and I stopped for lunch at McDonalds on the way home. She sat in the passenger seat and enjoyed part of my hamburger.  (Don't worry, she only gets "people food" on special occasions).  This little girl is such a joy to me!

Have a great weekend!

Clematis

I took these pictures this morning of the clematis vine on my mailbox.  This one is named Jackmani and is several years old.  Jackmani blooms on new growth so I prune it back to about 12" in March, put a cup of lime around it and fertilize it.

The clematis was just a few years old in this picture.

This girl was only 11 weeks old.  Can't imagine trying to get her in the mailbox now!

Hanna Visits the Assisted Living Center

Yesterday Hanna and I made our monthly visit to a local assisted living center. I always take her to McDonald's for lunch (he, he) after our visits. Yesterday was beautiful so we ate at the picnic table. I give her about one third of a hamburger patty.  Can you tell that I love my corgi girls?

Morning Glories and Arabelle!

For two days  I've been trying to clean out my day lily bed.  It's been neglected and the morning glories have taken  over.  I've considered using a weed killer,  but I'm afraid to do that because my corgi girls play in the backyard.

The weather has been cool and perfect to work in my backyard.  There's woods behind my house so it's very private and peaceful.  Sometimes I feel like Tasha Tudor when I'm out there and the girls are following me around.  Today I was dragging a tarp half full of   weeds and leaves to the woods and all of a sudden I noticed it got very heavy.  I looked over my shoulder and Arabelle was sitting on the back of it.  I thought to myself, "what would Tasha do".  I don't think she would have scolded her, so I didn't either.  That dog is such a mess!

Have a wonderful weekend! 

Arabelle's Vacation

Last week while I was away, Arabelle stayed with my daughter and her family.  She had a wonderful time! My daughter took her walking every morning with her two yellow labs and  my granddaughters played with her when they got home from school.   There's so much more activity going at their house.

Needless to say, she was not a happy camper when I brought her home Friday night.  She growled at the other two dogs and went straight to the guest room and pouted.  I felt sad for her and kept trying to cheer her up.  Nothing doing!  It was Saturday afternoon before she settled in and started to act like she belonged here.

These corgi girls are like raising children all over again!

Chip and Hanna

We had a wonderful visit at the Children's Hospital Saturday morning.  Hanna rode in this rolling chair so she would be on the same level with the children in wheelchairs.  She's gets very heavy for me to hold up for them to pet.

Chip was the other dog visiting from our therapy group.  He is an adorable cockapoo and  loves entertaining the children by playing his piano.

These two make quite a team.  Their personalities compliment each other.