Tonight on TDIPT Mercantile...

William the White Pumpkin Firewood Folk.

Thank you for all your kind words and emails...

They mean so much.

We are all struggling so with the loss of Darla. She brought such joy to our everyday lives, we didn't realize how much until we lost her. She was part of our family and part of us.

Many can't understand why people would be so upset. "It's just a dog" some will say. Quite frankly I feel sorry for those who can't understand. I can't imagine not feeling that unconditional love, joy and happiness a pet brings.

My sweet hubs is having such a difficult time. I feel so bad for him. He's a strong man, but keeps breaking down in tears at just the thought of her. Telling me how much he misses her.

Gracie is so unbelievable lost. She has always had a 4 legged companion since we brought her into our home 7 years ago. She has no one to play with now. I try to play with her but it's not the same. She and Darla we two peas in a pod. Even with a 6 year difference, Darla chased her around the house on a daily basis. Parading around with a toy in their mouth, as if to say, "Ha! Ha!! Look what I've got!!" They shared everything. They were never separated. Until now.

Now, Gracie is running through the house with her nose to the ground, crying and trying to find her sister. It's heart wrenching.

Me, all I do is cry. I cry for my husband. I cry for my Gracie.
I cry for my Darla. Second guessing if I could have done more for her. Maybe I should have... If I only did... Like I said, I'm the "mama." Mamas make everything all better. I couldn't this time.

I have had to say goodbye to two other dogs in my lifetime. As as unbelievably painful as it was, letting go of Darla has been the worst. I guess our bond was strongest. I have lost my loyal best friend, my sidekick my shadow.

I know time will heal our pain. But right now we are all hurting and it feels like an eternity.

I want to thank a dear internet friend who sent me this poem yesterday.
(Thank you, Judy) ♥
I know there are others out there who are struggling too with their loss. You will find this comforting.


I will lend to you for a while a puppy, God said,
For you to love her while she lives
and to mourn for her when she is gone.
Maybe for 12 or 14 years, or maybe for 2 or 3
But will you, till I call her back
take care of her for me?
She'll bring her charms to gladden you and
(should her stay be brief)
you'll always have her memories
as solace from the grief.
I cannot promise that she will stay
since all from Earth return,
But there are lessons taught below
I want this pup to learn.
I've searched the whole world over
in search of teachers true,
And from the fold that crowd life's land
I have chosen you.
Now will you give her all you love
Nor think the labor vain,
nor hate Me when I come to take
My pup back home again?
I fancied that I heard them say,
"Dear Lord, Thy Will Be Done,"
For all the joys this pup will bring
the risk of grief you'll run.
Will you shelter her with tenderness,
Will you love her while you may?
And for the happiness you'll know
forever grateful stay?
But should I call her back
much sooner than you've planned,
please brave the bitter grief that comes
and try to understand.
If, by your love, you've managed
My wishes to achieve,
In memory of her that you've loved,
cherish every moment with your faithful bundle,
and know she loved you too.

It's 1:37am and we just got back from the vets...

It was time to say goodbye to Darla.

I knew something was terribly wrong when she had a grand mal seizure at 5:00am this morning.

She still had her appetite, but 2 hours later vomited up the small 1/4 cup of food. She was also looking thin. She dropped down to 17.5 lbs. She was always a sturdy 22lbs.

She played a little with Gracie this afternoon then hung her head as if she were in pain.

Then later this evening another grand mal. Unable to keep food down again. A third grand mal 2 hours later and we knew it was time. Her liver was failing and no amount of supplements or special diet would help her anymore. Seizure medication strains the liver even more, so that was out of the question.

As I sit here and type through all my tears I wonder what am I going to do without her? She was my furry best friend for 12 years. She was by my side for all of those 12 years too. Wherever I went, Darla was right behind me. Now she is gone.

Although I know in my heart it was the right thing to do, I'm struggling with some guilt. I know most who have to make this horrid decision about their dying, beloved pets do.

I am also worried about Gracie. She is alone now. They were best pals. When we brought her home Hannah didn't want anything to do with her, but Darla did. They bonded immediately.

My hubs is grateful she made it past my birthday. Having her still here was the best gift I could ever have. For that I am grateful.

I snapped this pic this afternoon. She was such a pretty girl.



She was such a little dew drop when we brought her home.

We're having her cremated. They will call when she's ready to come back home, where she belongs. I am comforted in knowing she and Hannah are able to pal around again.

But dear Lord, I miss her so!
♥

I went for a walk today...

Man, did it feel good to get out even though it was overcast.







Remember Stan the Beaver who lived down behind our property? After 3 years he packed his sh*t and moved to a new area about a mile down the path from us.
He's so famous, our hamlet decided to give him his own plaque at his abandoned den.
Uh-oh...


Here's Stan's new digs.
I'm sure he'll be getting another plaque in a few years.


We have some maple trees on our land, but she's my favorite. She never disappoints with her feminine colors.




Enjoy nature.
:> )

Wow! It's Tuesday evening already???

Where the heck did Monday go?!
Man I've just been so darn busy! Between creating, baking apple pies and making apple sauce, I've lost track of time. Soon I'll have to rake leaves like a wild woman.

For now I'm trying to get this lil' guy ready for TDIPT Mercantile.



But as you can see he's a bit of a trickster. I've been chasing his neked lil' self around the log pile and could only snap this photo of him.

I warned him he could get a cootie if he didn't put some clothes on. He asked if shoes count as clothes. I told him no. He laughed and hurled himself over a birch log.

So, hopefully I will catch him and get him dressed by Saturday night.

:> )

I Think That I Shall Never See...

A poem as lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

Written By:
Alfred Joyce Kilmer



Happy autumn.
Now get outside and enjoy it.

♥

It's Friday and I need a laugh...

Have a great weekend, everyone.
:> )

Okay. Deep breath. Think happy thoughts.

Rainbows... glitter... unicorns...

As I was trying to secure my Polka Dot Folk Art Hen to her barn wood base, it torqued and the peg ripped through her!
UGH!!



Cupcakes... puppies... lollipops...

A week's worth of work right down the crapper!!
ACK!!

Kittens... Sparkles... Pixies...


Forget it! The happy thoughts are not working!

I'm reaching for the chocolate chip cookies and half gallon of Häagen-Dazs.

:> )

Holy smokes!

Sunday was "one of those days." You know the kind. Where everything goes wrong and if you don't keep a sense of humor about it, you'll want to crawl back into bed and curl up into the fetal position. Nah, I'd rather be vertical and laugh.

After hubs and I took the girls outside on Sunday morning, I walked into the kitchen to find the downdraft fan to our cooktop was on. Of course my first thought was, Why the heck did he turn that on?! I pretty much assume it's always my husband's fault for most everything. ((giggle))

So I asked him why he turned it on. Well, he didn't. Hmmm... Maybe I did?? No. I know I'm crazy but I'm sure I didn't turn it on. When I start wearing my bra and wears on the outside of my clothing, then it could be a possibility.

I walk over to shut it off. Click. Nothing. Click. Click. Still nothing. The dang thing would not turn off. After clicking back and forth, I smelled wires burning. Uh-oh. That can't be good.

So my sweet hubs grabs a screwdriver. He's going to take it apart and have a looksy. "Don't you think you should turn off the electricity to the cooktop?" I asked.
He gives me the "don't be ridiculous" look.

One screw comes out. The other screw comes out. He attempts to lift the panel. Then...



"NOW do you think it's a good idea to turn the breaker off, Mr. Tesla?!"
He agreed and proceeded down to the basement to turn it off.

Unfortunately the fan switch was fried, but thankfully the burners worked as usual and my hubs lived to tell the tale.

I hopped online to try and locate another switch for my dated cooktop but could find nothing. After looking all over the internet I came across a forum of others looking for the same fan switch for their dated Jenn-air.
Come to find out there were many others who experienced the phantom fan that turned on by itself then fried the switch! Jeepers! I'm just thankful we were home when it happened.

So the moral of my story is:
Keep a man with a screwdriver away from anything electrical.

:> )

Do You know what today is??

I'll give you a hint.
It's something every American should hold near and dear to their heart. But sadly, most have never read it.

Today is Constitution Day!



Grab a pocket Constitution. Read, learn and educate yourself and your family.

"Yes, we did produce a near-perfect republic. But will they keep it? Or will they, in the enjoyment of plenty, lose the memory of freedom? Material abundance without character is the path of destruction." ~Thomas Jefferson

On this quiet Sunday morning...

as I had the girls outside, I heard an odd sound. No, it wasn't Mr. Softee. (Heck, I wouldn't consider that an odd sound anyway)
This was a sporadic whooshing sound.

As the sound got closer, I saw it start to peek over the trees.



They flew right over our roof.



I could have handed them a cup of coffee.



What a perfect morning for a balloon ride.
(But as for me, I prefer to keep my two hooves planted firmly on the ground)



Happy Sunday.

:> )

Red Alert!

I've admired those Wolf Commercial Stainless Steel Gas Cook Tops for quite some time now. I love everything about them, especially the red knobs.
But when I priced them, I realized I will continue to admire them. ((giggle))

So as I stood there glaring at my old, scratched, electric Jenn-air cooktop it got me thinking... Wouldn't it look better if these tired, old knobs were red?! Well of course it would!



What came to mind?
**Insert Final Jeopardy tune here**
"Spray paint!"

Hmmm... I will have to check my hub's stash. It's times like these I am grateful he's a motorhead and has many high temp engine spray paints in the barn. Shhhh. But he doesn't need to know that.

First step, I cleaned them really well. Then I scratched them up with some sandpaper and taped them off. I really wanted the whole knob red but the lil' numbers are on the actual knob.
I'm a pretty good cook, but not that good of a cook.



Next, I primed them. But forgot to take a photo.

Then came time to spray paint them red. Since Ford never took a bailout from our government (unlike other car companies), I happily used "Ford Red."
(C'mon! You know I couldn't resist that one.)



Two coats with a light touch did the trick.





Sure it's not a Wolf commercial gas cooktop. But it's got cute lil' red knobs and it didn't cost me anything.

P.S.
My hubs thinks I'm absolutely insane, but really likes the way they look.

:> )

Seventeen days and counting...

that's how long she's been seizure free.
Here she is enjoying a snooze on the porch.



The new diet, Denamarin liver supplement and liquid infant multivitamin seems to be working. I also give a tiny pinch of Milk Thistle in her meals throughout the day. I have noticed she is a little thinner due to the new diet. It was mentioned weight loss accompanies the liver cleansing diet. So I am slowly adding more to her portions to see how she handles it. If you have a furbaby with liver disease, I strongly suggest this fish based diet. Just remember to keep large bottles of Febreze on hand.
P.U.!

She does show signs of weakness in her hind legs, but I do see an improvement in her overall. We've also noticed she doesn't snore anymore! Huh?! Bostons are notorious for loud snoring. She's snored since the day we brought her home. Not anymore. Weird. But I'm not complaining.

So, I'll continue to do what I need to do to care for my best friend. She has brought me such joy over these past 12 years, that's the least I can do for her. ♥

As you can see, (Princess) Grace is being her usual self. She's waiting for my hubs to fan her and feed her grapes. I'm sure he will.



Have a terrific weekend everyone!
Get outside and enjoy nature.

:> )

“When I despair,

I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always."
~Mahatma Gandhi

Let's Get Pickled **Hiccup**

Not that kind of pickled. I'm talking Refrigerator Sweet Pickles.

First, gather up your ingredients.



6 - Cucumbers (sliced)
2 C - Sliced onions
1 C - Sliced green peppers

4 C -Sugar
2½ Tbs - Canning Salt
2 C - White Vinegar
3 tsp - Celery seed
A large canning jar or a big ol' jug with a lid.



Mix cukes, onion and peppers together.



Mix sugar, salt, vinegar and celery seed in the canning jar or jug. Mix it up real good too.

Then add your cukes, onions and peppers, stirring as you add them.

Place them in the refrigerator for 5 days making sure you mix them daily then enjoy!

You can put some in pint size jars and freeze 'em too. But trust me, they won't last that long!
:> )

Got Critters?

I do!





Just click on the "Critters" button and take a peek for yourself.



:> )

They were...

husbands, wives, mothers,



fathers, daughters, sons,



sisters, brothers, grandmas,



grandpas, aunts, uncles and cousins.



They were someone's family.
They were someone's best friend.





♥
Never forget them.
♥