Followers

About

My photo
I'm a children's author. Animals are a constant source of writing material for me. They are also my heart!

My Friend

>> Sunday, March 28, 2010






My dear friend Georgie sent me pictures of beautiful mysterious wild horses. Georgie lives in a remote area of Oregon. In fact I always feel like she has her own forest and her own mountain. Georgie's world is a beautiful world. Anyway, back to my story...rather Georgie's story.

Georgie told me that she'd always heard stories of the wild horses. She'd even heard their whinnies in the distance when the night was at its darkest. But she'd never seen the wild ones. That changed when an unexpected snowstorm hit Georgie's mountain. The snow blanketed the ground as Georgie hiked up, down, and around her forest hills. She knew they were there. She smelled their glorious scent nearby. Like me, Georgie loves horses. Now the wild ones in her woods became her passion.
The snow began to melt. Georgie was out for her usual walk when she heard pawing on the ground. She was caught off guard. The horses startled Georgie and she startled them. They spooked and ran off. But they came back again.








First there was one horse.









And then there were two.







Before they settled down to eat the horses made sure that Georgie kept her distance. They continued to paw at the ground. They snorted with their nostrils flared. The big black Appaloosa shook his head up and down. He
seemed to be trying to get a better look at Georgie. She was patient. Georgie snapped a couple pictures from the distance then she started making little clucking noises.
Georgie's wild ones began to be intrigued by her sounds. She sat and watched. She watched and waited. After Georgie had several meetings with the horses they began to get use to her coming to visit them.

Trust is an amazing thing. So is patience. The photograph above is of the mare that Georgie named Feather. "Her eyes are feathery soft and she has long fluffy eyelashes," Georgie told me.

Georgie went on to tell me that the black Appaloosa is so shy he always keeps his distance. She calls him Snowflake because he looks like he's covered with fresh fallen snow.


"The mare, Feather, is the most brave," Georgie said.

Georgie knows what Winston Churchill knew long ago. "There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a person."
Georgie's hand on Feather's face
is gentle and kind. To me, it's more beautiful than the most exquisite piece of art.

Not to get all poetic on you or anything, but I can't help myself.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "About the pace of nature: her secret is that she's patient."

Georgie is like a gentle breeze or the spring sunshine. And sometimes she's like rain on a cloudy day. The most beautiful thing about Georgie is that she's always there...just like nature.

























































































































Read more...

She's Boring...Very Boring!

>> Friday, March 26, 2010


Quite frankly, she's been boring us to death. As you can see, I'm half asleep and Maddie's about to fall over.
All she talks about is meeting her deadlines for magazine articles (which aren't even about us), horses, trail rides, and rescue dogs! Good grief!!
When was the last time you heard one word from us?
Well, we've decided it's time to get her attention. She needs to know that we've noticed what she's been doing. Spring has sprung and we're going to spruce up her blog while she babbles about other things in her life.
The first thing we did was to move her GUEST BOOK to the top of the page. She loves to look at all her friends when they leave pictures, but we thought she'd take more notice if it was the first thing she saw when she opened her blog.
Once upon a time it was her goal to fill her GUEST BOOK with cute little animal faces from all around the world. She wants all kinds of animals even though we tried to convince her to stick to dogs. She's hard headed that woman! Just ask our dad if you don't believe us!
So, as a favor to us, (if you haven't already) would you please sign her GUEST BOOK and leave a picture. And if you don't have a picture, just leave one of yourself! She's hard headed, but not picky! She just wants to know who you are.
AND...as much as we hate to say this, if you're a rescue dog or horse, would you please mention that when you sign THE book? I'm sure she'll take us for extra walks when she sees what we've done!!!

Read more...

At Last...

>> Monday, March 22, 2010

It's been a very long time since I've been on a trail ride. If you've been following my blog for awhile you know that I got Tango when he was very young. He had never had a saddle on and I thought I was a better rider than I was. The long and short of it is that I was walking Tango around a bean field and a dog came out of nowhere and started to chase my boy. He ran right out from underneath me. I didn't think I was hurt but I was wrong. I ruptured my spleen. My husband insisted that I move Tango to a barn with an indoor arena. I can ride around the farm where Tango is boarded (and it's beautiful there) but I have been terrified of wooded trails since then.
Kathy made me feel at ease from the get-go. She took photos of everything from start to finish. Just above is her "butt" shot of Princess (Kathy's seasoned trail horse) and Tango. Once the horses were on Kathy's trailer I began to get excited. I had a dry mouth, but I was excited nonetheless!

And when we reached our destination in Mt. Vernon, Ohio and began our treck through the woods, I was like a kid in a candy shop. Over the years Tango's grown up. He was amazing. I couldn't quit smiling. Tango handled downed branches and vines like a pro. At one point he got tangled up in a vine. I felt momentary panic and then I asked my boy to back up...which he did. That didn't help. He was still stuck. Then an idea came to me like a bolt of lightening. This horse can break out of anything, I thought. He gets out of stalls and fences like they are made of paper...he can surely break through this vine. I asked Tango to move forward and he did. That was icing on the cake. My smile turned into a brilliant beam!


And if the trail ride wasn't enough joy for the day, guess what? There was an obstacle course on the property for the horses. Here you see Tango and Princess pondering the ropes that were hanging like a shower curtain.




Did they go through?








Yes they did! Here's Kathy on Princess!
















And here's me on Tango pony!










We rode for over two hours and then went back to the trailers where the horses got hay and water. We ate our packed lunches. This picture doesn't look amazing but it is. Why you ask? Because the last time that Tango was tied to a trailer my boy rocked it back and forth until we thought it was going to fall down. Yes, my boy has grown up. Or maybe I've grown up.
Skip all that. I think Kathy just worked magic on a beautiful sunny day.




Read more...

Two Stories in One

>> Sunday, March 14, 2010

Please forgive me for neglecting my blog this past week. I've missed reading yours and I plan to catch up in the next few days. Things have been totally chaotic to say the least. Between dogs and horses I've been quite busy. I can't complain though. I'm certainly doing what I love. I'll get to the horse story later this week. For now I want to share two stories with happy endings....those are the best kind, aren't they? Above is a photo of me, Sara, and my youngest son Ryan. Maddie's little head is in the shot too. Ryan came over to help me take Sara to the vet. I was afraid she wouldn't want to jump in the car and at 130 pounds, it would have been hard to lift her!

Ryan adored Sara. In fact, he threatened to kidnap her. I convinced Ryan that Sara had a good home waiting for her. Ryan...in fact all of my boys...grew up with Newfoundlands. If the right Newfie comes along, it will have a home with Ryan and Heather.

Sara sat nicely at the vet's office and waited her turn. She checked out just fine so she was ready to travel again. Today Sara reached her new home in Minnesota. I've talked to Sara's new owner, Sarah....yes, Sarah....and I'm happy to report that she couldn't be going to a better home. Owner Sarah sent me pictures of her dogs and her home. Dog Sara is about as close to Newfoundland paradise as she can get. Her long journey has come to an end.
While we were at the vet's office, Dr. French told us an awful story about a dog that had been brought into her office (the day before) by a good Samaritan. The dog (now named Petey) was being badly beaten with a baseball bat by a sick sick man. The good Samaritan got Petey away from the man...thank God. Sadly Petey was beaten so badly that Dr. French had to amputate his leg. She neutered him at the same time.

"Could you get Petey and his story out into your rescue network?" Dr. French asked me. "He's a sweet sweet dog. Just hours after I removed his leg he was up and out of his crate giving all of us kisses."

I posted Petey on Wednesday. Petey's story tugged at the heart strings of many good kind people. Today is only Sunday and sweet Petey has already been adopted. He has a home where his wounds will heal and his heart will mend. Petey will be loved but more than that, Petey will learn to feel safe and free from harm. Petey will give back all the love that he receives and then some.
The horrible man who did this to Petey is a measly speck of dirt who should be punished. The good kind people who came to Petey's rescue are the salt of the earth. They can find their reward in Petey's eyes.





Read more...

Sweet Sara

>> Monday, March 8, 2010

Sweet Sara arrived on Saturday night. After dinner, a few tail wags, and a walk around the block, Sara was pooped. So was Annabelle, she never moved from the couch.

It didn't take long for Sara to feel pretty cozy. She drifted off to sleep while I watched her remembering why I love Newfoundlands so much.


Maddie seemed to think that Sara needed a friend for the evening. She made sure to give Sara a good welcome sniff or two. Sara just sighed. I'm sure she was thinking, "What's up with this little yapper?!"


Before the night was over, Maddie gave up her usual place on the couch for a spot next to her new BFF, Sara. Annabelle didn't notice. She was down for the call. What good girls they all are. We'll share some more photos of Sara with you soon.



Read more...

A Different Kind of Rescue Mission

>> Wednesday, March 3, 2010


Have I ever told you about Bud? He was my Newfie...my heart and soul. Bud died about ten years ago. The vet actually came to our house to put him down. It was one of the worst days of my life.
Unlike Kelly who was so sick, Bud's legs just quit working. He couldn't stand up anymore but he was healthy as a horse. At 220 pounds, I couldn't do much to help him...no one could. Years before he died we put ramps up to our back door and of course we had a ramp for my van.
I always said I knew it would be time for Bud to go when he didn't perk up his ears when he heard the jingle of the car keys. Oh how Bud loved to ride. Bud's ears never stopped perking up.

I could tell you long stories of the trail rides Bud and I went on together or the hamburgers from McDonald's that he loved so much, but that's not the point of this post.
The point is of a different kind of rescue help. I am so thrilled to be a part of this rescue that I can't tell you. This is the email I received that set the wheels in motion:
Transport Needed for 1 adult Newf.

Rescue to screened forever home (home checks done) in MN.Date of transport: Sunday

3/7/10Transport Purpose: Rescue to forever Screened home in MN

Transport Coordinator: Donna PalenRescue

Placing dog: Autumn Acres Animal Rescue Org.Website: http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/KS87 Emergency #'s:816-776-3022 or cell 928-458-0616Coordinator email : dpalen@msn.com or donna @ autumnacres.org (without the spaces) Breed/name; Newfoundland/SaraAge/Weight: 3 yrs old/ overweight at about 130s

VET RECORDS: Yes

UTD ON SHOTS:

Yes: DEWORMED: Yes:
SPAYED/NEUTERED: Yes
TEMPERAMENT: Gets along with everything, likes car rides and loves people

CRATE: Doesn't needs one, so this is optional.

Sunday, March 7th, 2010 1. Warwick, MD to Towson ('burb of Baltimore), MD 74.64 miles - 1 hour 10 min. 8:00am to 9:10am

2. Towson, MD to Fredrick, MD 53.53 miles - 1hr 9:20am to 10:20am ***NEEDED*** 3. Fredrick, MD to Hancock (just west of Hagerstown), MD 52 miles - 1 hr 10:30am to 11:25am ***NEEDED***

4. Hancock, MD to Bedford, PA 43 miles - 53 min. 11:35am to 12:30pm ***NEEDED*** 5. Bedford, PA to New Stanton, PA 74.46 miles - 1 hr. 15 min. 12:40pm to 1:55pm ***NEEDED***

6. New Stanton, PA to Wheeling, WV 71 miles - 1 hr, 10 min. 2:05pm to 3:15pm ***NEEDED***

7. Wheeling, WV to Cambridge, OH 51 miles - 1 hour 3:25pm to 4:25pm ***NEEDED***

8. Cambridge, OH to Columbus, OH 79 miles - 1 hour 10 min. 4:35pm to 5:45pm ***NEEDED*** Overnight for 3 nights in Columbus, OH FILLED Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

9. Columbus, OH to St. Louis, MO 4:00pm Transport company (FILLED)
Guess who Sara will be staying with in Columbus, Ohio? My eyes are still filled with tears as I think of Bud, but my heart is full of love to share because of the wonderful years we had with the most gentle giants of all.

PS..By the time you read this, all legs of the journey will be filled. Sara will be on her way to a new forever home. Maddie and Annabelle will wonder what hit them again! What good girls they are!

Read more...

We'd Love to See Who You Are - We Know You're Adorable for Sure!

Blogger templates made by AllBlogTools.com

Back to TOP