spring is coming!

daisies in our marvelous little antique tub

Ross has been so busy (and he loves it!) in our yard. And soon I will have garden and greenhouse photos to share! For today, here are more yard scenes.

And now for spring in the backyard. I wish I could capture our hummingbird friends! But I know you will use your imagination. . .

the hummingbirds like the pool aerators and the hibiscus flowers (hope that helps imagining)!

And spring has sprung in our front room . . . imagine that! Bogart does what he can to spread hopeful spring feelings in all aspects of home. thank you Bogart!

our little bogart . . .

Our little beagle boy Bogart is having some problems :( He began having some issues with arthritis a year or so ago--struggling to get up and walking with some stiffness. I was really very scared when this started happening so we whisked him off to Dr. Noe where Bogart received a prescription for Rimadel, one word--MAGIC! In fact we renamed his morning dose "magic crunchy" (because they are beef flavor chewables)! Seriously, after one dose our Bogart was back in action! And we have been forever grateful. Well, little Bo had some blood work a few weeks ago and we found his liver levels were extremely high. We started another medication and found out after yesterdays re-check that his liver levels are even worse.

SO, after speaking with our very caring dog sitter and then again this morning with Dr. Noe, we are going to try some natural remedies along with a prescription pain pill. Uuugghhh! The good news is that little bo does not have any other symptoms of liver failure. If anyone has any ideas or have heard of natural arthritis and/or liver remedies--please let us know. please!

our yard makeover!

Thank you Mandy and Michael for encouraging us to get our picture act together! Here are the before pictures prior to the yard re-do. I did not think our yard was so bad but these pictures paint a tired little space . . .


We also painted the house and added two bricks and matching paint to the fence. We now live with LOTS of privacy. Amazing what two bricks can do! Now for the best part . . .



And a little Ross plug . . . he is quite the guy and loves working in the yard--he even helps neighbors when he sees them working in their yard--wow! So I am attaching a picture of the front, too. We had it landscaped several years back but, Ross has made a lot of changes over the years and takes care of all of the maintenance! He is amazing! (oh, this is the paint prior to the new paint--brick is still the same!).

Coming soon . . . .

I have pictures!!! AND, I will post them very soon :) Check back for details (please).

Spread The Word To End The Word . . .

I was watching John McGinley (of Scrubs fame) on the Bonnie Hunt Show and I kept looking at his shirt thinking I would need to look up what this means: "Spread The Word To End The Word 03-31-09." Later on he explained his involvement with Special Olympics with his son who was born with Down Syndrome. While attending a Special Olympics Youth Summit in Idaho a group of athletes and John McGinley wrote a letter to Bill O'Reilly after the "r" (retarded) word was used to make demeaning remarks (to his credit, O'Reilly attempted to demonstrate sensitivity for the remarks). Advocates for The Special Olympics are now campaigning to end the use of the "r" word in a way that many have been accustomed to using for a very long time--including me. I am feeling very shamed as I cannot believe that I have so openly used this word for too long--and that I never gave enough thought to this!

However, I know I can change! This entire realization reminds me of my overuse and misuse of the term "gay." As a kid and teenager I would use the word to also make demeaning remarks about something that might look unfamiliar to me or to suggest that a particular person was doing something that I did not understand or agree with. But this changed when my very near and dear friend explained that he is gay. I could write a book about the way my life changed in the most wondrous way after that day, but I will abbreviate and, instead say that I stopped using "gay" and any word similar as a way to make unnecessary and painful remarks . . .that was almost 20 years ago.

Shamefully, I have used the "r" word and today I will stop. I love the notion of free speech and do not ask others to change their speech on my behalf, and that includes cursing/cussing, as I truly believe certain terms allow us to find our voice. However, utilizing terms such as retarded and gay, in irrelevant ways, serve one purpose and that is to strip the opportunity for everyone to have an equally relevant voice.