How many of you have received something “free” and later realized you had been given a Money Pit? (By the way…it was one of my favorite movies.) Mandy came as a free dog, with papers to register her, which we never did. She was 2 ½ years old when she was given to us in 2005. She is now somewhere in the neighborhood of 6 ½ years.

She had been in a house with young children, another dog (different Breed,) and was very gun-shy. The least little noise made her scurry under the bed. Her stomach was upset being dropped off at a strange place and we had quite a time with the “potty” thing. We were told she was house-broken but with being in a strange place and the difficulty of conversing our intentions it took time and patience.

Mandy is a Shih Tzu and a sweet dog. Her surgery was 2-weeks ago today and has had her staples taken out. After a grooming she will be ready to come home, fresh as a daisy and her beautiful self. I always miss her when she’s gone. The house is not quite right without her.

Since the surgery she was been barking at the cats and doing her whirly-gigs which is her way of showing that she’s having fun or excited. I am actually more a cat person but Mandy has such a good personality it is easy to love her.

Pets are such a large part of my daily life I know I would be very lost without them. My friends tell me when they die they want to come back as one of my cats. If they are lost, hungry, scared and abandoned I can guarantee I will make a place for them.

What is it that gives us the desire and grace to carry on when we have lost so much? We have a lot of news about the rebuilding of Joplin where the tornado took something or all of those who live there. The local news shows hundreds of volunteers coming in for the weekends and some come and stay long periods of time. Not one word is accusatory or angry…….the people who have lost so much and suffered the most are usually the ones who are the most grateful and hopeful.

Without Hope this world would be a much sadder place……….

Essentially Esther

We have a dark rainy day here. It wasn’t predicted so came as a surprise. We live 100-miles from the weather station and quite often the report doesn’t follow our weather conditions. Mandy is recuperating and having difficulty eating. She didn’t eat for 3-days and only gets excited over the “treats” thing. She feels entitled to have some special care right now.

I drove a friend to a doctor’s appointment yesterday and we managed a little shopping while there. She goes to a pain management clinic and is showing a little progress with the treatment. The shots are expensive and the drive is 85 miles from her home to the clinic…….(located in Springfield.) A driver for the patient is required.

Do any of you fall asleep while doing something? I always take crochet projects with me while waiting at doctor’s offices and I almost broke my neck 3 or 4 times. When I would sit up and attempt to stay awake, the few people in the whole clinic would be looking when my head dropped again. It must have been entertaining to them but not working for me.

I stuck the crochet down in my purse and thus ended my dropping off. My friend came shortly there-after and ended the ordeal of trying to stay awake. We stopped at a couple of stores for craft items but her deadening soon wore off so we didn’t really do much. She is feeling well today.

I’ve finished weeding the top of the garden and now will start on the bottom next week. I have 2 big garden areas and the flowers bloom their little heads off. Production isn’t what it is during the summer so another day or two of picking will finish up the flowers. Then I can begin working on the house (fall cleaning) and get back to making my cards again.

It is late afternoon so I will sign out and hope to be back tomorrow to see what opportunities or choices I am given. The leaves are beginning to fall and the yard has a thin cover. Saturday the man who mows for me will be mulching them up and doing so until the leaves are all down. It’s a lengthy process.

I love all seasons and enjoy the different canvases God creates. What a mind to do all he does in our little world, let alone the worlds spreading out before us on every side.

May your colors be bright and inviting as you embrace October.

Essentially Esther

…….what a day will bring. This week has been the yearly shots for my six cats. I was able to catch two of them on Monday and put them in their pet taxi. It went pretty good and today was time for two more to go. Trouble being, it was not their time to “want” to go. I caught the first two unawares but today was not so good. The rattle of the cages put them on high alert and while I got one in to go, the other was hiding under the bed.

I’ve been this route before so I attempted to woo her out from under. I spent an hour on the floor trying to talk her out. Finally, I knew it was then or never so I stopped being the “good cop” and got the yard stick to slide around under the bed which terrorized her. It was Punkin’ and she is afraid of everything. She’s been here four years and still is uneasy with every little thing. She would make a good marathon runner.

The yardstick did the trick and she shot up on the shelf under the window Rocky made and let me pick her up. Things weren’t too bad so I put Mandy in to go for a ride. After the Vet did the yearly shots etc; I asked if he would look at Mandy. She had needed to go out oftener and would spend her time dribbling all over the place. Not good.

After a check-up and X-ray he showed me three large bladder stones and said the only way to fix it was surgery……otherwise they are in and out of the Clinic all the time and eventually would need surgery anyway. I’m a quick fix kind of gal so she had surgery this afternoon. I’ve had the call that she came out OK and I can pick her up tomorrow.

The story on both cats was not so good either. They both have heart murmurs which may or may not worsen……a throw of dice on that. For the time being, it’s a “wait and see” situation.

I know this is not interesting unless you love pets, have pets or adopt some out until they find a home. Love is a funny thing but for many of us it can come on four feet, a fur coat and an evolving personality. They bring blood pressure down and leave a lasting legacy of happy faces and wagging tails.

That’s not a bad legacy to leave…………..

Essentially Esther