Thankful Thursday: Urrrreeeeebbbbbaaaaa

Most of the month of June, I stayed at home in East Texas (while hubs worked eight hours away). We had church clean-up for the month, so I go to stay and help my mom and daughter. Good thing I did, because when we came home from our long road trip in the first of June, I found our old basset, my hero, and hubs' bestie, in sad sad shape.

Mellow was 17 years old, and had been our baby for a LONG time. His 'mellow' approach to life inspires me. This blog is named after my Mellow's attitude. He raised many a child, mine, foster kids, kids I babysat, and lastly the grands.
He was (almost) always very very mellow.
Dear Mellow Yellow, Mellywelly, Smellywelly, Mell, Mellownatar, Melly and on and on. 

Very camera shy Mellow, and Reba 12/10

Melly had quit eating, and drinking, and could barely move.
No AAARRRRRRRROOOOOOOOing.
None at all.  
I decided it was time to honor our (his and my) agreement.
He would go with dignity. (he couldn't even get up to pee)
My very sweet daughter took him in to the vet and held his paw while he passed. 
She sang "Mellow Yellow" to him, and brought his sweet lovingly wrapped body back to me, so that I could bury him in mom's yard.
I'm glad I was there, I'm glad everything went so smoothly.
I'm glad my hubs didn't have to make this choice, or see how bad our boy was.
I'm SO glad my sweet daughter did what I don't think I could have.

Rest In Peace, 
Run Free Our Dear Mellow Jo Santana. 

Your memory will live on.

Forever.

Reba 1/2012

This left his widow alone.  Reba, at seven, has never been alone.  Her whole life, she has always been right by Melly's side.  During the last month of his life, she lay by him, washing his head, and cried.  And cried and cried.  When my daughter took Mell to the vet, she stopped crying, and hasn't since. 
We didn't want to leave her alone, so we decided to try her on the 'road tripping' we are doing, with LadyBelle and LilDog.
Of course, she is not a FULL house dog, and a BAD traveller, but what the hey!

Reba, LadyBelle, LilDog 7/12

We drove eight hours here, and she barfed very little.
As you can see she caught on to the 'guest house' life fast. 

Camper hounds, Reba, LadyBelle, LilDog 7/12

Then we drove five hours to the 'camper' and she did even better.
Ms. Reba has never been to the camper before, but, here too, she caught on quick.
(Middle picture are basset eyes in the dark)

Sunset 7/12

The sunset at the lake our camper is at was AWESOME!!
And there was much romping on the part of the pooches.
Gonna have to try taking the girls to the actual water and see what they do.

In the actual camper, I saw this mess, what the hey?
Further inspection showed it to be a
SNAKE SKIN!!!!!!
EEEEEEEKKKKKKKK!!!!!
Hopefully hubs is right, that it's a rat snake, and it woke up, shed, realized there is no more mice in the camper (thanks to hubs poisoning:) and it moved on.  Oh, I hope it moved on...*shudder*

West Texas Critters 7/12

Then we drove five hours back to West Texas.
I actually remembered my camera on our weekly drive around the ranch.
These are regular sights, axis (orange) deer, white tail deer, jack rabbits.
Not pictured (yet) are antelope, porcupine, rattle snakes, skunk, fox, and more.
Then we made the drive eight hours back home.  East Texas. 

Grandboy Kale 7/12

We picked up this fella, granddarling Kale, and brought him, hubs, myself, son DJ, AND the three dogs back. 
Reba didn't barf once.  Go Reba!!

Brown nosier...LilDog 7/12

LilDog is always entertaining, and one loves to find scraps and bury them. 
This time in the sand.  Silly dog. 
Thanks to LilDog being SO house trained, she has set the potty schedule for first Lady and now Reba.  Thank you my little dog.

Reba, LadyBelle 7/12

Reba is looking shinier, and hasn't been such a food hog.
 I think we have figured out the carsickness issue.

Reba, LadyBelle, LilDog 7/12

Reba & LadyBelle 7/12

Gangster Reba 7/12

 She is actually playing some.  She has done real well with the house breaking, and is very tolerant of Kale. How thankful I am she was there for our Mellow. And the joy she brings hubby. What a wonderful dog family we have. I am thankful for the 'doggy' people hubs is working for. And, of course, I'm very thankful I got to go home for the weekend, see three of my kiddos, two of my kid-in-laws, and four of my awesome grandkiddos:).


Reba says: enjoy the moment.


Dear Reba has always lived 'in the moment'.

Cuteness Runamuck: Kale the toothbrusher

Grandboy Kale 18 mos, 6/12

I put Mr. Kale's feet in the sink to wash before bedtime, and he decided his teeth needed a washing too. 
He tried each one.  What a cutie. 

Son-Day: You Were Always On My Mind

For my children.  All my love.  God bless.

Did You Hear Dat?

Reba-7yrs.  LadyBelle-2yrs.

Bassets, Reba and LadyBelle keep us safe...and entertained:).

Son-Day: 2 Chronicles 7:14

 


~God Bless~

Fertilizer Friday: 7/6/12

I have been away from this house 3 weeks.
I left the hubs in charge of loving caring watering my plants.
What did I come back to?
Death and destruction.
{before:  Lush and Happy }

Dead.  Luckly most was bean plants, but my starts from MD were in there too.  :(  

Boo Hoo. 
Watering plants is not hubbys thing.  
AMAZING any thing lived. 

Sad house plants, and another grow pot

 Most the homeowner's house plants were laying down, and after a good soaking they stood up.
Gonna have to cut off all those dead leaves.

 I brought another grow box from home, it already had two squash plants (I may or may not keep), green beans, strawberry, pepper, and three starter plants from our trip to WI.
I decided to use this one for starter plants from this area.

 Pigeon berry.  These do well in our area of Texas.

 

 LOTS of horseherb. 

from: www.catnapin.com

almost dormant horseherb

 Here, in west Texas, this is an awesome shady ground cover.  When it gets regular water, it is glossy green, prostrate, soft on the feet, with tiny little yellow blooms.  During dry times it rolls up and waits for rain.

 Then when it gets water, it unrolls, fluffs up, and bloom bloom blooms.
Almost right before your eyes.
I've heard of it being used as a ground cover for dog pens, and I know it does well in east Texas. 
At home it does well in the sun or shade. 
I have two really great places to try it at mom's this fall. 

 Also, growing wild here, is horehound (gray fuzzy in back).
I mean every where.
I've had these before in east Texas and they do very well.
Three awesome plants I won't have to buy:).

Day three and the horseherb (left) is already fluffing out,  pigeon berry (back) not so much.  

Guess it will have to shed it's leaves.  

 These babies were inside, and like I said, amazingly survived...whew.

 The homeowner has been watering the garden, and it is looking good. 

Probably a Dumb Cane, Dieffenbachia

Back in June, while I was at mom's, the hubs surprized me with a flower deliverly,
I HATE cut flowers.
Well actually I hate that money was spent on cut flowers when I could have bought a live plant.
All I really ever want from him on holidays is money.
Money to spend where I want, on what I want.
Anyways...
When they were delivered, I was VERY pleased to see this plant!
Different pattern, proven tough,
Good job hubby dear!!!
{don't know WHY hubby was surprised I brought it to the guest house with us,
he should have known I would,
it and the grow pot rode 8 hours to the work site guest house...
along with the two bassets and the chimix!:)


Have a Very Happy Fertilizer Friday!!

Thankful Thursday: June Joy: part two

After our great trip to Wisconsin, we decided to go an extra two hours out of the way to go to on over to Omaha, Nebraska, to the Mormon historical site, Winter Quarters.

What a wonderful experience.
So much tribute to the Mormon pioneers who were forced out of Ill.
Seeking religious freedom they headed west, and 'over wintered' here, at Winter Quarters.

(More Winter Quarters info)

Using guidance from neighboring Native Americans, was their only hope.
Later, some went on to Utah, but many stayed behind to help others. 
Always organized, they set up homes and supplies for their needs and  future travelers.
Thousands passed through here.

Exiled in the harsh winter, many buried their loved ones in this nearby cemertery.
Amazing any of them lived. 

Names of those buried here.

Grid up your loins, Fresh courage take, Our God will never, Us forsake

Next to the visitor's center (museum), is the cemetery, and a beautiful temple.

Love this...

The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, Winter Quarters Temple, Omaha, Nebraska.

A major storm happened on our way there, the second wave coming while we were inside the museum.
But when we stepped out to go to the cemetery, it stopped.
Humid and overcast, everything was a lovely green.
We parked on the side of the road, googling for a restaurant, when suddenly what appeared???

Fuzzy deer pic from inside the car:)

Deer!!!
They crossed the cemetery, hopped the fence, and timidly passed by us.
Beautiful.

We over nighted in Omaha, then detoured a little more to go by the hubs' mom's home place.
Dexter, Kansas.
Hubs was so happy to share this with my mom.
LilDog and I were just along for the ride:).

Henry's Candy Co., Dexter, Kansas

First we were FORCED to go to the candy store hubs went to as a kid while visiting his grandma. 
I have been there before, AND meet Mr. Henry himself, before he died.
Mr. Henry created the Oh Henry bar, and they still make so much goodness on site.
I won't tell  how much we spent.
OR ATE on the way home.
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

The hubs and I at the Maple City cem.  6/12

Then to the cemetery.
We do LOVE a good graveyard.

Row of family members.

Other direction.
The plants are peonies.
We had missed their blooms.
In Wisconsin they were still in bloom.
We don't have those in Texas. :(
If I lived up north, I would have peonies. 
Beautiful, beautiful peonies.)

Asparagus along the fence line, next to Maple City cem., near Dexter, Kansas

Hubs tells stories of going asparagus harvesting from the ditches near his grandma's house.
Every time we have been we have seen NO asparagus.
This time we saw it EVERY where.
Even next to the grave stones. 
And, of course, I didn't bring a shovel.  :(
But I.will.be.back.
And I will be packing (a shovel).
Got a cool spot for an asparagus bed at mom's.

Street signs near mother-in-law's home place (home site: most right bunch of trees)

This corner means you've gone too far.
Its looking back at the place.
Hubs mom, and granddad were both raised on this land.

Hubs and I on the 'front porch'

A corral is now where the house was.
The cows were NOT impressed.
Not at all.

Home place, Otto, Kansas

Hubs has so many memories of visiting his grandma here.

Signs headed there. 

Taking pictures of signs may be my new thing. 

Family church.  Hicks Chapel.  

 Of course went by the church.
Hubs parents, and grandparents were married here.
(We attended the grandma's funeral here in 1990.)

House in 'town'

Then grandma moved from 'the farm' to 'town'.
She lived here until she went to the nursing home, then heaven.
I met her here shortly after we were married.
Two years later she passed.
I'm so glad the hubs took me up to meet her.
Very glad.
Last time we were in town, the current occupants shared some of the rose bush that was growing in the hedge row:

Rose bush in the hedge row

When this grandma moved to town she brought her mother-in-law's rose bush from the farm.
(small red cluster bloomer)

Spent blooms

It once grew in front of the house, but being old and sickly, was cut down.
In 1988, while visiting, we asked for a cutting, but she said it was gone.

Did she know it was growing in the hedgerow bordering the property?
She didn't go outside and work in the yard then, and its on the other side of her line.
How did it get in the hedgerow? 
Hmmmmmmmmm....

Hubs feels like the next time we go back this house will be gone.
It is in real bad shape.
But the memories will still live on.


After a great trip to see my step-kids in WI, Winter Quarters NB, and hubs maternal family spots in KS, we headed home to TX.
Tired, full, and very pleased.
Thank you, God, for the history.
MY history.
My people-my stories.
This precious time on earth.
Help me honor it.
Help me honor you in my journey.
And, again, thank you.