The August Give Away Winner & a Bit About Pepper

Thanks to all who entered the August Give Away - it was fun to see how much interest there was in the book about Pepper and the other guide dogs her former partner has had.

I got the Kindle edition the day the book was released on Amazon. I haven't finished it yet, but I did skip ahead and read the parts about Pepper - it was fun to see Sarah's view of her and to hear about the work they did together.

Congratulations to the winner of the August Give Away!

Didn't win but still would like to read the book? It's available in Kindle and paperback here.

Sarah's book talks about Pepper's excellent guiding and the caring that she had for Sarah. And when Pep came to live with us, that devotion was transferred to me. These unpublished photos of Pepper give a glimpse of that devotion.

The back story? I'd been in an Indianapolis hospital for a week having a precancerous mass removed from my pancreas along with my spleen and a lot of lymph nodes. It was the hardest surgery I've ever had. 

The surgery was hard on Pepper, too. Being separated from me for a week, even with Craig home with her and Lisa caring for her when he was with me, was very, very difficult for her.

When I got home, she could not get close enough to me. She even tried to crawl up into my lap but, of course, that was not possible because I had such a large abdominal incision.

And so she curled up on my feet, leaning against my legs, just so she could be close to me. I snapped that picture as she snuggled in against me, and I was grateful to be with her again, too.

As I healed and she couldn't be the lap dog she preferred, she would take her place at my feet, holding one of my legs between her front paws,

or curling up for a snooze, but always, always touching me in one way or another.

Pepper's walk with me is different than the walk she had with Sarah, but to the two of us, it is every bit as meaningful and absolutely full of love and joy. 

I am blessed to have this girl in my life.

Christmas in July Meets the BreyerFest Second Chance Sale

Second Post of the Day

Just as the BreyerFest Second Chance Sale is scheduled to begin (today around 10:00 AM Eastern), my Christmas in July things have finally arrived.

Newport from the 2024 Stablemates Collectors Club. I really like this Stablemate mold and was thrilled to get him.

And I received the mint green Breyer holiday socks from last year or so.

After I lost all that weight, I find I am cold most of the time, and so I wear a lot of socks. Breyer's socks are nice ones and so I buy almost every pair they release. 

 As for the BreyerFest Second Chance Sale, if there are any Dalarnas,

then I may get another of those so I can gift it to Swedish/Canadian daughter-in-love Emily.

And I'd really like to have an Uppsala - the Semi-Rearing Stallion is my all time favorite mold, and having it available as a Stablemate now is awesome. Plus, Emily lived in Uppsala for a couple of years when she was in college and I like that connection to her. 

Other than that, I'm happy with what I've already gotten. If you're going shopping this morning, good luck! I hope you are able to get some things that you'd wanted.

Last call for the August Give Away! 

Entries close at 11:59 PM Eastern tonight. Comment to enter! 

Does This Make My Backside Look Big?

First Post of the Day

Does this make my backside look big? 

If so, then it's doing its job.

This is an 18th century Frances Rump, the 1785 - 1795 version. (The 1775 - 1787 version is even bigger.)

They were filled with feathers (ACHOO!), horsehair (no way), cork shavings (messy!), and wool roving (too expensive.)

Most modern day sewists like me fill them with polyfil (much less expensive.)

In the 1700s, the goal was to lift the skirts up in the back for some added shaping. (Photo by The Dreamstress.)

I'm working on two Frances Rumps, both of off-white linen and embroidered with flowers, pink on one and white on the other.

I finished the first and put it on my dressmaker's mannequin to check fit and look.

Had I overfilled the channels? The weight of the wearer's skirts will compress them somewhat, but still I wondered.

And then I found this photo, also from The Dreamstress, with several examples of Frances Rumps. (To be clear, she was having fun; women did not wear multiples like that.)

I'd thought I might remove the twill tape waistband and remove some of the polyfil, but not anymore.

With time and the weight of petticoats, this undergarment will be just fine.

And it does make my backside look big, so yay, me!

Last day to enter the August Give Away!

Learn the secret life of Pepper, Seeing Eye Dog extraordinaire!

Entries close at 11:59 PM Eastern tonight and I'll spin to win tomorrow.

Stay 'tooned!

The Prince of Egypt

Second Post of the Day

Since she was young, Mountain Mama Jessica has been performing on the stage. Her forte is musical performances and she just finished eight performances with the Spanish Fork Community Theater in The Prince of Egypt.

Jessie and her family often perform together; Andrew has a history of theater while in high school and Cambria and Titan are very active musically year round.

The Prince of Egypt broke all past records for attendance at shows put on by the SFCT. It also had its biggest cast ever - 141 people!

Cambria had her first lead role and sang the role of Leah.

Being onstage is her happy place.

Andrew also had a lead - he performed the role of Aaron.

Titan sang and danced in various ensembles and groups (the dancing is why he is wearing dance shoes rather than sandals.)

I wish I had been able to go out and see their performances but I couldn't. When that happens, I can usually rely on Jessie to send me videos, both from behind the scenes as well as performances. 

She is a master at taking videos and putting them together (she does all my BreyerFest videos for me) but since she was onstage so much for this show, she did not get as many photos or videos taken as usual.

So, I am hoping the SFCT made a video of one of the performances and that it can be shared. Fingers crossed!

Just look at this dignified and very busy Seeing Eye dog!

Catching Zzzs wherever and whenever she can because she never knows when she'll be needed  to help. Smart girlie!

Comment to enter the give away and stay 'tooned!

My Mini Garden Produces a Mini Harvest

First Post of the Day

The weather has been beautiful here - warm but not hot, low humidity, and sunny. We have all enjoyed sitting out on the porch and getting some sunshine.

Tammo has a little buddy enjoying the sun right along with him.The PAM continues to whiten up - I'll post another progress picture soon.

To the left of Tammo is my "vegetable garden." Two tomato plants and a pepper plant are in that planter and actually producing veggies.

Just as the planter is small,

so is the produce. Small it may be, but it tastes yummy.

I cleaned out the tornado closet last week and hauled out my old canning supplies that were tucked way back under the stairs. 

I also found several cases of canning jars plus these two jars of pickles I'd canned several years ago. I had not dated the jars, and even though the seals were still intact, I threw the pickles out - no ptomaine poisoning wanted around here!

All that's left in the tornado closet are the carpet cleaner and some emergency food supplies - whole grains, freeze dried fruits and veggies, some water purifiers, and a wheat grinder. Should we need to shelter for a tornado, both Craig and I plus the dogs now have a safer place to go than just hanging out in the laundry room. (And hey, we could snack on those freeze dried foods, right?? Not!)

Don't forget the August give away - learn about Pepper's career as a Seeing Eye dog from the source, Sarah LaRose, the woman Pep guided.

Comment on any blog post published Tuesday, 8/ 4 through Friday, 8/7 at 11:59 PM Eastern to enter. I'll spin to win and send the winner a copy of Walk with Me, Sarah's book about Pepper and her other guide dogs.

Another post is coming today  - stay 'tooned!
 

If Ever a Tree was a Friend

Second Post of the Day

Well, I did it. I finally gathered up my courage and drove out to Morainewood. I hadn't been there since the house, barn, and summer house were razed, and I hadn't been there to pay homage to the old oak that had fallen earlier this summer.

It was time to go.

I pulled in the driveway and stopped. The river pasture was being kept mowed and, aside from the missing fencing, looked as it did fifty years ago when we ran horses on  that land.

The cottonwood tree that stands sentinel at the bottom of the driveway is at the end of its life span, too.

Parasitic vines climb it now and are slowly taking the life from it.

I gasped aloud when I looked up the driveway.

The oak was lying across the top, so long that both ends extended beyond view. It was massive and the thought of it having fallen and lying there made the tears begin. I loved that tree, just as my siblings and parents did.

The tree blocked the rest of the way up the driveway

and was hanging over the edge of the ravine. I stepped close to see if I could still see the stairs that led down to the horses' paddock, but they were buried under the limbs and dying leaves.

The roots had decayed so badly, they simply snapped instead of uprooting with the oak. No wonder it had toppled in the wind - there had not been much to hold it in the soil any more.

I walked over to the tree and set my hand on it for a while, thinking of all the years it was a part of my life. If ever a tree was a friend, that one had been it. So many happy memories included it.

I really wanted a selfie with the tree to have for my memories, but I kept starting to cry.

But you can see that the oak's trunk is so massive, I couldn't see over it. It was a true behemoth.

As I stood there with my hand on its trunk, I spied some color along the edge of the woods.

There are lots of native wildflowers on the property

and these are Tall Bellflowers. I plucked a stem and set it inside my car, took a last look at the tree and where my home had stood, and headed down the driveway.

The north pasture along the drive had been allowed to grow wild and was unrecognizable to me - you would never have known that horses had grazed there.

Here's proof - Amy, Flame, and Nick are standing right about where that photo was taken. Mother Nature is taking back what used to be hers.

Still standing is one last fence post on the north pasture

and for some reason, our old mailbox is still in place, even though there is no longer a home on the property.

I headed back into town but I didn't go home - I had one more place to go.

I wanted to leave a little touch of home on my parents' graves so I placed the stem of Tall Bellflower on their headstone.

Saying goodbye to the old oak was hard, even harder than saying goodbye to the house. The circle of life is nearly complete for it. I hope it is left where it fell and allowed to quietly return to the earth in the place where it lived and grew and sheltered and gave great peace and happiness.

Goodbye, oak. And thank you.