Oh, Please! How hard can it be?

Company comes and company goes and I take the trash out so I can sort it and get out the recycle stuff and put it where it goes.  I have box right outside the door for the plastic.  I have a bag on the door for the pop cans.  A box is under the Philodendron for newspapers and another for the junk mail.  The glass gets set on the buffet and I take it to the tin shed.  Call me a nut, but nut I am.

It is all set up, all that needs done is everything in its place.  I guess I should be happy that it made it to the trash, but you know me, if I ain't bitchin' I am probably dead.  I like to go for walks and when I do I always carry a sack.  I come home with lots of good stuff!  I find aluminum cans which I stomp and put in my sack.  Sometimes I do the plastic if it is not really dirty.  No spiders allowed in my sack!  I even found a muffler once which was kind of heavy so I kicked it over and then came back that way and got it.  It went in the scrap metal pile.

The cans go in a drum with a big liner and when that is full, I got me some spending money!  Cardboard gets torn into manageable pieces and goes to the recycle place along with the glass, plastic and newspapers.  I have a box in the front room that accumulates stuff for the Disabled Veterans.  People actually contribute to my piles from time to time.  Remember when we used to use rags?  That was the good old days!  Now we buy nice square microfiber things to use.

So, here is my question, when you pitch that beer can out the window, what do you think happens to it?  Are you doing it so I can find it?  If you are, thank you, but I can not be everywhere.  I used to walk on the levee and I could really make a haul there, but guess where I make my biggest finds?  Right out here in my own trash can!  You would think when people live with me day after day that they would get the idea that mother is a trash picker for a reason!  But no.  What is it the Bible says about a Prophet is not without favor save in his own country?  Well a woman who recycles has the hardest audience under her own roof!

I have seen park benches made with recycled plastic and they are beautiful.  I have seen what aluminum cans can do when thrown over the fence at the Animal Shelter.  They land on the trailer and are then sold for medicine for the doggies.  Glass, I don't know about, but I am sure it becomes something better than a mess on the side of the road.  So, I am not going to nag you, but if you come to my house, I would appreciate it very much if you did not throw your beer cans in the front yard.  And leave your cigarette butts in the can on the back patio.  If you are tired of that jacket, throw it in the box over under the big North window.  We will have a good time if you just humor me on this!

Have a good day, put litter in it's place, and remember to smile cause God loves you!

Elvira the dog and Icarus the cat are having a nap!!

Every body and every thing gets along in my harmonious little home, be it human or web footed, or four legged.  I have my office on the upper level of my house so I need to go down a short flight of stairs to get any where except bed.  In the office I have 2 big pillows for the dogs and this small bed for the kitty.  No one has any particular sleeping place assigned and it is not at all unusual to see 2 animals sleeping on one of the pillows or one of the animals in this cat bed.  It is rather unusual to see 2 animals in the cat bed though.

This is Elvira the dog and Icarus the calico cat.  Aren't they cute?  Daisy is over on one of the pillows.  I could not resist this shot.  Now you should know, that if I decide to set it the recliner and put my feet up, the first thing that happens is Icarus jumps up on my chest and lays down.  Then Elvira jumps up and lays on my right arm.  Daisy, not to be outdone then plops on my legs.  Elvira will reach over and smack the cat on the head several times trying to get a reaction.  Reaction is usually for me to stand up because the whole concept of the recliner is then lost.

When I go outside to either let the waterfowl out or put them in, I am also accompanied by this menagerie.  If I go down to sew, they each have their place in the sewing room.  Weave and the same thing.  Never guess what happens when it is bedtime!

So there you have my social life in a nut shell.  I get more unconditional love in one day right here at home then most people get in their  whole life through.  All my little animals came from either the pound or some where that was going to end up in the pound.  I always thought I would like to have a Standard Poodle, but pound never seems to get them, so I am happy with my bunch of little ankle biters!  What they lack in size they make up for in devotion.



This is a refrigerator covered with bumper stickers or are they refrigerator stickers?

Well, in  case you do not know where this refrigerator is located, I  am going to tell you!  It is not in my home.  Wish it was, but it isn't.  I especially like the one that says "There is no way to peace, Peace is the way".  Bet you think this is the refrigerator of a Bleeding Heart Liberal, and you are about half right.  This belongs to a woman who is younger than I am, but can remember when it was all about peace and love.  My generation was more the "Beat Generation" with Ginsberg, while Jan was the John Lennon devotee.
I was busy having babies in the 60's and then divorced in the 70's and it was mostly a blur after that.  But I remember the bumper stickers, "If it feels good do it!"  "Insanity is doing the same thing over in the same way and expecting different results." My personal favorite was "Ten Commandments are not multiple choice."

So this refrigerator is in the coffee house I go to in Beulah.  I found this place this spring  when I was wandering around with the tall fellow.  I did not have the privilege of seeing this until my second visit.  I was enthralled, but the tall guy was offended (my first clue). 

This is the lovely proprietress, Jan Miller.  Her place of business is the Stompin' Grounds Coffee Shop.  This broad can rival Starbucks with the selections she has of coffee and tea.  And there is a bunch of breakfast sandwiches and a lunch menu also.  I am not sure if she still does the BBQ on Saturday evening.  Good excuse to go up there and see her I am a thinking!  She is open everyday until 2:00 PM except Monday and Tuesday.  I usually wander in about coffee break time almost any day that grabs me just right.  Like to take my friends up when I can catch one which is not every day, but sometimes.

                                  

There you have my musings for the day.  I have succeeded in making myself lonely for the Coffee Shop so I must now work in a visit to see my friend.  Not going to be today, but very soon.  Maybe I will see you up there!  And if you get there before I do, please be sure you tell my BFF that Lou Mercer sent you and she should be along directly!

Bless these little animals, oh Lord, and do it quick!

Last Sunday was October 24, which was Blessing of the Animals at our church.  This is always a fun time of the year.  People bring their animals in and Pastor Lamb blesses them.

 Here is David with some sort of very big bird with a very big beak.  I think this is a Scarlet Macaw. 

Here is Pastor Lamb down on her knees talking it over with a couple of miniature dachshunds.  I am not sure who won the first round of talks, but Pastor is pretty persuasive and I think she finally got them to eat a treat.

Here is the Great Pyrenees and the English Mastiff being very good.

Here is a great Pyrenees talking to a Schnauzer. In the background is the English Mastiff.  I tried very hard to neither look nor smell like food while taking my pictures for this blog.

And here is the last shot of David getting his hair groomed by his Macaw.  A good time was had by all. This is always a good day at our church because people love their animals.

The Blessing of the Animals is always a big hit and brings all the animals into the sanctuary.  This year Diane Hustead was good enough to volunteer to run the vacuum and other stuff that needed done after the service.  Hooray for Diane!

While the animals were very well behaved, when you get that many in one place sometimes they forget their manners a  little bit.

The killer cat and the feathers I get to clean up!

See that cat there?  That is Icarus, my calico.  She is peering under the treadmill in hopes that the bird she brought inside might accidentally be under there!  See all those little things on the floor?  Those are feathers the bird neglected to take with it when it escaped the clutches of this evil feline!

More feathers in the hall way!  The bird is probably getting cold and scared long about now!

Here we are in the kitchen/dining room.  By this time I am getting a little tired of taking pictures and am in search of the vacuum cleaner.  I have already taken the dove outside and put it up high.  I know there is virtually no chance of survival due to the cat fever aspect of the ordeal it has just endured, but hope none the less springs eternal in the human breast!

Ok, now the mess is cleaned up and the cat is looking at me funny.  I know that cat's bring us treasures like mice, birds, snakes and centipedes because they love us and they think we are stupid and can not catch our own food, but come on guys!  I let my cat watch me eat and at no point has Icarus ever seen me devour any of that stuff. Now if she could go out and bring me home a side of beef we might be talking here, but she does not.  It is all this stuff that I have to clean up and dispose of properly.  (Yeah, like there is a way to dispose of dead wild life in the kitchen properly!

But as long as I have a doggie door and  a cat, I am sure I will have this little problem from time to time.  I have talked to her and she just flips her tail, looks over her shoulder and walks off with a little swish.  This is the same cat that will wake me up in the middle of the night while perching on my shoulder and giving me tiny little licks on the cheek.  God only knows what she had dropped in my bed, but I do jump up and look, just in case she thinks I need a midnight snack!

It takes special people to love cats and I guess I am one of those people.  She rules the two dogs with a disdainful glance and they just watch her walk away.  So for the next 14-15 years I know I have a companion and I also know I do not have to worry about eating!  Lonely?  The local animal shelter is full of these furry little creatures.  Just call my friends at the Pueblo Animal Shelter and I am sure someone will help you find a special one!

And the phone call came, as it always does....

Just got the phone call I have been expecting with the news that we have lost another client.  We had planned a farewell party for him for last Tuesday, but he wound up in the hospital, so we postponed it for a few days.  This is never easy, these parties, but it gives us all a chance to say goodbye.  Missed this one.

Why is it when that phone call comes, it is always a surprise?  We were expecting it, we knew it was coming, but just not today and not this early in the morning.  And why is it that when it comes the first response is to find someone to hold me when I cry?  I am a strong woman, and I know other strong women, and yet that is the first thing we want; someone to hold us. 

So, failing in that, because there is definitely a shortage of arms around here, I must do the next thing, and that is to rage.  Rage against the unfairness of life, rage against a young life cut short,  and rage that our government, our churches, the hierarchy of the world can do nothing about this damn disease that steals our people while the population in general thinks we have actually found a cure for this.  Rage while our young people have unprotected sex, because it can not happen to them!

Right now my mind is a dither, and I just wanted you to know some of my feelings at this moment.  You have all been there so I am sure you understand.  Just want you all to take the time to turn to someone and tell them you love them.  Tomorrow is another day and you may not get the chance.  And remember in spite of it all, God is good and his arms are always there for me.

Doug and Dorothy; a study in the human side of living.

I should be horse whipped for what I am about to attempt!  Those two little people there are complete and absolute Saints and I am going to attempt to tell you why without even knowing half of what this man and woman have done for the betterment of this fair city where I reside.
 
I first met Doug Gale  and his lovely wife Dorothy while I was attending Christ Congregational Church in Belmont.  Belmont is a subdivision of Pueblo, Colorado.  I think that was about 6 or 7 years ago.  As I recall he was pushing participation in the Crop Walk which is a fundraiser designed to restock food pantry's and such.  I did not pay very much attention to Doug and Dorothy other then to make a note that here was two old people that I should be nice to.
 
Then I began to notice that Doug and Dorothy were turning up at a lot of places that I frequented.  Peace rallies, Political rallies, various fundraisers, church functions and then I ran into them at SRDA delivering Meals on Wheels, Martin Luther King functions, the Ghandi Peace Garden.  Lord those people were every where!  I do not remember what I was working on that caused me to need to drop things off at Doug and Dorothy's house, but it was then that I began to see just what a force these two were in Pueblo. These people worked with any thing that had to do with old people, young people, civil rights, animal rights, gay or straight, military and they even turned up down in Peppersauce Bottoms when we were sandbagging to keep the torrential rains out of those homes.  My God the man is next in line to God as far as I am concerned!  And by his side is his lovely wife Dorothy.
 
Anyone who has ever met Doug and Dorothy will realize that while Dorothy is his beloved wife, he is in turn her caregiver.  Doug is on our Pastoral Relations Committee at the First Congregational Church and is quick to note to all that it is Doug and Dorothy.  Always Doug and Dorothy.  The only time Doug does not have Dorothy by the hand is when he has duties that take him aside and then he makes sure their daughter is there to hold her hand.  He thinks we should hold hands in church when we pray.  His reasoning is he always has Dorothy, but there might be some people who have no one and this would give human contact.
 
What can I say about this couple?  How can I make you understand that while I can not even tell you how many people these two have helped feed and clothe, given peace and respite , given hope and comfort, and never complained that it was an inconvenience to give any one a hand up.  No dog goes unpetted and there is always a smile on the face of this little fellow and a twinkle in his eye.  I must admit that as I have come to know Doug and Dorothy better, I find myself trying to immolate Doug. 
 
I think it finally dawned on me at the Peace Flotilla this year.  This man has organized schools, city fathers, churches, and I do not know what all to get the biggest crowd ever to launch the floats.  And the daughter held her mother's hand so Doug was free to mix with little kids, men in suits, women with flowers and a dog or two that ran past. 
 
I pray for these 2 people every day and I pray for this woman on this computer that she can be just a little like Doug and Dorothy. I pray that I can gain half their goodness, a fraction of their faith and just  tiny drop of the compassion that these two people are filled with for the whole human race.