One Pair of Hands

"Those hands are so strong
When life goes wrong...
Put your faith
Into one pair of hands."

I promised I would try to post something I am thankful for every Thursday.

I am grateful for God's hands and this video and song say it best. God bless and take care. We are in His hands.

Brownie's Brother, Prince

Earlier in my blog, you may have seen a few pictures of my fur buddy, Brownie. He was a Christmas gift from my baby boy, Chris three years ago. He is a cross between a chihuahua and a Jack Russell. If you didn't know better, you might think this was him, but it's not. This is TT's (Te`Love's) dog. My baby was (we believe) stolen from my back yard on a very cold day in February. I had tied him up outside only long enough to take care of his personal needs, and glanced out on the back step to see the cable laying there and him gone. I miss him daily, and Prince tries to console me.

When I went to visit my grand daughter this morning, Prince ran to the door to greet me. Humans could take lessons from dogs in making guests feel welcome. He showered me with kisses and attention. They (dogs) have this awesome way of giving unconditional love. While researching one of my articles about pets for Triond I found some wonderful statistics to back up what I already felt in my heart "Statistically, someone who has had a heart attack has a 500% better survival rate when they return to a home with a pet." (As if I needed an excuse to love my fur buddy more. ) My fur buddy is pictured there also. So if you see him when you're out and about let him know I miss him and still love him.

You wouldn't know how enthusiastic Prince was moments earlier though to watch him in this video. We tied him up for a few minutes outside to take care of his business. Once he completed the business at hand he decided it was too hot outside to run and play so he calmly laid down and watched me. I should have handed him a camera too. I wonder what he would have filmed?
After shooting this short vignette, I scooped him up and took him back in where it was cooler. He richly thanked me.

The Master Artist

I was in awe of these beauties when I spotted them sitting near my daughter's home. Next time I visited I brought my camera. I wonder if the other buds have opened yet?

Flower Hunting

My grand daughter and I spent the day together two week ends ago. She spied this flower (second picture down) outside my bank and held it facing up so I could quickly snap it. She has quite an eye for beauty and loves to assist Grandma in her ventures. Thanks, TT, short for Te`Love.

I Chopped these Trees Down!

The next two pictures in this little album is of a tree which sprouted on it's own at the back corner of my driveway. My neighbor has another tree similar, and it probably dropped a seedling. Because I purchased my home in 1994 I have had the good fortune to watch my yard undergo many transformations.

A little over ten years ago, at my husband's urgings, I had this tree and another chopped down. One sat at one back corner and the other sat at the other back corner of my drive. The one not pictured is a mulberry tree and the other (shown here) is a mystery to me. We cut both down just as far as possible then poured chemicals on the stumps to kill them. After all drive ways are for cars, right?

They Are Now Towering Majesties

God, who is the master artist, must have had other plans. Both trees now tower well over me, with my "mystery" tree (pictured in the last two pictures) being taller than my home. The blossoms are enchantingly beautiful and the leaves shaped like huge hearts; green hearts, at that. I believe it symbolizes growth, love, and beauty all in one.

If anyone knows the name of this tree, please let me know. The flowers have yellow and black stripes inside. Can you see the one on the far left? They
shower my yard with blossoms, like a flower girl at a wedding.

How could I have ever thought of cutting down this tree? Look at these huge leaves. These wonderful trees grace my yard and provide our home with relief from the hot summer days. In the coldest windiest winter days I also know that my home is no where near as cold as it would have been without them. The mulberry trees draw birds from far and near and place their welcome songs in the air. I just love waking to the sound.


Mystery Solved
A coworker heard me talking about my tree and told me she was pretty sure it was a catalpa tree, so I looked it up on the internet. The smallest picture at the top came up in my search for catalpa trees and sure enough the blossoms match my tree. Thanks to my coworker, Tish and the photographer who submitted their picture I know what type of tree this is. The beauty and clarity of their photography shines through making the identification easy. Thanks!

Hospitalized Patients Improve their Odds

When I came across these stats the other day I knew in my heart they were right. It read the recovery rates for hospitalized patients who return home to a pet are 500% higher. Just knowing you have that little bundle of fur waiting at home for you is enough motivation and incentive to help you get moving a little faster.

My new found friend, Koester has penned this article about her kitten. Please feel free to read, enjoy and comment. I did:http://www.authspot.com/Journals/Reunion-with-my-Pet.249055




By ATV Bill on Flickr

Reunion with my Pet

by Koester Moeller, Sep 11, 2008
A kitten was missing after 12 days when someone else fed two cats. Three months later I found her. What had happened? How carefully do animals observe? Do they feel your longing? To read more click on the link.

What Happened to Triond?

When I first found Triond
Nothing could compare
To the love and support
That I found there
It loomed in my mind
Every where I’d go
I had to brag about Triond
And let everyone know
I told family and friends,
Stopped them in the street
Told them to log in –
This site is so sweet!
I hung up fliers
In my place of employ
I loved Triond.
It was my pride & joy.
In the middle of the night
I’d jump up from my bed
Racing down the stairs
To read something someone said…
Obsessed
Is not too strong a word
To describe the way I felt
I heard the word Triond,
And my heart would melt…
But shortly after that
I heard the word decline
And it was in connection with
Some work of mine
Similarity was the reason
Triond gave for this
My work looked like someone’s
So I was amiss
I could understand,
In fact I never disagreed
Originality is what
Every writer needs
But soon I read articles
That were copies of another
They copied from my sister
And copied from my brother
New writers at Triond
Were on the hot list now
Copying from others –
Triond published it
How?
When I started here,
We worked hard to get our reads
When we made it to the top
We took pride in our deed
Where have the ethics gone
When four reads mean your contents hot?
And 400 or more
Means your content’s not!
There was a day
When the reader was the king
When they loved your content
And your heart would sing
But now you can’t be sure
Why the writers score
And wonder what
The rest of us have in store.

I want the old Triond back!

Can anyone tell me where Triond went?

Judy Sheldon (-Walker)