Author: Joanne
Gentle Amber
An Ignorance a Sunset
552An ignorance a Sunset
Confer upon the Eye—
Of Territory—Color—
Circumference—Decay—Its Amber Revelation
Exhilirate—Debase—
Omnipotence’ inspection
Of Our inferior face—And when the solemn features
Confirm—in Victory—
We start—as if detected
In Immortality—Book: The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson by Emily Dickinson
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A Dog’s Purpose
Sometimes, you can come across a story so incredibly profound and touching that it just has to be shared. And it has to be saved somewhere safe, where it can be read again and again, as the message it contains is so simple, yet so important if we wish to live a happy life. I read the following story on Facebook this morning, and it gave me goosebumps. And it reminded me of my joyful, departed Tess. ❤
“A Dog’s Purpose?
(according to a 6-year-old).Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog’s owners, Ron, his wife Lisa , and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.
I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn’t do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.
As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.
The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker ‘s family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.
The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker’s Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.
Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ”I know why.”Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I’d never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way I try and live.
He said,”People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life — like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?” The Six-year-old continued,
”Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.”
Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.
Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:
When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.
Take naps.
Stretch before rising.
Run, romp, and play daily.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Be loyal.
Never pretend to be something you’re not.
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.
There comes a time in life, when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh, forget the bad, and focus on the good. So, love the people who treat you right. Think good thoughts for the ones who don’t. Life is too short to be anything but happy. Falling down is part of LIFE…Getting back up is LIVING…”
~ Source: Ultima National Resources, LLC
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Wordless Wednesday
What’s New in the Garden?
“In the garden I tend to drop my thoughts here and there. To the flowers I whisper the secrets I keep and the hopes I breathe. I know they are there to eavesdrop for the angels.” ~ Dodinsky
Little Miss Tibbs loves gardening. She thinks she is in seventh heaven when she’s sniffing the stories of the breeze, rolling in the freshly laid mulch and basking in the sunshine amid the colourful flowers. 🙂
Under the watchful eye of Miss Tibbs, I planted Cornflower and Foxglove seedlings, the whole way along the line of the fence. I haven’t tried out either plant before, so it will be very interesting to see if they grow well. Both are classed as old-fashioned flowers, and I’m an old-fashioned person, so we will be very happy together if they like their new home. Just imagine the cut flowers I could be bringing inside in a few month time!
My son and his lovely wife-to-be will be married in our garden this September, so the rush is on to have the whole garden looking just right. I’m planting seedlings and flowering shrubs, weeding and mulching, whilst husband takes care of the heavier work to be done.
Husband is tackling the biggest job of all right now by replacing a retaining wall, which holds up our paved area right behind the house, where the main events of the wedding will take place. Over the years the wall had moved and the paving dropped ~ cracks were beginning to appear throughout a whole section of the area, and now, with the wedding imminent, the rush to have it repaired is on!
Little Forrest puppy, my son’s dog, and a little adventurer, had discovered how to escape out of the back yard, so my son has begun to fence the back garden into two sections, the upper section will be for entertaining, gardens, and the swimming area, whilst the lower section (where the escapee likes to break out!) will be known in future as the food area. This is where we have our fruit trees, the pecan nut trees and vegetable gardens.
The food area is also the area where my future chook pen will be positioned. safely away from bouncing dogs, and I’m hoping that my future chooks will oblige by fertilising my fruit trees in return for a large run. 🙂 But they will have to wait until after the wedding.
I have planted three fuschias in the garden this year, and so far, all three have survived, which is a first for me. Previously, I have tried to grow fuschias in hanging baskets and have lost them all, so I’m hoping they will continue to flourish in the flower beds.
Fuschias bring back happy memories of my very young days, living in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney. We had a beautiful fuschia bush, and my “middle” sister (she’s 13 years older than me) would help me to lay the cut flowers between pieces of blotting paper. We would then carefully place heavy books on top of the flowers to “press” them. The same method of pressing worked very well with pansy flowers.
Last week I asked our local stationer if they had any blotting paper and they unfortunately didn’t. He told me they had been trying to get it in stock for some time now, without success.
I wonder what Miss Tibbs could smell here? We hear the occasional possum or bandicoot out and about at night. Perhaps they have ventured along this fence at some stage, leaving a scent for another, more curious feline-type animal to investigate.
My daughters loved snapdragons when they were little, so when Emma and I saw these at the garden centre, we had to bring some home for the garden. They are so colourful, and another flower that brings back happy memories of years gone by.
With my first grandchild due in November, I want to have a happy garden in which they will be making their own new memories.
I found a climbing shrub, Duranta, about a year ago. I hadn’t heard of the plant before, but the flowers looked so pretty, so I thought I would give it a go next to the chainwire fence. I think it likes growing there, it has grown substantially bigger since I planted it, and has started to flower again this year. Happy Plant ~ Happy Gardener!
I never seem to go wrong with either Dianthus or Alyssum as edging plants for a flower bed. No matter where I plant them in the garden, sun or part shade, they grow well, and continue to flower, year after year.
Well, that’s the latest of my plantings in the garden for this week. I thought it might be fun to try and keep a journal of what I’m planting, and when they are planted, and if the plants I choose are successful or not, for future reference. It also may be of interest to my overseas friends to compare the difference between the plants we grow in each of our countries.
Fingers crossed, I’m hoping that all of my choices grow well in my sub-tropical climate. The harsh summer time will be the biggest test for them all, but we have a wedding before the heat arrives, and all being well, I will have some beautiful flowers to admire come September, which will double as backdrops for the wedding photos. 🙂
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