Sweet Gunny

The above pictured dog is Gunner.  We lost him this year and, as usual, it broke our hearts.

Gunner wasn't my dog; he belonged to my daughter and her husband. Her husband, Kevin, rescued him from a shelter. (MAJOR kudos for that!!) But like any dog this family has, he belonged to all of us.  He was the first dog to be added to our family before (meaning he added to the family first and all the other son-in-laws and pups came later) and he was joined later with two "cousins" with whom he loved to play keep-away and wrestle.

Gunner was a mix of coon hound and boxer - he used his front paws part of the time, his tail most of the time, and his nose ALL of the time! He would go into hyper-dog mode and no other dog could catch him; he was so fast! He was also a cuddler - one of his sweetest traits.  

He was definitely hurting when my daughter had her first child.  He was the center of attention when anyone visited - he brought you his toy and pawed at it for you to play and if you didn't he would sit on you or stand on your feet. A little demanding but we indulged it! So it's no surprise that a baby rocked his world. Often he would get between us and the child - not for safety but for attention. We used to belong to him!  Of course time changed that and Gunner managed to tolerate his "little brother", Clyde. They had their games they'd play and it was all good....until Lena came along.

 Then things got really sticky - one was bad enough, but two?  (His facial expressions were so telling!)  He loved those kids but he really wished they'd not get all the attention.  Gunner gave up on being the center of attention except with me and my husband.  We were his first!  And he made that known - he's about knock the kids out of the way when we walked in the door.  And I loved him for that - he was my "other" dog after mine passed and, as a dog lover, I needed that from him.  And I think he knew it. We had a connection for sure!

  When Meg and Kevin bought a new house that butts up to a big woods, I worried about him a little.  I was afraid his nose would get the better of him and he'd run off.  He didn't, but he sure had that nose going out there! It kept him busy and it kept him happy. SO many good smells - turkey, deer, raccoon, squirrels, and so on. He was a happy guy!

 But he was also getting older.  He slept more and zoomed around less. He gave up seeking attention so insistently (but not from me).  And then he got sick. And he wasn't getting better.

                                  Our hearts were breaking as he dwindled in size and spirit.
       Eventually it became obvious that it was time to end his suffering.  He tried so hard to keep his tail going for us, to greet us as we walked into the house, to tell us that he still loved us.

  I have lost many people and while it has always been hard, we, as humans, have the ability to say words which can convey our feelings, thought, hopes, and dreams.  We don't get that luxury with dogs (or cats, horses, and other pets).   We can only hope that we are doing the right thing, the best thing, the most humane thing.  Megan and Kevin did their best for Gunner.They did the right thing and the humane thing.  Yes, I am sad he is gone, but I love that I got to have him in my life for a time. As always, "he was the best dog ever"!
                                                                Rest in Peace sweet Gunny! XOXO

I'm back for a bit.

Hello?  Is anybody out there?
 I somehow managed to forget all about this blog!  I started it five (5!) years ago because I enjoy writing and thought it'd be fun to share with the world some of the shenanigans that make up my life.

So much has happened since I stopped writing. Some BIG things!  Both daughters are now married and there are two grandchildren  - a boy named Clyde, soon to be 4 years old, and a girl, Lena, now 15 months old.  They are the loves of my life, of course. Grand-parenting is waaaaaaayyyyy better than parenting! My time with them leaves me happy and, sometimes, exhausted!  I see my own longevity  since they've come around.  I am not sure of the reason for this.  I certainly don't "feel" like a grandmother. And maybe it's that "mindset vs. reality" battle going on....and reality is winning.  Indeed, I have a finite set of time left on earth and being with those two makes me want to live forever.

And that's where the struggle sets in.  I don't want to live forever.  Never have. Never will.  In fact, I have always said that I want to go before I hit somewhere around 80; maybe earlier.  It seems those are the years where shit just hits the fan for humans, and life just get hard.  I could go on and on as to why I see it this way, but I won't.

Hopefully, in the next several years, my watercolor painting skills will have achieved a higher level of acceptance in my own eyes and I can give a few of my paintings to my family so they can look at them after I'm gone and maybe see a bit of me in there somewhere.

Yes.  I'm still trying.  Here are some from a few years back.  I'm better than this sometimes, well, most times, now. Sigh!  It's a process and I'm still enjoying it.  I'd show recent stuff but I don't have any on this computer.  Looking at these I see all sorts of wrong! (My painting cohorts say there are no mistakes.  They never said anything about things that are just wrong.) That I can say that means I've learned a thing or two. Some are still taped down to the board so just ignore any masking tape you see. Stay tuned for improved paintings!

Wait...this is more recent...

What also happened while I was "on break" was this, right next door to my house:

For four years we planted a two acre sunflower field.  I would walk it every single day and it was heaven!  These flowers are so interesting and they drew all sorts of wildlife.  There were bees and birds, raccoons and deer; I saw lots of life in those fields.  Two different years the field had a path mowed through it.  Being in the middle was really a unique experience!  There was so much going on and the color was phenomenal.  I was somehow lucky, blessed, and deemed worthy of those sunflowers and I nodded to that gift every time I saw them.  There is nothing happier or more welcoming than turning down your road to a vision of yellow and green swaying in the wind as you approached.  Just thinking about it gives me the same feeling.  It made me so happy!

Unfortunately, we sold that plot of land and I now have neighbors.  While they are very nice people, whose presence I enjoy, they are not sunflowers, nor do they greet me as I drive to my house.  A bit of a let down for sure, but I am grateful that I had all those sunflowers.  the memories and photographs can still pull me in.  I hope that lasts forever.

Catch you next time~

Where, oh where?

(this is me knocking myself out hunting for what I can't find!)

I need to have a little rant here.  If you know me and have been on Facebook tonight, you will have seen my blog title in my most recent post.  If you haven't then I will explain.  I have been looking for something that I know I have but it is not where it should be.  In this instance it is a camera photo card.  My husband bought a new "Critter Cam" needed a card for it.  I know I have an extra so I offered it to him. Yeah, well, nice idea, poor execution.

 

Needless to say, I have been sitting here going through the same drawers and cupboards over and over again, as if going through it one more time would make it magically appear!  I can't seem to stop because the places I am looking are the places I would normally put it.

 

Apparently I was not normal when I put that extra card away for safe keeping until it's needed. I cannot tell you how many times this has happened and I have never fouod what I am looking for even after several weeks, months, years!

 

Which brings me to that little voice in the back of my head that, at times like this says, "What is the matter with you?!?"  Of course, I then have to release a heavy sigh and reminisce about all the goofy-assed things I have done in my life...like leaving my cell phone in the pantry on top of the M&Ms jar, or putting the milk in the cupboard instead of the fridge, pushing a rake, forgetting about a baby gate in a doorway and tripping over it, setting my Walkman on the bumper of my car (only to find it still there upon arriving at my destination),  allowing the dog to run around and around only to find it's me that he has run around and I am now firmly tethered at the ankles to his rope, leaving my coffee cup on the side of the bathtub, putting my coat on inside out, the list goes on and on.  These goofs span a lifetime!

 

So what's the matter with me?  Nothing, I think.  I think I was having one of those "I am Super Organized Girl!" days and I outdid myself.  Otherwise, I would be able to find that card.

 

Yeah.  Some days it is like that.

:)

 



Sunday

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I didn't realize how long it has been since I have been on here until I was discussing it with some friends last night.  In fact, I pretty much forgot about my blog. (not that anyone would miss me - all 2 of them!)

 

The picture above is an indicator that the sun has set on showing you anymore of Art Prize.  It's too much a thing of the past.  If you really want to see what I didn't put on here, let me know and I will see what I can do.  Chances are, though, that you won't ask and/or I wont do it.  Seems fair, right?

 

  We are heading into Thanksgiving this week.  Since my last post we have had Halloween and the Presidential election.  I don't get any kids here for Trick-or-Treat, thus making that day a moot point.  And I didn't vote for the winner of the Presidential election which makes that a moot point also.  Well, as much as it can be a moot point.  I don't want to talk about that either.  Politics drive me nuts!  I've said it before and I will say it again:  Politicians are ruining our government and our country.  Nuf said!

 

 

Oddly, I don't have a whole lot to say right now. After doing some household chores and paying some bills, I think I am off to finish my book.  I am reading a John Sandford book called "Shock Wave".  I love Sandford's writing and also Vince Flynn's.  I have a Flynn novel waiting in the wings.

 

Hope your day is a good one.  Catch you next time~



Art Prize Day 2 Part 2

 

 

 

More Art Prize.

I must admit that my ambitions were lofty in thinking that blogging about this would be simple.  If you could only see the pictures I have LEFT OUT!!  At this point I am so tired of Art Prize I can barely sit here.  But I will finish this.  And, if you and I are both lucky, we will finsh Day 3 in here too.

 

Ok, we left off leaving the GRAM and went outward and onward to this.

 

Below, I am not sure if it's a bear or a wolf, but it was a little intimidating.

Below - Dog?  Cat? Lamb?

 



 

These were along the river.  We had to pass them to get up close to these....

 

 

Their tails would actually move back and forth with the current.  I think this needs to have a seafood restaurant right near its shoreline.  There actually were fish spawning in the river so these guys fit right in.

 

 

 

 

 

We headed into a convention center (never did get the name as we went in through a back door and went out via a skywalk) and this is what we saw on the Mezzanine level.

 

Most people that know me, know my love of pottery.  I could SO do this in my house.

 

 

These were well done but were so airy they about didn't show up.

 

 

I will let you make your own comments on these next two.  The second photo's medium is fiber....

 

 We walked a long hallway of lots of paintings andsketches, some glass pieces andother art forms and turned a corner to see this (below).  Yes, it is a wall of dogs.



 Seriously all dogs.

 

 

Have you ever heard of Zentangle?  This picture, below,  reminded me of it.  Never heard of it?  Try Google.

 

 

 This painting was so cool I could barely stand it.  And it was huge! Lifesize huge!  Crazy in a cool sort of way.

 

 

A lady made of denim...though I think it has a bit of a zombie effect to it, don't you?

 

 

A shirt made of rivets.  bet that's cold in the winter; specially in the snow belt where Grand Rapis sits.

 

 

We set back across the bridge and were welcomed to the other side by this guy. Thank heavens they put the his name on there.  I am sure I would have confused him for a different Sea Worm.

 

 

 

 

 This upright part was about 3 - 4 feet tall.

Moving on toward the Gerald Ford Museum we were greeted by this flock.  Clearly they are some sort of metal and they need super-duty support.

 

 

 

It is good to know that the 60s are not dead.  This exhibit was in the shape of a geo-dome and all the panels inside related to something I am unfamiliar with, though I did find it sort of, "Whoa, dude.  Far out!"

 

 

There were a few more sides to this structure and on the way out we noticed that it is all joined together like K'nex or Tinker toys.  Whoa, dude!  That IS far out!

 

 

 

 

 

The above description explains the next two photos.

 

 

This next one is sort of unusual.  It was created by a woman from Venezuela.  She had words written in rope and embedded in the lawn.  After you listened she gave to a tin charm to add to a structure dubbed as the Center Tree.  It had something to do with a ceremony and the dress worn by the women of the tribe.  Sorry I can't tell you more.  I started drifting off after a while.  My thought is that if you have to talk for a half hour to get people to "get" your art, maybe you better rethink it.  Just sayin'.

 

 



I am going to end this part on this picture.  These pups were so cute and I was taking a picture of Kim on my phone to send to a friend [who is a lover of dogs] and a gentleman and his wife asked if they could take a picture of the two of us with the dogs.  hey, why not?  So we did. 

 

We are a little over halfway through the day at this point.  I imagine that you are bleary eyed and verging on boredom.  Funny thing is, I haven't put ALL pictures of the day on here.  I will let you mull the enormousness of this event until I am back with Day 2 Part 3.  I can tell you this much - the next part has one of the biggest  dimensional realistic pieces I have ever seen.  

Catch you later!