What to Do... and When to Do It

A few days ago I began to look online at Petfinder at the adoptable Westies in South Texas. I felt that my heart was beginning to heal and open up to another little dog. Right now there are not many Westie girls available, so I wrote an email to my friend, and Treasure's foster mom, to get some advice.

Barbara has been so encouraging, giving me names and contact numbers of several people, including a reputable breeder in Central Texas. I was prepared to give phone calls to some of them when one of my "cyber-friends" on Ebay unexpectedly had to have her beloved dog put down. This Ebay community is made up of dog owner/lovers, many of whom have Westies or other terriers, and we have developed a very close kinship with one another. Most of us have lost a dog, many of them in the last two years.

So when this latest event occurred to a friend, it brought back all the emotion and heartbreak I had experienced with Treasure. Tears flowed again. We have all brought back sweet memories of our "furkids" and have tried to comfort one another as best we could.

Needless to say, this has put my quest on indefinite hold. My heart still longs for another Westie to fill this house with love and frivolity as only a Westie can. But the timing is off track for the moment. I am still grieving for my little companion and that would not be fair to a new dog with special needs, as most rescues are. It's sort of like dating on the rebound - everyone is bound to get hurt.

So I will share some photo memories of Treasure and begin the healing process all over again. And when the time is right, I'll pick up the search where I left off.

Here she is at ages 6-9 and 13 (in the lower right corner.)

Except for the duplicate in the upper right corner, these are ages 10-13, after she was diagnosed with cancer.

Happy Valentine's Day!

The Grand-boys came by yesterday and brought Ludee and Papa this beautiful Valentine. I think it's the nicest Valentine I've ever received. Both boys contributed to the card, but I can see Adrian's growing artistic talent shining through.

It's so much fun to watch them grow and develop their personalities. Both boys are very affectionate, but each is branching out in expression, showing tendencies in different areas. Adrian is three and a half and, apart from being extremely smart, is learning how to communicate his feelings and ideas to the world around him. Kid's Day Out has been a blessing for him to play with other children his age and to interact with adults apart from his immediate family.

Andrew, on the other hand, is our Little Tornado. He hits the ground running, flitting from place to place, taking in every detail of life. He is agile and fast! Nothing gets past his notice, and very little goes untouched by little hands. And yet, he will stop mid-stream and come for a hug and a squeeze - a little respite from his fast-paced world.

We are truly blessed.

Snow in San Antonio... Really???

Winter came to South Texas this week. This very rare occurrence caused our temperatures to remain below freezing for three straight days. I think the highest temp has been 28 degrees. Even though it's been a personal affront to most of us, we try not to complain loudly because most of the rest of the country is stuck in the deep freeze with mounds of snow paralyzing their areas.

But snow in San Antonio is the rarest of rarities. The last significant snow here occur ed in 1985 when two storms brought 14 inches of white stuff that stopped everyone and everything in their tracks. The forecasts of snow have kept Facebook and Twitter buzzing with anticipation. And sure enough, last night around news time, a frozen mist started to cover our area. Unfortunately, this frozen mist was pretty much all we got and this morning San Antonio is covered in a layer of ice. Anything resembling snow collected on the frozen surfaces of the streets and sidewalks. But even that is pretty. Here is the view from my back and front doors.

The white covering of ice and snow give a nice definition to the pool.

If there is any accumulation in the grass, it can't be seen from my front porch. But the flower bed attracted some of the white stuff.

The sun is peeking out over the roofs across the street. Soon the ice and snow will be a thing of the past and we will wonder if we were just dreaming!