Scribbles and Scrambles - Life Decisions

When we were debating getting one puppy. let alone two, I mentioned our insane thinking to my violin teacher. He listened politely and nodded several times, told me to keep him posted. When I texted him about our choice to go big he LOL'd and said, "you make the best life decisions."

Not true. Not true at all. But our decisions have made for a very interesting (to us ) life. For that I'm glad. I mean without our early life plans to buy a chunk of land and live off of it would we still be longing for that same but morphing different experience? Without Lily and Lola would we have played it safe and only taken Gladys and named her Charlene? Without the years of hamsters, guinea pigs, rats, lizards, cats while we raised our kids would we ever have considered hedge hogs?

Rob's knee issues have kept him in documentaries and quirky television shows a few days a week. I've always been enamored of hedgehogs since I read the book Miss Jaster's Garden as a child. But I didn't think I'd ever own one.

My husband announced one day a few weeks ago, "I want a hedge hog." Then over the next weeks he began researching and sharing hedgie facts, info from local breeders and then added the idea of a second hog.

One local breeder does a spring sale amounting to almost a BOGO of a deal. And she had two sisters looking for a home. The kids and grandkids wondered if Rob would like one as a gift. They gave him an early Fathers Day card with enough cash to buy one and 1/2...how could I not buy the other 1/2 for him? Today Daisy and Daffodil joined our family. Gertrude and Gladys are bemused but accepting.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Ramblings That Make Sense Very Early In The Morning...

Did you know that pets can help bring emotional and physical healing? Duh. Of course you knew that, it's not a newsflash or anything. Hence the therapy dogs. etc. But it's really early in the morning and I was awakened by a dog and just couldn't go back to sleep so I thought I'd ramble about love and commitment and feel-feels. 

Put your seatbelt on, this is going to get very rambley. Now the above thought I threw out about pets actually makes me laugh a little. There are few things better than a pet who will curl up with you and snuggle when you are down. Healing indeed. However, there is a flip side that you can guess if you've ever potty trained a pet, or cleaned up after one in the middle of the night when the hoarking sound awakens you from a dead sleep. Or when my pups who might have a sour tummy want to go out at 3:00 a.m. to eat grass. This has happened to me. It's real. I don't know if it's a named syndrome or not, it probably should be. 

Anyhoo, regardless of the frustrating things that go along with pup parenting, pets add love, joy, peace and snuggles to my life. And that's worth the occasional dirty work or sleepless night. Kind of like marriage, or parenting, or friendship. When we put ourselves out there, stand behind our commitments and just do the hard work in those relationships we get the dividends in return. Not necessarily the way we expect, but blessings come in very unique packages. 

A person once told me that she didn't cry, ever. That she had used up all her lifetime's supply of tears years before during a rough patch in life. What I noticed as I observed her interactions was that she indeed didn't cry. But she also didn't seem to feel joy, either, or even notice the beauty in the crazy things. Oh, she politely oohed and ahhed or she seemed to love objects that were beautiful. But there was a disconnect when others in the room were near tears over cuteness or the sweetness of moments. Almost like she refused to feel anything beyond the very expected basic surface emotions that make society run properly. (ha, ha) 

I'm sure this works for her. Because if she's locked that door she doesn't go in and lament the decision she's made, there are so many ways to deaden our feelings. Another gal won't get a pet because in 10 years you will have to bury it. She doesn't want to get attached. I get that, I really do. But what is the hidden price you pay for the 10 years you live without the benefits of loving something or someone that much. My daughters, as they navigate this parenting thing, are understanding loving so much it aches. I'm right there with them. The act of living, really living, is full of opportunities to experience the multi spectrum light and color show of love. As much as I want the yellows and bright oranges and brilliant greens of the emotional plane, I also need the indigos and bruised purples to fully appreciate the gift of the yellows. 

Even fuzzy-headed (literally and figuratively, I was rudely awakened after all)I know the wisdom of loving and choose to experience the good, the sad, the bad and the divine in the moments gifted to me. There are so many creatures in my life to love til it hurts. 

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Laugh With Me...

Oh those KIDS! and funny parents, too. My aunt used to scribble funny comments her kids made on the inside of her kitchen cabinets. That cabinet door was papered with sticky notes. And oddly, those two boys are pretty stinking funny adults. So maybe there was something to her crazy word keeping skills. 

I wasn't that organized. I don't remember most of what I say, and my kids, well, either I was too busy laughing or comforting them because I laughed "at" them to write it down. My kids, all three, are very clever and witty as well. Whew!  Dodged that bullet. 

Now, as a grandma, I should tweet things like these clever folks. But I don't have to since some other folks do it so well, right?  


http://www.boredpanda.com/25-funny-parenting-tweets/


http://www.boredpanda.com/funny-dad-tweets-parenting-james-breakwell-exploding-unicorn/

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Past Blast Part 2

Remember the epic story of my past corporate life?  Here's part two for you. Christa mentioned that she was appreciative that she was able to mail me the cartoons thereby reducing her junk piles. 

Well, here's my response to that. Forever on the internet. 

So I did actually draw this one. Don't be jealous of my sweet skills. 

Scribbles and Scrambles - Missed Their People

We were gone a few hours. And missed.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Stuff and Stuff

  What I want to know is how this stuff accumulated in my house. I mean I have lived here 20 years, bringing things in, one bag, one box at a time. But when I compile the "outta heres" and haul the bags and boxes to the car and into the local thrift shop that supports a great ministry I just can't stop the amazement of the sheer poundage of the stuff we don't use. And there's more stuff. Lots more. I'm filling another bag with clothes that are becoming meh. And purging some old financial documents one bag at a time at a secure bin at work. And a few pieces of furniture need to go. The mate of the "bounced couch" days are numbered. 

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Cooking Challenges

It is a fact commonly known to humankind that a man who loses a knee watches a lot of television. Some of those television shows are binged season after season via Hulu and Netflix and lots of them are food preparation in nature. 

When my one-kneed man said he felt like cooking I stationed the dogs to catch small errors and myself to catch him if necessary.