City Market Rockin

So we hit the City Market last weekend to get supplies to make my Grandfather Eggplant Parm for his birthday. The day was cloudy but the mood was festive!

We got alot of great stuff, but the BEST part of the morning was running into my favorite couple, the Busers!
Much LUV!

Sunrise!

Caught this pic as I left my neighborhood this AM.

Bargin Plants, Future Gardens, Harvest Time

We hit Lowes over the weekend and got some amazing clearance plants. The three on the top were only $1.50 each, and the two huge ones below with Taco for scale were $3.50 each, so for $10 we got a whole bunch of awesome houseplants to reduce our sadness with our garden finishing up for the season.

Joe is working on getting an area setup for our raised garden for next year in the back yard.

And here's our two little Eggplants, dwarfs compared to the eggplant my Grandfather grew (from the SAME seedlings!) and down right tiny compared to my Aunt Diane's Yellow Squash. I guess there's always next year!

Fall is in the air, I'm looking forward to it and I hope you do too!

Arrowhead

Joe and I went to a free open practice at Arrowhead this week, good times!

It's pretty impressive, the renovations they have done :)

It was a lovely evening, we took the bike, which was fun!

Now if only they could win a few games....

Tomatoes!

Here's our harvest from this weekend!

Joe's going to make salsa with them and a few peppers from our garden. Perfect spicy condiment for these steamy days!

Florida Dreamin'

I only spent 4 days in Florida last week and it rained pretty much the whole time, but here's a few pics I caught between the rain drops...

More baby Geese pix

A few more cute geese pics from across the parking lot of my job.

Amazing such nature can thrive in an industrial park :)

Geese on Parade!

Caught a few pics of some baby geese in the drainage ditch by my job today.

Mama and Papa Goose wanted nothing to do with me though, and quickly herded them away :)

Pre-Birthday Plea :)

My Birthday is 17 short days away, see Here for ideas.

Used is fine, Paperback preferred :)

ChalkWalk

We hit ChalkWalk, a local sidewalk chalk art festival, last weekend.
These are my two favorite pieces :)

Can't Save them all :(

So this morning I stopped at QuikTrip for gas on my way into work. It was early morning, but Front St was already packed with traffic, semi trucks and minivans, everyone racing to where they needed to go. Through the chaos a group of three dogs carefully crossed five insane lanes of traffic and headed across the Waffle House parking lot beside QT to the industrial area where my job's located by the Missouri river. They were all scruffy and underfed mutts, but the leader walked confidently with his head held high while the others calmly followed. No one but me seemed to even notice them.

It was hard for me to watch them, knowing their chances in the feral dog world. Tears filled my eyes as I pulled away, wishing I could help them. But sadly I know I can't. We're beyond capacity with our current two foster dogs. Sure, I could have grabbed them and taken them to the local pound, but then what? Honestly, these dogs weren't adoptable. They weren't cute or sweet or willing to give their heart to a human. And who can blame them? I'm sure they all belonged to someone sometime and were lost or thrown away. At least in their current situation, regardless of how horrible it is, they have each other, they have a leader to show them the way through traffic, and they have the sunshine on their noses. That's more than so many doggies (even people!) have in this messed up world we live in.

As they migrated away from me, I said to myself the same mantra I always repeat when an animal crosses my path that I can't help. I thought "Go with God and be protected" I'm not a religious person, but I hope God or Mother Nature or whoever keeps an eye on them.

My Office Window...

I work in a big glass industrial building in the middle of a big industrial office park near the MO river. For all the 'Industry' all around, there's also plenty of wildlife, including ducks, geese and even the occational blue heron chilling in the drainage ditch we call 'The River Universal'

Anyway, the past few days, this little bird, (probably a robin?) keeps attacking my office window. I'm sure he sees his reflection and he must have some real self esteem issues because he sure hates himself. At first it was kinda funny, but I'm starting to feel bad about it. I haven't seen him this AM, but the outside of the window looks like a murder scene, with all kinds of scratches and slime.

What should I do? Do I let him continue to beat his little brain in? Do I clean off the crime scene from the window? Do I try to somehow coat the window with something to make it foggy and not reflective?

Morning Visitor

This morning I let our pack of pups out before leaving for work (as I always do) well, JuJu, our black lab/pitty mix, darted outside like there was a devil on her tail and immediately started freak out barking. I ran outside to see what the trouble was, as she freaked more and more, trying to climb a tiny tree. Then I looked up, and RIGHT above my head? the Hugest opossum I have ever seen peering down at me and JuJu!I hurried her and the rest of the pack (none of the other dogs noticed him) back inside, and I hope he's wandered off before I get home. Can you imagine, he's just chilling out, having a nice quiet morning stroll, when JuJu bursts into his reality?!? I'm just glad she didn't get him!

On a happier note, Taco is here at work with me today, good times! Check him out...hard at work!

New LadyBird Photos

Got some updated photos of LadyBird, our current foster dog this weekend.

She's not really into the camera, she doesn't get the idea of sitting a distance away and just looking at me, she wants to come sit RIGHT next to me, all the time. Finally I took her on a giant walkie and she was so tired afterwards, she was ready for her close up.

She's getting to be such a good girl, learning new stuff all the time.

Please contact me if you know anyone looking to add a sweet, older lady to their family :)

Sookie Update!

I got an adorable pic of Sookie (Our most recent foster before LadyBird :) from her Mom, showing off her brand new pink hoodie (too many folks were thinking she was a boy)

She's doing GREAT, getting spoiled rotten, just the way I like it. Amazing to think she went from the Euth list to our house to living the best life a dog could dream about, in ten short days.

Her story reminds me every little part of myself I put into helping pups find homes grows into something bigger and better, all the time.

For all you lonely peeps out there, that don't have a Valentine this year, I promise there is one waiting for you, at your local shelter :)))

New LadyBird Photos

The sunny weather this week finally allowed for some good LadyBird photos :)

I also rewrote her bio for her adoption page-


LadyBird is a 7 year old, spayed brindle female ‘pitbull’ mix. She's had a hard life up until now, but is doing great in foster care, learning how to enjoy life as a normal, loved, indoor dog.

Like her namesake from the TV show 'King of the Hill' LadyBird is mellow and easy to handle. She knows sit and stay and likes to go on walks and is potty and crate trained. She gets along okay with her fosters sister dogs that are her size, but doesn't much like her foster brother the chihuahua or the cats at her foster home, so she would do better in a home without small dogs or cats. Her favorite thing to do is curl up next to her foster people on the couch and nap. She's ready to give her heart to the right family.

All applications for Pit Bull type dogs in our program must be approved by Missouri Pit Bull Rescue. The organization provides breed education prior to adoption. If you are interested to adopt this dog, please fill out the On-Line Application,

Let me know if you know anyone looking for a mellow older lady friend :)

Feeling GooD about the future

We took LadyBird, our current foster dog, to a benefit show for the shelter last night at Davey's Uptown, and she did SO good. We've only had her 10 days, and she's been recovering from heartworm treatment and internal parasites, while also learning to be an inside dog. But she was calm and sweet, meeting and greeting tons of people outside the show, including her own personal angel, the lady that called animal control to get her confiscated from the horrible situation she was in.

I'm so proud of her!

2 Dogs Adopted in 9 Days!

At the beginning of 2010 we had only fostered Sprout for three weeks when she was adopted by an awesome family in the Northland. At her adopted family's request, we immediately took in a new foster dog, Marietta. They had considered adopting her, but thought Sprout (Named Abby now) would be a better fit for them, but they didn't want to leave Marietta at the pound.

So we brought home Marietta the day after Sprout left. Our pack is so funny. They pout when new pups come and they pout when they leave. We remind each of our dogs (rescues all of them) "Don't you remember when you had no home? No People? No Pack?"

But we only had a week with Marietta before she was also adopted, by a nice lady that lives in Columbia, Mo. She drove to KC yesterday to meet Marietta and fell completely in love. So YAY for Marietta!

We already have our next foster picked out and this time we expect to have her awhile longer. Her name is LadyBird, she's a brindle pitty that at seven years old is older than we usually foster. Her story is heartbreaking, Animal Control confiscated her after she spent her life on a chain, with little food or shelter, being bred over and over. She has heartworms and you can see her skeleton because she is so skinny. Even after all the evil humans have done to her, she still loves people and is so eager to please. We took her for a walk at the shelter and she did great, following commands and loving the attention. As I said, we expect her to be with us in foster care longer than the last few, but that's okay.

I struggle with this question all the time-Do I foster and save only the cute, highly adoptable dogs or do we want to foster and save less adorable dogs that deserve another chance because they have been mistreated by humans? With Sprout and Marietta (and Sweets and Flower) we went the adorable, easily adopted route. But with LadyBird we're going to go the other direction and we'll see how it goes. We pick her up Thursday after getting spayed and heartworm treatment, I'll keep you all posted :)

Bike Show 1.09.10

Photos from the Bike Show we went to at my job today, good times!

Snow Daze

So I got off work today due to the insane snow and freezing temps.

Here's a few pics from my yard.




I really like this one, I know it's wrong to have the Flag touch the ground, but what about if it wants to make beautiful art in the snow on my car hood?

Off to a Good Start

I have a good feeling about 2010, because it's only January 3rd, and we already found a home for Sprout, our most recent foster. A great family in the Northland came along looking for a buddy for Trooper, their male pincher/bully mix. We took Sprout to meet the entire family (three generations!) New Years Eve night and it was a perfect match. Sprout loved everyone and everyone loved her, including Trooper. She's truly a rags to riches story, going from a lonely pound thru our foster home to a family full of love and safety in less than a month. I feel really positive about this placement because the family already has a bully in their lives and fully realizes the challenges bullies and their bosses have.

Sprout's furever family said they will send along pictures, I'll post when they do, until then, Best Wishes for 2010 everybody!