Unconditional Love From 6 Sensational Friends You Might Know!

Wouldn't you love to be a fly on the wall and see what goes on in a friend's or anyone's home?  Doing the Fly On The Wall posts each month is a great way to recap and keep a journal.  Looking over everything that happened this past month is nothing short of wonderful!

In the past three months we have lost three dogs in our family; Dakota, Willow and Texas.   If you missed these heartwarming stories, you can read them here.    This month, I am pleased to announce, we have three more!  I have already introduced you to Nayla, the Husky who is a companion to my son-in-law on his worksite.

Is There Ever A Bad Time For Good News?

When everything seems to be going wrong do you quit?  Or do you think it may be going wrong because it is worth persevering?  I had to make this decision last week when I got THE phone call. Before I can adequately share that story please read this one about the two long-haired Dachshunds we were trying to adopt and why it was so important.....

The hoops we had to jump through trying to adopt these two dogs were much like the hurdles we encountered when adopting our son.  But these were DOGS.  I understand the agencies need to be sure their rescues are going to good homes but this seemed a bit over the top.  We had to send pictures of each room in our home and all parts of the yard. This was to determine if we had a dog friendly home.  We had to have several personal and professional references. Any vets we had previously used would need to contacted. This was a problem because after we switched to a raw diet for our dogs, we no longer needed veterinary services.  The only time we used a vet in the past few years was when Texas was attacked by the Bull Mastiff.

Rescue dogs are a breed of their own.  I believe they are fully aware that they were given away or thrown away or neglected.  They are the most loyal dogs; hands down.

Should You Befriend The Mother Of Someone Who Tried To Destroy You?

When she made the appointment for aesthetic services, her name sounded vaguely familiar.  I assumed I would recognize her when she arrived.  I didn't, but my co-worker did and summoned me into the reception area with urgency.

"Do you realize who that is?"  she asked staring wildly.  The look was a definite indication that my client was not welcome there.

"No....why?"

"That's Roger's mother!"

So THIS Is How To Protect Yourself During A Home Invasion

It was close to midnight when she thought she heard a noise.  Thinking it was just the wind, Vicky fell into a restful sleep.  When she woke up at three in the morning, she noticed that not only was her bedroom door open, but there were lights on in the house.  Wakening her husband, together they cautiously took a look around the house and then called the police.

As my friend was telling me about their home invasion, I tried to imagine how anyone would cope with the feeling of being violated - while you were sleeping.  She was thankful they did sleep through it or it could have turned ugly.

How Can You Be In Two Places At Once?

Are you more than one person?  Many people try to be and most of us act slightly differently in the various roles we play.  Each role is then subdivided into other roles.  Do you believe that if we take on too many roles we can burn out?  At what point should we say "Stop! I can only do so much."

But what if we can't stop?  What if so many people depend on us that we have to keep going and not expect to get a break?

It is a lot easier to look at someone else's life and say "You need to slow down."  Or.."Why don't you just get out of that commitment?"  It usually isn't that easy.  Recently I found myself in such a place.

How Can Your Blog Make An Impact?

As a blogger, I believe many of us live in a constant state of being overwhelmed. Overtaken with how much there is to learn to how much there is to do. Overwhelmed with the lack of knowledge and time we need to accomplish our goals.

When I published Battered Hope last year, I assumed I would  sit back and relax.  I had published my book, paid my publisher to market it for me and all was well in my world. I wrote my first blog post and waited for book sales and thousands of readers to come knocking at my blog door.  It didn't happen - at all!

I was completely naive of any social media networking tools and was clueless where to start.  I wrote a couple more posts; and by some sort of miracle, I captured the attention of a woman who was an administrator for a blogging community.  Diane had her fingers in many areas of marketing and networking.  She worked around the clock.Why was she the least bit interested in me?

The Good, The Bad, The Funny, The Sad

Many of you will agree with me and wonder what happened to January.  Wasn't it just Christmas?  This is our monthly Fly On The Wall post where bloggers share their goings-on in their homes over the past month -- the Good, the Bad and sometimes the Ugly!  Along with the Funny and the Sad.

In the past three months we have lost three dogs.  Two of them were my daughters, Dakota and Willow, and then we lost our 18 year old Texas, the sunshine of my hubby's life.
For that tear-jerking yet heart-warming story click here.

Most of you will remember the posts I have written about Mercedez, my black Lab.  After Texas died, I wondered if Mercedez would make it through another month.  She has grieved deeply with each buddy she lost.  Although she is in good health, with a beautiful shiny coat, she is definitely slowing down -- especially this past month.

Can Dogs Have Dementia?

Do you know if dogs can get dementia?  Sometimes in the middle of the night I will find her standing in the hallway staring at the walls.  It is like she does not know where she is or why.

Sorry But Your Husband Has Irreversible Brain Damage

I remember the first time I heard those words.  It was unexpected.  "We're sorry but there is nothing more we can do."

Doctors are supposed to fix what ails you.  In my twenties, I was told I had two years to live if I didn't have a hysterectomy.  It is 40 years later and I'm still here.  I had a baby.  So, even though these words about my husband were terrifying, I knew there had to be another way.  I'd find the answer. We could fix him.  Click here for that story.

In 1995 my husband was waiting in an intersection to make a left-hand turn.  The guy in the big truck making a left-hand turn from the opposite direction.... didn't see him and hit him head-on.  He blamed the sun.