Pull up a Patch of Sun and Sit a Spell

Hutch and Riley sharing the morning sunshine.

One of My Favorite Things

This was a Christmas gift from my eldest son and I treasure it. It has an old time holiday feel that pulls me back to my grandparent’s houses at Christmas time. It’s my kitchen nightlight during December each year. I actually limit the number and amount of holiday decorations that we display. It not only makes it easier to put them up and take them down, we can also talk about each one as the are put out and savor the memories associated with them. May your holiday season be bright and filled with wonderful memories.

Great Duck Island

We've been on Great Duck Island since Tuesday morning. Unfortunately my 4G service is useless. I don't want to eat up all the data on the house owner's account so that's why I've not finished the detox exercise series.

Below is the view off one of the balconies. This morning we watched porpoises swimming of that balcony. No pictures though because we were using binoculars. I have many better pictures but they're on my phone and I can't seem to up load them. We've hiked to the other side of the island twice. It's amazing here. I can't tell you how restful it is to fall asleep to the crashing waves.

This is my favorite local retreat.....

Our top porch. It's really peaceful to sit and read while the hummingbirds feed. It's also nice during a rain storm but not so much with thunderstorms. At night I light the candles and I've even been known to move the table and do T-Tapp or yoga out there.

This is what you get...

...when you leave one cat and four Connemara Terriers to their own devices while you go to the post office to pick up the mail. Yes, there is no mail delivery in the boonies. No trash pick up either but that's another blog post.

I should have taken a picture of the yarn woven in and out of the living room furniture but I didn't think of it in my hurry to put an end to the frivolity.

Starsky the cat had to be the instigator. The yarn was too high for the dogs to reach. Hutch probably stood around ringing his paws exclaiming that this was a bad thing to do. (He's the oldest dog and a rule follower.) The other three most likely shared gleefully in the misdeed, though they managed to look quite innocent when I walked in the door - happy to allow the cat to take the fall.

I tell you there's never a dull minute. But we wouldn't have it any other way.

Remodeling - with help

Remodeling is always a challenge - even if you're simply replacing worn appliances and cabinets as we are. Luckily for us we have a full crew of Connemara Terriers at the ready to assist with the finer points of the project.

 First a picture of three of the four on a regulation break from construction.

Fionn seems to be the dog that takes to home remodeling most. Here he is doing a consultation on a difficult aspect of a cabinet installation.

 His attention to detail is amazing. He double checks everything!

His approach is often non-traditional. This is how he checks for a level cabinet. Apparently if he doesn't slide out - it's level enough.

And finally a shot of Reilly - who loves to lavish praise for a job well done - whispering, "Good job Dad!"

Where is Starsky the cat, you might ask? He was actually sitting on a stack of cabinet doors watching the proceedings from a very safe distance. He likes the job of foreman.

 

Our Green Bean Thief

We knew that something was getting into our green beans. I figured it was a rabbit since there weren't a ton missing. Then this morning DH noticed Reilly our Connemara Jack Russel Terrier rooting through the green beans and having himself a little snack. He'd pull one off and sit there happily crunching away.

He and his brother Hutch are such a bright spot in our life. Well bred, obedient beyond belief when you consider that we are NOT experts in dog training and the very best of buds.

That's a picture of the green bean thief himself. Since I tend to write my blog posts about a month in advance and schedule them to automatically post we'll be getting ready to return from Maine when this one goes up. We're taking Hutch and Reilly with us and hopefully meeting up with other family members. Sure to be a great week of balanced rest, activity and smelling the salty sea air.