You Are Loved – You are a Gift

Good Morning Dear Readers.  Here we are, the 14th of December 2015.  This time of year can be so “busy” and “hectic”…….

Take the time to remember Jesus.  He is always with us.  He wants your love and your time……

May this season be full of peace and joy and truth for you all.  You are Loved…… You are a gift…….

Enjoy!

Cate B

also posted on Church Set Free

Around the Burg

Yesterday I met up with a friend who owns some beautiful horses.  We went to meet them.  These horses get to roam around and munch on fresh grass and hay and run.  They have a great shelter and barn when the weather gets rough.  They are very happy horses.  The stallion was so calm and sweet.  He amazed me.

I am sorry for the photo quality – camera batteries died so iPhone was it.

Enjoy!

 

cate b 😀

A Peaceful Place

It is just about three months since we moved to The Burg.  Our house feels like home for us and the dogs and the grand girls who come Monday through Friday.

So, now what? Because of the schedule with the girls I don’t get out and about too much during the week.  So now that we are “settled”, well, what do we do now?  I is so easy to get too settled in the routine of life.  We need different stimuli.  We have met and friended a couple of people and it is always good when we get together and just visit.

Today we got out into the fresh autumn air at The Springs, one of my favorite places here.  The view is slowly changing through fall and soon winter.  This place exudes peace.   When I need to clear my head and heart and ponder……….a peaceful place is for me.  And this is it.

Please enjoy my photos – I know you’ve seen them before in summer view – I walked down along the lake and enjoyed the changing scenery.

 

Enjoy!

cate b

Scratch a dog and you’ll find a permanent job. ~Franklin P. Jones

Several years ago, and four dogs later, I had an incredible desire to have an Airedale Terrier.  I even got a key chain with a picture of one.  Thing is I was never around one.  I thought perhaps I had seen one or met one at one point in my life but I just cannot remember where.  Even my older brother said we never knew anyone with one.

So the time came to get a new puppy with the new house we had just bought.  Airedale Terrier here I come!  But no, everyone in the family wanted a Siberian Husky.  I read up on them and I was not convinced.  They tend to run and get into all kinds of trouble.  But no matter how much I debated I lost.  So my husband, with a smile on his face, loaded me into the van and we drove about three hours up into the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania to pick up the last husky pup of this particular litter.  We walked in their house and the lady picked up this gangly legged , blue eyed puppy and plopped in into MY arms and talked to my husband about her dogs.  I looked into those blue eyes and he looked into mine and he shook and so did I.  I sat in the back of the van with him as he proceeded to throw up on my feet.  I house trained him and everything else he learned.  I was his Alpha dog.  And he was wonderful – Eryndil was his name and he lived a ripe and healthy life with us until he was thirteen.  When he was about eleven we finally got our Airedale.  I named her Hayley Mills – after my favorite childhood actress – and we call her Hayley Mills, the full name.

DSCF6364This is Eryndil.   And here is Hayley Mills and Eryndil together.  He wantedDSCF6348  nothing to do with her – she wanted everything to do with him.

 

 

When he passed away she was a little lost and so were we.  But I have to say Airedales are very people attached and she prefers us to any other dog.  She now has a brother named George Bailey (yes, the character in It’s A Wonderful Life) who is a basset hound/border collie mix.  A snuggler.

When I got Hayley Mills I fell in love.  She is the smartest breed dog we have ever had and there are times she scares me because I think she is actually part human.  For real.  When our grand daughter Lucy came along that dog took to her as her own.

uShe loves to snuggle her girl and try to comfort her.  Hayley Mills weighs eighty pounds and lets Lucy sit on her and play horse.

 

 

 

 

There is nothing more comforting than a dog (except God) when you feel down or life hurts.  They are faithful and kind and love you even when you are a jerk. I’m glad we waited to get this Airedale because the joy of knowing our husky was wonderful but also because this Airedale – Hayley Mills – is perfect for me.

gbGeorge Bailey

 

 

 

 

 

mail.google.comHayley Mills today.  She will be four this year.

 

 

 

 

 

The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too.  ~Samuel Butler, Notebooks, 1912

Enjoy!   cateb

Happiness is a Warm Ukulele

I love to write about things that make people happy.  That bring a smile and a hope and joy. I hope this makes you happy as it has me.

I have a ukulele!  I type that phrase with a big smile on my face.  I can play guitar and chords on a piano or keyboard.  I can play around on a Native American Flute.  I’m not considered an accomplished musician and I’m not excellent on any one thing.  I just love music and I love to try new things.  So recently I got it in my head that I wanted to play the ukulele.  It just looks and sounds like fun!

So, while on a family vacation last month I picked one up from a local music store.  It was a gift.  I held it and walked out of there with a smile on my face very much like a child holding a bag of candy sticks from the local General Store.  I scored big time I thought.

I took it back to the house and googled what strings they were.  I had no idea.  I searched my iPhone for a ukulele tuner and chord chart.  Found one for free.  I tuned it and I played The Boat Song by JJ Heller and Sloop John B.  Such fun.

Now I pick it up when I sit on the couch and just strum and sometimes sing along.  It is a very happy instrument.  It does wonder for me when I get down.

So glad that a little instrument with just four little strings can bring such a contentment to a troubled soul.

IMG_3429 I’m not ready to video tape me singing along.  In time.

Find your little instrument in life to bring peace to your soul and happiness to your life.  We all get those dark times.  For some it will be music for some art work.  For some gardening.  But do it.  It is healthy and the outcome is great.

 

 

 

ukulele moon Next goal is to learn to play Over The Rainbow – Iz style.

http://youtu.be/V1bFr2SWP1I

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy!

cate b

You Get What You Need

I thought this pic take what you needwas such a good idea – just a little bit of hope – or maybe a boat load of hope for someone who needs……

Sometimes that one little word – love, hope, courage, freedom, strength is all someone needs to pick up and hold…….

 

 

 

 

 

cate b. 😀

Creepy Basement

These things called tornadoes are a bit unnerving.  I actually asked my husband if we could move to Montana.  You never hear anything about Montana other then the beautiful giant sky.

But when you think about things – the west coast has earthquakes and rain and mudslides and floods.  The mid-west has tornadoes.  The south has them also now more then ever AND floods.  The east coast has outrageous hurricanes and now tornadoes.  So, I’ll stay put and ask God for peace in the storms.

Where we use to live we were required to have flood insurance.  So we got it and also considered seriously to get a small boat and tie it to our deck because our county was surrounded by water and much water in between.  Not to mention if they had to evacuate us it would take forever because we were situated on a peninsula with only 2 major roads out of the area – small roads.  So again, the prayer for peace.  Everywhere has it’s unnerving weather patterns and natural problems.

Peace and wisdom is what I need.  I have water saved in the basement and at the top of the stairs my purse, charged cell phone, flashlight, jacket, dog leash and snacks  are ready to take with me if I need to.  But the only problem is my basement is creepy.  My husband went down today and sprayed for spiders but I get the heebie – geebies down there.  So, the prayers for peace again because I would rather be with the spiders and other unseen creatures then sitting in the kitchen watching the “severe weather” come at me.

Peace to all,

cb

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