Tag: 100 happy days

100 Happy Days: 79

Lindsey and Rhonda’s Sugar would just like to say that while the eating was good on Craft Night, no crafting got done because everyone had Puppy Brain. Sweet little Lenna’s life was saved when her foster mom volunteered to take care of her until she travels to Colorado. Her foster mom needed to be out of town this weekend and our rescue said they’d find a stand-in foster for two nights.

I’m being the stand-in! And Lenna is being the Best Puppy Ever. Some Colorado family is sure going to be lucky to get this little girl. Even my cranky old dogs–who had to begin their day with good checkups at the vet–don’t mind her.

100 Happy Days: 77

Today I wondered: Might it be possible for me to be happy about something other than a dog? So I took my camera with me while I ran errands and meandered onto a couple of side streets away from my destinations. That’s when I discovered this, near St. Thomas University:

You can read more about Plant It Forward here. And you can enjoy these visions of a wonderful vegetable garden tucked into this busy urban area.

Now if you could only come for dinner on Friday and enjoy these fresh vegetables: baby spinach for the salad, okra, and eggplant.

I think I’ll be going back often.

100 Happy Days: 76

Today I caught up on even more stuff, ran a bunch of errands, and ended up not doing something I really wanted to do because sometimes things just don’t work out. And that’s okay.

In the midst of it all, I opened an email from our rescue group sharing their decision, inspired in part by the 100 Happy Days meme, to do a 100 Thankful Days project expressing what they’re grateful for. On this day, they said they are grateful for my transport photos! They shared photos from the first officially documented transport on October 19 of last year. Since they’ve transported more than 3400 dogs and cats, I believe I’ve shot a few photos with my trusty old Nikon.

I began last September taking some shots of the first few transports at BARC. In fact, here is the very first photo I took–of Bernie and Bailee as they waited to get on board the van.

After those initial transports, two things struck me. Every single animal deserves for his or her face and name to be recognized and celebrated. And every single foster who unselfishly provides love and care to a dog or cat who is promised to someone else should have a photo to remember them by. That’s when I began doing the photo collages that the group posts to their blog.

I know that I’ve missed a photo here and there–it is NOT easy to photograph cats, by the way!–but often the drivers (especially Cowboy Jon) will help me out by taking photos en route or in Colorado and sending them to add to the collages. Sometimes fosters have shared their personal photos or I’ve been able to take pictures prior to transport day and include them. And when I missed a transport while I was out of the state for my nephew’s wedding, Tim stepped in and took the photos–and didn’t miss a single little traveler.

While the rescue group and the fosters think I’m doing a good thing for them, they return it many, many times over. Every transport day I am awed again by all the time, energy, and passion so many people put into making the difference between life and death to these dogs and cats. In the few seconds I point my camera at them, I’m laughing with them, sometimes crying with them, and mostly I’m having my faith in all good things restored by them.

I eagerly look forward to the next 3400-plus dogs and cats to photograph–and I’m grateful to everyone who’s part of our group for giving me the opportunity to document this.

100 Happy Days: 75


Guinness may not be impressed, but because I made a little extra income in August, I treated myself to the first pedicure I’ve had in… I don’t remember how long it’s been. And the person who gave it to me made it worth every dollar. Bath salt scrub, paraffin bath, and hot towels to comfort my tired feet, hot stone massage on my calves, and a great foot massage all before the polish. I needed that so much!

100 Happy Days: 74

I was moving things around in a cabinet where things don’t get shifted often when I spotted this little guy who’d fallen behind some other items.

Did you ever get a Grow Capsule? You put it in hot water, and as the plastic capsule melts and water soaks into a small sponge, voila! You have a tiny sponge dinosaur, fish, or animal.

This one came from my father-in-law–maybe twenty years ago!–with its own twist. Put the capsule into a cup of hot water, wait a few minutes, and you are promised chocolate mousse! Or…moose, as the case may be. One of many things I like about Tom’s parents is their playfulness.

100 Happy Days: 73

This is going to be meta, I guess, but what made me happy today was getting up to date on several different projects of one type or another. They included updating my Tumblr account. I’d begun putting these #100happydays posts there with that hashtag, but I was, oh, about 43 behind. All caught up now!

This is always a touchy subject with me, because Aries are known as idea people and great starters but poor finishers. I’ve been disproving that theory for a couple of decades, but it’s still a criticism that stings because it contains a stupid grain of truth.

For example, tonight I talked to Marika on the phone and told her an idea I’ve been kicking around for a novel.

“WRITE IT!” she demanded.

“Oh…I had the idea…why don’t you write it?” I suggested.

Aries are also great delegators.

Marika declined.

100 Happy Days: 70

Today, I gave Fiona her freedom ride out of BARC.

I’m not normally a scruffy dog person, but I am pro every possible dog getting the opportunity to go to a forever home in Colorado thanks to our rescue group. I think Fiona knows good things are coming her way this week.

In fact, she’s gone from anxious crying in the car to exploration of the yard…

…and now a nice, relaxed nap.

Cari and Rob asked about hooves. These chewables are sold in pet stores and online, but a lot of people won’t use them because they can break and splinter. We let our dogs have them for only short periods of time with supervision. For one thing, hooves stink when they chew them! But they are a particularly helpful treat right now for Margot, as we can let her spend time out of her cone by giving her a hoof. Apparently a smelly hoof is more fun to chew on than her hind leg.

There’s a hoof in that second photo with Fiona, but her teeth are way too small to splinter the hoof. She mostly likes pouncing on it and knocking it across the floor.