Our House 1982-2008

We bought our house in 1982. I found these pictures and couldn't believe how much we had done to the house. Most of it was done by my husband. Notice how skinny the tree is back in 1982. It is a black locust I think. Notice the Pacer..the kids when they were teenagers just hated driving it. They even hated me picking them up at school in it.

Cats

Hi,
When we first moved to this area we couldn't have any animals for awhile, so at the first opportunity we had we stocked up. Since three dogs were not practical we went for three cats. Tom is on the top. Sorry to say Tom died not too long after this picture was taken. He was my oldest son's cat. Mittens is the one on the left on the bottom. Mittens was my daughter's cat. She dressed him up and rode him around in her little stroller. He never seemed to mind too much. He lived many years and I think had a good life. He died from the effects of a stroke. Felix was my youngest son's cat. Felix was a snuggler. One would wake up to find him on your head while you were sleeping.
He had a nice long life and was the last to leave us. He walked off one day and never came back. My husband found him in the woods a few days after he had died. He is the only animal I have had that just died naturally. The rest of our animals were put down by a Vet. Felix and Mittens were a big part of our children's life. They were playmates and confidantes through their pre-teen and teen years. Except for very short intervals in our lives we have always had pets of one kind or another and sometimes more than one. For me they are like the frosting on the cake and I love frosting.

Memorial Day Hingham, Wi

Hi,

We usually go to the parade at Hingham, Wi. Two of the Granddaughters were in it this year riding on the back of their Dad's steam engine. The girls really like this. The parade is small and very nice. So many young lives were given up to make this country safe and they are still being given up. Hopefully all of our soldiers will be back home soon..

Molly Putz

HI,
This is an addition to my dog friends. She lives with Darla and Darci, who also have Raven. Neither Darla nor Darci were looking for another dog. Molly found them. About 9 months ago Molly (we gave her that name) was wandering around town and Darci spotted her and scooped her up. For the next three weeks they looked for her owner. Never found them. So Molly was added to their family. She fit into the space that they never knew was a space and it was as if she had always been there. A true fit. She is a purebred Pekingese. We all figure she was dumped by someone as she is almost blind from a disease she had contracted at some point in her life. It is not a handicap to Molly, she works around it. She has the true Pekingese spirit, as she thinks she's a lot bigger than she is and must prove it by challenging much bigger dogs. Her and Lucas battle every now and then and its over what drives both her and Lucas..FOOD. If Bill is eating a sandwich in the back of the house her nose goes in the air and off she goes. Lucas, Molly and Raven have worked out their pecking order and peace usually prevails. She has filled that space in all of our lives and in hers too.

Zoe

Hi,
Zoe was the naughtiest dog I have ever met. She was only 20 pounds and lightning quick. She had no doggy manners and would irritate both Raven and Lucas until they would put her in her place, at least 10 times a day. She picked on Molly and even Molly wasn't taking it. She would apologize doggy way and then do the offending action again within minutes. She would steal food. She would terrorize the kittens. She would jump on you and when you would correct her she would say I'm sorry and do it again, but Zoe had the most beautiful gold eyes and she would offer sweet kisses to all she had offended. She would look at you with those eyes and you would feel like she almost could touch your soul. She came from down South. A rescue dog of unknown origins. A whisp of a dog all grey with white socks. She had been on her own in her early months and then found by some kind people and found her way up into Wisconsin and into our hearts. When I think back now, I think Zoe knew her life on earth would be short, so she lived everyday with a zest for life most dogs would look upon with puzzlement. Zoe lost her life on the road chasing after whatever had caught her attention at the moment. She could not be contained or tied as it caused her great distress and in the end paid the price reckless behavior demands. Sometimes though, I still hear her going in and out the doggy door searching for a lost bone or whatever she was looking for and I miss her deeply. I was only her doggy day care Mom a couple times a week, but she, with all her naughtiness was the sweetest dog I have ever known.

Barking Buds

Hi,

I dog sit for two dogs everyday. One is Raven. Raven and Lucas have formed a bark patrol of the area outside our two front windows, so anything and I do mean ANYTHING they can see they will bark at. It starts with one of them hearing something and running up to the top of the couch and barking, followed by the other one doing the same. The couch tips forward slightly each time they do this and if they see something really disturbing, like another dog being walked past the window they fly from window to window to make sure they are heard by all. The people walking past have learned to ignore them although sometimes they (the people) will bark back at the two. I find this amusing, but somehow the two barking idiots think they are being challenged. I have told them they are embarrassing themselves, but to no avail. I have threatened them with all sorts of stuff, but they simply look back at me with a look that says they know better. The only way they are stopped is, if my husband comes into the room and touches Lucas lightly on the butt. All of a sudden it is like he comes to his senses and realizes how he really is being silly. This only lasts for as long as my husband stays in the room.

Talk to the Butt

Hi,

Have been trying to catch Lucas in his "I don't want to talk to you" position. Finally did it.

Lucas will be 12 in August. He has slowed down some and how do I know this..he no longer can pull me in the dirt,road, tree or any other such object. I still must hold him tight and it is a struggle, but I win. He has become more attached to me. An example is last night I hid on the stairs and watched him go into the front room then head for the backroom where my husband said he went outside, came back in looked around and headed for the front of the house, all the time with his nose in the air. He followed the pattern three times and finally my husband came looking for me because he knew that Lucas was looking for me and now he was curious. I started laughing and Lucas finally spotted me. Up he comes missing one step and hitting his chin on the step. He was not amused. He is my shadow, but I have also noticed that when he is not near me, I go looking for him too. : )

Carol

Back again

Hi,
Not that I have any followers or if I did have they are long gone. I am now retired so can once again share some of the stories about the animals I have had or have known. Much has happened so will try to catch up quickly.

The Dog Walker