Ready? Set? GO!

It's a little early but then, is it, really? Can't every day be Valentine's Day? This is a German postcard that was in a collection my mother has had. It was one sent to an older sister or brother from relatives in Germany. I've scanned many of them and they are even more stunning as preserved images than they are in person.
Start early - tell someone you love them right now.Splurge! Get a flower for someone. Smile BIG at a stranger and wish him/her a GRAND and MEMORABLE day. Surprise a neighbor with a supersized cookie or a treat. Thank your pastor(s) and church staff for being there. Call the librarian(s) and tell them you appreciate them. Send thank you valentines to your favorite local charity staff. You know - make it up, get creative!

VOTE!

We voted early this a.m. and both of us switched parties in an effort to keep one particular candidate from being in the final election. It's our first "vote against" rather than "vote for" in a long time!
But the heartwarming part was the willingness of the election judges to have a notice posted for all who pass through to see. Tyler, the Beagle, is missing. The owner left a note and a phone number.
We vote in the garage of neighbors a mile or so away.
There was just something that felt good about a community outreach for a lost dog during a time when our country is a bit lost itself.

Yes We Can

http://www.dipdive.com/

Let's Try Poetry!

Opposite Poles

Your actions

are still

so still.

You are a contradiction

an addiction

by my terms

and because of yours.

I have hundreds of poems but as usual, while searching for something completely different I found what it was I should be posting! My style is to be concise and use words that seem to work well together then find a zing or a push or a twist or snap - whatever it is! Just read and think. Not everything I write is personal - some is to make me engage more in life. Here's another one to try out.

Actually

Recently I went through deep piles of old photos and of course

There were people I didn’t know in many of them

People I’m related to

People I’ve never met

People who helped form the lives of those I love

Lots of the photos have smiling faces but there is that time period when it seems

Smiling may have been punishable by death

At least if it was a smile for a camera

How stern those souls appear

But they couldn’t have all been fearful

There had to be a certain excitement centered around having a photo taken

After all not everyone had a camera

Or had access to one

Or knew someone who had one

It had to be a bit like the circus coming to town

Giddy

Curious

Alluring

Is it possible they envisioned these flash moments would be eternalized and chose to secret away the part of their lives we’d never know?

We always should suspect there is more than meets the eye.

Back In The Day - School Daze

First day of school was a proud moment and isn't it amazing what family members hold on to only to have someone find them buried beneath other memorable treasures some -- years later? Here we are, our own version of the Three Musketeers, ready to turn around and walk away from the familiarity of home and family.Does it happen much anymore that three neighborhood kids grow up and go through all the grades together, remaining friends? Oh, we lost touch for far too long but are back, connecting again, even though none of us live in our Ozzie and Harriet town any longer.Nothing compares to the re-kindling of the past. On days when the temperature is barely double digit the fondness and recall of days such as that first trek to Kindergarten can warm a heart.

At Long Last....paws to love revealed!

Many readers (ha ha ha, that'd be me) have asked, "Where are the photos of your dogs?"
So, now that I have (nearly) conquered the fine skill of photo re-sizing (thank you RT) and posting on the blog (thank you AM) I am accommodating the request!
My next task is to conquer the obsession with ( ) and then ! Now appearing : (above) Tripp Carhartt Hein, Maggie Switter Hein, Harmony Victoria Hein, and Frieda Joy Hein. These are the inspiration animals! Our two older girls, Scout O'rama and Precious Dog, decided to skip photo opps at this point. They consider themselves retired!

Snow's Here!

We've been dumped on, big time. There's a minimum of 11 inches of snow outside and it is glorious - fluffy and pure. The pooches love it: play, leap, chase. And, I've shoveled while Ed plowed. Oddly, Cabin Fever is reduced when a good snow comes along and we can all get outside and appreciate it. Even if all we are doing is clearing the way to go elsewhere it is invigorating to get out and to breathe God's crisp, fresh air. Somehow the way sounds travel farther, the brightness of the day, the bundling up to head out, the tangling up of too many leashes at one time, the helping hand reaching out to be sure neighbors are ok - it's all reassuring; it's all upbeat! So, what we truly have had dumped on us is proof of God's love. And, amazingly it is what we've known all along: best exampled by the things that money cannot buy.