So pretty … but their time is so short … Eastern Redbuds announce the beginning of Spring and then start to fade … Every year I smile at ours … for when we first got it, we didn’t think it would survive … To people who would drive by it looked like I was watering a dead tree … but it has lasted many years now … This isn’t ours but looks the same, except ours has started turning green already.
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Pawprints are forever left on the heart! A month ago we said goodbye to our Lassie girl, at the age of 17. She lived a good, long life, but when a dog becomes a member of the family, their time is always too short. Forever grateful for the special pets I have had in my life. Each one touching my heart in a special way. Thank you Lassie, you will be forever loved!
My son’s girlfriend made the special collage of pictures of Lassie below for us. He had Lassie since he was six years old. She grew up with our children.
Run free now over the bridge and enjoy seeing clearly once again!
“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” Anatole France
Share picture of your loved pet in the comments. What a sad world this would be if there were no animals.
Days had passed, and Charlie could still not get the image of Clementine, the cow, in the bathtub, out of his mind. Miss Dorinda had acted like it was perfectly normal to have a cow in the bathtub. He had half expected there to be a pig in the kitchen to join them for pancakes. But no pig had shown up. Fortunately, no mice showed up asking for a cookie, either.
The school librarian would be proud that Charlie remembered the book, “When you give a mouse a cookie..”
Miss Dorinda had led Clementine back outside to her stable and then joined Holly and Charlie for a breakfast of banana chocolate chip pancakes. Neither Holly nor Charlie had questioned Miss Dorinda about giving a cow a bath, but they did talk about it on the way home.
In the end, they had decided that even if she was a little crazy, she was one of the most fun adults that they knew. They didn’t know if the wishes thing was true but were anxious for next Saturday to come.
Both Holly and Charlie arrived at Miss Dorinda’s house early on Saturday morning.
Holly was beaming. “Did you decide what your wish would be?”
“Yes, I am finally going to be the owner of a new longboard. I can use it all summer long at the park.
“What about you?” Charlie asked.
Holly squealed in excitement. “I am going to wish for my own adorable puppy!”
Puppies were really cute. Charlie thought. If he had one, he could take fishing with him, and the puppy could sleep in his room with him. He would be his best friend. Maybe he should wish for a puppy as well!
They burst through the door. “Good morning, Miss Dorinda! We are here here!”
Once again, she wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Looking at each other, they both called out a greeting again and waited.
This time, they heard Miss Dorinda’s cheery voice. She walked into the room, smiling from ear to ear.
“Good morning, children! I am so happy that you are here.” She clapped her hands together. Are you ready?”
Her tone got quieter, and they had to lean in closer to hear. Her voice was solemn. “Are you ready to meet the Whangdoodles?”
Did they hear right?
“A what?” Holly, the ever curious child, asked.
“A whangdoodle! Are you telling me you never heard of one before? They are the most fabulous creatures.”
Holly gave Charlie a look that spoke volumes. Miss Dorinda was certainly a tad fruity.
Charlie didn’t believe in whangdoodles but what was the harm in playing along.
“Do tell. What is it? What are they like?”
Holly interjected as well. “Are they cute like bunnies?” She missed not seeing Daisy Mae and Lilly Belle. Hopefully, they would come back sometime.
“They are the most adorable thing you have ever seen, or they could be the scariest thing.”
Holly cringed, making a face. But Charlie perked up at that news. “Do they have fangs?”
“Oh yes, 3 or 4 or more! They are bright orange, I believe. “
“Awesome! When can we see them?”
“There’s no time like the present. Come, follow me. “
They winded their way through the winding hallways. It was so strange how the hallways seemed to never end. But at last, they reached a large room, which appeared to be a sun room. It was bright and warm with plants sitting around the room.
“They are a kind of shy at first, but if you are patient, they will appear and show themselves.”
Everyone was quiet as they stared at the plants. The children shivered with goosebumps. They were going to meet some Whangdoodles.
“Here comes one. Do you see it? Right by the fern.” Miss Dorinda said.
Holly looked, “Yes, oh, isn’t it the cutest thing. It’s red, my favorite color, and has blue eyes, like me, with yellow curly hair.”
She looked at Miss Dorinda. “Can I touch it?”
“Sure! They are friendly whangdoodles.”
Charlie narrowed his eyes, trying to see better as Holly walked towards it.
“Their hair is so soft!” She exclaimed.
Poor Charlie couldn’t see. To him, it looked like she was touching the fern. Why couldn’t he see it!
Miss Dorinda saw the frustration in Charlie’s eyes. “Oh, look over there Charlie, is that another whangdoodle? I can’t see real well.”
Charlie looked at the cactus in the corner of the room. Yes, he thought he saw a hairy arm, and it did have vivid orange fangs, like Miss Dorinda had said. Oh, it hid its face behind the cactus again.
“You don’t have to be shy.” Charlie walked over to it and reassured it, as it gave him a toothy grin.
Miss Dorinda smiled while watching the children. She was glad to see that they knew the secret of whangdoodles and were able to see them. Their imagination was alive and well. They had followed the whangdoodles out the back door and were playing tag with them.
Looking down at Misty by her side, she petted her. “They are having so much fun. They haven’t even remembered their wishes. But we will be ready for them when they do. Right Misty?” Misty shook her head as her reddish gold charm sparkled in the sunlight.
It was then that Miss Dorinda heard a loud MOO! She smacked her head. She had forgotten all about poor Clementine in the tub again.
*Whangdoodle- A fanciful or humorous creature whose undefined appearance and nature is left to individual imagination.* Wikipedia
Happy Tuesday! I hope you find some joy in your day today and thanks for taking the time to stop by and read when there is always so many things fighting for our time. I appreciate it. Enjoy the quotes and the best photo bomb.
Charlie was waiting in front of the teapot house. He was early. Couldn’t deny that he was excited about seeing Miss Dorinda again. She was fun to talk to, and she seemed to really enjoy Charlie and Holly’s company.
She wasn’t like some grownups who didn’t want to be bothered by children, and thankfully, she didn’t wear any strong, smelly perfume!
“Hi Charlie!”
Holly was running down the street towards him.
“I have been looking forward to this day all week. I bope she has some more …”
“Cake!” Charlie said, and Holly replied with an emphatic yes.
Holly ran for the front door and stopped.
“Why did you stop? Isn’t it unlocked?”
Miss Dorinda had said that she would leave it unlocked for them.
“It feels funny to simply walk in.”
Charlie shook his head, “Says the girl who crawled in an open window last week!”
Holly made a face and turned the knob. They both yelled, “Hello!” as they walked inside.
There wasn’t anyone downstairs, so they sat down on the cozy purple polka dotted couch.
“Hi children! I am upstairs. You can come on up.” Miss Dorinda’s called down to them.
They didn’t waste time heading for the stairs, wanting to see more of the house. Now, if only they could find the stairs!
There were three different hallways, but none led to a stairway. This was strange. How can a staircase be hidden?
“Are you coming up?” Dorinda called down.
Charlie and Holly looked at each other, and Holly spoke up. “Where are the stairs?”
They heard laughter echoing down to them. “Opps, forgot to mention that there aren’t any stairs.”
The children looked at each other in confusion.
“You have to take the elevator. It’s right by the kitchen. Behind an emerald green door.”
An elevator! Looking at each other with their mouths agape, they ran to the kitchen and spotted the emerald green door. Opening it up, they stepped into the elevator. They had to squint their eyes at the sudden brightness. It was glowing! This was wild.
They pushed the Up arrow and stepped off the elevator when it opened. Miss Dorinda was standing in the hallway to greet them.
“I am so glad you came back again to visit. I have a surprise for you.”
“The elevator ride was a super surprise. I wish we had an elevator in my house.” Charlie remarked.
Miss Dorinda smiled, and her eyes crinkled. “The surprise I am going to show you both is even better.”
Charlie and Holly smiled with anticipation.
They followed her down the spiral hallway and entered a room with a king-size bed and a fluffy Sheltie lying in the middle of the bed.
“Welcome to Misty’s room.”
“Misty has her own bedroom?” Holly asked in disbelief.
“Yes, for Misty is a really special dog. Go ahead, have a seat on the bed, and pet her.”
She was a pretty dog with a white streak running down the middle of her face and brown on both sides. Her friendly, brown eyes shined out at them.
“Oooh, look! Her heart charm is glowing!”
“Yes, it is, and when it’s glowing, you can make a wish. Any wish at all.”
Charlie jumped up. “I know, I know what I want to wish!”
Holly interjected that she wanted to make a wish, too. They babbled on until Miss Dorinda put her hand up and said, “Silence!”
“You will each get one wish, and then you will get a joint wish. One you have to agree on. You can’t make them today. You have to take time to think about it and when you come back next Saturday you can make your wishes.”
Their enthusiasm dampened. This was going to be the longest week ever!
“MOO!!” The children’s eyes bulged!
“Oh dear! I completely forgot about poor Clementine in the bathtub.”
Miss Dorinda covered her face with her hands and ran from the room. Holly and Charlie were right behind her, at her heels. When they followed her into the bathroom, they almost fell over in disbelief! There was a cow sitting in the bathtub looking none too happy!
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It was then that Charlie began to wonder if Miss Dorinda was losing her marbles and if Misty’s charm really could grant wishes.
Not me! Though if I would use them I would probably lose some.
3.
So many things that we continually learn about animals!
4.
As a child I remember the teacher always telling us to not be a tattletale, but I guess there are times it really pays off!
5.
There simply are things I will never understand about people!
6.
And one of the most important facts about cute animal pictures is that they make you smile! That is why I put animals like Daisy-Mae and LIlly-Belle and many others in my stories. Keep Smiling and have a great day! ❤
The twins Daisy-Mae and Lilly-Belle were super excited for tonight was the big event. Tonight was the annual Bunny Ball, and they had dates for it.
They had their photo session in the morning before everything got crazy. After the photo session was over, they changed their clothes and relaxed in the park for a little while.
Swinging was one of their favorite things to do. They would try to swing high enough to touch the sky, letting their cares fly.
“Hey, Daisy-Mae, let’s go on a walk now.”
Lilly-Belle would have been content to swing some more, but she also didn’t mind going on a walk. She was easy-going and usually went along with whatever her sister suggested.
Though there was one day when Daisy-Mae wanted to trade her black jelly beans for Lilly-Belle’s red ones. That was where Lilly-Belle drew the line. No one would take her red jelly beans.
They were walking the normal path they took when Daisy-Mae said, “Let’s go a different direction today. Why don’t we turn here?”
Lilly-Belle was a little uncertain. They had always walked the same path.
“C’mon, we are older now. We are going on our first date tonight to our first ball. It’s a day for new things.”
Nodding her head, Lilly-Belle agreed, and they turned at the blackberry bush. Lilly-Belle made a mental note of that so that they wouldn’t get lost on their way back. Daisy-Mae had grand ideas at times, but her navigation skills were often quite mixed up.
“Wow! Look at that!” Daisy-Mae exclaimed.
Lilly-Belle was making note of the strawberry patch to her right and of the street sign, Cherry Tree Lane.
Maybe they could have a snack of some sweet strawberries on their way back. Or maybe some now…
“Hey Daisy, look at these berries. Do you want … ” She stopped mid-sentence, for she was speechless. What was she looking at? A kind of house that she had never seen before!
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The twins stared in awe until Daisy broke the silence. “Maybe the house belongs to the boy standing in front of it. But why would he be standing so still in front of his house. Why not go in?”
They continued watching, and Lilly-Belle grabbed her sister’s paw. “Did you see that? A girl climbed in through an open window!”
Moving closer to get a better view, they watched the boy shake his head. Was he mad that she climbed into his house?
With a boldness that she didn’t know she had, Lilly-Belle hopped up to the boy. “
“Excuse me, but why did that girl crawl into your house?”
The boy stepped back, giving Lilly-Belle a rather strange look. A talking bunny? This was turning out to be a most peculiar day!
“This isn’t my house. I don’t know the lady’s name who lives here, but my mom has always warned me about her.”
“Why? What is wrong with her?” Daisy asked, joining in.
“She…she is strange, odd, they say.”
Lilly and Daisy looked at each other. They thought their brother was strange at times, but they didn’t avoid him! Isn’t every bunny a little strange in some ways.
“Now Holly went in the window, and I am afraid she may be in danger.’
Lilly-Belle frowned at the boy.
“Whats your name?”
“Ch- Charlie.” The boy stammered.
“Well Charlie, I am Lilly-Belle and this is my sister Daisy-Mae and we are going after the girl. How do you expect to help her by standing out here?”
The boy looked chagrined. A bunny was braver than he was ? That couldn’t be! No bunny was going to show him up!
He threw his shoulders back, standing up straight and tall. “I am going in with you.”
To Lilly-Belle’s surprise, it was Daisy-Mae who was looking uncertain now.
Grabbing her sister’s paw, Lilly-Belle said, “After all the crazy things you drug me along on, you can’t back out now. You are the one who taught me to do new things.”
Daisy-Mae smiled. Her sister was right. She was a brave bunny, not a scary cat. She didn’t like cats. They were one thing that did scare her.
Paw in paw Daisy and Lilly hopped towards the window with Charlie leading the way.
Lilly-Belle hoped the girl was alright, but she also hoped that there would be some sweet, luscious berries inside
Charlie helped the bunnies get inside. The window was a little high for them so they needed a boost.
When the trio got inside, they were surprised to hear laughter coming from the other room. They followed the sound and walked into the kitchen.
“Welcome! Have you come for our tea party?”
An old woman with some wrinkles on her face and wearing a purple hat smiled at them. Holly was sitting at the table with her with a big piece of strawberry chocolate cake in front of her. Charlie was eager to get a taste of the thick creamy icing on top.
“Come, have a seat.” She waved them over. Not seeming surprised at all by a boy and two bunnies showing up in her kitchen. Holly giggled at the bunnies.
“They are so adorable!” Holly said. Daisy-Mae rolled her eyes.
Lilly-Belle was eyeing the bowl of plump strawberries on the table.
The purple hat lady grabbed the bowl and put in front of Daisy and Lilly. “Enjoy!”
Then she poured some strawberry lemonade out of her teapot for everyone.
“Now, shall we continue. Holly and I were sharing a funny story together. I started the story, and then she added some to it, and now why don’t we hear from Charlie.”
Charlie enjoyed telling stories. This would be fun. He would tell the story about his beagle named Anson.
The purple hat lady liked it. It reminded her of her dog Misty, who was upstairs sleeping, she told them.
Lilly-Belle and Daisy-Mae hoped Misty stayed upstairs.
They were enjoying telling stories so much that no one noticed the time. Then Lilly-Belle spotted the clock on the wall and hopped off her chair.
“So sorry, but we have to go or we will be late for our important dates!”
They hopped away in a blur. Everyone only got a glimpse of their white cottontails disappearing out of the room.
Charlie and Holly stayed a little longer but figured they better head for home before their parents started to worry. They promised the kind, old lady that they would be back and thanked her for the cake.
When they were outside, Holly and Charlie agreed that they were glad they dared to go inside the strange house.
“She isn’t a strange lady.”
“No, she isn’t at all. She was kind to us and so charming. There is nothing strange about her, besides the fact that she has the most unique house ever! I couldn’t believe how spacious it was inside. Looked like a maze almost. I would love to see more of the house next time.”
Holly agreed and they decided to meet back at the house next Saturday at the same time.
Meanwhile, Dorinda, the lady with the purple hat, was inside petting Misty, the dog with a reddish gold charm.
“What do you think, Misty? Will the children come back? It was fun to have company. Perhaps if they come back, I can show them some magic. She rubbed the charm, and a vivid bluish glow surrounded it. Oh yes, the children were in for a big surprise next time.
I ordered a special cake from our local grocery store … The friendly girl taking my order, complained that she can’t spell anymore as she erased a word … “I was a great speller before they took away textbooks in school and had us doing everything on our Ipad. Now when I write I forget how to spell!” … She went on to say how she taught herself cursive since schools stopped teaching that. Technology isn’t always a plus!
Did you know that dark chocolate lowers blood pressure … One more reason why dark chocolate is good for you … In moderation of course, so that you don’t go into a sugar coma. I never liked dark chocolate when I was younger, but I prefer it over milk chocolate now.
Add a line or two or more to the following story … Have fun and we will see how long the story gets.
There was a house on Cherry Tree Lane that wasn’t like any of the other houses. In fact it wasn’t like any house that Charlie had ever seen before.
Julianne felt like she was watching a movie unfold in front of her. Woman is robbed and abandoned in the desert. Left to ….. Ugh! Her mind didn’t want to go there. She wasn’t going to die and be on an episode of Dateline. Yes, she used to dream about being a Tv star, but not this way!
Walking over to a saquaro, she looked up at it, feeling quite small in comparison. Yet, in a strange way, she felt safer with saquaros around her. As if they were sentries to guard over her.
Yes, she would be okay. Somehow, she had to get herself out of here, and she would. Noticing a path in the distance, she headed towards it. It was a charming path lined with wild flowers. A pretty path like that had to lead to somewhere good, right?
Jason Frels photo
Julianne started walking down the path, feeling thankful that it wasn’t too hot. At least not yet.
As she walked, she thought about the Uber driver who took her purse and left her here. She took some consolation in the fact that he didn’t get more than a few dollars. She never carried much cash around, and he didn’t get any credit cards. They were safely in her pocket. She felt smug and stood a little taller as she headed on down the desert path.
Wow! Now, this was something she had never expected to see.
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Julianne couldn’t believe her eyes as she stared wide-eyed at the fairy houses in front of her.
As she walked closer to the fairy houses, they all dashed inside. No one was there when she stood in front of the cactus, but she knew what she had seen.
This wasn’t a mirage. It couldn’t be. She hadn’t been walking that long, and she wasn’t dying of heat stroke. Some water would be wonderful to find, but she wasn’t desperate. Her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her, were they?
She remained standing in front of the fairy houses, waiting and watching. Julianne put out her hand and touched one of the houses. It was real. She felt it!
What was that sound? Someone was giggling, but where was the sound coming from?
It was coming from the wildflowers close by.
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There was a fairy sitting in the flowers. Yes, fairies were really here. Julianne wasn’t crazy!
The fairy girl continued to giggle when Julianne walked up to her.
“Hi! I am Julianne. What is your name?”
The fairy girl’s cheeks blushed a little. “HI, my name is Asteria. Welcome to our home. We don’t typically have visitors.”
Julianne smiled, Asteria was simply adorable with her sweet, tiny voice.
“Finding your home has taken me by surprise! But I am thrilled to have the chance to meet you. How many of you are there? Will I be able to meet the others?”
“There are a lot of us, but they are more shy and wary than I am. Let me give the all-clear whistle, and they will come out.”
Asteria gave a sharp whistle, and Julianne was astonished as little fairies kept popping out from everywhere.
Asteria giggled some more, seeing Julianne’s shocked expression.
Soon, the fairies were swarming around her. They were as captivated by her as she was of them.
They started breaking out in song and dancing for her. Julianne knew she would never forget this moment of magic that was surrounding her. They brought her little sips of water from flower petal cups and tiny fairy cakes.
Too soon, it was time for them to go. They had a rule that they couldn’t be around humans too long or their magic may disappear.
They helped to brighten the present moment with their magic, and then they disappeared back into their homes.
When all was silent again, Julianne found herself unable to move, soaking up the magic. The sound of Asteria’s giggle and the feel of their fairy wings brushing against her would forever remain in Julianne’s heart.
When she started walking once again, her heart felt lighter. She winded her way along the path and then jumped back in surprise!
This was by far the strangest desert path that she had ever been on. Why was there a cow in the desert??
There was something about the cow’s eyes that drew her in. They were captivating, along with the sparkling silver bell around its neck.
Julianne reached out to touch the bell and see if it had any identifying information on it. Was the cow lost?
The bell shook as she touched it. What a pretty sound. It shook again when she turned the bell around and once more. Pink and purple smoke billowed into the air, surrounding her.
Julianne shook her head, feeling dazed.
“Miss, are you feeling okay?”
She looked up into the kind, blue eyes of a man standing in front of her.
“You fell outside and dropped your purse. Here you are.” He handed it to her.
Falling. She didn’t remember falling. She heard herself thanking the guy for her purse, but she felt so strange.
There were coffee pots in front of her, and she was aware of people waiting in line behind her.
“May I help you? What kind of coffee would you like?” The lady asked from behind the table.
Shaking her head again, she softly spoke, asking for a strong cup of black coffee.
How did she get here? She was at her business conference! Had she only dreamt about everything that happened this morning?
She thanked the lady for the coffee and sat down. Still feeling befuddled, she tried to focus on the speaker. She slipped her hand into her pants pocket and caught her breath as she pulled out a flower petal with a small amount of fairy dust.
Horns were blaring, and Julianne’s Uber driver was singing off key as Julianne’s head throbbed. Plus, traffic was at a standstill. She had been in the car for thirty minutes and had moved maybe a mile! She was going to miss her plane unless some miracle happened soon! She let out an audible groan of frustration.
Her driver pounded the wheel. “Enough of this. Hang On!”
The car lurched as her driver saw a break in the traffic and gunned it. Julianne realized that worrying about catching her plane may be the least of her worries. Right now, as the car weaved in and out of traffic, she worried about staying alive.
Amazingly, he pulled up to the drop-off at the airport in record time. Julianne gave him an extra tip for not killing her with his driving gymnastic skills. She truly didn’t think she would have been surprised if he somehow had managed to make the car fly. He had a broad smile on his face as he thanked her for the tip tipped his hat and said goodbye.
Now, if she could walk straight, she may make it to her gate. She felt shaky from the ride. She needed some strong coffee pronto!
Julianne could finally relax once she was in the plane, preparing to take off. She had made it. All would be fine now. She closed her eyes to get a few winks before landing.
Her hotel suite was lovely. The bed felt like she was sleeping on a cloud, and the jacuzzi had felt wonderful on her sore, stressed muscles. This hotel may be a little ways away from where the business conference was, but it was worth paying an extra cab fare for.
She was ready to go in plenty of time the next morning. Had her coconut latte in her hand as the Uber pulled up to where she was waiting.
They were driving along fine, but then Julianne noticed that they seemed to be heading out of town towards the desert.
“Excuse me, sir, but I think you may be going the wrong way.”
“No worries, this is a shortcut.”
Oh, thought Julianne felt like a strange shortcut, but what did she know, she hadn’t been here before.
But Julianne couldn’t quiet the trepidation she felt as they appeared to be on back roads in the middle of nowhere. The blue sky was beautiful, and she could appreciate the landscape more if she didn’t feel uneasy.
After going a little farther down the road, the driver stopped by the side of the road, and she trembled, beginning to feel sick with worry.
“Get out!” The driver yelled.
He grabbed her purse from her lap and yelled again. Fear filled her heart, but what would he do if she didn’t listen?
She got out and barely got the door shut before he sped away, leaving her alone, staring into the desert ahead of her. What now?
Happy Tuesday everyone! The sun is shining, a break in the rain, before tomorrow comes. True Spring temps today. I hope to enjoy being outside for a bit. I hope you can find some moments to today to catch some sunshine outside or at least some sunshine moments for your soul. Enjoy the quotes and have a great day!
Nuggets of Gold 