Remember the joy at finding a surprise in a box of Crackerjacks? We need to keep that childlike joy as we embrace each new day, you never know what it may hold!
Dandelions are weeds that hold wishes! Don’t be fooled, what may look like a “weed” in your life could have some hidden beauty!
If you could be any type of animal for one day, which animal would you choose?
I have been around dogs since I been little. A love of animals was instilled in my heart, especially for dogs.
Having a soft heart for dogs is the reason behind this post today. Today my heart is with a dog named Ray. He is the star of Colin’s blog. Over the years through Colin’s tales of him and his pictures, many have fallen in love with Ray. Those big brown eyes of his just melt your heart and you are under his spell!
Sadly Ray is having some health issues right now and will be undergoing surgery tomorrow to remove a malignant tumor.
A poem that Colin had written came to my mind today as I was thinking about Ray. The poem is from his “Just Thinking” book. A collection of heart felt poetry about different situations in life, that you can easily find yourself identifying with. Being that Ray takes up such a large part of Colin’s heart, its no wonder that Colin included in his book some poetry dedicated to him.
Enjoy the following poem where you can get to know Ray a little, and his history if you aren’t already acquainted with the “Handsome star!”
Go on a walk with your pet, or give them a hug, or belly rub, or whatever they prefer. Cats may not want to go on a walk with you. Pets play a very special role in our lives, and I am so grateful that God made animals of all kinds!
As you are enjoying your pet or just feeling thankful for animals in general, send your thoughts and prayers Ray’s way for his surgery tomorrow please. There are are lot more trails for him to walk, scents to sniff, water to splash in and TimBit treats for him to eat!
“A Stray Named Ray”
They were found on a farm
Not too far away,
But… where was their home?
Two dogs, frightened, hungry,
So very tired and,
Surviving somehow on their own.
***
The rescue van arrived,
And the crew discussed
How best to capture this pair.
Traps were determined
To be the most humane,
But… so many questions were there.
***
Why were these two dogs
Having to scavenge for food?
Why were they out on their own?
The treats in the traps,
Put an end to all that,
And they were captured, scared… and alone.
***
They had no collars; no tags;
No microchips were found.
They were just two dogs without names.
Their faces were expressionless,
And their fur in poor condition.
Were they siblings? Perhaps their mother was the same?
***
Once back at the shelter
They were caged together,
But then a fight ensued.
Trainers intervened,
And gave them separate cages,
But then had to decide what to do.
***
One (they later named Ray) was not unfriendly,
Although cautious and rather aloof.
He seemed to know he was no longer alone.
He was given a bath and a bowl of food
And, with some loving care (they thought),
He could possibly adapt to a home.
***
He was a sorry sight,
And no doubt a once proud dog.
Clearly a German Shepherd cross,
Just managing to survive,
By eating scraps to stay alive.
To explain him, they were quite at a loss.
***
They tried to find his owners.
They checked the Missing Pets files,
But there only seemed one option.
He now belonged to the shelter
And… as he was neither reported lost, nor stolen,
He would be trained for adoption.
***
Four months later he was ready.
His adoption photo was published,
And all were looking for a sign.
He needed a family,
To love… and be loved by.
This will, hopefully, be his time.
***
Eventually a couple arrived
Who clearly were drawn to him,
And regular walks were arranged.
It was soon to be seen
That his life, as it had been,
Was quickly going to change.
***
His day of adoption came.
The staff all said their farewells.
Smiles, and tears, were all around,
For the life of a stray;
Of a dog they named Ray;
A life almost lost… had been found.
*
I couldn’t resist also sharing the first stanza from another poem about Ray.
“A Man, a Dog, and the Sky”
Laying on the grass
On a summer afternoon,
And watching clouds caress the blue sky.
Listening to the birds, as they sing their songs,
But I’m thinking of …. just you and I.
***
,
It’s HOT! 100 degrees! I think my brain is succumbing to the heat, its not wanting to think. Can anyone relate?
So give your mind a rest and enjoy some pictures of animals having fun in the water! Looks cool and refreshing doesn’t it. If a caption comes to your mind, and your brain cells haven’t melted from the heat, then feel free to share! 🙂
All these pictures are from Pinterest.
Happy Sunday! Hope you have enjoyed some smiles today and here are some pictures from Pinterest to bring some more your way! There may be a certain theme to the following pics, see if you can figure it out. What do you think the animals are thinking?
If you didn’t get a chance to read part 1 yesterday, here is a link to it. The Fishy Negotiation
Hope you enjoy the rest of the story and if you do, you would probably love the book! Feel free to click on “The Odessa Chronicles” cover in the right hand margin, for more information. There is definitely a lot more crazy moments that this gang have together and heartwarming ones as well.
Do you think Odessa was successful in teaching Dewey how to be polite and use his manners? Can a Barn Owl actually teach a cat manners? Well, when it comes to Odessa, just about anything can happen!
Enjoy!
The Fishy Negotiation (Part 2)
Much later that day, the man-servant was relaxing in his chair in the living room when Odessa, Jaxon, and Dewey walked in. All three of them stood in front of the man-servant, and then Odessa hit Dewey with a wing, and Jaxon gave him a gentle kick with one of his back legs. “Go for it.” he whispered to Dewey.
“Please, Mr. Man-Servant,” said Dewey, “would you be so kind as to share your fish with me the next time you decide to have it for breakfast?”
The man-servant looked at him in disbelief. “Well yes, of course I will, Dewey,” he replied.
Dewey was smiling now. “When you have a free moment, would you please put some more food in my bowl?”
The man-servant did not know quite what to say except, “Of course, Dewey. It will be my pleasure to do so.”
Odessa and Jaxon were smiling at each other. They were both amazed at the transformation. “I am really good.” said Odessa to Jaxon. “Who would have thought that Dewey could be trained to be polite? He is a cat after all.”
Jaxon looked up at Odessa. “You’re a genius.” he said.
That was the tone for the rest of the evening. Odessa was feeling very proud of herself. Jaxon was in total admiration for what she had achieved, and the man-servant was still in shock at Dewey’s transformation. Dewey, however, had a sly grin on his face.
The next morning, the man-servant was in the kitchen with the intent of getting his breakfast, but he could not find anything. The cupboard where he kept his cereals was empty. His tins of salmon were gone, and even his bread had disappeared. He decided to make himself a cup of tea and relax while he sorted out what was happening. However, not only had his box of tea disappeared, but his kettle had also gone missing.
“Good morning, Man-Servant,” said Dewey with a big smile on his face. “Did you have a pleasant sleep?”
The man-servant looked at him. “You’re being very nice this morning. Do you know anything about all the stuff that is missing here?”
“I may well know a lot about the missing stuff,” said Dewey.
The man-servant was not very amused. “Dewey … I want my breakfast, so tell me what you have done with everything.”
“Tell you?” said Dewey. “Tell you? What kind of request is that?”
The man-servant stared at him. “Dewey, you had better tell me or you will regret it!”
At that moment, Odessa and Jaxon wandered in. Odessa soon picked up on their conversation. “Man-Servant,” she said, “you and I should have a talk.”
“Not now.” said the man-servant.
“Oh, I think that now is a perfect time.” said Odessa. “Let me ask you a question. How did you feel yesterday when Dewey very politely asked that you share your fish with him? How did you feel when he politely requested that his bowl be filled with food?”
The man-servant looked at Odessa. “What?” he asked. “What has that got to do with anything?”
“It has everything to do with anything, because you were so happy when Dewey was being polite, and yet you feel that you can be rude to him. You’re just as bad as he was.”
The man-servant thought for a moment. “I am sorry, Dewey,” he said. “Now would you please show me where my breakfast things are?”
“Nah!” said Dewey. “Sweat it out, Man-Servant. You’re not dealing with your average cat, you know?”
Odessa was shaking her head. “You can dress him up, but you can’t take him anywhere.”
Jaxon looked puzzled. “When did you hear that saying, Odessa?”
“A long time ago. It’s an old human expression,” she said.
Meanwhile, the man-servant was trying to resolve the problem of his breakfast. “I’ll tell you what, Dewey … you show me where you hid my breakfast stuff, and I’ll share my fish with you at dinner this evening.”
“Okay,” said Dewey, “but I also want my cushions fluffed up and fresh water in my bowl.”
“Okay,” said the man-servant, “but then I expect you to tidy up your play things before going to bed.”
Dewey looked at him. “Deal!”
Jaxon moved up closer to Odessa and whispered, “What just happened?”
Odessa rolled her eyes. “Two of nature’s strangest creatures negotiated what could well be a working relationship, and in a language of which neither has a very strong grasp. Our lives here could well be much easier from now on … but I doubt it.
** *** ***** *** **
It is funny how some memories can just pop into your mind out of the blue. The other day the memory came back to me of when I popped my stress ball. Yes, those little round spongy balls, that I used to think could never break.
I shared on this blog a couple years ago about when our family was going through a very emotional court case. You, my dear readers, were so supportive and I deeply appreciated it. I will say something that I repeated back then, if I never walk through court room doors again, it will be too soon!
When I was sitting on the stand and testifying my stress ball popped! Sand poured out all over my lap, as my ball looked like a little popped balloon. My attorney and my sisters who were the first to see me after I got off the stand, started laughing when I held up what was left of my ball. I told the attorney that they should think about investing in stronger ones.
While court was very emotional this memory always makes me laugh, for I remember sitting on the stand thinking, “Seriously! Did I really just pop my ball!” It really did lighten the moment for me!
I wonder if the following animals had their “stress balls” pop as well, or what do you think has caused the expression on their faces? Enjoy, and remember even if your stress ball pops, you can give your family and friends a really tight hug. I promise, they won’t pop! 🙂
I woke up this morning with a crick in my neck. Hurts to turn my head left. I slept really well, at least I thought I did. I must have had my head turned at an awkward angle or else was shaking my head a lot in my sleep. Who knows! Hopefully tonight will get it straight again!
With my neck pain I started thinking of animals with long necks. Can you imagine a giraffe getting a crick in their necks?
I wonder if swans ever have problems with their necks. Perhaps that is what makes them bite sometimes, their necks are aching!
Do flamingos necks ever ache?
What about the poor ostrich ? What is his neck gets a crick when buried in the sand!
Yes, my neck may hurt, but I think I am better off than these animals, and better off than my husband! He likes to say that he gets a crick in his neck when he has to bend down to me. He is a little over a foot taller than me. I may get a crick in my neck when sleeping, but I don’t have to worry about bending! 🙂
Today was a good day for ducks! A dreary, rainy day, but you can always find smiles if you look for them, and these pics made me smile. I hope they do for the same for you, sometimes you just need to take a SMILE BREAK! Share something that makes you smile in the comments below. You can feel free to share captions for these pictures as well. All pictures are thanks to Pinterest, the site that has just about anything!
Reading the “The Odessa Chronicles” had the feel of reading classic stories like Peter Rabbit. It is cute and gives a nice and comfortable feeling.”
The above quote came from someone who had just recently purchased a copy of “The Odessa Chronicles” and she was sending me a message to let me know what she thought of it. Reading her words warmed my heart.
There also was the time that an older lady, who I knew, came up to me with sparkles in her eyes. She proceeded to tell me how she had finished reading “The Odessa Chronicles” and she “absolutely loved” it! She went on to talk about the characters as she gave a little laugh telling me how much fun they were.
This was a lady who I knew as being more reserved and quiet. As much as her words gave me joy, it was seeing the shine in her face and hearing her excitement that really touched my heart.
It’s moments like these that continue to fill my heart with awe. I feel so thankful for the smiles that me and Colin’s book, “The Odessa Chronicles” is bringing to the young and old!
I can’t stop smiling at how due to a friendship made with fellow blogger, Colin, that I was inspired to write a fun story about a cat named Dewey and his man-servant. How that one story led to another, which then led to Colin adding his magic, and collaborating on more stories. The more stories being written led to the idea of creating a book, which then led to “The Odessa Chronicles” being published!
One just never knows what surprises can happen!
Would you like to go to a place where friendship, love and laughter abound? Do you need a smile and relaxing break from the stresses of life? In the pages of “The Odessa Chronicles”, meet Dewey, a mischievous cat who always thinks of his stomach; Odessa, a witty Barn Owl, who is very outspoken; Jaxon, an easygoing Jackalope that has magical powers; and the fun Man-servant who has a big heart and loves having Dewey, Odessa and Jaxon living at Moonbeam Farm with him.
Take a journey to Moonbeam Farm and share in the fun adventures that these crazy friends have together! In taking a peek into their lives your heart will be filled with laughter and with the warmth of friendship. You may even shed a tear at some of the more touching moments shared by our 4 friends.
For more information on “The Odessa Chronicles” and how you can order it, you can click on the picture of the book cover in the right hand margin.
If you have any other questions about the fun-loving characters in our book, or questions about the writing process, etc. feel free to ask in the comments below!
Have a Wonderful Wednesday and let your friends know how much they mean to you! As our beloved characters on Moonbeam Farm would attest to, friendships can come in a surprising way and be an amazing blessing!
Happy Sunday! I thought I would share some more cute animal pictures from the vast land of “Pinterest” with all of you. Pictures of some of the more tinier animals this time. Pictures that hopefully bring you a smile and maybe laughter as well. As always, feel free to add your own captions to these pictures for extra laughs for all of us, if you would like. Most importantly just enjoy some moments of getting some smiling exercise in! Doesn’t take much effort and the results are great for the heart.
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