Racetracks and Runways

Today is Saturday. Generally, it is one of the best days of the week for me - even though it involves lots of housework and cleaning! This morning was no exception. I was wonderfully self-indulgent today - staying in bed with Baci and Bella until 8:30, listening to the wind sweep off the fields and batter the house. Even though I knew it would put me behind schedule for the day, the time spent with them cuddled together in bed is time that cannot be retrieved at a later date. It is becoming more and more essential to live in the now and take advantage of every precious moment.
As we lay in bed, I could hear Dan already out and about, shoveling the couple inches of snow that fell last night.
Starting down the steps with a pupster under each arm, I realized that Dan was outside longer than usual, so I peeked out the window and had to grin. As he does every winter, Dan had not only shoveled the usual deck, patio, and sidewalks, but also an elaborate racetrack around both of the big trees in the backyard, so that Twig and Mimi could do their several-times-a-day chases. It is hard with tiny old dogs to get them enough exercise in the winter, when we can't get to the outer fields and the snow is too deep for their stubby little legs. They also don't want to freeze their nether regions when they go out to eliminate, so Dan makes sure they have plenty of shoveled area in which to comfortably do their ablutions.
As the pups ran or ambled outside, depending upon their infirmities, the sun shone down on their customized playground. Simple things that we can do to make our dogs' lives better...they may require a little extra effort, but the dividends are immeasurable! Enjoy your day and stay safe - I'm going to put in another load of dog bedding, and pour myself another cup of tea!

Endings and Beginnings...

2011 is drawing to a close tonight. It was a year of comings and goings, beginnings and endings, cycles of life. It would be easy to dwell on the heartaches of 2011...the biggest, of course, being the sudden loss of Olive. I still cry every day when I think of her - which is all the time. She is everywhere and nowhere...and I miss her beyond expression.
2011 also sent nine other dogs on their journey to the Rainbow Bridge: Kibble, Cubby, and Moses only made a brief stop at the Haven before ending their earthly journey; Foxy, Shae, and Coco graced us with their lives for a longer stay; and long-time residents Uncle Mort, Frisbee, and Sophia also said good-bye. It is hard to let them go...but the silver lining is the immense comfort that Dan and I were able to share with these little souls as they discovered family, space, and love.
We also were able to open our arms to Sera, Bergen, Lola, Barry, RooRoo, Edna, and little Bella. We have discovered the joys of miniature pinschers and through them met wonderful new friends like the Kims, Mendee, Clara, and Sylvia. Daily I am astonished at the wonderful people I have connected with through rescue via Facebook and this blog.
Dan and I continue to be grateful for Dr. Schuette and his staff at Kiel Vet Clinic - they take great care of our dogs (and us!) and we consider them part of our extended family. We are also fortunate to have some wonderful friends and family members who continue to support our mission and give us encouragement. Kind words and broad shoulders to cry upon are the best gifts we have received over the years!
Money continues to be a struggle, with changes in my salary due to political unrest in our state. However, I am SO thankful for a new job working with teachers, administrators, and students in my same school district where I can exercise my problem-solving skills and call upon my experience with teaching, while still learning many new things every day. I miss my students from McKinley Academy, but I remain in touch with a few of them and get to see them from time to time. Ah, more comings and goings...
I have also been fortunate to find a second freelance job that I can do from home to try to offset the reductions in my pay, and help to pay the enormous vet bills that we incur every month. We continue to have to evaluate our financial situation when called upon to take in new dogs and I wish we could do more and take more. Perhaps 2012 will be the year that we must decide whether to apply for non-profit status or scale back what we do here...I don't think that we will be able to continue in the way that we are without some help. A special thank you to those wonderful, generous folks who have sent us money and supplies this year...you have kept us able to serve the dogs that we have and enabled us to say "yes" to the last couple of dogs that we would have had to turn away.
As I look ahead to 2012, I am hopeful that we will find the resources and energy to improve our environment for the dogs and ourselves. Major projects that I hope to accomplish include some fence repair, and expanding the dog run by fencing in the horse pasture so that we have a larger area in which to walk the dogs. They so enjoy our twice daily "amblings" where everyone goes their own pace - from RooRoo, Twiggy, Mimi and Bella's full-tilt mad dashes to Ozzy and Grammie Esther's slow toddling. Our land is beautiful, and my goal is use more of it regularly.
Of course, I'd like to lose weight and get fit again, spend more time with my photography and card making, explore the roads with Baci on my moped, and enjoy time on the deck and patio conversing with Dan. Most of all, my goal is to try to find the joy in the ordinary - I live in a spectacular setting, with some of the most interesting and entertaining souls. If I am cognizant of all that I have, I hope that the joy will reveal itself to me.
Wishing you peace, love, and prosperity in 2012...

Hundenruhe Lost an Ambassa-Dog - I Lost My Heart

Olive the Other Reindeer, the best dog I've ever met, died today in my arms on the way to the vet's office for more tests. They tried, to no avail to revive her. I will never recover from her loss. I have had other heart dogs, but none like her. Olive was my best friend, my shadow, my ambassa-dog, my business partner, my lovey-alarm, Baci's big sissy, and my heart. I am empty now. I miss every dog we share our home with...but Olive was more than family and I am devastated. No Christmas miracle this year...8 years ago, four days before Christmas I picked up Olive in Atlanta from Southern Hope Rescue. She became my Christmas miracle, both for her perfection and effect on my life, but also to help me heal from a loss that happened in my life on the very day I returned home with her. Christmas will never be the same again.

Pre-Holiday Frustration

Some years I am luckier than others...every year I TRY to get a cute photo of Olive and Baci for the digital holiday card. This year, I included little Bella in the "festivities". Well, it didn't work out so well...I may or may not try again, but in the meantime, here are some of the results. Hope your attempts are more successful than mine! LOL Don't forget to click to get the whole image!

"Wait Olive and Bella!! I hear Santa's reindeer on the roof!!"

Santa's Three Helpers

Beautiful Bella

Bella: "Okay, so this Christmas thing sounds great: extra yummies, new toys, the humans are home more...but I am worried about the naughty vs. nice thing. This elf guy next to me keeps staring at me, and I heard somethin' about Santa seeing you when you're sleeping and knowing when you're awake????"

Pretty Posing Olive

Olive the Other Reindeer

"Guess what, Baci? Santa comes down the chimney!"

"No way, Olive! He comes down the chimney?!!"

The Thanksgiving Challenge

I am really loving how Facebook brings a lot of people into my life that I would not otherwise have met. It is wonderful to hear other people's perspectives - even when they don't mesh with my own. Another benefit is that interesting challenges come across my computer screen. This year, the following message caught my eye: "November's Thankgiving Challenge: Every day until Thanksgiving, think of something that you are thankful for and post it as your status. "Today I am thankful for". If you think you can do it, then re-post this message as your status to invite others to take the challenge, then post what you are thankful for today...". I started out by being thankful for my mom, who recently very bravely went through radiation treatment for skin cancer this summer, and this month had both of her knees replaced. She is an extraordinary woman, and I am so proud that she (along with my dad) was chosen to raise me. I have been working for the last year or two on cultivating an "attitude of gratitude", and this challenge was a good way to keep me on track. Though I didn't manage to post every day, I did pretty well, and more importantly, I was blessed with the opportunity to stop and think about my many blessings. The following are the entries that I posted during the month of November. I hope that you are inspired to cultivate your own attitude of gratitude...
Today I am thankful for trained medical staff that sacrificed sleep and trained for hours, devoting years of their lives to learning their trade so that they could care for my mom when she needed them most. What are you thankful for today?
Today I am thankful for a husband and partner who is as passionate as I am about allowing as many old dogs as possible to enjoy the twilight years of their lives in comfort, warmth, and as little pain as possible, surrounded by love. Thank you, Dan, for helping me fulfill our mission.
Today I am thankful for the beautiful view that greets me every morning, living out here in the country. Every day the lighting and the landscape is different, changing with the seasons, including the wonderful scents of things growing, frost in the air, or flowers and trees blooming. I am grateful for the prompting that led us to buy this place twenty years ago.
Today I am grateful for a great vet. He takes great care of our pups, really listens, and is always there when we need him! Click like if you are thankful for your vet!
Tonight I am grateful for the new washer and dryer that are humming merrily along in my laundry room tonight. I am very, very appreciative of the means to pay them off over time so that we could get them washing those pee pee towels right away!
Today I am thankful for the brilliant and dedicated people that I work with. Educators and other staff involved in education are tremendously devoted to their work, and I for one am grateful not only for their positive impact on our society, but also that I can count myself among them.
Today I am thankful for a vehicle that is reliable enough to take me where and when I want to go. There were many times in my life when I could not have said this, so I am extra grateful now!
Today I am thankful that my parents raised me to be an independent person, willing to problem-solve when I really want to do something that seems impossible. I am so grateful that life wasn't handed to me on a platter so that I could gain skills needed to function as an adult, and be okay with things that at least come close to my dreams.
Tonight I am thankful for the food that graces my table and fills the bowls of our little four-legged loves here. Though sometimes I cannot resist the bounty, I am grateful that our bellies never growl with hunger.
Tonight I am thankful for the excitement and exuberance that comes with learning something new and the thrill that I get helping children to discover that feeling. Some days I am SO lucky!
Tonight I am thankful for the simple joy of running around in a big field with a passel of puppies streaming out behind and ahead of me. We need to take a lesson from little kids and dogs...sometimes it is good to run just for the fun of it!
Tonight I am grateful for a new additional job that I can do from home surrounded by Dan and the dogs. We need the extra money to pay for kibble and vet bills, and I feel very fortunate to have a way to earn that money!!
Today I am thankful for the heat that pours forth from my boiler every day to warm my feet and soothe my spirit. I am grateful to be able to pay my oil bill so that we (Dan, the dogs, and I) can enjoy each others' company without being uncomfortable now that the weather is getting colder!
Today I am thankful that my mom is home safe and sound, and able to sleep in her own bed tonight. :-)
Today I am thankful that I didn't have to be at work, toughing it out while I feel crappy. :-) A good nap is priceless!
Tonight I am thankful to have the blessing to work with a co-worker who is intelligent AND has a delightful personality. We make a good team, and I am so grateful for her help in making me a better educator.
Tonight I am thankful for all my rescue friends out there...working tirelessly every day, every night, holidays, weekends....giving of their money, homes, and time to help save as many animals as possible. Thank you for teaching me that there are many, many good people in this world. You inspire me.

Thankful

Sorry I haven't updated this blog in a while. There's been a lot happening here since Frisbee passed away. Edna the min pin has joined us from IMPS - MN, I've taken on a second job to help pay for the vet bills, and we've been getting the Haven ready for another winter. I was cooking and baking all afternoon today, and while I was working, I was musing about how many of our little friends are celebrating their first Thanksgiving at Hundenruhe Haven. We've lost so many this year, but the silver lining is that we have so many new friends living out their twilight years with us. Enjoying their first holiday in our home are: Edna, Barry, Lola, Sera, Bergen, Bella, and Roo Roo. We are so thankful that they found their way to us, and for the rescue friends we've made along the way. It is with much gratitude that Dan, I, and the pups will spend the day tomorrow tucked in together - enjoying a nice meal, a warm house, clean blankets, and each others' company. Life is good.

Patience, please!

I just did some organization on PhotoBucket, so the links for some of the pictures are broken. I will fix them when I have time! Most of the older entries still are current, so please be patient until I can fix the others. Thanks for visiting!