Priscilla

This ball of energy came very close to being renamed

Mamie Eisenhower, an homage to Howie,

 whose real name was Eisenhower,

and coming to live with me.

 I spent last week in LA with the kids

and my DD#2 had scheduled an appointment

at the dog cafe for Saturday.

There you get to spend one hour in a large room

 playing with available dogs and then you fill out an

extensive application, home visit etc.

I went with an attitude that this is all too soon,

and I had a certain type in mind...

Priscilla hopped onto my lap within minutes 

and promptly fell asleep in my arms.

I was in love.

 She stayed there about 40 minutes

until suddenly her best friend 

Randy was adopted and left.

She was frantic.

If you go to the link and are in LA 

Vivien was also a love, but too large for me

while carrying 0/2.

We left, and Ben and Hannah

filled out the application ( right outside the door)

as time was of the essence.

It took 45 minutes doing that, and that night we answered

 a zillion questions on line and sent pics of entire home.

Fast forward we discovered she had been returned

 once already due to her super high energy 

( they referred to her as tazmanian devil) 

which did not scare me too much 

as she was only 8 months old.

But the first three weeks after adoption, 

she would have to live in 

LA with Tom and Hannah who work A LOT

and she would add stress to their schedules.

Then we planned they would drive

 her to me at Christmas.

When we discovered the hyperactivity

 I decided the timing wasn't right 

and so I removed my application.

This is not a "first serve" 

they "SELECT" the best fit for the dog. 

Ben and Helene took me to two more shelters on Sunday

but I didn't connect with any other pooches.

At first it felt like serendipity with Priscilla even though

I am still grieving, but then my practical self

said don't rush, it'll happen.

A week with the kids was amazing. 

David my grand-dog slept with me every night.

I can now tell you that Ben and Helene

bought a house. They close very soon.

They are beyond excited 

and then 5 months later the wedding!!!

Excited and uber stressed

I missed being able to see inside or help the move

by one week. Things were delayed.

Thanksgiving dinner was delicious.

I made a five cheese mac and cheese

( first time we had for turkey day) that I 

will make again, and Ben made

 his famous sausage stuffing 

and Hannah cooked a perfect bird. 

Of course I came home with a horrific cold/cough

Luckily driving like a bat out of hell

 got me home in 4 hours.

I got my 0/2 and perishables out of the car

and left everything else in it.

It may stay there till the weekend.

Gonna catch up with Y'all soon.

Is it really December 3rd already!!

Damn I only have the porch decorated so far.

Maybe we'll just hang there the whole time. 

Z

It Takes Two

Cup of coffee in my favorite holiday mug

 The latest in Spenser series-

Not the same as Robert B's

but good enough.

So Pretty

Anything to cheer up her mama

My grand-dog David

That's after only one deep brushing.

He looks younger and is dramatically thinner.

He's a sweetheart but THAT hair 

goes everywhere.

Christmas On The Porch

Twelve days of Christmas

My tables always have "quick removal" displays for dining

Reds appealed to me this year

Picks and House of Hatten collectibles

There is a light inside of the log cabin,

and red berries now on the greens.

I kept coming back after I snapped photos.

That stucco you see is the original rear of house.

View from the family room couch

That empty basket beneath the table

is now filled with greens and berries also.

As always, my decor is just loads of picks plunked

into existing decor. I remove nothing unless

 I need a little space.

This time I removed a pitcher of flowers 

from the table so I could lay down greens.

Merry Merry 

Z

Getting There

You don't get over it.

You get through it.

I am slogging thru life at the moment.

One bright spot is this visitor.

Kitty has been setting off my motion detector 

many times, day and night for months now.

Two days ago I opened the back door 

right after the "ping" on my phone 

and kitty walked right in.

I believe he lives in the same model

as I have, as he went straight to laundry room

as if looking for food or litter.

He roamed a bit and left.

I worry for him, don't know how far he wanders.

Local coyotes love kitties.

Today he was back and visited me on porch

where I am trying to find holiday spirit.

Slogging thru is correct term.

I am deep in a fog.

Pain so thick and heavy

 it needs to be shaken off and shed.

So much additional love

from kids and blog friends who know that

pain far too well.

In the past, doing my House of Hatten tree

 would take about 90 minutes.

Yesterday it took me hours as I kept 

wandering away or sitting down and just ...well

sitting.

Good thing I'm starting early.

I'm going to be awhile getting there.

Z

Howie My Love

I lost Howie yesterday

I am heartbroken

Inconsolable

My dear best friend was not even given

 the grace to go gently.

I won't be around for awhile I suppose.

My constant companion has left

me floundering out in this harsh world 

that I want no part of.

Howie Up Date

Howie turned south pretty quickly

 after I posted last night.

I decided to stay up and watch him all night and I

am so grateful I did. 

Vomiting and worse came on very fast and by 

2:30 am I was racing cross town to 

the emergency hospital.

By the time I arrived he was critical and they 

jumped into action. At 5:30am I had to

 drive home to get 

another 0/2 tank as mine had run out,

I was back at emergency by 7:00am

and then I transported him IV's and all

back to original vet hospital.

By now he was in serious condition but

even the short ride over spiked his fever and we

were dicey again. He has been admitted for 2-3

days and prognosis is still up in the air.

I'm a mess. Three hours sleep in 3 days

and I've cried rivers.

All I can think is he's in pain which 

he is and it's severe. They cannot give pain relief 

because of other issues.

He looks at me, when he can, to say

why Mom why?

I can't stay there with him,

even though they all notice his breathing calms

 when he can see me.

My heart is breaking.

He needs your prayers also, not just the hundreds

Hannah and I have been sending out, so

please if you would?

As soon as there is good news I'll write again.

thanks guys

Z

Poor Baby Boy Howie

That is what Hannah said when 

she called to check on Howie

tonight.

Here he is right after he came home

from his oral surgery.

His head so heavy he could not lift it up

from his water bowl.

He is one drugged up pooch.

It is now 9:00 pm and he has barely moved.

I was a wreck all day worrying

myself sick. He is nearly 15

so anesthesia is risky.

He has not been eating much

 at all these past weeks

so that has me worried also.

Perhaps it was his teeth.

We'll know in a week or so.

Meanwhile I have to get three HUGE 

pills a day into a dog who

 is too whacked out to eat and opening his 

sore mouth to push them down is an 

impossible feat on a good day.

Of course I'll be on the couch listening

all night to be sure he is OK.

My heart is breaking for my

Poor Baby Boy Howie

Z

The Studio

You would need to be very familiar

with my studio that made it into magazines and books

to notice the changes perhaps, but 

changes indeed have occurred.

Several cabinets that were either on the floor

 or hanging on the walls

are now gone.

Inside the cabinets studio materials

have been down sized and rearranged.

The curtains are gone from the loft opening,

bringing needed light. 

They were only there to hide the backs of cabinets

that could be seen from downstairs.

This small table sits where a triple doored cabinet

 and large easy chair used to be.

Now my Cricut and Gemini 

are always out and nagging me to use.

The table can be easily pulled to the end of my

work table for when friends come crafting.

The tablecloth is temporary.

I just found the mustard paint I want

 to re-paint the top which was 

severely in need after years outside.

I know folks who haven't changed

 a thing in their homes in decades.

This I find hard to imagine.

For me that would be like always eating

in the one same restaurant,

wearing the same clothes every day,

watching only the same few shows

eating the same meals,

sleeping in the same linens forever.

I am not the same person year after year

and my environment is crucial to my 

sense of comfort and peace.

I am not a fan of wastefulness

and it takes very little money to 

be creative. In fact I am making

money as I change over my home; 

selling off many items for what I paid and 

some even for a small profit.

The two carloads to donation 

and several hundred books to local library

make my heart happy.

go forth 

be bold

Make your corner of the universe

work for you

and please your soul.

Z

Tweak Not Twerk Nor Twitter

I looked at prior photo in post and thought

It's OK...

but this is better. 

I kept everything from before

and just added some shapes and color.

Tweaked it

 A couple days after my changes and I love the room

more every time I walk thru.

Change is good baby

Lighten your load

To help you decide

about your spaces I recommend

taking photos. 

What doesn't fit or is "off"

will be glaringly obvious.

And as for Twitter

I never did it

and after #45 I never will.

I Am Woman I Can Do Anything

From base cabinet

to cart

from cart

 to two totes

to one tote

one flip

second flip

 floor

TA DA 

Mickey and Me

Halloween 1988

and now Mickey is getting married.

Updates

Updates on the personal front.

Ben and Helene

 have set a May wedding date 

Ben just finished working on

the first season of 

Chasing the Cure for TNT.

Hannah and crew are making preparations to 

go to Amsterdam with their 

winning short for that festival.

If they place in the top 10 there,

 they go on to Cannes.

Tom is playing Goldstein in

 George Orwell's 1984 

adapted by Michael Gene Sullivan 

with Tim Robbins and 

The Actors Gang

Busy enough?

The holidays are going to be crazy

 as the kids are making pit stops here,

both before and after they head 

to Detroit  (DD and TOM)

and AZ ( DS and DD2)

Not sure yet if we will all be in

the house at the same time.

I hope so, for

2019 is likely to be the last Christmas in

the house where they grew up.

It will also be the easiest Holiday as I 

sold off about 75% of decorations.

My trusty go-to picks are still out there,

so never fear.

Howie back at vet today

progress, but not there yet.

I have a new cardiologist as of this Saturday.

Cross your fingers eh?

and

I managed to slide the hutch top 

( see yesterday's post) off and down

onto this cart easily enough

but now can't get it off the cart.

I need 2 more step down pieces

 to get close enough to floor.

Stay tuned...

Z

another update:

I received a comment from a good and trusted blog friend

who thought perhaps I was altering my personality

by paring down so drastically.

 I appreciate such honesty and agree that

I am changing.

It's not just about moving

It's not just about selling the house

It is about very positive changes

that I think we all need to address.

About Nathaniel

Another friend wanted a close up

Again stay tuned

Shake It Up

THIS

USED TO BE 

THIS

Now before you think she's crazy, why 

would she do this?

 I'll tell you.

Because it is all too much:

too much to care for

too much for a house showing

too much for down sizing

too much for me to leave behind

for kids to deal with.

Those of you who have followed along

know the process has been ongoing.

Well, now we are in the final stretch.

See where those ( now clean) baskets were on top?

Constantly dusty, and the dishes

in the hutch with glass shelves?

A constant annoying issue.

A bonus:

When entertaining I now have a serving board.

More importantly for me

I now have a place of honor 

for my beloved painting by Nat Fast.

I loved him and miss him.

Nathaniel painted many subjects

but my favorites were always the pickers in the 

near by Santa Maria fields where he lived.

I requested one and he did this for me.

 I have kept it upstairs all these years

where most folks never saw it.

Now they can enjoy it as much as I love it.

Stay Tuned 

There is more

Z

Basket Washing Day

Anyone else give their baskets a good bath now and then?

I don't soak, I quickly, thoroughly spray, then wipe,

and set to dry where they will dry 

completely and quickly without heat.

I took a basket weaving class early 90's

from a wonderful instructor 

and like most things I take on,

I quickly became obsessed and the baskets

were rapidly breeding. 

Several moms from the same elementary school

my kids attended also took the classes

and we then went on to meet and weave once a week. 

I've kept a few I made like these, and 

another apple harvest one that I painted white

and several smaller ones. 

I also have two very old ones made a very long 

time ago by talented craftsmen that I treasure.

So why today did I begin washing baskets?

Because furniture is on the move 

around oldgreymare.

Yep, it is time for several minor, 

and a few major shakeups.

Stay tuned

Z

Toyland

I bet you remember these, or your kids do.

This is probably the last I'll see any like them

as a gal coming by today to purchase.

The other sets already sold the day of the sale.

I am amazed at how well my kids 

took care of their things and then I've

 had them safely boxed up for nearly 25 years.

These were great toys

where kids used their imaginations

and happily played for hours.

Not following the flashing lights

or shooting at things.

Don't get me started..

I had hoped to pass on to grandkids

someday but the kids say to let them go,

so I do.

It is difficult.