Today is My Fathers Birthday

Today my Dad would have been 80 years old. I was hopeful he would make it well into his 90's. Unfortuantely he passed away while waiting to have a very routine gallbladder surgery, on March 20th of this year. Today is very very hard for me. I was and still am a Daddy's Girl. My Dad was the most important person in my life. Everything I do in life, all my decisions, my morals and values, are driven by what he taught me. And there will never be another teacher as good as my Dad. He was generous, loving, funny, stubborn, gentle, silly. He didn't know squat about politics, but would argue for hours, and piss off everyone in sight. Than he would grin and say "Don't get your panties in a knot, I really don't know what the hell I'm talking about, so just don't pay any attention to me"! He loved to tell jokes and play jokes on everyone. Especially his family. We used to go to the Soup Plantation every Sunday for lunch/brunch. He loved the muffins and always wanted to take some home. Of course he did not want to pay for them. He went through the buffet line, took a half dozen, wrapped them in a napkin and stuck them in my purse. Of course he never told me he did this. Than when we were in the parking lot, he would sneak up behind me and take the muffins out. Well one day, I was walking out of the Soup Plantation and they stopped me at the door. My Dad hurried out to the parking lot and left me in the restaurant. They asked me if they could check my purse. I was stunned. Well lo and behold there were 6 muffins stuffed in my purse. I was so embarrased and was ready to kill my Dad. I apologized and paid for the muffins. When I got out to the parking lot, my Dad was standing there all innocent. When I confronted him, he just grinned and said "Don't you like muffins?" He called me Scooter because when I was little I scooted around on my butt instead of crawling. He took me with him everywhere when I was growing up. I even went into work with him. He was in the Air Force for 30 years and he took me to all his offices on the bases we were stationed at. That is where I leared to type and file. I was his unofficial secretary for years. After he retired he went to work for UC Irvine and I got a secretarial job there when I graduated from High School. We carpooled to work everyday for 2 years until I transferred to the University Medical Center. I cherish those moments we had together. We had long talks about life and laughed our heads off. My Dad never met a stranger. Everyone was his friend. I approach life the same way. You are so much happier when you are happy and smiling and people respond to that. At my Dad's funeral the church was overflowing. There was a lot of crying, but also so much joy and laughter. Because that was what my Dad was all about. He could be stubborn as heck, and gruff at times, but you never ever doubted that he loved and cared about you. He had employees move on to other jobs, but they always came back to visit my Dad. He left his legacy of joy and fun on everyone he met. He loved his family unconditionally. My mother and him would have been married 60 years, last Friday, November 5th. They got married when my Dad was 19 and my mother was 16. They always said they would probably have a 75th anniversary, because they married so young. I had a hard time sleeping last night and was teary this morning, but not anymore. I am going to spend the day joyfully remembering all the good times I had with my Dad. I had 52 years with him and have enough memories to last me until I take my last breath. I hope that I can have the same impression on my daughter, that my Dad had on me. Take care Daddy, I will see you in my dreams. Until we meet again.

Love Scooter

I'm not in Kansas Anymore

Or I guess I should say I am not in Utah anymore. I just got back from my annual 2 week vacation to Utah. Hubs and I load up the chiwi's, and our boat and head out to Fish Lake, Utah every year for two-three weeks. We have been doing this together for the past 17 years, and hubs has been going since he was a little bitty red-headed boy, for about the past 40 years. He has no hair anymore, but he still goes every year. Why every year you ask??? Why not someplace else? Why drive 550 miles with 5 chiwi's? Here is why:

That is hubs with the chiwi's at our campsite at Fish Lake. The view is amazing, the lake is gorgeous. There is no traffic, no noise, the people are friendly. Need I say more?? Well worth the drive every year. Unfortunately, coming back to civilizatin was not as serene. It took me 2 hours to drive 37 miles today to work. And just when I thought I was going to pull my hair out, the drive got even more interesting. As I was sitting in traffic, I looked over and saw a man waiting at the bustop. Now that sounds innocent enough and pretty boring also. Except he was not wearing anything except his underwear. Well I am assuming they were his underwear, as there was nobody naked standing next to him. Dorothy we are definately not in Kansas anymore!!! I am counting the days until next years vacation:)

White Wednesday and My Most Precious Possessions

Hi! I am joining White Wednesday at Faded  Charm.fadedcharmcottage.blogspot.com My favorite white things today are my most precious possesions. My animals. I have 6 dogs, all rescues. Four of them are white. First is Apple the inspiration behind Fat Dogs Mom. She is a "bit fluffy" at 17 pounds, and an Applehead Chihuahua. Apple grew up to be larger than her original owners wanted, so they decided to find her a new home. Sad but true. Luckily for me, they chose my home. Me and Fat Dog are very happy together. Second is Chester. He is a Chihuahua/Pug Mix and the sweetest of all my dogs. He is sweet and goofy all at once. Hubs and I joke that if he were a person, he would be Fred Mertz from I Love Lucy. I am positive that if he wore pants, they would be belted just beneath his armpits, just like Fred LOL. His first family lost their home and could not have Chester in an apartment. Third is Sugar. She is a Chihuahua/Poodle cross and is fondly referred to as the Demon Seed. She is 4 lbs of he@@ on wheels. Her family moved out of state and could not take the little demon with them. Last, but certainly not least is Popeye. He was severely abused in his first home. His second home rescued him, but also lost their home, so he came to live with us. Popeye is a big boy at three pounds wringing wet. He has no idea he is a little guy and would take on the world if we let him. His first owners broke his back leg (more than once), and just left it. It is now fused and cannot be fixed. He gets along great with three legs and is as fast as the other chiwi's. Everyone one of these "white wonders" has captured mine and my families hearts. We are thankful for everyday they have been with us, and look forward to many many more. Please take a moment to considering rescuing a wonderful loving animal. You will never regret the love and joy they will bring into your heart and home. Giving an animal a second chance is the best chance of all. Hope you enjoyed the pics of my precious dogs and please hug an animal today:)

Smackdown at the Goodwill over Pie

Well I decided that today on my lunch break I needed to head out to the Goodwill store. I want to let you all know that I am a nice person, really I am. Unless you try to take something that I really really really want. That would be a ceramic blueberry vintage pie keeper. I walked into Goodwill, got a shopping cart and smiled at the clerk. See I'm nice. The aisles at this particular Goodwill are arranged by color. I proceeded down the green and red isles. Nothing. The trouble started at the blue aisle. I turned the corner and on the endcap of the blue isle, was heaven. Heaven would be the ceramic blueberry pie keeper. It glistened, and I think that maybe I heard angels singing. Or that could have been the homeless man in the corner of the store. This Goodwill is not in the best neighborhood. I immediately ran towards the pie keeper. Unfortunately so did someone else coming from the yellow isle.  I am a big girl, but I can move butt when necessary. Of course the fact that I shoved my cart in front of hers might have had something to do with getting the pie keeper first!!!  Sorry but anythings fair in love and junk shopping. That's the way it is. May I say she was not a happy camper. May I also say that she was not as "nice" as me. As a matter of fact, after she threatened to beat my butt, she also brought my heritage and my Mama into it. Ok now them is fighting words. I questioned her ancestry also.  Fast forward to me running like hell to the checkstand. Just as I was about to be taken off this planet, a lady turned the corner from the white isle, smacked into Miss Ancestry.com and took her down. I took the oppurtunity to run by the cashier, hurl my $5 at her, run to my car and head out of dodge. It was all worth it:)

Diarrhea Dog is Going Home

Sami, otherwise known as Diarrhea Dog, came for a visit this past week. You can read about Sami on this post  http://fatdogsmom.blogspot.com/2010/05/match-made-in-heaven.html.  Margaret, Sami's new mom, went to stay with my mom for a week. Sami came to stay with me and my pack of crazy dogs. Sami is adorable and very very sweet. But and this is a big but, she is not a normal dog. She was very very very very sheltered in her previous home. She was handfed and also hand watered. She will not eat or drink on her own. She wants to drink out of a glass that you hold for her, and she wants to be spoonfed. She does not know how to be a dog. She wants to be held all day, does not know how to  play with the other dogs. When she first went to live with Margaret she did not eat for over a week. Because she did not eat, she also did not poop!!! Margaret called me in a panic. I suggested trying scrambled egg sprinkled over her kibble. Well she ate the egg, but not the kibble. So Margaret started feeding her eggs only and hotdogs. Not Good!!! Her stomach got upset and that is where the diarrhea comes in. YUK YUK YUK. So Margaret quit the eggs and Sami stopped eating again. For a week and a half!!! Margaret took her to the vet, who promptly charged her $400 and told her the dog was fine, she was just spoiled and when she was hungry she would eat. Fast forward to day after vet visit. Margaret goes to stay with my Mom and Sami comes here. With her finicky picky food habits and her diarrhea. OMG. I really really do not have time with 6 dogs of my own to find out what the damn dog wants to eat and to clean up her poos.  Don't get me wrong, I adore this little dog, but I have normal dogs. They eat whatever I put in front of them, make normal dog poops, and do not expect me to handfeed them. Poor Sami, it was definately a culture shock for her. 6 dogs all trying to sniff her butt at once, and eat her food that she just stared at. I finally discovered that she will eat Purina wet food if you smash it up with a fork, and offer it to her with a spoon. Not the big spoon, that scares her, but the little teaspoon. Once she gets going, she will sometimes, eat the rest on her own. The water is a big iffy also. If you put the water in a glass and hold it for her, she will drink. You have to make sure that you don't move the glass or make any sudden movements.  Now imagine me trying to explain this to my hubs. He is home with the dogs until 1pm, as he works swing shift. His eyes glazed over before I even got to the water part. His response. There's the bowl of water and food. If she eats and drinks. ok. If not, that is her problem. I know he is right, but all I could think of all day long was, did Sami eat, did she drink, was she still going to be alive when I get home. It is not good to have a live dog delivered to you and than send back a dead dog!!!  I called hubs everyday before he left for work to see if she was upright. Well she was upright, but she had diarrhea. All over. The yard, the house, etc etc. Luckily I have wood floors. Did I mention that the dog is a long-haired chihuahua? Which means that I had to clean her doggy butt everytime she had diarrhea. Ok, call to my vet to see if I need to bring in diarrhea dog to be checked out. No, she is fine, it is the change in food. Just keep an eye on her. If the diarrhea does not go away in a couple more days than bring her in. So for the past week our family has been on diarrhea watch. Sounds like fun doesn't it. My vet was right, the diarrhea went away. She is getting nutrition because I feed her when I get home. With the small spoon, not the big spoon. She is also used to my dogs and actually acted like a normal dog last night and sniffed one of my dogs butts. It must have been a positive experience, because she tried to play with them afterwards. She is also becoming more independent. And she has become very bonded to me. Why I don't know. All I ever say to her is "eat your food, drink your water, please please please" and the ultimate "quit crapping, please please please". Diarrhea dog is going home tomorow. Believe it or not, I will miss her:)

Memories of my Father

This Fathers Day, will be three months to the day that my father passed away. My life turned upside down on March 20th, 2010 at 12:30pm. That is when my father left this earth and went to be with my brother, his parents and brothers and sisters that passed before him. This past week I have been overcome with a multitude of memories. I find myself tearful, joyful and breathless all at once. Tearful for my loss, joyful for the years we had, and breathless as I contemplate my life without my father. I have so many memories. My father was a happy, joyful man who absolutely loved life. He was over the top, spoke his mind always and often, honest, hardworking, quick to anger, but quicker to forgive, opinionated, generous, clumsy, and sweet. His nickname for me was Scooter. Everyone who has been special to me, I call Scooter. Always have, always will. When I was little he would take me with him to the Military Base we were stationed at. I would help him in the office, filing etc. He used to paint my nails and toes and make cakes with me. He even set my hair with pink foam rollers. My mom always teased him that he was really the mother. He would just smile. He went with me to pick out my first prom dress for my 8th grade dance. It was baby blue with a big white portrait collar. He told me I was beautiful. When I moved out to my first apartment, he came over almost everyday to check on me and wash my dishes LOL. He supported me through heartbreak (divorce, death of twin boys), and celebrated in joyous times (birth of my beautiful daughter). He was honest with me and told me when he was dissapointed, but was never harsh or judgemental. He made me laugh every single day. He had some crazy sayings that I find myself using all the time. My favorites are "call me anything you want, just don't call me late to dinner", and "if you sit on a rock you will get piles". Not sure what the heck the second one means, but it makes me giggle and gets some really strange looks when I use it. He loved his family above anything and would defend them to anyone and anything. He never ever met a stranger. I mean he talked to everyone. He knew absolutely nothing about politics, but acted like he knew everything. Hubs says I am the exact same way. He could be brutally honest, but was devastated if he hurt your feelings. He taught me to work hard, keep your nose clean, love your family and friends, be kind to all, and laugh every single day. He is a hard act to follow. Happy Father's Day Daddy. I love and miss you more than you can imagine. I will cry on Sunday, but I promise to laugh also. Because that's what you would have done.

Till we meet again:)

Prior Lives

I have joined the Prior Lives Party for this month http://priorlives.blogspot.com/2010/06/prior-lives-party-4.html. What fun!!! One of my favorite repurposed items is the old iron gate that I turned into a pot rack. I just love the old green paint on it. It is plenty big enough to hold my pots and pans, colanders, baskets, etc. The funny thing is that I HATE to cook. I really truly do. But I love my kitchen. It is my favorite room in my house. It has a wonderful 1950 Wedgewood stove, is filled with great vintage treasures and is my favorite color. Red.  I have also included a pic of an old trunk I turned into a coffee table. I had hubs put wheels on the bottom, so I could move it around easily. See the funny little magazine rack on the side of it. I made that with my own two little hands. I walked right out to our huge firewood pile in the backyard and pulled out those pieces of wood. Than I nailed them together and screwed them onto the trunk. Every couple of months, I have to renail the bottom back together, because the weight of my magazines. I am not a very good carpenter. Than there is my carousel horse that had a prior life as a "Wonder Horse". Remember those??? Well now instead of a little kid bouncing on it, it lives in between my kitchen and diningroom. It always makes me smile:) Finally I finish with the vintage pinball machine. Or at least part of one. Found this at a swapmeet for $10. It called to me. That might be because it was red and yellow, my two favorite colors. Or that it had a bull on it. I love farm animals. It is now funky wall art in my diningroom. :)