ten reasons to love Used Dog...

***************************

reason one:

its been over 11 years since we found you, abandoned twice with little hope, at a last chance shelter. you looked at me with those 'puppy pound' eyes, (just as you have every day since) and melted my heart.

reason two:

you taught 4 young children how to love a doggie, you gave them memories to take into their adult lives of 'our first family dog', something so simple and yet such a gift

reason three:

you wear a floral neckerchief

reason four:

you keep secrets better than anyone else i know

reason five:

you taught a pesky dog how to be a little less pesky and in return, said pesky doggie taught you in your twilight years to be a 'little pesky'

reason six:

when you spy a squirrel at the bottom of the yard, you still believe there is one half of a 2 year old greyhound inside of your aging 13 year old body

reason seven:

you fall over, but always pick yourself up

reason eight:

despite the odds stacked way way against you, nearly 5 months on you are thinking about changing your name from Used Dog to Miracle Dog and quite rightly so

reason nine:

you are without a doubt, the most preciously peachy second hand forsaken soul i have ever found

reason ten:

for nearly 12 years you have been my constant canine companion, my best friend, and my good fortune

**********************

she and Used Miracle Dog are thanking you most kindly for all the 'fingers, toes, paws, claws, wings and hooves' crossing over the past few months ~ Tif 

a little ray of sunshine...

Mr Sun appears to be busy across the pond.

however last week he did pop by briefly

 but alas, with little warmth.

such was our overjoyment at his little appearance

(albeit a brass monkeys appearance)

me and my chickie peas launched ourselves into 

'spring mode'

i got busy with the kitschy fake flowers

whilst they got busy with pecking

and a 'little bit of laying'

later that day, Polly kindly came by to thank me

for their new spiffy springified coop.

i thought to myself,

how thoughtful and kind.

the next day Mr Sun was shining down elsewhere.

Bingo B who loves a bit of 'sunbathing' meowed

"hey, don't go, come back Mr Sun... i'm over here"

i pointed out to Bingo B,

(in the nicest possible way as she is rather old and batty

and i did not wish to upset)

her attempts were most admirable.

however, 

next time she might have better luck

if she waves in the right direction

Tif

going cold turkey...

i appear to have a new addiction, as with most addictions it creeps upon you unawares. now as addictions go, i do believe it is on the lower scale, closer to 'harmless' and quite far from 'dangerous' but then again, is it...

i am blaming my newly acquired addiction on Ivor the ipad and a little pesky doggie who lives in a suitcase. 

it started with the occasional 'instant pic' and now has escalated into daily pics. and whilst i'm confessing, i will mention, the daily pic i post to the world wide web is only one of many i took that day and deleted. and that is where i know my addiction has got out of control...

 i have become secretive with my instant 'little olive' pics!

 i snap them, look at them, warm my heart with her sweetness in them, and then delete them for fear others would see my need to photograph my little doggie countless times in a suitcase throughout the day, as a sign of insanity. 

yes an addiction that you wish to hide or fret what others may think, is a worrisome one to have. so today i took my last 'happy snap' of a little pesky doggie with legs of little length and am going cold turkey. 

i have told myself for one whole week i must go without taking a pic and posting it out for others to have it pop up on their feeds, roll their eyes and go, "seriously, not another". i am not even allowing myself to take sneaky secretive ones either, no sirree! none of this, 'just let me take one and delete it, no one will ever know' business, for that is a rocky road for sure.

so cold turkey is it, i am not sure i am strong enough, i am not sure i can make it through and to be honest i am not sure why i have to really, but i do! because the little voice inside my head has told me so. has spoken loud and clear "Tif, get a grip you daft addicted bat" and therefore i must listen.

i am already shaking, it has only been 40 minutes since i took the final, 'no more for a week after this one' instant joy happy snap... the one you see just above this, the one where little olive is being pesky, waiting for folks to walk past in neon anoraks, (flaunting their keep fit ways at us) so she may woof at their flaunting ways alongside her buddy 'used dog'. i note how handy it must be for her that i placed the stool there last night, how convenient she has a little 'leg up' at the front. i note how sweet and perfect her little patches are and her velvety over-sized ears, i note... i note i need to go cold turkey

Tif 

a serendipity moment...

i do like a bit of serendipity

and of late, 

serendipity appears to find me wherever i look.

last weeks serendipity moment went a little like this

the lovely Jennette leaves a comment on my facebook wall,

mentioning her peachy store

amd so i ventured forth with my friend Marjan.

not only did we find the most wonderful vintage emporium

but a new thrifty friend and a roll of spiffy vintage paper.

i marvel that only 3 days before finding my little roll of paper 

 i had stood in our small front hall 

and felt quite distressed at the nakedness of our front door

after 4 years of living in mossy shed.

and 3 days later, 

i stumble across the perfectly perfect solution

i have noted our 'fully clothed' front door,

has gone unnoticed by my lads of three.

i have come to the conclusion this can only be

because the shed has become 

all a 'bit of a blur of florals' everywhere they look

and thus, they are no longer able to see it

Tif 

a 'sabbatical of sorts'...

my philosophy

"if i go to sleep at night

knowing i have visited my imagination,

however fleeting it may have been,

then i know i have spent

my day wisely"

most of what i do relies upon,

my spontaneity,

my imagination

and

my family

those three sweet things in my life

have got buried of late,

and so i have decided to take

a 'sabbatical of sorts'.

to dig deep 

and recover the things 

which make me happy and whole.

allowing me to continue 

upon my chosen path

clearing away the draining debris

which has become a daily distraction.

for now,

my store is closed

and my blog posts will be sporadic.

i will continue to pen postcards

across the pond 

and dabble with Ivor when inspired

darren dictionary has informed me

a sabbatical is taking time out 

to rest, 

to grow 

and 

to learn

and that is exactly what i plan to do,

alongside of spending quality time with

my lost spontaneity, my misplaced imagination 

and my patient family

i wish to live by my philosophy again.

and in doing so, 

i truly believe,

one day soon,

i will look over my shoulder

and see standing beside me, 

in all her bohemian, eclectic glory,

dottie angel

waiting patiently for me...

~ Tif ~

a 'false sense of spring'...

two months into the new shiny year and i always come unstuck. it happens every year, i embrace the new year with all the wonder of starting a fresh, then by the time february bids farewell my 'freshness' is going stale and i realize despite the odd days of sun, spring is still a long way off. then just like every year, i rustle around my drawer marked 'good for rustling in during blearghy months' and pull out my thrift store kitschy plastic flowers. more often than not they are of the pink variety, happy bright pink and brilliantly peachy pink varieties are in there too.

i then proceed to go around our shed, plonking mixed bunches in likely looking containers to add a bit of cheer. yes springifying the shed is my only way to get through those pesky weeks before Mr Spring truly comes a~calling.

 yesterday my rustling ways unearthed a couple of kitschy strings of flowers which i recall finding at a craft shop a good year or so ago. i have always been rather fond of these strings and their ability to look most pretty. so i hung one up and then proceeded to take a few scraps of my precious Liberty pile of fabrics (kindly donated to me by the peachy Rachelle) and with a needle and thread, added a little bit of dottie to it. not a lot, just a little, but i am thinking one could really add a lot and have quite the time with 'dottie angeling' such a string of flowers.

i noted, little lucky bunny looked in need of a bit of cheer too

and once again, i am left marveling at how adding a few happy scraps of fabric to a little string of flowers does a wondrous job at adding to my 'false sense of spring' within the shed and my head. 

such is my marvelling ways, tomorrow i'm going to pottle around our shed, taking snaps of all my 'false sense of spring' signs i have rustled up with the contents of my drawer and show them right here on my shiny place. yes, that is what i will do, for right there and then, i have made tomorrow, now look most thrilling...

 goodness, who would believe a few stems of fake flowers plonked around a shed, had such power to take one from 'bleargh' to 'less bleargh, more happy'. 'tis a small mircale and those are the besty best kind of all...

Tif 

bleargh...

for the past few days Mr Lurgy and his pesky ways 

have been lurking in the shadows of the shed

he is a persistent little blighter with his achy tendencies

and one i do not care to entertain

however the voice of wisdom in my head this morning tells me 

"'tis madness Tif to continue, madness i say"

and so i must listen to the wise voice, taking a few days leave, to return on saturday, 

(Mr Lurgy or no Mr Lurgy)

for saturday is a tres thrilling day, a particular milestone i wish to celebrate

and celebrate we will...

 with a fabby 'MOO & dottie' giveaway!

she is wishing you a spiffy remainder of the week and will see you on saturday ~ Tif

scuppered by a snow storm...

yes indeedy, 

we have been scuppered by a snow storm

 but the grand news is, 

we have power and heat again, 

hurrah hooray!

here's just a smidgen of pics 

showing the wintery views from Mossy Shed

these past few days...

i will be back on monday, all thawed out and ready to go 

(not that i'm going anywhere in particular, but as in a 'hey ho lets go' sort of way) 

wishing you a spiffy and warm weekend

(unless you are in exotic climes such as Australia, then perhaps it is a little too warm and you maybe wishing for a cooler weekend, if so, then i do wish you a spiffy and cooler weekend)

Tif

a good man...

at christmas our clan lost a good man.

he was my man's father and my children's grandfather and he passed away from cancer. the past few months, it had been unbearable for him and so there was somewhat a relief to know his pain and suffering was over. but that initial feeling is quickly replaced by the realization that a constant in your life is gone forever. a feeling that doesn't ever really go away.

he was an ordinary man who did many extra ordinary things. he loved the outdoors more than any other person i have ever met. this week my clan celebrated the many moments we have shared in this wonderful world with him and said our final goodbyes to a good man whom we knew quite simply as 'Papa'.

one little bird studio and giving thanks...

i do like Leanda, i like her a whole lot.

and as i thought perhaps we are getting to that time of year when you may be making wish lists, or thinking of another to gift to, it would be a perfectly perfect time to introduce you to Leanda.

one little bird studio has the most peachiest of prints and one little bird studio belongs to Leanda. 

i marvel at her wonderful work, how time after time she comes up with images i would happily hang on my shed's wall in a heart beat. yes i marvel at how gifted Leanda is with her designs.

recently she has produced some prints which made my granny retro heart skip a beat. especially this spiffy number. so much so, it is now hanging on our shed's wall. the most beautiful midnight blue background truly makes me happy alongside of the wonderful pops of bright colours.

whilst i was waiting for my 'home sweet home' print to wing its way to my door step (which may i add, it did so very safely in the sturdiest of cardboard mailers i have ever come across, my kitchen scissors were no match for its sturdiness, thats how sturdy it was!)... well as i was waiting, Leanda only went and popped her 2012 calendars into her shop.

gosh, see, take a look at this one in all its mustardy glory

now does that not make your granny retro heart skip a beat all over again. 

surely if ever there was a person who does not do calendars, and they happened upon Leanda's 2012 calendar print, i am without doubt they would be converted into being a calendar loving folk. how do i know such a thing? what proof do i have? well i don't really, but none the less, i'm a believer and i stick by what i say, and that is, the 2012 calendar from one little bird studio, is quite the most peachiest calendar i have laid eyes on.

i do think showing you the wonderful printed world of Leanda, is a lovely note to end on, for tomorrow it is Thanksgiving, my favourite American holiday, and so i will be taking a week off until December 1st when i will return for the joyful gleeful season!

hip hip hooray!

so for now, i will leave you with saying "thank you" for the kindness you have shown me and my constant canine companions this week, for all the offers of fingers, paws and fins crossing over the coming few weeks. and indeed for all your wonderfulness over the past year, from the incredible embracing of my book, to your continuing wish to visit me here on my shiny place and being most generous with your comments on my crafting, time and time again. 

you have truly filled my heart with such a brilliant feeling of warmth, 

and are such an important part of my world.

so once again, i can only say it the best way i know how.

"thank you kindly dearest readers, you are the bees knees to me"

she is wishing you a wonderful happy thanksgiving in the USA and is wishing everyone else an happy week too ~ Tif

update on Used Dog...

it has been many years since i wrote a christmas wish list 

but this year i have one, 

it is quite simple and i am only asking for one thing:

1. a clean bill of health for my constant canine companion

i have high hopes it will not be too much to ask for.

last night, Used Dog came home. 

she made it through the operation which turned out to be a tricky dicky one, 

leaving her with several layers of stitches and 30 plus staples in her side. 

but still her little eyes shined brightly 

and her tail wagged when she knew she was home.

('cos that's what doggies do best, even on bad days)

we lay side by side in the lounge all night long. 

just me and my secondhand dog. 

now some may call me insane, but i think not. 

for my dog has been by my side through good and bad for over 11 years, 

so at a time in her life when perhaps she is not feeling the bees knees,

 i think it perfectly sane for me to lay next to her, 

so she need not be afraid.

the next few weeks her side will slowly mend, 

the staples will be removed 

and the long wait will be over. 

we will know if our Used Dog, 

despite the doctor's concerns, 

has a clean bill of health 

and a few more happy doggie years left on this earth

so i must take a moment to thank you all so kindly,

for all the fingers and paws crossing you have been doing

on behalf of our Used Dog

and may i be so bold and ask if perhaps

you may care to continue to do a bit more 'crossing'

until we know she has a clean bill of health.

i know it may be tres tricky to go about your daily lives

with crossed fingers and paws,

but even just a little 'quick crossing'

 every now and then would be spiffy.

and tonight, 

when Used Dog comes home to the shed again,

after another day at hospital

and we lay in the dark,

just her, me and my florence nightingale cap.

i will be sure to tell her of your kindness 

whilst i administer half hourly doses of ear stroking.

she will be back tomorrow with the peachy 'one little bird' to share ~ Tif

a long day at mossy shed...

today Used Dog is in hospital for an operation.

we have told her to be brave

we have told her "we love you Used Dog"

and now all we can do is keep our fingers and paws crossed

(a little tricky for a little critter with limbs on the short side)

and wait patiently for Used Dog to come back home to mossy shed so we can feel whole again

~ Tif and Little Olive