Almost A New Year

Keep Hope and a Dog

A new year brings hope to my heart. In 2023, I hope I can write regularly in this blog again. Write like I once could. I loved it! I miss writing. I miss the blogging community. I hope!

Bella is my current dog. She’s beautiful and mighty powerful. All 14 pounds of her! She turned five years old this year. I hope we enjoy many more years together!

My son is approaching 40. Wow! He’s a good person. I’m blessed. I hope to grow older and older, with better health, and have many more years with my son!

Good thing I had a child when I was relatively young or I’d be pretty old. I can say that now, I hope, with genuine respect for aging, since I’m in on that, and without offense to anyone who considers herself old, because I’m not so young myself anymore.

My late friend, Sonny, used to say he felt like a nineteen-year-old trapped in an old man’s body.

I can relate to that a little, but I don’t feel nineteen. Or 40. Or even 50. I do however feel my own spirit, and that has always been the same. In this way, I can relate to my friend’s experience.

I hope to always feel my own spirit! I hope it keeps lighting my way!

I hope you, dear visitor, also have hope.

I hope the year 2023 is a year that I will live my life more. Life is for living, a wise man told me. I believe it is true!

I hope 2023 brings more healing to us humans and softens some our hearts.

Hope. It’s a good thing!

From Michelle, your blogger at DOGKISSES!

PS: I do not benefit in any way from ads you see in this blog.

Happy Halloween

T’is Halloween, the sky is dark

Stars are out, glow over the park,

A dog on it’s own, walking the path

Caked in mud, needing a bath,

He meets a black cat, also alone

They travel together, find a bone,

Tea’s been had, splash in the pond

Dog and Cat, now have a bond,

An eerie feel, the moon is bright

Witches around, give a fright,

Cat follows Dog, he’s going home

To feel safe, loved, no longer alone.

time for home,

By Belinda Ellingham

Source: (https://www.craftsuprint.com/card-verses/miscellaneous-other/halloween/)

Thanks for visiting Dogkisses’s blog!

Butterfly ~ An Invitation —

The Tiger Swallowtail arrived before the plants did.  A single large butterfly with tails intact and colorful vibrancy innocent of the inevitable markings to come. Winged on Verbena The winds were picking up. The purple Verbena had grown several inches. The blooms moved up and down with each gust of wind. The big butterfly glided […]

Butterfly ~ An Invitation —

Click above link to read from my Green Healing blog or leave a comment here at Dogkisses.

Happy Autumn!

Your blogger,

Michelle.

Bella for Dogkisses

Hello, Dear Readers!

I’ve been blessed with a dog!  Her name is Bella.  She’s a beauty and sweet as strawberry pie.

Bella is a small dog with long legs.  She weighs all of 15 pounds.  Some days, 15 and a half!  Yet, for such a little girl, she sure fills my heart with love.

My most recent post was a long time ago.  I had a wonderful dog then too, named Roscoe.  He had to go live with a new family.

Roscoe is doing great in his new home.  He moved to the coast, where he lives with a terrific family and three other dogs. 

Roscoe’s new parents have a designated room, a pantry they call it, for dog treats.  That says a lot.  Roscoe has a good life.

After more than a year without dog hairs in my home or the sound of paws prancing on the floors, I started to wonder if I would ever get another dog.

Eventually, I started looking at photos online.  Late nights, when I couldn’t sleep, I’d scroll through what seemed like and probably was, thousands of photos.

I heard about Bella before I saw her.  I knew in my heart that I’d probably adopt her the first time I heard her name and I was right.  

Bella was in a training program, A New Leash on Life, in Spindale, North Carolina.  She lived with her trainer, an inmate at a minimum security correctional facility.  

Puppy Bella 

Sometimes, I tell her about Roscoe or one of her other predecessors.  Mostly, Bella and I have our own unique experiences and adventures together. 

I love her to peices, of course.  I’m very proud of Bella too.  She sits like she’s been to the finest training school in the world.  Maybe she has! 

Bella goes everywhere with me.  She makes people smile and laugh pretty much every time we venture out into the world together. 

Bella’s trainer taught her to dance.  He taught her a lot, such as how to jump through hoops and the important skills too, like how to heel, sit, and stay. 

Bella is my emotional supoort animal (ESA), but she’s also a Therapy dog.  She won a blue ribbon!  She loves and I mean loves making people happy!  I adore this about Bella.  

Ms. Bella

I needed this dog.  She’s my best friend and makes me hope for a long life together.  

Thank you for visiting “Dogkisses.”  

Ads you see on this blog are not associated with me or my content.

dogkisses for Roscoe

I’ve been trying to publish a post in this blog for several months or more, but after such a long time away from writing, the endeavor is challenging. 

An honorable mention of Ruthie Mae, a wonderful dog, who crossed the Rainbow Bridge in 2014 and now lives in my memories, feels like a good place to start.

Ruthie named this blog, “dogkisses,” with slight little kisses on my arm each time I reached for her bag of food.  She was forever a tender heart.  So sensitive.  So sweet.  Ruthie’s kisses felt like snowflakes melting on my skin.

Not long after Ruthie passed, my late friend, Laurie, a former fellow blogger who lived with chronic illness, also passed away. 

I was sad.  I also had to move.  Again.  Life has been hard. 

My writer’s voice seemed to have vanished for a while, but after settling into a new apartment, which meant that I could finally sleep, I gradually found myself making notes on random sheets of paper.

Also during my online absence, the bond I’ve always had with my blog and the blogging community as well, never abandoned my mind or heart, which I think is pretty cool. 

Aside from the logistics of moving and an extreme backlash of severe pain from fibromyalgia, during and after my son and I moved two apartments, twice, I became exhausted. Utterly exhausted.  

There is a lot I could say about the past two years and what led to my long absence, but that would take a while and more energy than I have today.

For now, I’d like to introduce you to my new and most special friend, Roscoe!  He’s a beautiful dog.  I don’t have many photos uploaded to this computer yet, but soon I’ll show you his beautiful hound-dog spots and multi-color coat. 

No Words for this Face!

I’m pretty sure Roscoe is a mix of German Shorthaired Pointer and Bluetick Coonhound.  His face reminds me of a Husky.  His eyes are an unusual green.  He has wonderful long legs, enabling him to run fast and climb high too!  He’s a thin guy, but some of us just can’t catch a pound or two for long. 

As I write, Roscoe reminds me only of a hound dog.  Whining all the time 😉

Roscoe and I have had a truly amazing journey together since we met at a rural shelter in April, 2016.  I hope to soon tell you about our adventures and for various reasons, a few several misadventures as well.

With luck and determination, I shall return soon.  Fingers crossed.  Thanks for visiting dogkisses!

Cheers!

Rembering Laurie ~ Your Spirit Walks With Me

Three Sisters in Spirit

I imagined us three, “Spirit Sisters,” as we had once and forever declared ourselves, and our beloved young Rhia too, gathering together on top of Ash’s blue mountain and also, in Georgetown, drinking decadent hot beverages by the river.

I thought about our time together and what we would do.  I wasn’t sure.  We can never be sure of much when fibromyalgia is part of the equation.

A new pair of shoes seemed right for such a special occasion.  I was going to meet Ash and Laurie!

I thought perhaps Ash might not be well enough for traveling away from home, which influenced the shoes I bought.

I chose the shoes with both my spirit sisters in mind.

Strong and sturdy, with a hint of flair.

“I’m a city girl,” Laurie had written to us about where we should have our gathering.

Thinking of our city-loving sister in the midst of wooded and wild nature made me smile.  I suspected the same was true for our mountain-dwelling sister, Ash.

The shoes stayed in the box for at least a year.

Every time I wore the shoes, I thought of the day I would get to meet Ash and Laurie.  I took good care of my new shoes.

I can barely stand the truth, which is that our slumber party will never happen.

Laurie will never visit my blog again, although, there will always be a place here where her spirit lives.  She will never call me again, tenderly reaching out to me.

“Michelle,” she said, in the softest voice.

“This is your sister, Laurie.  I’m here for you sweetie.”

The sound of her voice now whispers in my mind.

A few months back, I started thinking more often of calling Laurie.  I was planning to tell her how much she meant to me, but I was too late.  Laurie became ill and didn’t recover.

Slumber Party Shoes 

 

Laurie was dear to me, and she loved me.  I loved her too.

I didn’t get to say goodbye.  I wanted to call her when she was in the hospital, but I couldn’t because she was sedated.  I wanted so much to communicate with her.

I admired Laurie.  She was smart, a good mother and a great writer.  I was proud to have her visit my blog and give me compliments.

Laurie wrote beautifully at Hibernationnow’s Blog.

Her last post was a Haiku titled, “Play.”  Below is taken from that post.

“Play life’s chances, free

ask questions, be bold, stunning

Roar, grin, like tiger.”

Laurie left us too soon.

Sweet Laurie ~ May You Rest in Peace

In Memory of the Sweetest Dog in the World

In Loving Memory of Ruthie Mae

I knew every day for almost ten years that I was lucky to have Ruthie Mae as my friend, and to be loved dearly and tenderly by the sweetest dog in the world.  We were the very best of friends.

Ruthie Mae passed on the first day of Spring 2015.

I’m Ruthie! A Beautiful Dog! I’m Nine Years Old!

Farewell my beautiful friend!  I shall forever be the incredibly lucky person who was loved by you!

Ruthie’s Human Mom,

Michelle.

 

Post Script:

Ruthie had a type of vascular cancer that commonly doesn’t present symptoms until the disease has progressed.  She became severely weak and shortly afterward, at the veterinary hospital, she passed peacefully.

Thank you for visiting this blog, dogkisses, named after Ms. Ruthie Mae.

 

Essence of a Holiday

Less than two days after my most recent post, I got a Christmas wish!

My son and I had a great day together!

We had a late start, but when we did make it out, the traffic was gone for the evening and we made it to the electronics store where we purchased him his first Tablet.  He’s so excited!

We stopped for lunch at one of my favorite local restaurants in the center of Chapel Hill.

Strangely, when we approached the street-corner, a hawk that looked the same as the Red-shouldered one that lives in my little corner of the world, flew through the intersection in the sidewalk’s path!

I couldn’t believe my eyes!  That hawk was flying about five or six feet above the ground in plain sight.  People were walking by, but nobody seemed to notice the hawk but me, which I thought was odd.

There is no way I can prove things that feel more than random or meaningful in a mystical way, but I admit to thinking that perhaps the hawk is helping me.

Life has been mostly difficult for me over the past couple of years.  A good day with my son came as a true blessing and desperately, what I needed.

I feel like my body is falling apart and perhaps, the way I had my life organized already has, but my spirit is strong and awareness is intact.

Nature helps me survive the hardest of times.

I’ve watched the Red-shouldered hawk since early Autumn.  The majestic bird perches close to my door on nearby electric lines.  I can get closer than I ever imagined I would to a hawk!  Honestly, I feel that if I got closer, I would disturb the animal’s hunting endeavors, but wow!  What a great bird to hang out with!

Since I haven’t been able to blog regularly or read other blogs, then sharing with you the beauty and interesting parts of my natural world is a way I can communicate.

Thanks for visiting my blog and I hope you have a peaceful holiday.