Wordless Wednesday . . . . .

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

For the Love of Greyhounds . . . .

Oh my, how the summer is flying by!  It seems like only yesterday that I posted my last Wordless Wednesday photo from Lee's and my most recent road trip, and yet it's been nearly a month.  Wow.

Between enjoying the company of traveling friends and  house guests, planning for upcoming trips, plugging away at some badly neglected yard work, and trying to get caught up on my cardmaking, I've not had (or taken) much time for my Blog these past few weeks.  But hopefully, I'll be catching up with that soon!

Today's Blog Post is on a topic near and dear to my heart:  Greyhounds.

I imagine that some of you have already heard about the recent discovery and rescue of 28 dogs from a horribly neglectful situation in Ft. Worth, Texas.  Here is a news article about the event.  At least 17 of these dogs were greyhounds, and others were greyhound and/or sighthound mixes.  I don't know (and probably don't want to know) all the details, but it's my understanding that these dogs were being kept in cages without food and water.  Most, if not all, were tick-infested.  One of these poor greyhounds has, sadly, already succumbed to his weakened condition.

The rescued greyhounds have been divided between the Greyhound Adoption League of Texas (GALT), and Greyhounds Unlimited (GU).   An online benefit auction is currently being held by Carpe Canem to raise desperately needed funds to help in the care and treatment of these greys before they are in good enough shape to be adopted.  Many of my greyhound friends over on Facebook, fellow artisans and craftspersons, and the dog and greyhound "community" in general have rallied together in order to donate hundreds of items for this auction.  Lee has donated a matted photo from his personal collection of photographic art, and I've donated a number of handmade cards.

The Emergency Carpe Canem Auction for Rescued Texas Greyhounds  is about three days into its run and will continue until Wednesday, July 28.   Please, if you have a chance, take a few minutes to visit the auction, and also to share this info with any of your friends that you think might be interested in learning more about and/or helping this cause.

Thank you, once again, for visiting my Blog.  And, please feel free to comment and share!  I love to read your comments!

Until we meet again. . . . I'd like to share one of my favorite photos of Lee's and my sweet greyhound Harley, along with one of my favorite quotes. . . .

 "Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened."

~ Anatole France ~

Wordless Wednesday . . . .

(Click to Enlarge.)

Wordless Wednesday . . . .

Wordless Wasatch Wednesday . . . . .

(Click for a larger view.)

Wordless and Winsome WOOF Wednesday . . . ..

Wordless Wonders of Spring Wednesday . . . . .

(You may click on the photo to enlarge.)

I Have Often Walked . . . . .

I have often walked . . . . . . . . . down this street before!


Sometimes I think that my husband Lee and I take for granted the wonderful mountain scenery around us. After all, we have lived here in the same house, on the same street, in the same city, in the same state, for over 20 years! So I guess it's easy to understand how we may have become overly accustomed to our surroundings.

But every now and then, I'm struck by how truly lucky we are to live in such a scenic area of the country, and at times like these, I do indeed feel humbled and blessed by the natural beauty around us.

I grew up in the Midwest (Kansas, to be exact), but I've long been drawn to the mountains. My first recollection of seeing mountains was during my family's early road trips to Colorado to visit my aunt who lived in Denver.

Later, I went to live in Denver for a time with that same aunt, while attending college there. I've been "hooked" on the mountains from that point on.

I lived in Denver for five years, then moved farther west into the Rocky Mountain state of Utah, and have been here ever since.

The weather here in Salt Lake City has been somewhat unpredictable this Spring, not an unusual occurrence for this part of the Rocky Mountains. The past week has been rainy and chilly. . . but today was quite beautiful.

We started the day with a clear sky, full sun and temperatures in the high sixties. A few scattered clouds found their way into the sky later in the day, but luckily, the high clouds brought no rain.

By late afternoon, when I decided to take a leisurely one-mile walk around our neighborhood, the temperature was still mild, a gentle breeze was blowing, and the light was perfect for a few hand-held scenic mountain photos. (Luckily, I had the foresight to take my camera along!)






Even after all these years, I am amazed that these kinds of views can be achieved while walking around our own little Salt Lake City neighborhood, within less than a mile of where Lee and I live.

Thank you all, once again, for visiting my Blog!

And until we meet again. . .may you each have the opportunity to enjoy unique and special views of your own. . . from the street where you live!

Ciao!

Wordless Woof Wednesday . . . . .

Happy Mother's Day!

The best conversations with mothers always take place in silence,

when only the heart speaks.

~ Carrie Latet ~

Wordless Woof Wednesday Once Again . . . . . .

So. .. . Who's PERFECT, after all??

Any of you who have been following my Blog for a while and/or who know me fairly well through my paper-crafting work, have figured out by now that I'm a self-proclaimed "perfectionist."

Given that, I've been a little slow in grasping the concept that part of the beauty and uniqueness of handmade cards is the fact that they are NOT exactly perfect. . . .nor is that the goal!

The more experience I gain with my cardmaking, the more adept I become at "going with the flow" and letting designs evolve. Sometimes that process involves trying out a new technique or a new product. Other times, the process may actually involve changing the original design that I had in my head, to cover up some unintentional "owies"!

So THERE . . .I've confessed! And you know what? I think I feel BETTER!

This cute card, created and sold a while back, was my first serious attempt at stamping and hand-coloring an image and incorporating it into a card design.

I haven't made a card like this one since, but I think I'm just about ready to tackle this technique again.

I have to admit, this sweet little zebra and turtle hand-stamped image still makes me smile whenever I look at it!

Thanks, once again, for visiting my Blog!

And until we meet again. . . Here's wishing you all . . . Freedom from PERFECTION!

SPRINGTIME in the Rockies!

Harley was raring to go this morning for his first outing, so I didn't make him wait for me to put his coat on. . . after all it's not THAT cold outside today, despite the new fallen snow. And he enjoyed a brief morning sprint outdoors, while I ventured out in my robe and slippers to capture a couple of scenes with my camera.


Even though it's not at all unusual for us to experience wide variations in weather here in northern Utah this time of year, it always seems to take me by surprise. (How quickly we forget!)

And now that the daffodils, crocuses, and grape hyacinths in our yard have been blooming for at least a week and the tulips are beginning to open, it seems even more incongruous that Lee and I would awaken once again to several inches of snow on the ground this morning.



But, I have to reminding myself, this is what SPRINGTIME in the ROCKIES (the Rocky Mountains of Utah) is like. And before we know it, the temperatures will be in the 70s!

Thanks for visiting my little corner of the Blog world, and until we meet again. . . . . .may you all enjoy the pleasures of Spring, wherever you are!

Sunday Morning Reverie . . . . . . .

(Click on either photo to enlarge.)

Wordless Wistful Woof Wednesday . . . . . .

(Please click on the photo for an enlarged view.)

There is Nothing Quite Like SPRING!

Some days are busier than others, and today, at least for me, has been one of those BUSY days! It's actually been a "good" kind of busy day, wherein I feel like I got a couple of projects done and some others at least started.

So, a little while ago, I thought I'd reward myself and give myself a break before thinking about the dreaded "C" word. . . . i.e., COOKING. I decided to grab my little camera, and take an early evening stroll around our yard with Harley, our sweet greyhound, to see what new Spring discoveries we might have missed.

Although it's been a bit of a breezy day, the wind has now subsided, making way for a lovely warmish Spring evening. And although I'm no photographer, I was able to take advantage of the early evening calm and some late day shadows to capture a few scenes from our yard.







I do love all the seasons, but truly, there is nothing quite like SPRING, is there?? (Just ask Harley!)

Wordless Wasatch Wednesday . . . . .

(You may click on photo for an enlarged view.)

Could it really be. . . . SPRING??

It's hard to believe, after the unseasonably chilly weather and all the snow that we've had here along the Wasatch Front Range of the Rockies over the past couple of weeks. . . . . . but I think that SPRING might actually be showing her cheerful face in north central Utah!

This morning, I awakened to a clear blue sky and a relatively warm (60ish) blustery day. . . It didn't take long for the wind to blow in clouds and eventual rain, but before that happened, I managed to snap a few photos of the sprouting (or more aptly termed "blooming") flora in our yard.




Yes, I think it really could be SPRING!

April Showers . . . . . .

Here we are. . . .April 1, 2010, and SPRING is (or should be) upon us. APRIL FOOL!

These scenes are from our back yard, just minutes ago. . . . . .

(Click any photo to enlarge.)







Somehow I don't think the old adage,

"April Showers Bring May Flowers,"

was referring to THESE kinds of showers. . . . .



But then again, by the weekend, I'm guessing most of this snow will have melted,

and will have made way for our crocuses and early tulips to add a little color to our yard,

and for the Easter Bunny to make his way through the neighborhood.



Such is Springtime in the Rockies!



Until we meet again. . .

Wishing You a Wonderful Spring,

Wherever You Are!

Wordless Wintery Wednesday. . . . .

Wordless Woof Wednesday . . . . .

Mountain Magic. . . . . .

In the 40+ years that I've lived in the Rocky Mountain States (first Colorado and now Utah), I have never grown weary of the magnificent mountain views. . . and I'm sure I never will.

(You may click on photo to enlarge.)

Late this afternoon, I just happened to be sitting by the window in Lee's hospital room, watching the clouds come over the south edge of the city as a fast-moving Spring storm passed through.

In the afternoon light and through the mist of the low clouds and scattered snowflakes falling from the sky, the Wasatch Mountains seemed to take on an almost magical appearance . . . . . .

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Room with a View. . . . .

I've been spending a lot of my time over the past ten days at the hospital, since my husband Lee recently had surgery. During Lee's hospital stay, we've been lucky in that he's had a nice room location which affords a lovely view of the Wasatch Mountain Range bordering the east side of Salt Lake City.

This past week, I've had plenty of time to watch and appreciate the changing view from the southeast-facing window of Lee's hospital room. And since I hardly ever go anywhere without my camera, I took a few photos that I thought I'd share here on my Blog. . . . .






Let's face it. . . it's not really any fun to be in the hospital (either as a patient or as a visitor), but if you have to be there, it helps at least a little, to have a Room with a View. . . . .

Wordless Wednesday . . . . .

Wordless Wild Flower Wednesday . . . . . . . .