Lavender, Peonies, and Puppies

I'm still here...

still painting lavender-scapes for the Lavender Festival that will be June 20th in Oak Ridge, TN.

Trying to work in a small bit of gardening, though that's pretty much on hold until the festival is over.

And taking care of a beagle / corgi --- Buddy --- that had to have surgery for a torn CCL that would not heal.

Tomorrow we will be spending the day with our kids and daughter-in-law --- but I think of her when I say kids, she's just like one of our own and immediately felt like family when we met her. We will be enjoying smoked baby back ribs and chicken breasts, along with red potato salad, Uncle Ben's long Grain and Wild Rice (LOVE Uncle Ben!)  and peanut butter pie for dessert. I'll have to share the smoker with you soon. It's one my husband made from an old refrigerator!

Have a blessed weekend!
Lana

Country Living and Making Do, Part 3

When you live out in the country, 30 minutes from a small town or an hour from a city, sometimes you have to make do with what you have on hand. Or maybe sometimes you choose to make do with what's on hand. Either way, you usually end up with something unique... like the cedar log garden bench at the top of this post! This log was the other half of the one I talked about here. It just happened to be long enough for 2 benches!

Roger and I had been talking about how nice it would be to have a bench near the garden to sit and take a break from pulling weeds or picking vegetables. So... what did he do? Roger had carpal tunnel surgery last Friday, but he was determined to get the pillars for this bench made Thursday evening. The blocks and stones were leftovers from a recent job and they just happened to be perfect for this project! Roger had his surgery, and then Monday afternoon he supervised while our sons notched the log (compliments of the ice storm) and placed it on the pillars. That's Michael, below, making a final adjustment with the chainsaw for a perfect fit.

Roger gave it his approval... along with Buddy, who had CCL surgery (similar to ACL surgery for humans) on the same day as Roger's CTR surgery. Both are doing well. :)

Milo came over with Michael and enjoyed seeing Buddy and riding on the 4-wheeler! You can see the bench in the background behind Michael.

We have a nice view of the garden when we sit on the bench... and we have lots to see this year... onions, peas, cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, brussel sprouts, eggplants, squash, cucumbers, roma tomatoes, big boy tomatoes, green beans, potatoes, bell peppers, and jalapeno peppers!

And we can see the blueberries and blackberries at the end of the garden...

I have plenty more to share and will try to be back by Saturday to share the finished fire pit.

Blessings,
Lana

Faithful Companions

A dog doesn't care if you're rich or poor, big or small, young or old. He doesn't care if you're not smart, not popular, not a good joke-teller, not the best athlete, nor the best-looking person. To your dog, you are the greatest, the smartest, the nicest human being who was ever born. You are his friend and protector. - Louis Sabin

Ava on patrol.

Ava and Buddy

Luna

Luna and Red

 

The Manis Menagerie

Definition of MENAGERIE:

a : a place where animals are kept and trained especially for exhibition

b : a collection of wild or foreign animals kept especially for exhibition

Origin of MENAGERIE:

French ménagerie, from Middle French, management of a household or farm, from menage
First Known Use: 1676 
{from Merriam-Webster}

Wikipedia: A menagerie is a form of keeping common and exotic animals in captivity that preceded the modern zoological garden. The term was first used in seventeenth century France in reference to the management of household or domestic stock.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, we didn't purposefully add another animal to our family, it just happened. Red was found in the woods, barely able to walk and suffering from several infected bite wounds. We loaded him in the vehicle and took him to the vet.

He spent the night at the vet and after finding the owner, who decided to let us pay the bill and take care of and keep him, we brought him home where he now happily plays with Buddy, Ava, and Luna.

Sam is now indoors for good. We found out this morning that Red isn't cat-friendly.

And so, I am still otherwise occupied. I hope to return soon with news other than canine or feline related, lol!
If you'd like to read more about our pets, you may do so here: The Manis Menagerie.

Take care and God bless,
Lana
~*~

More of the Same - Cute Pets!

 Can one ever have too many cute pet photos? I think not!

{Thor, Ava's brother}

{Ava}

{Sam, the true Alpha dog in this family!}

{Thor and that uncontrollable tongue!}

{Inquisitive Ava}

{What??? Spoiled, you say?}

{This looks so uncomfortable, but it's how Luna rests on the swing!}

{Ava & Thor}

{Big Baby Buddy - seriously, he is a big baby! He even sounds just like a crying baby when he's trying to get attention!}

{Thor}

{Thor. Sometimes the only way I can tell Thor and Ava apart in photos is to look for the black on Thor's paws and legs.}

Happy Monday!
Take care and God bless,
Lana
~*~

Present and Accounted For...

It seems that every time I open my blog to update it, something waylays me and I have to stop what I'm doing and take care of other matters.

I am here, and I do have things to talk about... I just need a little breather to be able to sit down and talk write. I have no earth-shattering news, just the usual goings on and things I'd like to share.

For now, I'm just going to share a few photos with you and hopefully the next time I can get a fairly interesting blog post written.... and posted! :)

Take care and God bless,
Lana...
and Sam,
and Ava,
and Buddy,
and Luna,
and Thor!
~*~

My How She's Grown!

Can you believe that Ava has gone from this...

{Awwww!}

to this in just 5 1/2 weeks?

{Jess and Ava}

And she is such a baby! She loves to be carried. She goes to the window and barks for someone to come pick her up so she can look out.

It will still be a few more weeks before she is big enough to move in with Luna and Buddy. They love to play with her but they play too rough for Ava's liking.

Now that we have the cuteness taken care of, I'd like to mention that I have several items listed on eBay right now. I am in the process of clearing out accumulated inventory, including some pieces I brought home from local and semi-local shops that sell my work. Some items may have slight imperfections, such as a chip in the paint or a tear in the paper backing on artwork. I will mention any of these that I see.
 

During the remainder of July, I will be listing lots of items, starting the bids at well below retail prices! Everything must go so I can start fresh in my studio. Please feel free to let your friends know about these auctions.

Thanks for stopping by!

Take care and God bless,
Lana
~*~

Otherwise Occupied

I apologize for the lack of blog posts, missing Saturday Sundries posts and Weigh-In Wednesdays posts.

{Luna, our Siberian Husky pup}

I have been otherwise occupied with a festival, vet appointments, doctor appointments, and every day life.

We have gotten two new pups in the last few weeks.

{Luna with Ava, our feisty German Shepherd puppy}

I'm sure things will slow down soon... eventually.

Ava cries to go outside to play with Luna and Buddy. Luna is very patient and lets Ava growl and bite and tug at her ears, then she just holds her down with her paw, lol!

Buddy's still around, but I have no recent pics. He got fixed yesterday and will be a bit under the weather for a few days.

In the meantime, Ava will pose for the camera...

along with her little brother, Thor, who lives with my son and his wife...

{Ava & Thor}

{Thor}

So that's what's going on here. It's just like having little ones around again and I am getting pretty much nothing accomplished.... other than adding more cute puppy photos to my album! ;)

{Ava}

I'll check back in tomorrow for Weigh-In Wednesday.

Take care and God bless,
Lana
~*~