Treasure Hunt

For quite a few years, I have been threatening to go into the recesses of the attic and find "The Box" that I put all my childhood mementos in. I was looking for one particular object: My autograph book. In that book are the signatures of my grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts and uncles who are all gone now. For some reason, I just HAD to take another look the other day.



First, I sent my son into the attic (because I'm old and decrepit and can't be trusted not to fall down the stairs, apparently), and when he came up empty, I went up there and got a couple of boxes that I knew had some of Steve's mementos in them, and brought them down. It wasn't until yesterday, while hanging upside down on the inversion table, that I saw something familiar peeking out of the box and started to tear into it.



What I saw was a red ribbon with the moniker "TF South" on it. I knew immediately that I had found the box with my treasures in it. There among Steve's boy scout patches, I found the autograph book for which I had searched so long and hard. Instantly, I tore it open (unzipped is more like it) and searched for Dzia Dzia's signature. I passed more than a few signatures along the way, that of Felix and Mary Cieslak (my great-grandparents), Busia (my grandmother), my parents, and then I saw his signature.



Dzia Dzia's handwriting was a beautiful cursive, and not at all like the writing you see so often today. Penmanship was prized back then, and I had even won an award in first or second grade for penmanship. I ran my fingers along the words he had written, closed my eyes and imagined him as he wrote them. The thought brought a stab to my heart, as I brought myself back to the present, realizing once again that he has been gone an entire 38 years. I closed the book again after showing it to my family, who know how much I reverence Dzia Dzia's memory and left it on my dining room table with the other items from the box, which I had not yet begun to go through.

I started going through the items today, and found a treasure trove of memories I had forgotten all about. There were newspaper clippings from when I was in high school, my report cards for grade school, award ribbons, graduation cards, my bronzed baby shoes, old letters from a girl my brother Wayne was supposed to marry but didn't, old pictures given to me from people I knew in junior high school, my high school graduation picture and one made 10 years later, and some small portfolios I had from pets that were part of my life. I was going to throw the pet portfolios away, but was tempted into looking inside. It was then I got the surprise of my life.



In those folders, were pictures of my german shepherd, Brandie, and my cats, Animal and Spooker, all now long gone, but not before leaving me with very fond memories. There were pictures of me when I was a young wife, not quite 19, doing my needlework, with a red bandana on, and Brandie as a puppy, romping playfully nearby. There are a couple of pictures of some guy I used to know holding Spooker, and if it weren't for Spooker being in the picture, I'm sure I would have thrown them away. I don't even remember his name. But the pictures will stay, just because they caught my beautiful black kitty at his most beautiful stage.





As I packed my treasures up, I teared up; it's sad to notice how snugly all my little memories fit into this small box. They seem so large inside me. Maybe that's the way they are meant to be.

Nazdrowie'

Paczki Puta

Rescuing the Rescued

It's funny how a quick decision can change your life forever. Everyone knows that I am an animal lover. What I didn't realize is how far that love would take me. Two weeks ago, I rescued a pregnant lab/shepherd mix from the Tipton County Animal Shelter. We have tentatively named her Bella.

Bella is a beautiful girl, with a sweet temperament and a hearty appetite! Her time to deliver the puppies came last week on the 21st of September. She gave birth to 7 beautiful babies, and we were privileged to be able to watch the birth of the last two. Out of the 7, six are boys and one is a girl. They are doing well and we feel blessed to be able to enjoy them at our house.

While we do enjoy them, it is becoming a challenge to keep bedding clean and to find space and time for it all. The puppies are not demanding at this time, but Bella is! She was malnourished when she came to us, and although the shelter tried to tell me that it was the pregnancy pulling her skin taut, I knew better. Bella is eating 4 times a day now, but is finally starting to fill out. Her ribcage is barely visible, and her spine doesn't stick out like it did. She is warm, dry and comfortable. She has playmates, a family and more then enough to eat. She is a good mom, and I feel like a good granddog mom.

I have been fortunate to come into contact with some really good people who have helped me out with donations of both food, treats and money for the vetting costs of getting these beauties ready to be placed into their forever homes. Good Dog Rescue in Memphis is going to help us to adopt them all out, probably in the New England area. Every one of these babies will have their shots and wormings before I let them go, and I will be a part of the adoptive process. Every applicant is carefully screened, and the prospective adoptive family will be talking to me to find out about the dog. Really, I know it's a good thing, even if it will be hard for me to let them all go. I have to feel comfortable about who is getting the babies, as I will not stand for them to go to shelters after all the care they are getting here.

The puppies had their first bath today. And boy, they didn't like it. But I want them to get used to being handled, and I want to make sure they are clean, warm and well-cared for. Bella is good about letting me handle the puppies. I think she knows I will not hurt them, as I will not hurt her either. Today I ordered a play yard for the puppies, because they have already doubled in size, and they are only a week and a half old. God help me. I will put a small wading pool in the middle of the play yard, put a warm blanket on one side, and let them roam around. The play yard is 3 feet tall, about 25 square feet, and has a door so I can let Bella in whenever she wants. I know the puppies will become very active once their eyes are open, so I want to be ready. AND I want to contain the mess! The only other thing I have to worry about is the cats. I will have to make sure they are all contained and don't get into the pen. That's another battle in itself. I have two cats that would potentially jump into the pen, so those are the ones I will deal with. Maybe securing a blanket on top of the pen will discourage the cats. Anyway, I'm trying to be prepared.

The other dogs are doing all right with Bella, except for the times when Bella has threatened Rocky a little, but Rocky has to be threatened now and then. She's a bird dog, and it would be natural for her to get one of the babies and hurt it. She's killed birds, squirrels and rats, and I think she had a hand in killing a coon that came in the yard. She's a handful, but she keeps rodents away. I just don't want her to mistake the pups for rodents.

It's a learning experience. Who knew that rescuing this one dog could give my family such a good healing experience from our losses in the last year? It's certainly been a long time coming. Maybe karma is changing in my direction now. Here's to hoping!

Nazdrowie'

Paczki Puta