Wednesday, March 30, 2011

old tombstones.....





I went to see some family gravesites the other day and found these in addition to others I knew were in my family. I am not sure about these 4 graves so will post them here and see if my dad or anyone else in my family knows if these are part of our family tree?

Sunday, March 13, 2011

stepping back in time.....

Friday Noah and I along with my uncle Sonny ran to Richmond, Indiana for an outing. I had run out of work so was able to flex my time and took some hours off in the daytime to enjoy a nice outing on a gorgeous day weather wise! After making a pit stop for coffees and snacks prior to our departure...haha...our first stop was Webb's Antique Mall in Centerville, Indiana. WOW we had a blast. I got some wonderful things there....I saw a gorgeous cedar chest that would absolutely match my bedroom set....would love to get it...my bedroom currently is so small...but the price is excellent on this waterfall cedar chest...I may have to go back and get it before someone else grabs it up!



My son had been admiring these old retro cars for a long time...so he finally bought the vintage Lincoln...




I found my marbles....normally the price on these old jars with marbles or buttons in them is SUPER expensive...I got these GIANT marbles all very old and wonderful condition in this old jar for under $5.00! This photo does not really show how wonderful they are...or I am just nuts...




I have a thing for SUN faces and moon faces too...but SUNS really draw me. I found this wonderful iron sun face....had to snatch him up...



and this cool retro suitcase....I love this style. I may redo it and gift it or keep it and make it into a cool makeup bag/kit for home...



I am redoing my bedroom to make it look vintage...a retro look....all vintage items when possible...I have been finding some wonderful things for it. I got my entire bedroom dresser sets at Webb's Antique Mall in the past there...a wonderful waterfall set....round mirror...vanity seat. I posted pics of that before. My uncle bought me this cool vintage lamp and picture from our local Goodwill to put in my room...




Then he called me from Goodwill Saturday and told me about a cool old cabinet that would look perfect in my living room....and it does....the price was excellent...had to get it...



but back to Webb's Antique Mall....I got a BUNCH of RETRO/VINTAGE CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS! Like 2.00 an entire bag!!!! I grabbed them all. I am afraid a couple may have gotten chipped on the way home. They stuck them into a big grocery bag and I think well...they are fragile. The 2.00 a bag was well worth it...I mean some of these are super old...and the little Santa faced ones adorable. Cannot wait to make a vintage tree for my bedroom this year.....and/or a wreath too....I have seen some amazing handmade wreaths using vintage Christmas ornaments...








I found this vintage picture for my bedroom at Webb's....and I will probably GOLD LEAF the frame.....it is the same type of antique/vintage look that my uncle got me with the other pic above....




I was having a great day finding amazing deals..something usually only my Uncle does....I mean most of my items were only a few dollars each!

I got this candle holder at Good Will for 1.49...it actually would look super nice with that pic above if I left the frame black...hum.....have to think about it. OR gold leaf them both....



I love Lassie...always have...always will. I saw this retro pic of a scene from Lassie and I had to get it too....I know I know.....but it is so cool.....takes me back. My mom got me a Lassie book years ago...which I still have....and I loved reading that book....it brings back wonderful memories for me...




When I saw this cake carrier...I instantly thought of my grandma C....as she used to have one very similar to it. I had to get it....It makes me want to make a big double layer chocolate/fudge cake and take to someone's house for a treat!



I found a retro 1936 Mickey Mouse book....



I got these at Goodwill...the hobnail light will go in my kitchen..I like leaving a dim light on at nighttime in the kitchen....and the vase was just gorgeous. I love the glaze...these BOTH were under 2.00.....together!





this is the type of thing I have started to get and stick in little corners or unexpected placed in my house or outside....this will hang...it is so cute...very tiny....



I could not leave without getting some of their wonderful jelly and jam...I actually love blackberry jelly or jam WITH seeds...but seedless is easier on anyone's intestinal tract!



Then I figured after filling my shopping cart I better check out and stop. I did not even spend 75.00 for all my stuff...can you believe it? I got amazing buys....and will use everything I got....everything makes me smile.

We then went back to Richmond to go to Fazoli's for a late lunch/early supper....we had a wonderful meal and visit there....






by this time my uncle and I could barely walk...but we managed to get into the car and drive BEHIND Fazoli's to the flea market!!

AN AMAZING flea market!! I thought it was called Trader's World...but I think it may be Liberty Bell? I have no idea for sure now...but wow....I had never been there before and IT IS FANTASTIC! SO MANY things and SO CHEAP!!!!! We had a ball...and I got another cart...

They had an entire dollar section....found some more vintage stuff there.....vintage table cloth...wish it was material and not plastic....vintage organizers....so cool....





it will go perfectly with this 1.00 wicker lunch basket I got at Goodwill!




I love homemade soaps....I used to order these types of soaps from a woman on Ebay....I found the same types of soaps at the flea market..and they smell amazing....



Noah LOVED this flea market...he found Hot Wheels everywhere...and he had been looking for some Treasure Hunt hot wheels for forever...and guess what? He found a TON of them at the flea market...so he spent some of his birthday and Christmas money and got 5 of them! I know we will be going back a lot...so many amazing things there....prices great!




One of my favs he got was this cute beetle one...



I never thought I would like a yellow car but I even own one...and love it...mine is also yellow and black...well..an SUV/truck more than a car....

well I guess I had cake on my brain...cause I found another vintage cake carrier...had to get it. I just love them....and like them better than Tupperware ones.....and you can use it for more than cake....now I need to bake something..this was super cheap!



this one had latches which I like!

I found this wonderful summery tea light candle holder..will be very nice outside on my patio table this summer...




On our way home we stopped and got an ice cream cone....at the best little hometown ice cream shop....

I forgot to take pics of everything but snapped a lot regardless as you can tell.


And then we hit up Goodwill again before ending the day. It took me a couple days to recover ...my legs/feet that is. I mean I am actually supposed to get a knee replaced...but am trying to hold off as long as I can...so..I was feeling it to say the least...

We had a wonderful day together..so much fun....I could have used a scooter to get around by the end of the day....

Now I have to get back to laundry....take all the stuff off my bed I drug in to snap pics of and find places to put them for now.....and get with it. The day is almost over!!

Sunday, March 6, 2011

a dog named Joe....another update

Wen my son and I first moved back to Ohio from Colorado a few years ago....we moved in with my grandma until we could find a place of our own. She has neighbors next door beside her house who have a couple of dogs and cats...but their one dog Joe has always been put outside by himself in a pen behind their garage. His name is Joe....



Joe has lived through all sorts of conditions....rain, sleet, snow, extreme sun and heat....is usually by himself all day long...and has no interaction with anyone or anything except perhaps the few brief moments his owners spend when they drop off food or water in his bowls. No one from that house seems to play with him or spend time with him...take him out of the pen....care for him properly...nothing.

My son and I fell in love with Joe....even after all the neglect he was such a loving dog...always wagging his tail and so excited to see us...not a young dog but still so playful...and seemingly happy to always see us coming or going. We always made sure to go over and pet him...give him treats...throw a ball to him for a bit...etc.

I soon realized though just how bad Joe had it. His pen was mostly dirt...and his own urine and poop. While not chained...he was in a pen of filth. He had a dog house that was too small that sat over a huge hole he had dug in the dirt....which he probably dug to give himself more room to fit in the house because as I said..the doghouse was too small for his body. I think Joe has only tried escaping once....and they got him back...and he was stuck back in the pen again.

We soon could tell no one came to ever clean the pen....never clean up the poop...never put fresh sod or straw down for him to walk on or lie down on. These same neighbors had another dog INSIDE their home they treated like a king...as well as 2 cats...but Joe remained outside in the filthy pen. This is how his pen would look when it rained.....





I would find Joe out there in subzero temps....in that frigid water....freezing....his legs shaking and shivernig in the cold...because his back end would be covered with wet muddy/poopy water.....he would get sores on his legs from standing in the deep dirty water. I had to do something. I wished I could take him somehere else to live..but at that time I myself did not even have a place of my own to live.

I called the Humane Society...I complained...I sent pics in...movie clips in...of the conditions Joe lived in. I turned to 2. The Humane Society of Darke County sent someone out. She did not even get out of her car the first time. She apparently notified the owners they had to put straw down...make sure Joe always had fresh water and food...but otherwise...they could really do nothing...blah, blah, blah. I was stunned...not believing they could somehow think this was acceptable standards for a pet dog to be living in.

The conditions deteriorated...I called and emailed again to complain. Someone else came out again....the people put down a bit of straw ONE time.....never cleaning the poop and crap up before they even put the straw down. They also never came back to clean the dirty, poopy straw back out of the pen ...I soon discovered the only way the poop was ever cleaned out was by natural erosion from the rain and snow...no one ever came outside to talk to Joe or clean up his pen. He had to walk, sit, eat in his own feces and urine.

I was so disgusted..I continued to make complaints. Was finally told they were working with the neighbors to take care of the dog..that they had a statement from the vet that the dog was in good health...and he was getting fed....etc....there was nothing they could do. The owners did start to let Joe inside the garage sometimes after that in bad weather.

During the summer the weeds would get so thick in his pen...he could no longer even see out of the fence..or over it..or get air through it. My uncle went in and trimmed the weeds down for him numerous times...so air could pass through the pen...and Joe could see out of the fence again. The owners never said anything about this...never came out to address it themselves..nothing.

One day I was coming home from somewhere....back to my grandma's house...and I had gone over to Joe and was hugging and kissing him...and giving him a treat...when as I went to walk into my grandma's house....here came the neighbor lady coming around the corner to cuss me out and accuse me of being the one turning her in all the time for not taking care of their dog Joe. She started to tell me she would call the police on me if she ever caught me on her property again....I told her the alley was not her private property and I could be in the alley and talk to Joe anytime I wanted. I then asked her why she did not ever clean up the poop in his pen or put straw down for him...spend time with him....take better care of him..etc.

She looked incredulously at me and said as if I were some idiot, "It is only DOG POOP and it is on my property and if I want to clean it up I will and I don't have to if I don't want to!" I told her it was not healthy for Joe to be like that...walking around in his own poop and pee....eating nearby it..etc. I went in to all the things that had been bothering me...so of course she knew it must have been ME who had been calling and complaining about her treatment or lack thereof..of Joe.

After that my son and I were not supposed to go over to see Joe anymore....and I was afraid he would think we abandoned him...had forgotten him....so we would still sneak over to pet him and give him a quick kiss or treat.

BUT soon the neighbors out of spite ...decided to yank down the end section of fence between the alley where Joe could look across and see us...and us him...and they instead put up a BIG section piece of privacy fence.....so Joe would no longer be able to see us..but mostly so we could no longer see Joe..or the conditions in which he lived.





Of course this did not stop me...we could still squeeze in the corner gap and see him...talk to him...but not often....and we could still see the conditions he lived in...but it became very apparent to me Darke County Humane Society sucked as they were doing nothing to ensure Joe would get better living conditions.

This brings me to tonight. I have been thinking about Joe...every time we get rain or a lot of snow...extreme temps...etc...I think of Joe. I pray for Joe to be okay and safe and healthy. Tonight when I dropped my grandma off at her house after taking her with us on a family outing.....we got to see Joe. I did not get my camera out to take a picture of him. My son had yelled to me that he looked bad. I went over to take a peek in the crack of the fence....what I saw shocked me.

I have always been afraid the extreme temps one day would probably kill Joe...I mean he is getting older and I doubt he can handle dampness and rain/snow too much all the time outdoors. I was always afraid he would die out there and no one in that household would even know it....he could be dead for days and I doubt they would know it....

But tonight...here came Joe....looking like a dog zombie. In less than 2 years he has aged...looking like a ghost of the dog he had been not even a year ago.....his back end was full of wet, muddy water...and his hairs were all frozen and matted down..his tail did not ever come up to wag....and he was cold...shivering...looking like he was trying to get into the garage but they must have had it blocked off. Anyway here he came over to us...but his eyes looked funny.....he did not perk up his ears...and he acted like he could not see us at all..or only parts of us..maybe shadows...I think he may have cataracts...but in all honesty his eyes looked like a zombie dog...like his spirit has finally just been so broken ...that it had left the dog body and gone somewhere else entirely. He did not seem to know who we were...and yet sort of acted like he knew he should know who we were. He tried to sniff our fingers we stuck down in his pen...but then backed away and not sure....almost acted like he wanted to take a nip at us. He smelled a lot....trying to remember....but it was so pitiful....

Now I feel worse than ever. All my efforts have done nothing for this dog. His pen looks the same now as it did in the pics above...no straw down...mud and poop everywhere...he is all wet,muddy, poopy and shivering in 30 degree temps....outside....and now he is older...cannot get around well..and appears to be blind...and broken. I almost feel like maybe he thinks his last hope...us...abandoned him and he just finally gave up.....and now he has escalated to this condition...in a very short, fast period of time.

I want to call and complain to someone to do something. I want to take Joe away from the pen to live with me....but now I think he is afraid...cannot see well...and may be bitter and if not able to see well..nippy. He deserves so much more than the life he has known his entire life....which is one of isolation....and deprivation...and neglect. And yet through all this..he had always continued to be such a loving, sweet dog.

Some say his living conditions meet the conditions of LIVESTOCK standards for the state..so there is nothing that can be done....I think something has to change...this cannot possibly be considered an acceptable STANDARD for anything living...dog or other livestock. Maybe that is where the distinction needs to begin. This is someone's pet dog....and they are treating it more like livestock....and while it would not be a good life even for livestock....I definitely do not see how anyone could possibly think it is acceptable standards for a pet dog.

The Joe I know is no longer in that dog's body...or mind...or eyes...or spirit. I feel so horrible about this all. If I had kept my mouth shut...at least the fence would not be there and he could have continued to see outside....interact with us...etc.....and maybe his spirit would be better today than it is now.

I still pray for Joe....I pray for him knowing it will not do any good....not at this point....unless he can be removed and have cataracts removed from his eyes if that is what is wrong with him...and I am not sure about his mood anymore..if he can be or is even stable. This story is a sad one ...with a very unlikely happy ending.

I love Joe...I feel so bad for Joe...and I feel like I have really let Joe down. I Hope he can forgive me. I don't know what else I can do....I have called...emailed....and turned to local television stations complaining. I have contacted DOGS DESERVE BETTER...I got no response from the TV station or Dogs Deserve Better...I get a run around game from the Humane Society...they do nothing....very little...warn the people...fine them perhaps...and the neighbors only do the least amount possible...which is so very little...since as I saw again today...no straw is down in Joe's pen again....the conditions are the same.

It has been 5 years now since I have been back to Ohio....5 years since I have known Joe up close and personal....and in the last 12 months or so...he has aged 100 years. It is depressing and makes me sick. I am thankful that karma will get that lady/owner good one day. What goes around comes around..you do reap what you sow...and one day that lady may need people or a safe place....not isolation and deprivation..and that is exactly what she will get. Joe will be smiling and happy again on that day...or at least I will. I know that sounds bad...but I do find comfort knowing she will get hers one day. She told me that day she confronted me how much they LOVED Joe. I told her she had NO idea what love was....that was no way to love an animal.....no way to love anything. Not sticking them in a pen all by themselves all the time...no interaction...no proper care....never cleaning up their poop...etc. It went in one of her ears and through her hollow head back out the other side.

I have a movie clip of Joe...standing in this muddy, poopy water shivering with sores on his legs..I also sent that to the Humane Society...nothing....nothing done.

SO I end this for now..with no updated pic of Joe. It was depressing. His eyes and gaze to me reminded me of that movie that time called the Dark Crystal..when the life force is sucked out of that one main character....that is how Joe looked...even without a photo it is an image I will never forget....


AND on an end note...I got chewed out from a follower on my other blog for this posting...being accused of sitting behind a pen and not taking any action for Joe. I want to clear the air even here...and make sure everyone knows we DID take bedding over for Joe...we DID take him food and water....we DID play with him and love him...we DID what we could for him in the pen....at that time I was staying at my grandmother's house....next to these people who owned Joe...I had NO WHERE I COULD have taken Joe if I had stolen him from that pen. Once I got a house I was renting that house and not allowed to have pets. I still had no where I could take him. YES I DID try still finding him a home....and I would have taken him from the pen and given him to a good home if someone had stepped forward to say they would take Joe. NO ONE ever told me they could help out. So I guess I have not made the scenario clear here...the woman living there is a crazy lady...calling police on us if we even PETTED JOE...she did not want anyone showing Joe any love or attention....or chopping weeds down in his pen...etc. Too bad this particular blogger would not have opened their mouth before now and stepped up and said I can help you out and come and gotten Joe.....see....easier to say than to always do.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011