Wordless (almost) Wednesday - The Slope

This is a panoramic view from The Shack deck - looking North (give or take).  The yard slopes steeply from the road down into the woods. I feel like I am on top of the world, looking down on creation when I am there. And it is a beautiful thing. 

Planning and dreaming of small house placement, gardens, chicken coop, fruit trees, and so much more. 

(Photo by WLS)

Wordless Wednesday - Photos from The Shack

Today I will share these sights from The Shack in celebration of Wordless Wednesday.  

Wordless Wednesday - Deer Visitors

Almost Wordless Wednesday is a good time to share another photograph of one of my dear deer visitors at The Shack. Isn't she just the sweetest thing? This photo is from my Moultrie game camera. I am having good luck at capturing the happenings at The Shack while I'm away. 

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

A sunrise at The Shack - morning chasing the fog away.

Wednesday with Words

The second half of my 2015 held some of the singularly most beautiful moments of my life, periods of heart-clenching grief, and the glorious feelings of taking the first steps of turning dreams into reality. I have both gained and lost family members during these months.  I have cried tears of despair and tears of joy - more than once.  I have wanted to share of each of those events with you; separately and in great detail.  But it all became overwhelming and too much to manage - let alone write in a coherent manner. As 2016 is in full swing, I am ready to begin sharing snapshots of some of the moments that continue to shape who I am and who I am becoming.

The Wedding

In August, I posted photos of my trip to Idaho for my Oldest Son's wedding.  His new bride is someone I liked from the moment I met her. And her family are the type of kind-hearted people you want your son to marry in to. 

My Dad

At that very same time, we were learning that my Dad's seemingly minor surgery prep (cataract removal to improve his vision) resulted in finding lumps.  A lump in his head. A lump in his lung. At the wedding in August, I learned that he was withholding information from me - he had three months to live.  

As soon as I was able, I asked him if that was true. He told me he'd be gone in November. My dad was an ornery, intelligent, hard-working man.  He was a man of his word. Even to the end. He passed on November 30, 2015. 

Me and my Dad 

My Grandbaby

I traveled from Idaho, back to Baltimore, then back and forth from Baltimore to Indiana multiple times.  I spent periods of time with Dad as he prepared to pass away. And I spent brief moments filled with great joy in my Youngest Son's family home. We chased each other with "spiderwebs" around Halloween. We watched Inside Out and I Lava You several times. And we just spent quiet time together. My grandbaby is precious and my son's presence is a healing thing for me.

Daisies

I had a dog named Daisy.  I loved that dog and miss her to this day. 

While fostering a sweet dog named Sugar, people became aware that I was saving room in my home and heart for another rat terrier some day.  That day came when a rat terrier needed a home and Sugar's family contacted me. Was it coincidence that this dogs name was Daisy too? I think not. I agreed to pick her up when I returned from the wedding.  I am a three "baby" home.  Willy, Mittens, and new Daisy.

Jobs

Now to some background - the beginning of all of the changes. Prior to the wedding (and prior to learning of my father's health crisis) I finally made the right decision to change jobs.  I was hired prior to the wedding and scheduled to begin after the wedding.  

As a brand new employee, I missed periods of time on a new job while traveling to see my Dad.  It was a surreal time. But I could not have made a better decision about changing jobs. Making that transition was one of the best decisions I've made in many years.  

Retirement Plans

Initially, I planned on transferring my meager retirement fund from the old job to new job. But the reality of the cost of travel quickly set in and I decided to cash out that retirement account.  I am vaguely aware that at age 51, emptying a retirement account is financially the wrong thing to do.  But I lived check-to-check, often with $12 to spare each pay period.  I needed travel money.  To assuage some of the guilty feelings, I promised myself to reinvest some of that money into land. Land that I could live on in my retirement.  And the closer I could get to paying cash for that land, the better.

The Shack

I have been dreaming of homesteading and moving to off-grid land for years. Much of my free time was spent browsing "land for sale" ads. I chose a small piece of land on top of a West Virginia mountain ridge. It includes a plywood "hunting cabin" that we lovingly refer to as The Shack.  

On a chilly autumn day, I drove from Baltimore to a small town in West Virginia for closing on the land.  I was not able to pay for it in full, but I managed to borrow a relatively very small amount. After I signed, I drove to the shack and sat for a bit. I sat quietly looking west across the valley. Wondering about the mysteries of life.

Then I hopped in the Jeep and drove west to Indiana to sit with my dad for awhile.

This New Year

It is now nearing the end of January 2016.  I am still reeling from all that has happened.  I am a changing person.  Oh, we all change. Whether we move forward or regress, we always change. There is no staying the same.  My dad used to say something like that. He'd say "you move forward or backwards, you don't stay the same".  He usually said that to me when I was a teen and not doing what I should. But oh how right he was.

My year was certainly full of change.There was not a nice and tidy linear timeline of events as each change completely intertwined with the next. Each event led me forward to today. And today is full of promise and love.

Wordless Wednesday: Fostering Love

Willy, Sugar (our house guest) and I were enjoying a lazy day and a warm sun puddle.  We will miss her when she goes.


Join us on Wordless Wednesday Blog hop with all of our four-legged friends in the BlogPaws community.

Wordless Wednesday - Entitlement

Mittens. The lovely, rescued, "spirited" kitten. 

I've never met such a naughty cat. She has knocked things off of every shelf in my house. She has shredded entire rolls of toilet paper. I search for things for days only to find that she's carried them off and left them in odd places.



Mostly, she just goes where she wants, when she wants, brushing barriers aside. I've adopted Mittens. I'm hoping to be able to adopt her philosophy.

Wordless Wednesday - Do You See What I see

BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop

Wordless Wednesday - The Takeover

When you feel like you are no longer in control

This is my chair now.  Go ahead, move me. I dare you.

Sock? What sock?  I don't see no sock? Your sock? Nah, it's my sock now.  C'mon, chase me.

Blog Paws WW Blog Hop

Wordless Wednesday - Dog Days

“I have found that when you are deeply troubled, there are things you get from the silent devoted companionship of a dog that you can get from no other source.”    -- Doris Day

As the long and dark days of winter slowly tick by, I dream of the moist days of spring followed by the summer heat.  I remember picnics, outdoor naps, and Daisy. I remember the sunshine.  Few things are better than a good dog and a warm summer day.

Willy and I bundle up for our walks, exhaling miniature clouds in the cold morning air,  while we wait for warmer days. Both of us anxious for the beach, the sand, and the dog days of summer.  There is no truer companion than a dog.

Linked to Blogpaws WW Blog Hop

Photograph of Daisy by Dawn Rae. All rights reserved.

Wordless Wednesday: Shades of Daisy

I Miss Her

RIP my Daisy 2013



I Want Her

Jenny needs a home
currently at the Bucks County, PA SPCA

There are so many dogs in need of homes. I wish I could adopt them all. 

Linked to PAWSit Hop

Written by Dawn Rae - Photograph of Daisy by Dawn Rae. All rights reserved.

Wordless Wednesday: Perspective

Willy

“The only creatures that are evolved enough to convey pure love are dogs and infants.” 
― Johnny Depp



Day after day my little dog, Willy, gives me the gift of unconditional love. I am glad that my mother instilled in me a love of animals and a desire to surround myself with four-legged family members. No one loves as deeply as a beloved pet; especially dogs.  As Willy looks deep into my eyes, I find myself wondering just exactly who takes care of who.



Recommended reading for dog lovers:

Single Handed by Lorettea Wade

Single Handed: the story of Keith Maze and His Dog Wishbone is a tale of love, struggle, loss, and triumph.  Wishbone is an energetic, to the point of being a nuisance, Jack Russell who fetches, plays, and loves with a tenacity that every human should try to emulate. I almost chose to not purchase the book due to the prologue.  But the story about Keith and his "yard clowns" is a page turner.  If you have ever loved a Jack Russell or Feist of any kind, or want to peek into the life of working country dogs, you will especially love this tale.

Devoted by Rebecca Ascher-Walsh

Devoted: 38 Extraordinary Tales of Loves, Loyalty, and Love with Dogs is a heart-warming and uplifting compilation of short dog stories. The stories of rescues (both of dog and of human lives) are complete with beautiful photographs of the dogs and the owners.  While I read nearly all of my books on a Kindle paperwhite, this is a book that I have ordered in book edition so that I can fully enjoy the photographs.

Linked to Blogpaws WW Blog Hop

Written by Dawn Rae - Photograph of Willy by Dawn Rae. All rights reserved.
Disclaimer: In affiliation with Amazon.com, Dawn Rae is a content writer who may earn compensation from the sale of Amazon products. 

Wordless Wednesday - Gramma Travels

Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope. 
                                  -- Maya Angelou

Near Somerset, PA

Pennsylvania Turnpike and the Laural Highlands Hiking Trail

Farm and sky for as far as the eye can see in Northwestern Ohio

The joy of crossing that last state line

Awake and on the road many hours before dawn's first light.  Walked the dog, got gas, and watched the sunrise near Somerset, PA. Drove out of Maryland, the length of both Pennsylvania and Ohio, and most of Indiana, in order to reach my destination of love.

My precious, precious grandbabies. Nothing but love. 

The Days You Wish Would Never End

Wordless Wednesday

Linked to ABRACABADRA for Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop.

Photo by Dawn Rae. All rights reserved.

Disclaimer: In affiliation with AllPosters.com and Amazon.com, Dawn Rae is a blogger and content writer who may earn compensation from the sale of AllPoster or Amazon products. 

Wordless Wednesday

Photo by Dawn Rae taken with my Sony a37

Linked to ABRACABADRA for Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop.

Photo by Dawn Rae. All rights reserved.

Disclaimer: In affiliation with AllPosters.com and Amazon.com, Dawn Rae is a blogger and content writer who may earn compensation from the sale of AllPoster or Amazon products. 

Wordless Wednesday

Linked to ABRACABADRA for Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop.

Photo by Dawn Rae. All rights reserved.

Wordless Wednesday

Me and my Jeep at Green Ridge State Forest

Linked to ABRACABADRA for Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop.

Wordless Wednesday

Country Dream by Longo

Linked to ABRACABADRA for Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop.


Disclaimer: In affiliation with AllPosters.com, Dawn Rae is a blogger and content 
writer who may earn compensation from the sale of AllPoster products.