Now We Are 2 (only): Sweet Lola is Sorely Missed by da-AL

Lola, our black Labrador mix dog, is sorely missed.

Our home is too quiet, too empty without our dear Lola. Last Wednesday, she joined her twin brother, Pierre. We were privileged to have her. Like Pierre, she was loyal in every way to the end. The two were trusting, kind, obedient, and fun loving. Second in her heart only to her human family was… Continue reading Now We Are 2 (only): Sweet Lola is Sorely Missed by da-AL

Part 2: What Has Your Pet Taught You? by da-AL

Close Up Of Washing Five Puppy Dog

Deciding... My husband and I agreed to adopt a dog. This was followed by months of discussion. What type of dog would harmonize best with our two cats? We settled on these dog requirements: It should be a puppy, so that it would learn early on to respect cats. It shouldn’t mature to larger than… Continue reading Part 2: What Has Your Pet Taught You? by da-AL

A Little Bit of Something that I Love: Postcards and Handwritten Letters by Nadya Irsalina

Photo of postcards

Photo of fronts of postcards

Getting letters and postcards in the mail is a joy! When I was a kid, I even loved getting junk mail! Years ago, a friend told me that only handwritten could suffice for thank you notes, never email. I try to follow her advice as often as I can.

How about you? Do you write and/or receive handwritten mail?

Fellow blogger Nadya Irsalina inspires me to take it to a new level…

Nadya Irsalina's avatarNadya's Journal

I’ve always been interested to send letters since I was a kid. The curiousity grew from seeing rubik sabahat pena (penpals) on Bobo, a kid’s magazine that my mother bought for me. But I had to wait until I was in junior high school to actually start sending letters. I don’t know about you but finding a new letter on the mailbox is like a nice little surprise for me. Nothing beats the thrill of opening the mailbox and finding a letter, written and addressed just for me. I still remember when my dad’s friend sent a postcard from LA and I was so excited to read it and removed the stamp. I used to collect it, even though I wasn’t really a philately. To me, it’s quite saddening that years after that, letters carried by conventional postal service seemed to be left behind and replaced with modern technology like…

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Now We Are 3 (only)

black labrador mix head and shoulders photo

This morning I stayed in bed till late. I was awake, but I didn’t want to get up to a house without Pierre in it. Yesterday I had to put my dog down. Such a gentle euphemism for murder. To put one to sleep. My dear, dear dog-man trusted me, yet I tricked him. First… Continue reading Now We Are 3 (only)

“Open Me First,” by Sharon Lynne Bonin-Pratt: Reblog

Drawing of a wrapped present

Drawing of a wrapped present6 tips for heartfelt giving by writer and fellow blogger Sharon Lynne Bonin-Pratt

Sharon Bonin-Pratt's avatarSharon Bonin-Pratt's Ink Flare

The holiday dilemma: what do you get for the person who has everything?

Perhaps something goofy like slippers that sing Rock Around the Clock, or something extravagant like a set of diamond encrusted napkins rings, the kind of thing that becomes an expensive party joke. Maybe a bauble like a garden statue of lighted snowmen or a set of holiday themed coffee mugs, useless most of the year because, well, they’re holiday themed and who wants to drink coffee in July with Rudolph’s red nose stenciled on it? We can get truly original: a dozen bottles of wine with personalized labels, Humphrey Malarkey Family Reserve Chardonnay, so it looks like Uncle Humph became a boutique vintner on Christmas Eve.  Another possibility is the very exclusive Himalayan Cilantro Sea Salt Spa Scrub with Acai Crystals – imagine how much fun Great Aunt Agnes will have trying to figure out…

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