Welcome Summer {Please Don't Stay}

 Summer is not my favorite.
I don't relish the extra hours of daylight, the heat is my sworn enemy, and the sun makes me feel sluggish.  The way a lot of people feel about winter is the way
I feel about summer.

So this post is just a collection of glimpses around the house lately, a distraction from the day's
hot and sunny forecast.

Russell Westbark is back, you might remember him from this post.  We had him along with his two siblings when they were just 6 weeks old.  He was adopted but then later returned {no fault of his own} so now he is a 4 month old loving playful boy looking for a forever home again.
He does an expert head tilt and is so cute it hurts.

Russell loves to empty the toy basket each morning and scatter everything all over the living room while Birdie keeps a close watch.

I put these flags on the front door for Memorial Day and decided they should stay up all summer long.  Once they were situated might as well leave them in place for July 4th and then for Labor Day.  

I used to have a tray on the entry table for mail but I never used that tray because I go through mail immediately.  So in its place I put an antique boxer that belonged to my grandma under a glass dome and an antique dish to hold mints.  

We've recently started watching TV with closed captioning turned on {you really do catch so much more!} so it's fitting we would have a dish of mints by the 

front door.  

I finally figured out what to hang between the brass lamps in the dining room.  This brass laurel wreath is from Restoration Hardware's holiday collection and I got it on clearance in January.  I didn't want anything to actually sit on the sideboard and deter from functionality but I also didn't want something just one-dimensional on the wall.  Laurel wreaths are so classic and this brings a dose of traditional to what is probably the most modern room in the house.  

Also, I'm considering having the metallic walls painted over.  They were fun when we first moved in but 3 years later they are starting to feel gimmicky.  During the day they look kind of cheesy but then at night with the lamps turned on they look pretty and sophisticated.  Luckily the walls have not set a deadline for the decision so I can waffle my little heart out.  

I found a huge platter at my favorite antique shop, Mockingbird Manor, and put it up on the mantel.  

Currently it is hung too high, but it is covering up some old nail holes that need to be repaired.  

Future plans are to move it down and get a brass or bronze museum light to hang above it.  

Trader Joe's eucalyptus is $3.99 a bunch and lasts for a long time.  

I love the organic look and it stays pretty even once it starts to wilt.

I'll sign off with a puppy pic: fosters Walter & Willa who were both recently adopted :)

Foster Roster

Back in February we started fostering puppies as part of the Central Oklahoma Humane Society's foster network.  We adopted Birdie from COHS shortly after moving to Oklahoma and have been involved with the organization ever since. Matt is currently on the board of directors and I volunteer regularly.  Fostering was something I always wanted to do, but was hesitant about how Birdie and especially Shep would react.  Turns out the key is puppies, they are small, easily contained, and don't seem as intrusive on the home turf as adults might.

We started out fostering one puppy at a time who was ready for adoption immediately and would always get adopted within a few days.  Then on a Tuesday I surprised Matt when he got home from work...I told him I was picking up a new foster that day and really did only intend to pick up one pup.  I came home with three pit bull siblings instead.  

Not only were there three of these puppies, but they were only six weeks old and therefore needed to be in a foster home for two weeks before they could be spayed/neutered and ready for adoption.  From left to right we have Quade, Queenie, and Quinta.  

Matt is made of gold and of course he warmly welcomed all three for an extended stay with open arms.  Foster babes always get pets before he left for work in the morning.

After having these three for a few days I decided they needed a playpen so they could feel like part of the action and be better socialized instead of always just being in the foster room {the living room side of our basement that I have turned into a dedicated space for fosters- 

more on that space another time}.   

The playpen moves from the living room to the kitchen throughout the day depending on where we are spending time and Mother Bird dutifully keeps them in eyeshot.  When it's meal time or they need to burn off excess energy they go down to the foster room so they can run and romp.  

And of course they're being cuddled or held any chance we get.  

Also, baby stuff is $$$.  I shouldn't be surprised, you always hear babies are expensive but wow.  I've never had reason to troll the baby aisles at Target until I decided I needed this playpen.  I picked out a nice sleek black one that was reasonably attractive but it was over $300. Ultimately I changed my tactic from good-looking to what's-the-cheapest-one-I-can-get and ended up with this blue one.  

Then I marched back up to the front of the store and splurged on a Starbucks.  Something I almost never do, but I was smiling inside that I didn't have to buy formula and diapers and felt a little feisty.  

After this precious trio was adopted two catahoula puppies came to stay with us...

Jack and Sally, they were part of a litter of ten.

Have you ever heard someone say they don't want to rescue a dog because they want a puppy?  

See these exhibits to know that doesn't hold up.  

I love the photo above because you can see Birdie peeking around the 

corner to check-in on the babies.

And this pretty much sums up Shep's feeling on the fosters. 

Matt and I are each holding a puppy, Birdie is close by, and Shep wants nothing to do with any of it but still wants to make her presence very known.  There's no use sulking if no one can see it!  

Current foster babes are these three retriever mixes.

From left to right Rolly, Russell Westbark, and Ree.  

They are staying with us until they can be neutered/spayed and then 

will be available for adoption.  

I was nervous about fostering because it's impossible not to love these creatures within 1 second of meeting them much less after they've been your houseguests for days or weeks on end. 

I cry if I need to when I part with them and then ask who's up next.  

There are always dogs who need help.  

The satisfaction of knowing fostering literally saves the lives of these helpless animals by far outweighs any sadness.  It also helps to know the Central OK Humane Society is a reputable organization and these pups will be going to good homes.  

We've started going out to a little celebratory dinner when our fosters get adopted and a steaming bowl of ramen lessens the sting.

Adopt Don't Shop!!

Breeders create unnecessary lives when the need is already so great. 

Breeders might be helpful if the number of loving homes exceeded the number of homeless pets, 

but right now there are millions of dogs literally dying to be adopted.

Peace, Love, & Puppy Breath