September

I need to start this post with a huge thank you to all of you who commented on my last post. I have been so sad over the loss of Gus and I read each of your comments. I just couldn't comment back. Even new people left the sweetest thoughts. Our pups mean so much to us and I know many of you could feel my sadness. One thing I have done over the past few days was to print some pictures of Gus to have around to pick up and physically look at and hold. Everything is digital these days, but I found with the loss of my previous 2 dogs that holding their photo helped. 

Awhile back I had placed pictures of our family pets in gold frames in the dining room. I didn't have Gus there because he was with me. I added a new gold frame with his picture to our wall of fame so to speak for the love that each one of those dogs have given us.

You may notice the leaves. I am trying so hard to let fall in. I love summer and other than losing Gus, summer has been good to me. Much needed rest and good times with the grandchildren and Gus were the makings of a summer I hadn't had in several years. 

It is not that I don't like fall. I really do, but I don't exactly live in the area of the country where one thinks of a traditional fall. It comes... in December when everyone has moved on to red and green and Christmas trees. Fall does come in different ways and an astute eye will catch the change of season, however temperature and colorful trees are a long way off just yet.

I have found that a slow adding of things over the month of September serves me well with fall. So the leaves above, kitchen towels, and some beeswax candles are all that are happening here yet. The light is fading sooner so I am going to try and add candlelight and lamps to my evenings. 

I ordered some beeswax candles for votives and some sticks too, so here are a few that I set out last night in the living room.

Jeff and I celebrated 42 years of marriage on the 1st. We were married on a Labor Day weekend. I have found that to be a lot more common than one would think. I had just taken a new teaching job, so we waited until the next June to have a honeymoon. We went to Nashville. I remember all the places we visited and the fun we had together. We went to the Grand Ole Opry. Life was much different back then - no online tickets. It just so happened that Hank Locklin lived in Brewton and went to my home church. He got us tickets and we picked them up in Nashville. That was so very kind of him. He was a very good man and the deed was not lost on us. 

I decided to share that tidbit this year rather than another picture of us in our very 1984 wedding gown and tux.

Here is Hank singing one of my all time favorite songs from him. A real oldie but goldie from my birth year, 1960.

I have added the link to YouTube below in case the video I have inserted doesn't work. 

https://youtu.be/DndK5hZBgu0?si=gpLXvp4nZOToW7bs

It has been a quiet week this week and I must admit I was lazy as all get out. I took naps when Valerie did and just more behaved like a sloth. I feel better for having done it so that is good I suppose.

I have been stitching and reading as time allowed or I felt like it. I will share my reading in another post. I told you I was switching back and forth with a sampler and an osprey stitch. Both are sort of large but not gigantic. I pretty much stuck to my schedule of a week each until yesterday. A squirrel caught my attention. In the stitching world, that is another pattern.

Here is where I left off with my osprey on the week I stitched that.

Then here is my progress on the sampler.

Here is the squirrel that got me off track. 

This pattern was gifted to me by someone special and I kept thinking I would pull it out ---well it happened yesterday. I was walking around in the foyer/formal hallway and I have a beachy stitch that stays out all year except for December. I love that stitch so much and I have the hardest time putting it away. As I was looking at it today I thought about this pattern and I knew it would be the perfect thing to go in the same place for the fall months. I will let you know which one I chose in the next post. 

I keep saying I am going to get back to regular blogging. I have been in a reflective mood this past week with my resting time. I really do want to, but life keeps throwing things at me to keep me distracted or unmotivated to write. I am working on it. I have so many things I would like to write about to keep a record of for the children. My blog changed somewhere along the way to a journal of good things about our family and I accepted that, but there is some stuff I would really like to add. Like I said, I am trying to get back at it. 

Motivation is lacking or it is it laziness? I am thinking lazy is the answer.

I am going to close this post with something that happened last weekend. Jeff came at me fast and furious with we needed another dog. I will admit- it made me sadder. I told him I couldn't' even entertain the idea as my heart was so broken. He let me shut him down for a few days and then he hit me with what I thought was a horrible statement and still think that, 

but....

He said he needed another dog. His emphasis was on needed. He said he wasn't going to live long and that we had never gone more than a few months without a dog and he needed it and that I would need it too. 

I turned him off, but he proceeded to find a litter born on August 15 in Milton (an hour drive away). They had one boy left and he can come home on October 10. I reluctantly drove with him to visit the lady and see the kennel. 

Well, y'all know when I held him I cried and loved on him and he nuzzled me and I was hooked. I am still walking around crying at the most random times but yes, we are getting another Springer next month. I will wait to tell you more then.

That drive over to Milton and other places was our quiet celebration of 42 years of a blessed life together since we would be keeping Valerie on the actual anniversary. I consider keeping those grandchildren a blessing too. We visited a plant nursery, a flea market and held a puppy. Aren't we just wild? 

- no, but we are enjoying all of our days together despite Parkinson's trying to take a bite out of it. One thing that has happened with age is I say yes more often to things I once would have said no to. Everyday is a gift.

Coming up soon... which flowers have survived a very HOT August and start of September. Not really expecting that heat to leave just yet. Birthdays. Trip to Auburn. Football season. 

For now - off to watch college football and cross stitch one of those fall beach stitches.

Sandy

Tribute to Gus

 Where does one begin to write a tribute when the heart is so broken? 

Gus, the eternal puppy.

I have struggled with the loss as anyone who is a pet lover would understand. Gus went down so quickly that it was a shock to us.

He was running and playing all summer with the grandchildren. Then about 2 weeks ago, he slowed down. He seemed to be panting, not because of being hot but, a general feeling of he is not ok.

I took him to the vet last week on a Tuesday where I was asked had anyone ever told me he had a heart murmur? From that moment I felt like Charlie Brown where I couldn't focus on anything else. They did tests and fortunately Jeff answered the phone with the results. We put him on a heart medicine on Friday and still he wasn't ok. All weekend, he wasn't exactly sick but he was not himself. We called first thing Monday morning to get him back in. Jeff took ,him and they took an x-ray and at our suggestion put him on an antibiotic because we thought maybe he had gotten sick from the bayou water.

Tuesday everything changed and very quickly. I was laying on the floor with him while Jeff called the vet. We made the decisions to take him to the emergency vet. A scan showed 2 tumors on his spleen and liver and that his spleen had burst and he was bleeding internally. Pure shock. 

The only consolation is that I spent most of that day petting him and holding him. I got to say goodbye - a hard one, but a goodbye.

I was unable to stop sobbing for 24 hours.

He was my gift for 9 years. Only 9 years was all I could think about, but somewhere in that awfulness God began to show me that my 9 years with him had been such a gift. I was at home all day with him, something I had not been with my other 4 dogs. Gus had been my sidekick all day everyday. We had only been away from him for a couple of weekends in his life. He has been our constant companion of joy and light for all of those 9 years.

This past Sunday, I typed 2 lines on my phone from the message. Our pastor has been preaching on the 23rd Psalm for some time now. 

On Sunday, he said...

"Don't waste the green pastures."

and 

"What we learn on the mountaintop is how we will live in the valley."

Gus was absolutely green pastures. He walked with me in green pastures and did all he could to bring joy to our family's lives. 

I have to be grateful for that and the 9 years (the mountaintop) of being blessed with his joy and energy for life. He walked with me through some tough things.

He loved everyone so much. He met 4 grandchildren and shared his parents with them. He loved them and always wanted to be where the action was. He entertained freely. No amount of rough play was too much. He was the ultimate chid's dog. If they were here playing, he was joining them.

He was the best traveler. He rode in the front seat in town looking out the window like he was making sure all was well. Stoic and completely out of character for a Springer to sit that still. When you got on the road to leave town, he would jump in the back seat and sleep until you stopped.

Everywhere we went people noticed him. Gus was as handsome a Springer Spaniel as you would find. The best physique, the best coloring and combination of liver and white on his saddle. He had little freckles on his nose that made anyone stop to look. 

He loved walking with me. It didn't matter if it was the same old path here at home or in Auburn, he was always up for the stroll and smelling the same spots each day. On those walks, I would often pray and release my worries and he was right there with me.

He was energetic and well behaved. He would slip off from the house to go down the street if you were out in the yard, but all I had to do was blow the crow call and he would come running back home.

He loved swimming as all our dogs did so a towel by the door was always needed. 

Jeff has always been an early riser and would go get coffee in the mornings and drive around town. He calls it his prayer drive. Drive around and pray ---Gus was always with him for that. He would come back home and jump on the bed to see if I was awake yet. If not, he would just lay there, but I shouldn't open my eyes because that meant go time. The day is waiting, Mom.

He went every morning since Tucker was born to pick up each grandchild to bring them back to our house. He understood we were headed to pick up the child and his role was to come along.

Gus has been such a joy to me. His presence has helped me through some tough stuff these past few years. I am completely undone, but so very GRATEFUL for the time I had with him.

He was the healthiest dog we could think of until just a couple of weeks ago. Optimal weight, boundless energy, love was the name of the game. That made what happened so hard, but I am doing my best to land on the good times that I was gifted with him.

May we all love life as Gus did and fill it with zest and joy.

Gus, the Springer

At the end of last week, I had it all set in my mind that I was going to get back into the routine of a weekly post....then, 

Gus, the Springer turned up sick and it upset both Jeff and me so much I couldn't write one. His sickness was rather quick coming on or kind of so. He has been having some loose stool for several weeks but not all the time. I had wondered if he had a stomach bug brought on by the bay water. Then a bump came up on the top of his head that we felt warranted attention. Along with this, he seemed lethargic and was panting nearly all the time. Yes, we know it is super hot, but the panting had gotten Jeff's attention. I called and took him into the vet mid week and all I heard from that visit was, "Has anyone ever said he has a heart murmur?" They did some bloodwork and told me too much information so that I came home quite upset. When they called on Friday with the test results it was good that Jeff had answered the phone. He was able to ask all the right questions  and we started him on a heart medicine. All weekend both of us were thinking and quite nervous about him. Lindsay finally convinced me I needed to call today and get him back to the vet because maybe he just has an infection. 

I will spare you all the details, but he is on an antibiotic to help with the fact that he could have an infection, a probiotic to get his stomach settled and an x-ray has been made. His heart doesn't seem to be as pressing as our initial thoughts were, but still concerning. We will go back to see how he is in a couple weeks and the x-ray is being looked at by someone else too. Besides Gus being my baby, he has wrapped Jeff up in his little world too being home with him all day everyday. Gus has welcomed all 4 grandchildren into the world and they all thing he is a KING. He is never far from one of us. He has started his medicine this evening so I am hoping in a few days he will be back to normal.

No dog has been more spoiled or had more premium food than Gus. Until a couple of weeks ago, he has been the healthiest looking and acting dog we have ever owned. 

He is beside me under the sewing machine table as I type.

Oh and the bump on his head was nothing of concern.

My post is starting off grim, but I will end on a good note.

After fretting over Gus, I have another thing that I haven't exactly fretted over but have deep sadness over it. My dad is buried in a country cemetery. Y'all are gonna have to imagine the woods kind of country. I will not be sharing pictures. I have this thing about taking pictures of graves. It is not for me! My parents were from the woods outside of Brewton, Alabama and I mean the woods. The community is called Range on a map, but growing up it was Deer Range to locals. They grew up a couple of miles from each other and the local one room school house was about center mark from each of their homes. My mom's side of the family is buried on donated land from that side of my family and the little church is pictured in my sidebar. The graveyard for that side of the family is right next to it and family lives all around it. I have several generations buried there. The site is pristine and well taken care of. 

My dad's cemetery is not attached to the church down the road but was deeded to the church by one of its congregants many years ago. She is no longer living. When I was young and really up through my teens my mom kept the area around my dad's side of the family manicured. At some point, the church took over keeping it up and I sent money each spring to help with it. I still visited it and saw that it was all good. With Mama's fall, Jeff's Parkinson's diagnosis and the keeping up with all of that I didn't go that far out of Brewton to check on it. It was brought to my attention from a cousin that things had deteriorated badly. I am so glad she informed me because if I had driven up that little dirt road and saw without warning the state it was in I would have passed out from shock. 

I came to a slow realization that there is no one younger me than me that even lives out there anymore. The church like so many other small congregations is very old and honestly dying. I am taking back the care of my family again and will do so until I can't. I have researched and discovered this is a nationwide problem and does not matter the denomination. or the region of the country.  Jeff and I drove up on Saturday morning and left before daybreak to clean. I will make a monthly visit for the foreseeable future because I can't imagine I can even hire anyone to go that far out there to do it. 

The person who was in charge of the cemetery decided since they couldn't get anyone to take care of it and were running out of money decided to spray poison all the whole area. I think the families of people there should have been contacted before that happened, but I am over all that now and like I said, I will take care of my portion which is on one end of the land.

So yes, that has had me a bit worked up too. Bet this post was not on your radar. Let's try to salvage it with some happy stuff.

I have been stitching when I can. I started an October wordplay. I had chosen some brighter colors other than called for in the pattern,  but I honestly didn't like where it was headed and stuffed back in my bag and went and pulled out something else. Here it is ---will I come back to it? I don't know right now. I am just not feeling it. It doesn't look all that bad from the picture, but I just didn't want to do it.

I pulled out 2 different things to start. The first is a small sampler called "Upon My Heart" by Plum Street Samplers.

I stitched for a few days and decided to pull out a bird. I am going to rotate them each week. This is where I  left off on Saturday below. I will also add I enjoyed every stitch I did on this one.

The bird I have started on Sunday has been on my mind for sometime, but I have had some inspiration for getting it out and moving forward with it. An osprey, perhaps my favorite sea bird (I have many favorites) has decided to rest in the top of the oaks next door. It has been hanging out for a couple of weeks on the bayou. They have a very distinct call so I know when it has arrives each day. It has been there almost every morning when I go out on the deck. It would fly off when I would open the door, but the past few has been a little slower leaving hence the following pictures.

Tip top center 

I didn't know if we would have many birds coming and sitting in the trees when the pines by the water were cut, but they are finding their way to the oaks. I have watched more than one species have a dinner of fish in the trees. 

NATURE is really cool! Now, will it stick around. No clue, but it has inspired me to pull out my osprey pattern and I will share that on a next post.

I am reading as much as stitching and trying to keep my flowers alive in the August heat. I am still in summer mode and haven't even thought about fall yet. It is just too hot here. I am sure once it finally does cool down I will love it. 

I do really and truly plan to try and do a weekly post on Sunday afternoon. We will see!

Signed,

Sandy, the dog lover.

January 23, 2026

It has been 2 plus weeks since I last posted, so here we go. We will talk about stitching, puttering around the house, the weather and family stuff.  I think I found enough pictures to break up the words without family being the focus.

First up is what I have been stitching...

I did quit procrastinating and finish The Twelve Days of Christmas. I like it, but it would have looked better framed. Live and learn.

I may fluff it a bit more next Christmas. 

I am currently stitching for another daughter of our friends. You may remember I stitched a verse for Laura on her high school graduation. Her sister Alayna is who told me she would like it. I didn't love the framing, but I was in a rush to do it. 

I had no idea these girls would be so crazy about my stitching. I am now stitching Alayna something I have stitched before. I think it is a just right piece for her. She is still in school working on a master's, but she is working full time too and moved to her first place on her own. I am stitching the sandpipers that I did here. I am enjoying every stitch even though it wasn't that long ago. My favorite designer has definitely become The Crossed Wing Collection. I love stitching the wildlife and plants. I know it seems odd to some, but they are purely delight to stitch.

I am also stitching on a small piece mostly because I am impatient. I am looking ahead to this summer I really wanted a patriotic stitch to commemorate the  Semiquincentennial. I have so many patriotic stitches so I really don't need another one, but it is not everyday a nation celebrates 250 years. I downloaded a pdf stitch from Etsy. Here is the picture of it from the pattern.

From Needle Treasure Nook

I do plan to change the stars to 1776 and the 1776 to 2026. I also am using brighter colors than the pattern called for. They don't look all that muted in their picture but the floss choices are more muted.

I have been working on those hotspots I mentioned in my last post. For almost a week I just walked into the 2 rooms with the problems and pondered the situation before I ever started trying to solve the issues. Both rooms and their problems ended up being connected.

This bedroom has too many things from Mama's house just laying around. Mainly photographs. I worked so hard on them, but I am left with photos that I will probably sort out of albums and either give away or throw away. I can't do that for now, but I have procrastinated finding a home for them. I finally go in there and consolidated some of the bins and rearranged the closet in that bedroom to hold the stuff. It feels so much better when I walk in that room not to see all that sitting out in the floor. Now, I can NOT open the closet or I feel like I am going crazy.

One corner looking so much better. 

Notice that TV in the room. 

That cause the problem in the sewing room. 

I once had the printer on that little table in that room. Didn't love it, but it wasn't a thing you used often. You can even see the printer paper still on that table under the TV.

We moved the printer causing me much trouble to put a TV in there when Mama was here after her fall a few years back. We had cable then, so we moved her a rocking chair and TV in that room. The chair is with her now and that TV just sits. We no longer have cable and I haven't bought a device for it to read the Internet. It is just taking up space and will continue for now.

The printer went to my sewing counter which was driving me NUTTY!

I found a new home for the printer and the counter looks better. I will still have to deal with the stacks that I make. I am a stacker. It is not my best trait. I use this counter to fold clothes, organize taxes, and sew or finish a cross stitch piece. It is multipurpose so I need to keep it somewhat neat. The plant is only there for winter.

I have been working on a few more projects, but that will do for now.

I framed Lindsay some beach pictures for her new office. She had a big wall as you enter her office and a conference table. I think our inexpensive plan worked out well.

Last Sunday before dawn just as local meteorologists said there was a snow flurry.

I am no longer interested at all. No snow I say!!!

I think it is looking a little more possible later this next week. Two years in a row....weird!!!

I am over winter. I have tried to a be a good winter girl. I really and truly have. I have done well, but I am telling Mr. Weather ---February 1st, Sandy is looking for springy weather. 

I bet he is listening!

January entertains me with the ducks and pelicans.

Close up of them.

First camellia bowl of 2026.

Valerie turned 1.

I made her a smash cake and cupcakes. We added a set of zoo animals with tutus and birthday hats. A zoo visit was done rather than a traditional party.

(The boys all promptly removed the tutus.)

Mama has been filling her time crocheting again. She made this one for Valerie.

Gus interrupting my nap. 

He did decide to let me finish.

Hoping everyone stays warm,

Sandy

October 18, 2025

As usual, time just gets away with life. I am still kicking, but was surprised that 3 weeks had passed so quickly. 

Here goes a catch up post.

*****

I have been stitching on 2 things. This first one I was enjoying, but I came across something that would make a wonderful Christmas gift if I can finish it. 

First up is the one I have been working on for fall.

The pattern is below and I think because of the pattern that AIDA will work quite well.

I ordered it from 123 Stitch and it may have to be finished for Fall 2026, since I did come across a pattern for the gift. It is a 12 Days of Christmas pattern and I immediately thought of a good friend who has helped me so much in the past few years. She has held my hand through so much of Jeff's diagnosis of Parkinson's so... if I can finish it that would be nice. I won't worry about it, just try.

Here is the pattern from Stoney Creek. My friend Anne loves the Christmas lights at Calloway Gardens. I specially remember the 12 Days of Christmas from last year when we went together. 

I am stitching them altogether in a grid and thinking a quilted type finish to hang on a door would be a nice finish. We will see what I come up with when I finish the stitching. I started from the bottom and plan to do 4 rows of 3. I have a little more to stitch on number 10.

Now, for some things going on here in the last 3 weeks...

I finally decorated for fall inside and now I feel like life is going by very rapidly. I always feel like fall is the fastest season. I am not sure why, but before you know it is Thanksgiving and people have already forgotten that and have decorated for Christmas. I am a huge Thanksgiving fan. 

I think the weather has been amazing here. It is not what people think of when they think of fall, but it is beautiful nonetheless. 

Blue skies. Perfect warm weather. Lights changing but still giving me plenty of it. Cotton fields a bloom still while some has been harvested and you get those big beautiful bales. All of it reeks of fall in northwest Florida.

I did plant my orange pansies yesterday. I love that they will take me through the winter.

***

Little Valerie at church in one of the dresses Mama smocked for Lindsay all those years ago. She is a cutie in it.

***

We have had another home improvement project this month. It was a quick one and only took a couple of hours. I mentioned earlier that after the removal of the pine trees the kitchen and living room got tons of sun and heated up pretty intensely.

We have thought about lots of options, but Jeff remembered at our previous home we had one of those half circle windows above the French doors in a vaulted great room. It let in a lot of sun and heat in the afternoons. We had gotten a window tinting on it and it had solved the issue. That was 35 years ago, so our thoughts were it would be much improved now.

We had them do the bay windows in the kitchen pictured above and the French doors in the living room right behind my stitching chair. That is all we did. I had really observed the situation for a while and think that will take care of it. We decided we can always add more windows if needed. 

The day we had them install was an overcast day, so we couldn't really tell what it would be like.

You can see that is it darker than the doors out to the deck by the table. We didn't want them all done because it will make the room a good bit darker. We have had several weeks to think it over and I must say we are good with the decision. At first it was liking looking through some lighter sunglasses, but the view is not obstructed with curtains or blinds. We are totally used to the new look now.

The outside does have a darker look, but we have dark screens so we got out on the boat the next day and it is not an issue at all. In fact, the next picture the doors do not have film on them....

and the ones below are the ones that we covered by my stitching chair in the living room. 

We just didn't notice much from the boat so I think we are all good. 

The plus side is if we ever sell, this is removable if future owners didn't like it.

***

Jeff is pictured with Paul Allen's dog, Dansby below. They were at the vet. You may want to caption it and then I will tell you what was happening.

The day before Paul Allen arrived home to discover Dansby had eaten 2 boxes of raisins. If you don't know, raisins are highly toxic and can cause kidney failure. Paul Allen gets home after picking up Miles and I take Valerie to him about 5 minutes after he arrives home. I walk in and he is on the phone with the vet. They told him if he could get Dansby there in 20 minutes they could see him, otherwise it would be an emergency vet. I told him to go. I had the kiddos. 

They gave him a shot to cause him to throw up. He threw up 36 raisins and had to drink about a liter of charcoal water. He was fine the remainder of the day. They wanted to take his bloodwork the next morning to make sure he was all good, so Jeff took him in the next day. He was sitting on the floor, but decided he needed to be closer to Jeff while waiting. Fortunately, he is fine.

***

Now, for a funny...

Miles and Palmer were talking and Palmer who takes after me and loves dogs. I mean as much as me.

So, he asked Miles if he liked Dansby. Miles said, "Not really, but my dad really does."

This is funny on many accounts. The conversation between a 3 year old and a 4 year old, but also truth. Miles has no interest in the dog. Palmer can't imagine that.

***

We went as family to Auburn last weekend. We had bought tickets for the kids to go to the game and we kept the grandchildren. It also turned out that long time friends were there as well.

A little backstory...

Jeff and the other Jeff have been friends since junior high. They were roommates in Auburn. I met Jeff in our apartment complex and the other Jeff met his wife in that same complex too. They lived here in Fort Walton all of our kids' lives. We did a lot of life together. Lots of Auburn trips were made with our 2 (Lindsay and Paul Allen) and their 3 boys. It has been ages since all 9 of us have been together. And of course, now they are married with kids too. Jeff and his wife Nancy have a home on the same street as us in Auburn. Their permanent home is in Huntsville. 

We were altogether for the first time in ages. I thought the below picture was just precious.  Sam, the same age as Paul Allen and the father of twin boys and one on the way was making them all tell each other their names. I put stars on the ones that you could see their faces and are not mine. One of the twins is kind of hidden behind Palmer. There were 7 kids, 8 if you count Valerie.

They had lots of fun and there were some tired boys for Jeff and I to watch. Didn't have too much trouble getting them to bed.

***

Tucker has turned 7. I can not even believe that. 7 years ago he made me a grandmother. One of my best titles.

He is now old enough for a big bike. I feel like it is a new era for him.

He can ride it and Palmer not to be outdone has taken his old bike and will have it down soon. 

My life is completely busy with the kiddos and my mom and just the regular things of life. Sometimes I long for it to be a little less chaotic, but I would not change a thing about living near family. The boys are playing fall ball and it seems like someone always has an issue like a dog eating raisins. We took Lindsay's dog to the vet for a UTI 2 weeks ago. I am just glad I can help them out. 

I am thinking about making a list of all the things I can do in my sewing room or around the house for the months of November, December, and January when the sun goes down too soon. I want to try and avoid going to sleep too early. It is already happening. I need a list of things that I am mostly sitting to do but will keep me awake during those months for at least until 9:00.

We will see how successful I am. Determined not to dread those days this year!!!

For now, enjoying fall in Florida,

Sandy