Pen-palling: It's pure magic!

Artist unknown

She lives several thousand miles away from me, clear on the opposite side of the country.

She loves dogs, but can't have one right now because her landlord has a "no pet" policy.

She enjoys gardening, and reading romance novels.

She enjoys early mornings, when her city is quiet.

I enjoy her.

She is my penpal.

When Covid-19 started I was suddenly thrust into a world I didn't know. Churches closed, restaurants closed, I was without a job, and nothing in my world felt secure. It was in the isolation that I started to crave companionship. Someone I could talk to, tell my fears to, and connect with. I am an extroverted introvert, and where I require a large amount of downtime to "re-charge" my internal batteries, I also definitely require a fairly large opportunity to seek out human companionship. Being without the daily interaction of people in the physical form started to take a toll on me.

One night I was surfing the internet after a Zoom meeting, and I was just sad. The people on my Zoom call were all people I had loved "in the flesh" just months before, and where I loved seeing them on the computer screen, it just wasn't the same as being able to hug them, of laugh with them in person.

As my fingers were scrolling, I came across an article written by a woman who described exactly how I was feeling, and through her frustration she had started pen-palling, allowing the letter to become the physical connection. 

I am an analog whore. I love the glide of a good fountain pen, the smell of paper, the color of Washi tape and the weight of my journal in my hand. These are the things that ground me to the earth. Connecting with people through written word sounded like Heaven to me! The thought of having a penpal instantly transported me back to third grade where I would curl up on a bean bag chair in the back of the school library, and flip through the Highlights magazine looking for the perfect penpal: someone who had a dog, and liked to read. (PS: My taste in penpals still hasn't changed....) 

I flipped over to Facebook and into the search bar, I typed: penpal group, and there at my fingertips were hundreds of people wanting to connect through written word. They were in need of companionship during a pandemic, or had been moved to just enjoy a simpler life, and wanted to meet new people with similar interests. It took me all of a few minutes to realize I was amongst like minded people. 

It was a little frightening, however I uploaded my picture and started telling folks about myself, and asked if anyone was looking for a penpal. I vowed I wouldn't tell anyone "no" if they reached out to show interest, and I have met the nicest people. These people allow me into their world. We talk about their kids, their pets, their jobs, and their fears. The connection and friendship this has brought me has been one of the best things to happen to me during this pandemic. 

Surprisingly when I tell people I have started pen-palling, people always ask me: How can I do it?

Below is how you can start, and some of the helpful things I have learned along the way. 

1) There are many groups on Facebook that center around pen-palling. My favorites have been: 

        Ladies Who Penpal

        Worldwide Snail Mail Pen Pals

        Pen-Pals Forever

        Snail Mail Pen Pals

        Snail Mail Pen Pals Ladies Only

2) Decide how many penpals you can honestly write. Keep in mind all friendships take work, but a friendship based on written letters requires time and effort on your part. You don't want to over extend yourself, and then not write, therefore leaving your new friend disappointed and wondering what happened to you or what they might have said wrong.

3) First letters are awkward for every one. Give your new friendship some time to blossom before deciding a person may not be a good fit for you. If you decide the person is not a good match, let them know that it's not going to work. Ghosting people is not cool and hurts a lot worse than honesty. 

4) Ask questions. You're trying to get to know your new friends. Ask them the normal questions about family, pets, etc. but then ask them any "burning" questions or silly questions you may have also. One penpal asked me: "What is in your refrigerator?" This question still remains my favorite question, because I realized I need to eat at home more often. :) 

5) Remember, your penpals are real people. They have lives too. Don't assume you have been ghosted. Perhaps life is just a little hectic, and they haven't had a chance to write you back, or the dreaded fact that letters do sometimes get lost in the mail. Where I make it a policy that I don't "friend" my penpals on social media, because I want our friendship to be based on our letters, I do have them in Facebook messenger, so I will often reach out with a: "Hope you are having a great day, letter sent." Just so they know I mailed them.

6) There's an International Forever Stamp available at the post office that will get a letter, 1 oz. and under, to anywhere in the world. This realization was a game changer for me in terms of corresponding with folks outside of the US.

There's a whole world of people waiting to get to know you, and pen-palling as an adult is just as magical as it was when we were children. 

 Enjoy! 

OMG! It's happening!

    

    Some of you saw the Facebook Live video I did several weeks ago regarding a broody hen I had named Diane. 

    Diane, named after my mother, is a Buff Orpington hen who desperately wants to be a mother. Several weeks ago, she became an aggressive fool, and we were sort of at our wits end, when a friend of ours generously brought over several fertilized eggs. I have read everything I can possibly read on how this works, what to expect, and discovered that I can do nothing except sit back and let Jesus take the wheel when/if the time comes. Diane has rolled her eggs from box to box, and been a resident psycho about stealing EVERYONE's eggs to put in her nest, so I honestly expected her to have killed the little things by now.

    But, right on schedule, I went out tonight to tuck the flock in and one of our eggs had "pipped" and was chirping! We should have a baby tomorrow! 

    I am so excited and can't believe this actually worked. I was concerned her eggs would not hatch and it would mess with her chicken psyche. (I know this supposedly doesn't happen, but she wants those babies so bad, and I can't help but want them for her!) I was fully prepared to have to buy her a few day old chicks so as to save her therapy later on, but it looks like I might not have to do that. 

     I will keep you all posted on the "new additions".... 

Neil Patrick Harris Season, has arrived!

Today it’s in the mid-50’s here in Ohio, and that means it’s Neil Patrick Harris Season!

 

What is Neil Patrick Harris Season you ask?!

 

Neil Patrick Harris Season started several years ago after we realized our dog was NOT the brightest animal on the planet. You see, every year we get a few blissful days in the middle of winter, where spring tries to peek through, and gives us hope that eventually the hell that is winter will come to an end. This usually happens just after our darkest days of winter, when we can’t wait another minute to open the doors and windows to air out the house.

 

At this house though, the only problem with letting the fresh air indoors is: Anders the dog. 

 

Anders is beautiful, and has some intelligence, but most days we wonder just where God went wrong when they were handing out brains. Now, he has a brain, it just seems like God assembled him on a Friday afternoon at about quitting time and He was in a hurry to get out the door, because Anders got about half the dose of intelligence that most Belgian Tervurens receive.

 

A couple years ago, Anders could not get the hang of the screen door. We would let him out of his kennel, and CRASH! Anders would run through that door lookin’ like the Kool-Aid man. This happened time and time again. 

 

Anders… 

Busted screen… 

Door off hinges… 

Trip to Menard’s… 

Nurse repairs screen… 

Repeat…

 

It happened so many times that I’m positive the stock market skyrocketed for Menard’s just off the purchase of our replacement screen alone. Finally, at my wit’s end, I noticed our daughter had a laminated headshot of Neil Patrick Harris hanging on the refrigerator for a college art project she was working on, and there my idea was born.

 

I put that head shot of Neil Patrick Harris on the screen door, and Anders suddenly had brakes! I’m not sure if it worked like it works with birds, where putting something on a window makes them realize there’s a window there, or if Anders was just afraid of Neil’s life-sized head, not attached to a body, staring at him. What I do know is: We bust out Neil Patrick Harris every year, on a day we like to call Neil Patrick Harris Season. The day when we get our first break in the weather, and where we remind Anders that he needs to find his brakes and USE them, because warmer weather is on the horizon. Neil says so!

 

PS: Neil Patrick Harris, if you see this, we lost the usual headshot we use, if you could have your PR person send us a new one, we would be most appreciative….. 

The Hound with a Home: Adventures of Tilly

The hound is coming along, but it's a slow go, and she reminds me of Drew Barrymore's character on 50 First Dates. Our life with her starts over every day, sometimes several times a day. She is getting more comfortable here, and she loves the other dogs. They are really where she is consistently comfortable, which is what I suspected would happen in the beginning of our relationship together. 

It has become real obvious to The Nurse and I that this girl will not be able to live in a normal pet home at this point, and I'm not sure that she ever will be "normal". She requires a lot of life modification to survive, and I don't know too many "pet people" who would know how to do this without losing patience and making her worse than she is, if that's even possible. 

In my last life, I was fine with having many dogs, but as life has progressed, I can say I don't enjoy having a bunch of dogs anymore, but sometimes God gives you what He wants not what you want, and I feel like it was no accident this girl entered The Nurse and I's life. After a lot of discussion and being honest with what this girl needs, The Nurse and I have decided to adopt Tilly the Hound.

I don't know that she will be a permanent member of our family, but I do know that we are going to continue on with her rehab as part of our pack. My prayer is that she will eventually recover enough to be a pet in someone else's home, but now there is no pressure for when that has to happen. She can take her time, and move at her pace. It's said that it takes the average rescue dog a year to feel 100% comfortable in their new home, and I imagine we are going to need every bit of that time frame with Tilly. 

We found a veterinarian who has been gracious enough to spay her on a Saturday so their clinic is quieter, we can drop her off at the last minute, and wait for her to be done, so she doesn't have to be without people she knows for very long, and so we minimize anyone handling her who might not be as dog savvy as she requires. It's another step towards being an "owned" dog in this house, and we are happy to give her that opportunity. 

I needed to know her future was wide open, and we have secured that for her this weekend.

  

Recipe: Spaghetti with Shrimp, Garlic & Broccoli

 Several nights ago, I shared this picture on my personal Facebook page, and several people reached out wanting the recipe. As always, with any recipe I offer, you can guarantee it's easy to prepare, and tastes good, otherwise I wouldn't bother, because a chef I am not!

Enjoy!

 

Spaghetti with Shrimp, Garlic & Broccoli

1/2 lb. spaghetti, uncooked

3 cups of broccoli

1/2 cup Italian Dressing

1 lb. uncooked, deveined, peeled large shrimp

4 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1) Cook the spaghetti in a large saucepan as directed on the package, and add the broccoli to the boiling water for the last 2 minutes.

2) Meanwhile, heat the dressing in a large skillet on medium, adding the garlic and shrimp. Cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until the shrimp turn pink.

3) Drain the spaghetti mixture, return to the pan. Add the shrimp mixture and cheese, mix together and top with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

Serve with garlic bread.  

Breathing blankets and broken dogs.....

Last week, The Nurse and I went to our local animal shelter to purchase dog licenses for out dogs. While we were there, we walked up and down the kennels saying hello to all the dogs that were there. The Nurse stopped at one kennel, and said: "Look that blanket is breathing." I looked in the kennel, and could see the blanket and the bed moving up and down in a rhythmic fashion, indicating something was alive in the kennel, but there was no dog to be seen. 

We were talking to the shelter staff about the dogs and cats, and st some point there was a discussion about me getting a puppy out to play with it. It was during that conversation that one of the employees said, "Go look at that dog in Kennel #6. She needs someone to get her out." 

The Nurse nudged me and said, "That's the kennel with the breathing blankets, but you can't see the dog!"

I walked back to the kennel, open the door, and lifted the bed. There was the most terrified dog I have ever seen in my life. Her fur was wet and yellow with urine, and she was laying in her own feces. I picked her up, and she instantly released her anal glands in fear. I carried her up to one of the "meet and greet" rooms and she coward on the floor under the bench, just trying to get away from us. 

The shelter staff explained that she had been at the shelter for a week, and that they had used a live trap to catch her, because she was running loose in some woods out in the country. The went on to say she was so scared that she wouldn't walk, hid behind the toilet when they attempted to work with her, and never even moved to urinate or deficate, she just voided and laid in it.

My heart broke.

There wasn't much discussion between The Nurse and I on what we were going to do, I think we both knew this dog was never going to recover in the shelter, and that was IF she could be rehabilitated at all, so we decided to take her home and try to foster her. 

In my 22 years of dog rescue, I have only fostered one other dog this broken and shutdown. That dog was Wigzi, whom I ended up driving to a sanctuary in Nebraska because he never recovered enough to make it in a home. Usually, when you have a dog this broken, they don't like people, but they like dogs. This girl was so shutdown that she didn't even like dogs. We have been working with her and where she makes no sense, she seems to be making some very small steps towards being a dog.

We will see where we go as we work through the idiosyncrasies that this little girl has, and my prayer is she will one day function well enough to at least live a life that is fulfilling to her. Really, that is all I hope for any of my rescue pups.....