Karla's Cottage

I ❤️ The Dog Park

Our city has a magnificent dog park.  Miles of trails through fields and the woods.  Some of the trails are paved, some dirt, some gravel.   Lately, I’ve been lucky enough to find heart shaped rocks in the gravel, like these two little ones.  

I thought it would be cool to use my blue crystal heart as a bowl to collect other rocks in.

This one was in the paved area.

And this little piece of my own heart came running up to me with an exciting greeting.  It’s Wally!  One of Sugar’s babies, and he seemed to remember me.

He lives nearby, in the neighborhood Ryan and I walked through regularly.   There wasn’t a week that went by when Ryan didn’t mention that he hoped we’d run into Wally, who had been one of his faves.  He had actually dog sat this boy for a week for the new owners and was pretty fond of him.

We hadn’t come across this cutey in our many walks, but the week Ry died, his brother took me on a “Ryan Walk” and guess who was there? Wally was out on a walk too!  I am afraid I cried too hard to be able to greet him.  But I made up for it when we ran into him at the dog park.  He got lots of snuggles from me.

In the fall, the bales are harvested in the many fields the trails go through and Molly likes to show off her jumping skills by leaping up onto them. Sugar can also leap into the air, but sees no reason to do it.

Dorothy enjoys the view from way up high, and likes to be sat up there with Molly.  Someone her height doesn’t often get to see the world from this angle.

 

 

He was a good boy

 

Before we could recover from the loss of Twinkle, Albie had a sudden illness and died also.

He was Twinkle’s son from her large litter of nine.  Dorothy was from that same batch of puppies, as well as my sister’s Frodo, my pal Shan’s Oscar, and our neighbor’s Scruffy.   
So many good babies!

Albie and Dorothy were lifelong besties.

Albie was an odd little guy, a mix of worry and adventure but full of devotion.

He was at the same time, hanging in the background and being first to join in on any activity.

He never wanted to be left out of anything, and was worried that he might be.  We went out of our way to reassure him and in the last few years, his confidence grew to the point where he thought he was one of the big dogs, not part of the group of Yorkies.

His nickname was “The River Dog” because he loved kayak trips.  We feel that separating him for things like this, and giving him alone time away from the five other dogs was part of helping him find his inner big dog and making his personality bloom.

He spent most of his free time perched on the back of a chair, where he had a good view of what was going on in the house.  He liked to be on a chair with us, so he could be nearby, but he wasn’t a cuddler.  He watched every move we made, always on alert for what he could do to join in and stay close, but didn’t want to be held.  

I think he thought he was our protector and always had to be on guard to keep us safe.

Albie watched over us all, including the puppies.

 He was vigilant when there was a new litter, keeping an eye on them, but never venturing too near.

From the very beginning, he was closest to Dewdrop.  I think he might have thought he needed to watch over her like he did the puppies.

He might have a worried look on his face in this photo, but he was pretty dang happy.  She was one person who he liked being held by.  He followed her everywhere when she was at the cottage.

That boy loved coming to work with me in the studio, too.  He had a habit of jumping up into whatever chair I just got out of.  If I was at the computer, he was on my chair in my work station.  When I came back to the table, he’d hop in my desk chair.  

When we got Honey, he wasn’t too happy with us and there was a long adjustment period, with the Littles against the Bigs.  Eventually, they all became one pack and Albert was right out front when running with the big dogs in the woods.  He thought of himself as a leader, although I don’t know if any of the large dogs acknowledged his role as boss.  They indulged him, and let him think what he wanted.

But no matter how important his role was in guarding the family and telling the other dogs what to do, he always had time for the girls, and enjoyed the special attention they gave him.  

I will miss his subdued enthusiasm in joining everything anyone was doing.  His quiet joy in being a family leader.  The unending love he had for us all.

When I buried his mommy, Twinkle just a few days ago, he sat by my side the entire time, and watched me put her in the ground. Afterwards he sat there a while, like he was taking care of her, watching over her body like he watched over us.

He never complained, he never demanded.  He was 9 lbs of bravery and sweetness, with a little bit of worry and a lot of caring thrown in the mix.

He died very bravely too. Rich had been out of town ten days, and Albert stayed strong until his return.  I think he was hanging on to see him.

We held Albie and his sister in our arms together as he slowly faded away, whispering his favorite words to him, telling him how much we loved our River Dog.  

I will miss my funny, weird little guy.  He was a good boy.

Pretty stones

When Twinkle passed, I brought her home from the vet’s office to show her to the other dogs.  I knew they would look for her if I didn’t.  You might think it’s odd, but we showed Ryan’s body to our pets too. They were overly excited about a room filled with paramedics and other professionals during a pandemic when they hadn’t been around many people, so it wasn’t exactly a moving moment. 

But at least they knew why Uncle Ryan wasn’t around for ear scratches and walks any more.

It would’ve been easier to have Twinkle cremated, my husband was out of town and it was 100 degrees that day.  But I hated to think of the other dogs always looking for her and not knowing where she was.

I buried her next to Ryan’s memorial tree.  

A dear friend and her daughter had engraved and painted rocks for me and I’d been planning on placing them by this oak.  I am glad I hadn’t done it yet, they were just what I needed to top Twinkle’s grave.

I used some of the rocks in planters too.  

Ryan is never out of my thoughts, but I still like to have little trinkets and mementos of him around me.

 

 

 

 

To Twinkle, with love

Twinkle was born on Valentine’s Day and was my sweetheart of a dog.  Sugarwings was just big enough to grab her and giggle when the pup came to live with us, and from the very beginning, that little dog never complained about how rough she might be treated.  She kept running back for more, more, more.

 Tinks was the perfect pet for a rough housing kid.  She might have seemed fragile, since she was a Yorkie, but that dog was one tough chick.  She was always there just waiting to be included in any game her girl wanted to play with her.  

They could spend hours together splashing in the water hose or digging in the mud together.


As babies, they shared toys, beds, and as Sugarwings would insist, no matter how hard I tried to keep the milk away from the dog, the little girl shared her bottle with the little dog.

Twinkle was devoted to us all, and one of her favorite words was ‘work’ which she knew meant we were going to to studio together, where she’d climb into this bowl of lace I kept on the floor.  Since she decided it was hers, not mine, I changed out the art supplies for a pillow and let her keep it.

She raised her children to love napping in the bowl too.  

And she had a lot of children!  

She was a great doggie mom.  She was meticulous in caring for her babies, still holding 8 year old Dorothy down to give her a good cleaning every evening, up until poor Twinks wasn’t healthy enough to be the caretaker.

She was a dog who lived to love, and was devoted to us all.  She was curious and excited about life, up for any adventure even if it was just a trip to the laundry room to check on the load of clothes in the dryer. 

And she loved to pose.  When she’d see my camera in my hand, she didn’t consider that I might be wanting a photo of a project or something to list in my shop.  She KNEW that the picture had to be of her.  I sometimes had to pretend to take one of her, so she would relax.

The only thing she didn’t like was Honey.  You can tell by the way she refuses to look at the camera, that she wasn’t too happy about us getting a new puppy.  Twinkle thought that she was one of our kids, since she was raised with the grand fairy, and didn’t think we needed to get a dog.

There were some battles for a couple of years between the two. But by the time Honey had her own puppies, they’d reached a truce.  Twinkle was allowed to wash those puppies and nanny them.

Honey must’ve appreciated the vast experience that Tinks had to offer.

But it wasn’t until the last couple of years that they actually became friends.  Twinkle had gone blind and discovered that Honey’s thick tail made an ideal bed.  

The first time she waddled over to it and laid down Honey seemed shocked.

 Then snuggled up to her.  

Since then, the truce was done and they became family.

Over the years, one of her favorite things was going boating.

The words ‘boat’ or ‘“lake’ would send her running to the car, ready for a day on the water.

Twinkle was more than just a dog to me, she was my friend.  
And a very good friend, not just to me.

 

Painting a cement floor entryway

Years ago, I covered my steps in mosaic, on a whim.  Not much planning went into it, and very little skill.  My dad was ill, I was waiting to hear his diagnosis, and needed a big project where my fingers were busy, but my mind could wander.  I didn’t have a design or the right supplies on hand, I just used what I had, and then had to make runs for more marbles and squares to complete what I’d started.

My dad was a lifelong gardener, and I think the abstract vine pattern just sorta formed itself while thinking of him.  

Luckily, it hasn’t fallen apart, at least not too much.  Even though it wasn’t done correctly. There are a few tiny cracks in some tiles, and a couple marbles popped out, and were glued back in. 
The 100+ year old cement floor by it also had some issues.  The paint on it had started to peel.

So I thoroughly scrubbed the floor and while I was at it, I went after the steps with a brush and vinegar and got the tiles to sparkle again.  Then, I added a big scoop of plaster of Paris into some exterior latex paint and repainted the floor.

That gives the paint some “tooth” help it adhere to the cement.

I hope that it works, because I got carried away and started to paint vines on the floor to coordinate with the steps.  That won’t be an easy patch job if the paint wears off, it will need a total redo.

We are not able to use rugs on the floor here because of this critter, Dorothy happily tinkles on any rug she sees, thinking I generously supplied her with a pee pad.

My design makes this into kind of a painted, pee proof rug.  

Yep, I know it’s pretty busy.  Especially when you add in the hand painted roses on the wall.  But it is a very small space and not visible from the rest of the house.

(by the way, there is only a small window of time when the hooks are not layered four deep in jackets, backpacks, hats, leashes and more, I just did spring cleaning and the re-piling up has not yet begun)  

After the vines dried, I brushed on a brown glaze and wiped it off, let that dry and coated the floor with semi gloss Polycrylic.  I’d rather have used a stronger topcoat but I was worried about the odor and my baby puppies.  So, I stayed with water based.

Fingers crossed that the paint lasts a few years!

 

 

One last sea shell fairy

Isn’t this oyster shell the perfect little pinafore dress for this sprite?  It even has a pocket!  And I was so happy to find the striped booties, ready to be slipped onto her tiny feet.

 

 

 

Another Memorial Tree for Ryan

When we lost Ryan, friends and family were generous in their out pouring of caring.  Lots of kind messages and keepsakes came our way.

So much thoughtfulness, that I decided I needed to be a better friend.  I saw examples of caring that touched me deeply and taught me how much reaching out to a person in pain helps them.

We were also given rose bushes and trees to plant which were meaningful, because Ryan had always been the guy who planted things for me.  We have those around the area where we hung the wind chimes that came in his honor too.

Recently, long time friends had a Sunset Maple with a memorial plaque planted for our boy at the Lawrence Arboretum.

(It is the first tree on the left when you enter)

Ryan and I spent hours walking the dogs on trails, but had never been to this park yet.  We typically strolled through trails and around ponds in the neighborhoods near us.  We had started to explore some other walkways around town and were making a list of places we wanted to drive to.  He would’ve liked the arboretum, and now that I’ve been there, it is a favorite of mine.

Seashell pups at Crescent Beach

Our Great Camping Adventure is going wonderfully.  We have had so-so weather some days, and others perfectly lovely.  On the extra nice days, we have headed to the beach for walks with the dogs.  

While there, I was inspired to make seashell pups instead of my typical fairies or angels.  The first one I made washed away with the tide, which felt rather pleasing to see.  I liked watching my little creation float off.

It felt like making an offering to the sea.

So I looked around to find a few more bits of shells to whip up another, this time arranging them up higher on the sand.  

This one is Twinkle the Yorkie.

And here is Sugar the doodle.

Uhm, you will just have to take my word for it that this is Honey the golden.

Not an anteater.

Maybe I should stick to fairies?

The dogs are loving the beach as much as I do, so I attempted the little shell critters as a beach thank you from them.

May Showers Bring June Flowers?

Quite a bit of May and into June, it rained.

And rained.

Then rained some more.

I dug some trenches to have the water run away from the house in a few places, but this river was created by the dogs running back and forth to bark at people walking on the other side of the fence.  I needed to dig out a tunnel under the fence for it to drain, and then, this raging river became ideal for redirecting the water away from our home.  

But just imagine the mud we have had to deal with from all of the dog’s hard work in crafting this trail!

We are so lucky it has only been mud.  So many places are flooded or damaged by the tornados.

I hate to even admit this, but the rain hasn’t been all bad at the cottage.   We seem to have decent run off, and haven’t had problems with it, once the torrents streaming across the yard subside and drain away.

We have been gifted with  lush, overflowing flower beds as an after effect.

Our yard has never been better.

We have also put a ton of work into trimming, planting, and cleaning up too.

And my studio redo made me so happy that I wanted some changes outside too.   This swing got a fresh coat of paint, and moved from the big yard that has been taken over by Honey and Sugar, to a cozy spot where it is  getting used again.

This corner got  a big refresh, I added two rose bushes, a viburnum, some other shrub (whose name I have forgotten), and ten bags of mulch.

I also planted this little perennial that will bloom in pink.  My husband said that we should support a local farm/nursery that had tornado damage.   He loaded up his chainsaw and gator to spend an afternoon cleaning up there, then picked me up to go shop at their garden center. 

We have always loved that farm, in the fall it is a pumpkin patch and we have had many happy memories of tiny grand fairies playing there.

If buying a few pots and flats of plants could help them out, I was in.  We even bought a few for our son’s home.  

I am very proud of my handsome husband for volunteering his time.  He is a nice guy to not only go to help but to also suggest supporting their business. 

 

More February Foofing, another small change

When I bought new recliners for the living room, I opened a Pottery Barn charge card that gave me cash back to spend in the store.  

Pottery Barn isn’t my typical shopping venue.  I’m pretty cheap on the frugal side, and usually go for second hand or discount stores.  But those chairs,  were the exact perfect pieces, because I do not care for recliners, but they are all my husband wants.  

These were ideal, cottage seats that secretly reclined. 

So, I splurged. 

 

And happily poured through the online catalog, planning my bonus purchase.  

When isaw this quilt, in colors that would warm up a drab February, I knew it was just right for my room.

First of all- roses and birds? 

With old fashioned, faded looking squares?

 Yep, perfect! I’m a sucker for cottage quilts, my mom was a quilter, and I’ve got a soft spot for them. Plus, I like the way they feel, layered on my bed. 

It came in the mail the same day that my Sissy sent this robe to me as  a gift. I felt like I was meant to be wrapped in those warm, rich, flowery tones when I found both boxes on the front step in the middle of that awful, polar vortex of cold that had settled over much of the Midwest. 

They both made me feel pretty happy, and knocked the mid-winter blues away.