Man saves his Rat Terrier from shark!

You know I think Rat Terriers are the best little dogs in the world and completely understand how this man could jump into the water to save his dog. I would do the same for mine. Poor little Jake, I'm so glad he's going to be ok!

Shark attack

30 days of happiness - day 30

Happiness is:
Happy Chair! This is one of my all-time favorite "LOLs" and I thought he was a perfect way to end the 30 days. Happy Chair is an inspiration to us all. :-P
I've really enjoyed these 30 days of happiness posts. I hope you have too.
Have a great weekend everyone!

30 days of happiness - day 29

Happiness is:
Eagle. Hawk. John Denver, a 12 string guitar and a song touched by Spirit. Call me a nerd if you want to, but I just love John Denver. So many good ones - Rhymes and Reasons, Sweet Surrender, Calypso, Windsong, Rocky Mountain High... it all makes me happy, but this is my favorite, I always get completely "blissed-out" when I hear it...

30 days of happiness - day 28

Happiness is:
A foggy morning, a cedar log bench hubby is making, and silence.

We cannot find God in noise and agitation.

Nature: trees, flowers, and grass grow in silence. The stars, the moon, and the sun move in silence.

What is essential is not what we say but what God tells us and what He tells others through us.

In silence He listens to us; in silence He speaks to our souls. In silence we are granted the privilege of listening to His voice.

Silence of our eyes.
Silence of our ears.
Silence of our mouths.
Silence of our minds.
...in the silence of the heart
God will speak.

---Mother Teresa

30 days of happiness - day 27

Happiness is:
The smell of horses. I took Cloud for his first walk on the bike trail today. The slower pace of being on foot let me really get a good look at the horses pastured along the trail. The wind is blowing strong again today and we were downwind of my favorite scent - horses and hay. Every time I smell horses, it takes me back to when I was one of those "horsey" little girls, completely in love with everything to do with horses. My biggest dream was a horse of my own, and the few times I went riding was like heaven. I was either dreaming about horses, reading about them or drawing them. I was obsessed with Sam Savitts illustrations that were in many of the stories I read and drew them over and over. I think this book was my favorite, I will never forget Ginny and Mokey.
Standing there today, watching them, listening to the 'woosh' of breath through their nostrils, breathing in their sweet smell, had me thinking about how I used to tie my jump rope to the handlebars and ride my bicycle with 'reins' so it would feel more like horseback, and how every drive through the countryside would have me looking out the window for horses and dreamily picking out good places to ride and logs for us to jump over. I wanted to be a part of a team, my horse and I. Connection and friendship, two beings moving as one. Like the stories I read about race horses, show jumpers, cowboys and plain ole' regular kids and their horses. To me the smell of horses is better than pumpkin pie, freshly baked bread or cookies, campfires, pinion pines, puppy breath, gunpowder or the woods after a rain. It will always take me back to my first love. And knowing that dreams can still come true.

Movin' on down the trail...

It's officially Fall!

It's officially my favorite time of year. I love the clothes, I love the colors, I love the smell of wood smoke and the crispness in the air. I love the food - warming and comforting. Flowing with the rhythm of the seasons, time to gather and harvest, all of nature is filled with a sense of urgency and expectation. I always feel some primal force stirring in my heart this time of year, and my connection with nature is at its strongest. Happy Equinox everyone!

30 days of happiness - day 26

Yesterday

Happiness is:
A double yolk two days in a row! My what generous hens, going above and beyond like that. Thank you ladies!

Today

30 days of happiness - day 25

Happiness is:
A beautiful day and a bike trail with a view.

30 days of happiness - day 24

Our haul from today.

Happiness is:
Farmers market Saturdays! We go almost every Saturday during the season. We definitely love good food! First stop is our favorite coffee shop, then we hit the market, so much to see - stalls of beautiful produce, flowers, crafts, musicians and great people (and pet) watching. Some random photos from today:





















After we buy our vegetables we like to have a cup of tea here.








Can you tell we love our Saturday mornings? :-)

One of my passions is supporting local farmers. Not only does the food taste so much better than whats at the grocery store, it helps the environment by not having to transport food long distances, and supports local communities and humane and sustainable farming practices. While I'm very thankful for the food I buy that does have to get trucked in from out of our region (avocados, coconut milk, olive oil etc.,) pretty much all of the meat and eggs we buy are directly from local farmers, and while in season, about 80% of our vegetables. I know it's not practical for everyone, but it makes me feel good.

Sites of interest:
www.localharvest.org
www.eatwild.com
www.westonaprice.org

Thought-provoking interview with Wendell Berry.

Have a great weekend everyone!

30 days of happiness - day 23

Happiness is:
Finding beauty. Yes, another 'buggy' post. I was outside with my dogs today and heard something stirring in the leaves, which I quickly pinpointed to be this cicada. Now, I've only ever seen a few other cicadas alive - and either they were being chewed up by Cloud (he went through a bug eating stage as a pup) or they were laying on their backs haplessly flapping their wings. So to see one walking around was new to me.
Cicadas are one of those bugs that I've always been a little freaked out by. Not the noise they make...I actually like that. But something about the way they look - the shape of the body, the eyes so far apart, the way they just sit there...I don't know. I just found them disturbing and creepy. But these days I try to look at things in a new light, without judgment or past beliefs, to just see them as they are. Admittedly some things are easier to see the beauty in than others, but now I find this cicada to be astonishingly beautiful. Look at the colors on its body, shades of green and even the oranges and golds that I love, mixed with black - perfect camouflage. The way the base and veins of its wings are bight green where they attach to the body. Were they always this pretty? What else in this world is waiting for me to discover that it's not what I thought it was?
~Kat,
Lovin' the journey...

30 days of happiness - day 22

Happiness is:
Walking Sticks! No, not that kind, the insect kind! I've always been fascinated by insects, well at least most of them anyway. I will admit to having very strong prejudices against certain kinds (the ones people call an exterminator for...) but walking sticks, praying mantis, ants, bees etc. have always sparked my interest. My mother tells a story about when I was a little girl, and she would pay me a penny for each tomato hornworm I picked off her tomato plants. I could never 'dispose' of the critters, instead keeping them in a jar with holes poked in the lid, feeding them with tomato leaves and weeds. We were getting ready to leave for vacation when I yelled, "Just a minute!" and ran out behind the house. My mother found me putting ALL the hornworms back on the tomato plants, and my explanation was, "There wouldn't be anyone around to feed them while we're gone..."

So you can imagine how happy I was to find walking sticks here at the new house! I thought they only lived in the jungles of South America or someplace equally exotic, not the Iowa hills!


This photo was taken close to the back door. At first glance I thought, "What is that stick doing in a spiderweb?" then, "Wait a minute..." Yep. Poor little guy. But I guess the spider had a day of happiness. It's all in the way you look at things, right?

30 days of happiness - day 21

Happiness is:
Goldenrod blooming everywhere, giving us more wonderful fall color. :-)

30 days of happiness - day 20

Happiness is:
Being married to my best friend for 5 years today.


We were married in Rocky Mountain National Park. The weather was cool, the aspens were turning, it was perfect!


Before the ceremony we went on a 4 hour horseback ride through the park. After the ceremony we went hiking in the aspens on the mountain behind us in the wedding photos. Then dinner at the famous Stanley hotel, where the made for TV version of The Shining was filmed. It was the best day.


Happy Anniversary baby. I love you!

30 days of happiness - day 19

Happiness is:
This song by Amy Steinberg. Powerful lyrics. Beautiful video.
God I love this.
Have a wonderful day everyone. :-)

30 days of happiness - day 18

Happiness is:
Volunteers. Photo taken near my garage.

"Life finds a way." ~ Ian Malcolm, Jurassic Park

30 days of happiness - day 17

Happiness is:
These colors. And the way the rain intensifies them. I don't know if everyone feels like this, but I have physical responses to certain colors. It's hard to put into words, but some colors make my heart feel like it's opening/expanding and then bring a warmth to my neck and make my face feel like I walked through a spiderweb, and puts me in a state of pure bliss. It can be overwhelming and I have to stop what I'm doing and just let it happen. Strange. The colors of sandstone in the desert Southwest, the inside of butternut squash, and glowing coals are some examples. And now wet maple leaves on the patio in the overcast light. Perfection.

30 days of happiness - day 16

Happiness is:
Looking deep into my pets eyes. Sometimes it's like you're looking into the mysteries of the Universe, other times it's mirroring your own love and adoration back at you and still others...are more like a vacant 'huh?' But whatever the look, I can always count on a boost to my spirits with each gaze of their (usually) loving eyes. If you've lived with a cat then you understand the "usually" part.


This is Boomer, she is 15 years old. She is H.R.H. The Queen of the Universe.


My little Rat Terrier Cloud. The best little dog in the world. I was playing around with this photo and really liked how this perspective shows the depth of love in his eyes. He's so emotional. I love you Cloud!


My good 'ole Benny Bean. He will be 14 in November. Although we're going through some challenges with his old age, when I look at that sweet face and see how happy he is with simple pleasures - the breeze blowing on his face, a good meal, a comfy pillow and a pat on the head - I am happy too, (and grateful for the lesson on being in the moment) and want to do my best to keep him comfortable and loved for a long time.

30 days of happiness - day 15

Happiness is:
Having a house on top of a big hill that faces West.

30 days of happiness - day 14

Happiness is:
Mixing these together...so decadent!! I tried this for the first time today and give it the 'happy' seal of approval. I'm usually doing something whilst drinking tea (that sounded very British, didn't it) - reading, talking, computer time...but today I had to curl up in my cozy chair and give this concoction my full attention. Multi-tasking is overrated...

30 days of happiness - day 13

Happiness is:
The red maple in my backyard...the leaves are still mostly green, but a few patches are turning, offering a preview of the glory to come. Love this color palette!

30 days of happiness - day 12

Happiness is:
A bowl full of freshly picked grapes. Purple fingers and tongue. Pleasant childhood memories of Welches grape juice/jelly/soda.

30 days of happiness - day 11

Happiness is:
Turning my dog into a LOLDOG

30 days of happiness - day 10

Happiness is:
A cool September day and my first college football game. :-)