A Box of Treasures?

Last fall when we were visiting Danielle and Jason in Connecticut, Danielle gave me a box that her Dad asked her to pass on to me. I let out a groan because I was feeling like if I hadn't missed whatever was in there all these years, he could have tossed it and I would have been none the wiser. A lot of the contents ended up in the trash. Except for these...

Back in the 60's my aunt Theresa gifted me a portion of her large collection of dog figurines. They were mostly collies and poodles. I was probably around 8 years old, and was very excited. The collection grew to include cats that were given to me by family members whenever they traveled, and some antique pieces that belonged to my father and grandfather. A few are Avon bottles. Unscrew the head, to get to the perfume, remember those? Some still have perfume in them and they smell as bad today as  they did back then. 

The silly boxing poodles were always a favorite. The tail on one had broken. Luckily it was in the box and I was able to glue it back together. Today I am shipping the boxing poodles to my 7 year old great-niece. She will get it just in time for Valentines Day. She loves tchotchkes. I think I will gift her the rest over time.

Her mother will love me for it.

The scary thing is, this is only about 1/2 of the collection. The rest are probably still lurking in a box in the basement of my ex-husband. Who knows when they might reappear.

The Story of the "Briar" Mug

I am sure that many readers here, also follow Gary Rith's blog. If you are a follower, then you may know that a couple of weeks ago I asked Gary if he would a make a mug with a Jack Russell Terrier on the handle. Jeff and I wanted it as a gift for our dear friend Roni in New Hampshire. Roni's Jack Russell, named Briar, has been her companion for 14 years. We knew she would absolutely love a "Briar" mug. Gary even wrote the name "Briar" underneath the cup...

Gary shipped the mug directly to Roni. When it arrived she was in Seattle visiting family. Last night she returned to New Hampshire and opened her box. Roni loves her mug. It came at a very special time. A couple of weeks ago, Briar took a turn for the worse, and Roni had to make the difficult decision to euthanize her. Jeff and I didn't know about her loss when we ordered the mug.
Once again the universe spoke, and I am glad we listened.
A big thank you to Gary Rith, for helping us help a friend through a difficult time.

Photo Credit: Gary Rith

Bizzy

my "grand-dog" Bizzy...what a handsome guy...his proud parents are danielle and jay.