I am thankful for this dog.

I found her at our local shelter the day after our beloved Violet The Best Dog died. We were so sad and I decided another dog was the answer. I went to several shelters and finally ended up at our local shelter. I didn’t try there first because I’d looked online and hadn’t seen anything that fit what we were looking for.

The lady who worked at the shelter asked me about our old dog that had died and what we loved about her and then she asked if she could show me Happy (Izzy at the time). She was said to be a 6 month old cattle dog mix. I almost said no because I knew we didn’t want a puppy and I definitely knew we didn’t want a cattle dog! No one had the energy for that and I didn’t want a dog that was smarter than me. We’d had a cattle dog before and when they say those dogs need a job or they will find one, they are not joking.

But I said I’d meet her and that was the end of that. She ran right over to me and put her head on my lap while the whole rest of her body wagged with her tail. She is a very people oriented dog. She settled right in and has been such a sweet dog ever sense. She has never met a stranger. She loves everyone she meets, and almost all animals. There has only even been two dogs she has snarled at and I blame the other dogs. haha. She even loves to go to the Vet!

But the thing I am the most thankful for with Happy is how much she LOVES the little kids. She is such a nanny dog. She will stand in front of them when they are near the pool and won’t let them anywhere near it. Which is especially annoying when were all actually playing in the pool! She always wants to be near them and she really does not like it when they cry. We have worked with her to respect their space. And we’ve worked with the kids to know not to corner her or be rough with her. There are times when the kids are being a bit rowdy near her and I wonder why she does not get up and move. Most dogs sure would. But she seems to love sticking right near them.

We did a DNA test on Happy and she came back half Labrador and half golden retriever and not a bit of cattle dog! Which does not surprise me at all because while she is the sweetest dog, she’s not all that smart. She has been known to actually run into things because she is looking to make sure you’re following her instead of where she’s going. We sure love her goofy self. She was the dog we needed in this time of life. I’m thankful God made dogs, and I’m thankful He made this one and let us find her.

I found this beautiful original painting on Facebook Marketplace. I thought it was so lovey. It is so happy and cheery and fits perfectly in this little space in the master bedroom.

My sister in law is an amazing interior decorator and this is something she taught me: to look for beauty like this in unexpected places like thrift stores and antique stores etc. It is pretty easy to take something like this old painting and spruce it up with a new frame and make it beautiful again. Then your home looks unique. It has things in it no other home has. Things that you love and think are beautiful and bring you joy. Not just a mass produced print from Hobby Lobby (No shame though. I have some of those too!)

The point is, I’m thankful for this painting. It makes me happy. It was an inexpensive find and yet someone worked very hard to create it. I’m thankful they did.

Yesterday was Nov 1. I planned to Start off the month by writing my first ‘Thankful For’ blog post. But as often happens, my day blew up. We found our second slab leak in 10 months. We haven’t even finished putting the house back together after the first slab leak and now we have to begin tearing the house up again to fix the second. And this time, just a few short weeks before Thanksgiving and the holiday season, the leak is in the kitchen.

My kitchen, the center of the home, is about to be torn apart. I’d be lying if I said I handled this news well. There may have been tears. Anger. Even a little despair. Sounds overly dramatic, I know. The last slab leak disrupted our lives so thoroughly that I can’t imagine beginning the process again. The last time this happened we lived in our camper for 142 days. That’s pretty much the whole holiday season for those of you counting, if we have to do that again now.

So, it seems today of all days, this first (or second, just hush) day of November, it’s time to ‘take some of these thoughts captive and make them obedient’ so to speak. I will count my blessings because even in the midsts of this house nightmare, my blessings are many. And I need to train my mind to focus on them. Not on my circumstances. (Which I think are about to get pretty unpleasant.)

The last year has been hard. It’s true. We bought this house that was completely remodeled and ready to move in to, easy-peasy, no work required just over one year ago. We have spent the vast majority of that year not living in the house while it was torn up and being repaired, and it looks like we’re about to do that again.

I am frustrated and upset but I will chose to count my blessings this month. Every day. because how can I not? They are so many.