It seems like yesterday when we had this tiny little boxer we named Daisy.
Today she turns 9 years old.
She was an aggressive little pup and very opinionated. She hated long sleeves on anyone. The vet told us he thought whoever removed her dew claw and tail had long sleeves and they did a bad job on the dew- claw and probably hurt her.
We got her out of this stage and she became very playful loving to play fetch and jumping as high as she could and doing boxer acrobats. Then cooling off in her plastic pool like she was relaxing after a long hard day.
She still loves the Chunk It balls the orange one that is basically indestructible and she loves the big tug a war ball called the Jolly Ball.
She still talks to me when I talk directly to her and ask her questions lol. She loves a treat when she comes in from outside.
She sleeps more now and plays less but gets her energy spurts sometimes.
Pics with her ears like she’s flying I love and Jack says she’s the flying nun. She is still very photogenic and always has been.
Even though she’s a little bossy she will always be my Daisy Girl and I love her very much.
Happy 9th Birthday Daisy I hope someone gives you extra treats today lol.
When I was a young girl I remember this cedar chest in the middle bedroom at my grandparents house.
We were never told not to look it in but we didn’t dare because we were not medley children.
Years went by and it sat in the same place I remember after I was married asking my grandmother what was in it. She said some old pictures and stuff. I said we should take the pics out and label them but she was not feeling well at the time and we decided we would do it at another time. Of course, the next time never came because she died within a few months of us talking about doing this.
After my grandmother died in December 1989 my mother was given the cedar chest by her dad he said she was the only girl and it should be passed down to her and then she could pass it down to me one day. As the oldest daughter I never really thought much about it but I love the ideas of things being passed down to the next generation.
It sat for years in my mom and dad’s house at the end of the bed. When my mother passed away in November 2019 I forgot about the cedar chest. I remembered it months later and realized it had probably already been taken from the premises like so many other things were.
The family items recently went onto a family-only auction this is NOT a good idea some people bid stuff up out of spite to keep others from getting it and they do not know the back story to the stuff. Some people use rude names as a bidding name and act like 2 years old. Family auctions are just not a good answer to family matters and an estate. Find another solution if you can and please do not have a family auction.
The cedar chest was listed but once I saw the price going up fast I knew I was not going to bid on it I was sad because I knew someday it was supposed to be mine.
During the last hours of the auction, I was following the ambulance to the ER with my mother n law.
Later that night while I was in the ER with her I received a text from our oldest son Joshua and our youngest daughter Jeanelle they had been mutually bidding on the chest and they won it for a whopping $850.00. They knew each other was bidding but were both placing bids so they could ensure they won it.
They bid on this cedar chest for me I never asked them to do that and I would have never paid that much for it but since they had been told the story of the cedar chest they felt like I should have it. This is truly a gift from the heart and it brings tears to my eyes.
I am so grateful that Joshua and Jeanelle thought of doing this for me it is one of the most thoughtful amazing gifts I have ever received. I am so blessed to have them both in my life and very appreciative they are so thoughtful. Thank you both so much for doing this for me.
I know my grandmother and my mother would both be excited that I ended up with it since it was supposed to be mine one day.
It needs to be refinished but it made it through Hurricane Harvey and survived but has some damage on the legs. I guess it’s my responsibility to take care of it so I can pass it down to Jeanelle one day and she can pass it down to her girls and keep the family tradition going.
Our lives have been forever changed due to selfishness and greed but I am firm believer in our justice system.
About 25 years ago my mom started sharing her mementos from the past. Sometimes it was little things with the family history that went with them other times it was bigger things.
At Christmas time my mom would fix my sister and I a special package from the past with a note about the item.
One year it was special quilts from our great grandmothers collection. My mom never put names on the packages we had to pick a package with no tag that way she was not picking who got what. That year I ended up with the wedding ring quilt that I had always thought was so beautiful with its tiny hand quilted pieces.
Later on there were a few more quilts one my great grandmother Tumlin made for me when I was a child and my sister was given the one she made her as a child.
There was another year it was glassware and I ended up with the square hobnail milk glass pedestal candy dish. Then there was the first set of silverware of my grandparents, embroidered napkins my great aunt Bonnie made for my grandmother. The Battenburg lace table runner still starched and ironed I am sure by Mama Dot.
My mom thought since I loved the color blue I should have my grandmothers (Mama Dot’s) Pfalttzgraff Yorktowne Stoneware Dishes they were the Blue Cornflower.
Normally that seems okay but there is a box that is 4 foot high x 3ft wide full of serving dishes, soup terrains, pie plates, gravy boats etc. that I have never even used. I will never use them so there they sit in a box. The only thing I can think of to do is make some of them planters I hate letting them sit there another 20 years.
There was handmade lace & tatting from my great great grandmother and her siblings. The work that went into this type stuff back then is truly amazing.
I was given one of the large wooden boxes from Shanghai Japan my grandfather bought while on leave while in the service. This was from 1946/47 he was aboard the USS Los Angeles in the china sea. I am assuming this was when he was in the Navy but he was also in the Marines.
Another year it was very very old pictures of my great grandmother, great grandfather and grandfather when he was younger. Then there was my grandmother when she was a infant sitting on her moms lap. Each picture was in an envelope with a description of who was in the picture and the approximate time and place it was taken. I have a picture of my mom when she was three years old. My mom took the pictures she had and made us copies of them at Walgreens.
I remember asking my mom at the time” why are you giving us these things now”. Her reply was “I want to make sure you both have some special things from the past. If I give it to you now I know you got it and the history that goes with it. Then someday you can pass it on to another generation”. This made me cry and then before you know it we were both crying.
After my mom died last year it dawned on me that she knew if she did not give those things to us when she did we would never get them. It was her way of making sure we got what she wanted us to have and she was able to see us enjoy getting these things.
The treasures of the past are part of many past generations and part of my moms life and memories and now they are mine to share.
Thank you mom I will always cherish my things from the past and I am grateful you gave them to us ahead of time because that makes them treasures from the heart.
Today I turn 60 years old and I really do not feel 60.
There are some grey hairs on the right-hand side of my head that are my reminder.
I am back to walking on a regular basis it feels great to start my day with a 2 – 3-mile walk. I love to walk around 7:30 – 8:00 a.m. I was able to convince Jack to start walking with me.
We walk by ourselves and listen to the birds sing it is music to my ears. I am trying to teach the grandkids how to tell what kind of bird is singing.
We do not rush to do anything or get anywhere. Afterall its just the two of us.
My 60th. Birthday was the year of COVID19 that is something I will never forget.
Each day I take a deep breath and take in everything around me it is the little things that make a difference in our lives.
I am grateful to God and very thankful he has given me another day on this earth so I can do the things I want to do.
Breathe in some fresh air, watch a sunrise, take a hike and live life to its fullest each and every day.
We adopted Stripey and Harry from a mama cat that deserted her kittens about 5 years ago.
Stripey disappeared a few years ago and Harry in the last few weeks they are both missed very very much. I liked having outside cats around that way there was mouse control for the sheds and the barn.
We are down to two cats Mr. Bird and Puffy Tail they are inside/outside cats and around 9 years old.
Cricket our Cane Corso pup developed Cherry Eye on Monday.
Two days prior to this her eyes were draining some I thought she had an allergy but that was only until she woke up with her eyes looking like this.
Two of Zelda’s pups have developed this disorder the other one Crickets sibling only has one eye so far and they prefer to do surgery when it’s both.
It looks terrible, her eyes are draining constantly and she can not see looking down very well. I took these pictures on Tuesday of this week. I have been using warm paper towels to wipe her eyes 4 – 5 times a day.
This is very common in the Mastiff breed, Cane Corso, or any dog with loose skin baggy eyes such as a basset hound. They cut and clip to remove the third eyelid that causes this.
A big thank you to Suburbia North Animal Hospital in Houston off FM 1960. She had her surgey on Friday. It was worth the hour drive to find someone who specializes in this.
Cricket is not a fan of strangers so she barked and slightly growled at these people in mask and gloves. She has a bark that would keep anyone from entering our house and that is a good thing.
So much for curbside pick up I ended up taking her into the vet and putting her in the kennel then I had to go in and get her. My mean puppy.
She whined all the way home feeling sorry for herself we are home now and shes under the desk which is her norm.
She will be 6 months on August 2nd and weighs in at 87#s she towers over Daisy and Zoee. She runs like a galloping horse she is very mighty just not very fast but she thinks she is.
Our poor little puppy looked so bad with her eyes like this.
Surgery Update:
Surgery went well and she does not have to wear a C Collar YES!
They said eat and drink slowly today due to the anesthesia.
I am enclosing pics of after surgery so you can see how much this was bothering her and how much better she looks. She has stitches in both eyes and they are swollen a little. The eyes are bleeding some but its a very vascular area so this is to be expected and should only last today..
Pet emergencys happen and the fur babies count on us to help them.
Sonya Lira Photography 