Necklace

I HATE HATE HATE HATE snakes! So what does my daughter do? She puts the creepy thing around her neck like a necklace! Gross me out! I cant stand to even look at them!

 Helga doesnt quite know what to think of that creepy thing on her neck!

She is really trying to check the snake out, but when it moves it scares her.

 We took it over to Julies house, (our next door neighbor), to show her grandkids.

 This is how close Amy got to wearing it as a necklace! Go Amy! She is brave! She hates them too!

 Here is Luke the proud owner of the disgusting snake. Thanks for sharing Luke....ugh! :(

Easter

Happy Easter from the boating Easter Bunny! Ha! A family that lives up the road from us cemented this boat in the ground here on this corner. They dress up the mannequin to fit each holiday, or whatever else tickles their fancy! The Easter bunny is chained in and they have a camera attached to the power pole you see beyond the tip of the boat. The reason for these extreme measures is because the mannequin has been stolen before, much to the dismay of our neighbors!  They even have a spotlight mounted at the tip of the bow so that nighttime passersby wont miss a viewing!

Here is the warning notice to anyone else that may want to steal the mannequin.

Personally, I think its extremely weird! ....Like.... umm.... why???.. But hey, each to their own I guess,  right? :)

Jail Babies!

My grandbabies are now in this "jail bed".  They both have reflux really bad and this bed tilts them up to help keep their food down, and the mattresses have slings that strap them in.

I chuckled when I first saw them in it, but it really is a cool bed! I think they look so darling laying side by side all bundled up! Matthew now weighs 5 lbs 4 oz. and Lydia is 4 lbs 5 oz. They are starting to feel like real babies when I hold them instead of just a rolled up blanket! Lol!

Windows

These are Helgas favorite look-out spots. This one is the french doors in the dining area. This is where her boyfriend "Frenny" comes to get her.  He jumps/knocks on the door to ask if she can come out to

play. If shes in another room and he comes, all I have to say is, "Helga, Frenny is here," and she comes running! She knows what Im saying. A couple of times he has actually hit the door just right

and let her out himself! 

 This window is in the family room. She can see more to the east here where the neighbors big black and white dog often trespasses, (at least in her mind), onto our field. She loves to run as fast as she can barking a warning to him. Then, when shes almost there she puts on the skids and heads back home. She thinks shes all tough and scary. He just stops and waits for her and stares her down. She does it over and over all day long. Shes howling at him in this photo.

This is the front room window. We call this her cave. She LOVES this sofa. I keep a comforter on it to protect it from her. This is where she sleeps and keeps watch when we are gone.

This is the front door...its only open on occasion when we are home but she loves it because its at eye level for her and its a change from her other windows.

This window is in Bennys room. She likes this one because we took the screen out so, she has a great view of the front yard, plus she gets to smell whats going on outside!

 But this window is her very favorite one. This  window is in my bedroom on the east side of the house. It faces Frennys house AND the big black and white dogs house. So, she can lay on my bed allll day and watch what is going on over there!  She LOVES it when we sit with her on the bed and watch for friends and birds and things. Here is Helga with her favorite things, Ali and her window. :)

Complete

So last Saturday Benny finished the meet and greet room at the Humane Society. He is now an Eagle Scout! Yay! I have to say that this was a really rewarding experience for us. We have learned an awful lot about what takes place on a daily basis at the Humane Society. Every Friday is spay and neuter day.. and they are BUSY! I'm so impressed with the responsible dog and cat owners that bring their pets in to get fixed. There are just too many dogs and cats that need homes.. I'm  100%  on board with the HS for spaying and neutering, especially now that Ive seen all the sad pleading eyes in the cages behind the door next to this room. I'm guilty myself of breeding my dog so that we could keep one of her puppies to keep part of her with us...however.. I would never do that again now that I have seen so many dogs that beg for homes! Incidentally, we had our puppy spayed. A really cool thing we witnessed at the HS was an older woman that trapped three feral cats and brought them in to get fixed and paid for it out of her own pocket!  Apparently people are always dropping cats off  at her house because she lives out in the middle of nowhere.. so she takes care of them so she wont get over-run by cats. And, she wasnt the only person to do that. A younger woman brought in two more and paid out of her pocket too. We have seen wonderful adoptions, and really sad surrenders. Surrenders are when people bring pets in for whatever reason and give them up. Theyve had ferrets, Guinea pigs, rabbits and a bird surrendered, as well as sick and abused family pets, just while we have been there. I have to say I admire the volunteers that put in so many service hours to help all of these animals. Also, there is a girl that works there named Alyssa, that is so kind and gracious to those who are surrendering pets. I dont think I could be as kind as she is about it. I just cry. My other kids, Alison, Bryce and Amber came to see the room Benny had done and we watched two surrenders that made us cry. One was a dog that had been adopted a year ago, but the owner got a new job out of state and couldnt take it with her and that poor dog was sooooo sad! It knew where it was. It tried every way to not go into the cage room. The second was a dog that was skin and bones and had sores all over its body. It had obviously been in a cage that was too small for it, and it was so happy to see people! It literally had a smile on its face! It was totally neglected and abused and yet still so  happy to see people! Amazing!....We all wanted to kill the people  that brought it in! And...to make things even worse..the guy asked if they could stop by once in awhile to visit that dog!!!! Really?!!! Alyssa said, "Ummm, no...thats really not a good idea because then the dog thinks youre coming back to get it and it would be really hard on him."  Oh my gosh...she was so kind to him and Im thinking the whole time  DUH!!!!!!!! You IDIOT!!!!!!!!! That guy should be put in a cage that is way too small for him and have to starve!!!!!!!!! And then, how about we have his family stop by once in awhile to visit him!

That was a perfect example for my kids to see where the Humane Society is a haven for most animals.

  

Here is the meet and greet room totally finished. The pictures on the wall are from the Humane Society website. Two of the six animals here have been adopted out.

This is the cat palace. Thats what I call it, because the cats have all of that room to roam and play.

 These cats are in cages because they dont socialize as well with other cats.

 Here are my kids visiting the dogs. We were happy to hear that three...(and a fourth dog pending)..were adopted that day.

 They have alot of plans for the future here at the HS. This summer they will start building a dog park that will include a pool for training hunters..a theater for trainers to instruct... an obstacle course   ...and a ton of other things. Its going to be awesome! With all of these improvements I have to think it will only help with the adoptions here. I sure hope so!

Eagle

Bennys project for his Eagle Scout was to update the "Meet and Greet" room at the Humane Society. The "Meet and Greet" room is where the prospective adopter meets the adoptee. This room is 10ft. long by 4ft. wide. He wanted to do do somehting to make it look larger than it is.

 This is what it looked like before he started...


....and this is what it looks like now!

He painted the walls ...helped our friend hang the wall mural..put plexiglas on the walls to protect them from dog claws...changed the lightbulbs to flourecent, purchased the bench and put it together and purchased dog and cat toys which he put in the drawers of the bench.

 

This is what you see beyond the main wall when you walk into the humane Society.

Benny is currently working on some poster collages of the animals that have been adopted and is going to frame and hang them on the wall above the bench. The people in charge decided to leave the floor as is because of the wear and tear from the dogs. Anyhow, we are hopeful that this new room will help create a pleasant experience for the dogs and adopters and be the key to help more dogs find homes! The Cache Valley Humane Society is a great place operated by wonderful people. I wish everyone would take a trip down Valley View Highway and make a stop there.....and possibly take home a needy cat or dog. :)