Looking Inside

Whatever annoys you most in a person, is in you.
How dare you say that I’m like that person. I’m so much better than that.

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Blaze

I hadn’t planned a second post for this week, but I feel the need to write this story.

Piezon

In May of 2007, my husband brought home a stray puppy that had been roaming the busy city streets of Tampa. We had our beloved Piezon in those days, plus our cat, Sneakers, and weren’t really up for a third pet. We both hoped that my training would get this pup into shape for us to find her a loving forever home.

Piezon wasn’t crazy about having another dog in the house either. Oh, he was certainly kind to her. He was just used to my full attention and was always by my side. With this new pup around me so much, he went off into other rooms by himself more often.

I named this sweet little girl Blaze for two reasons. One, she had a fiery brindle coat. Two, she was a bit timid, and I wanted her name to be a word with an energy of vibrancy and confidence.

Her ribs were showing when she came to us.

Piezon was such a friendly guy. I wrote in his eulogy about how he loved all living things and was never shy or timid. Little did I know how much he would help me train Blaze and bring her out of her shell. When she’d hide from visitors who came over to our house, Piezon would run right for them, which made her curious. She’d have to come and see what all of his excitement was about. By simply being himself, Piezon is pretty much the one who trained Blaze for me. She emulated him.

I put out flyers and brought her to adoption events. Five months went by, and I was growing fonder of Miss Blaze. I told my husband that after six months she would be ours. Right when I made that decision, our dog-walker’s mom showed interest in adopting her, and soon after, Blaze was off to her forever home.

I was able to keep up with Blaze’s life through social media. Her new family named her Gioia (pronounced, Joy-ah), which in Italian means, Joy.

I saw Gioia in person twice in the coming months, and then a lot of time went by without personal contact. Would you believe that when we met again years later, she remembered me?! It makes me cry just thinking about it.

I haven’t seen her in person for many years now, but watched her life through social media. Over this past weekend, I got word she left this world for the next and it has me feeling emotional. I also feel very sad for Gioia’s mom.

Thank you for indulging my story about the Blaze who lit up five months of my life.

Where Did Christmas Go?

I haven’t spent much time online or in social media over the holidays and haven’t been in the blogging world. I’m sure you understand that the holiday season is a busy one. Considering that I was sick for three weeks of December and had a broken refrigerator since the Monday before Thanksgiving, mine had a little extra work this year.

The Saga Continues

Many of you know about my broken refrigerator saga (starting on November 19th!) and my subsequent nasty cold. I thought I was finished writing about that true story, but it turns out that I’m not.

Things I Learned from my Refrigerator

1. Don’t buy appliances from a company that is known to be struggling.
2. Don’t buy General Electric.
3. It’s good to buy an extended warranty on appliances (if it’s from a company that’s not struggling).
4. It’s good to have a spare refrigerator, even if it’s small.
5. Things will go wrong at the most inopportune time, like a broken refrigerator when I’m expecting lots of guests.
6. When something unexpected puts a kink in plans, I don’t handle it very well. My mind whirls in confusion, and I need someone to help me take the situation in bite sized pieces.
7. I shouldn’t berate myself for number six on this list.
8. I’m the only one I know that would offer my refrigerator as temporary storage if someone told me theirs had broken down.
9. My dad told me stories about how his dad worked at an ice company in the 1940’s, where he delivered blocks of ice for ice boxes in homes. In other words, old-time refrigerators. This makes me grateful for modern refrigerators, especially since I didn’t have one for three weeks.
10. Even after a problematic situation is taken care of, like finally getting the refrigerator fixed, something else may go wrong.
11. Don’t panic if I get a sore throat. It’ll pass.
12. When I get a nasty cold, take care of myself with lots of vitamins, rest and chicken soup.
13. Don’t worry about what needs to get done. Remain optimistic that the cold will be a brief setback. Like the refrigerator debacle, this too shall pass.
14. Despite these minor inconveniences, I’m extremely grateful for the blessings in my life. It’s good to be home.

A Refrigerator Saga

Just popping in to give an update to those following along.

Sears, GE and Karma

I’m starting this post with a light-hearted photo to break up the tension you’re about to read. Instead of elf on a shelf, I’ve got a snowman on a shelf. Doesn’t rhyme, but it’s adorable. 😊

I got bit by Karma after my post where I complained about complainers. I’ve now become a complainer myself.

Why Lori, after all that complaining you did about complainers, how in the world did you turn into one of them?