Have you ever seen a puppy-angel?!

Now you have!!
This is a photo of two very special puppy-angels and Ella!

This morning Ella and I (poor Dan was out of town again) had the very delightful pleasure of meeting these two beautiful, sweet sisters from Alabama- Brittany (left) and Brooke (right).

They have now completed their second rescue mission- bringing dogs from overcrowded shelters/pounds in the South up to New Hampshire to be adopted.

They have helped to save 57 puppy souls... amazing!

Only yesterday morning (Friday) they left the Shelby Humane Society in Alabama with 24 shelter dogs, and drove all day and night to get them to New Hampshire this morning (Saturday) and then delivered the dogs to two NH Humane Societies where the pups will find their new families! To put this into perspective this is a 1,200 mile drive ...one way!

I can only imagine how well Brooke & Brittany will sleep tonight knowing that they gave all these dogs the best gift of all... a new chance to find a loving family.

This is their blog about their trips..... One Dog at a Time.

From the second I spoke to Brooke & Brittany on the phone, and then meeting them in person they felt like family! We visited for a short while, and then they were off on the road again immediately heading home! I was teary watching them drive away, wishing they could have stayed the weekend. Hopefully on their next rescue mission they can come visit and stay longer!

It was a very special experience to watch the dogs being welcomed to the Nashua Humane Society. There were about 5 staff members there talking and cooing and loving the dogs as they were taken out of their travel crates.

While all the dogs were adorable and cute, this little one really touched my heart. Her travel name is Calamity Jane.... she was in the middle of the van and while most of the dogs were barking and anxious to quickly get out of their crates, this little lovely waited quietly and patiently as all the other dogs were removed. She was the last to get out. She was gently lowered to ground where she stood surrounded by lots of people giving her love. It was a heartwarming scene. Several months before she had been brought to the Shelby Humane Society pregnant and with a gunshot wound.... unthinkable. Yet, even after all this sweet girl has been through, she was the gentlest soul.

I hope she finds love soon!

Bon Journey and safe travels home to Brooke & Brittany!

~post script~
And just so you know....Brittany & Brooke brought with them a little girl (actually she's five years old) that they thought would make a good sister for Ella. The dogs are in a 3-day quarantine, so we plan on going to see her then! I'll keep you informed!
~
Also, at the entrance to the Nashua Humane Society is a pet cemetery. You can see some of the markers behind the angels in the top photo. The oldest one I saw dated to 1923, but I believe there are some even older.

yesterday's find

Yesterday, Ella and I (Dan is out of town) took a lovely drive- past mountains, a lake and fabulous antique houses over to our favorite antique haunt about 40 minutes west of us. This is the same antique mall where I met Matthew Mead a few months ago! It's the best kind of antique mall- a dive, with great prices and merchandise that turns over daily. In fact a couple of weeks ago we found a gorgeous mahogany table to put on our upstairs porch (oops- forgot to show you that one;) and the owner said the dealer had only brought it in an hour before!

So, yesterday I stumble upon this large (30"total) antique iron lantern! Here it is, as found, under a table in the dealer's booth. I hemmed and hawed, and even left the store and sat in my car thinking about it- as it needs tons of work, then realized that Dan would KILL me if I didn't buy it. I'm notorious for not buying something one day and wanting it the next- which sometimes entails having to drive hundreds of miles to retrace our steps!! I never buy to buy, and only buy what I love, and this lantern had my name all over it! Isn't it funny when you look at an antique and think it "looks" like you?!

You may now laugh freely, when I tell you that I hemmed and hawed and the lantern was only $20, but wait... the dealer was having a 30% off sale, so it was really only $14!!!

I was thinking it might look wonderful (after I spend hundreds renovating it!) placed between the french doors on the soon-to-be barn room! So, instead of a light at each door, just one large light to illuminate the whole (what will be!) gravel patio! What do you think?!

As I've mentioned before we live in a very small town, surrounded by even smaller towns, one after another. Our drive takes us through the charming village of Dublin, New Hampshire. This bulletin board is at the corner of the Yankee Magazine headquarters which is right on the road. I often stop to read the local news. This was the message yesterday....I think it a very lovely way to be eulogized.

As I write on my sidebar... if you have never experienced small New England towns it is hard to imagine it. It is very much like stepping back a hundred years in time. Dan and I have traveled extensively across the United States, and we have never seen towns as charming!
I hope you will come visit!

Garden Art

It's our first Spring in the house! I'm just starting to think about designing beds and landscapes.

Today I went looking for antique and vintage garden objects for the porches, gardens and grounds.
Here is a sampling of what I found....



pair of vintage concrete urns with great patina

old dovecote and an antique iron pediment from a building in Portland, Oregon


pair of large vintage concrete finials with wonderful patina



new, but lovely pair of very large jardinieres


pair of old light fixtures


antique iron birdhouse



misc. iron pieces


old iron baskets



concrete balusters and old birdbath, and glazed terracotta base

vintage stepping stones

antique French iron cross on antique iron base from Birmingham, Alabama

French fountain

old copper tub

pair of iron railings with leaves

pair of concrete planters from a nunnery in New Orleans



Antique iron gas light fixtures from San Fransisco, antique iron urn with copper floats

old zinc roof finials from Texas buildings

seahorse armillary sphere on concrete baluster base

vintage and antique watering cans galore!

Oh, wait........... did I mention I was "looking" in my basement and garage?!!