the fox and the hound.

daily shananigans

lonesome winner...

but the loser gets the girl!?

{{ just like the movie, huh? }}

this is barnabas

barnabas, world
world, barnabas

he is the newest boekell-
paul's early surprise gift.
{{ & a darn cute one at that!}}

barnabas:
BAHR-nə-bəs
"son of encouragement"
also known as
peebody
&
"barnabas, NO!"

he is a bloodhound.
and a trouble maker.
and a wrinkle factory.
he has puppy breath,
ears for miles,
the sweetest eyes,
&
an impossibly irresistible disposition.

and, at this very moment, i think i just heard him fall off the couch...

hold on.

yep.

he did.

but he's ok
(and already back asleep).

and here are our other two cuties:

armi & jewels,

nemesis 1 & 2.

they are clearly up to no good.

i better go check on barns.

PS. he is definitely my friday's obsession! :)

vine theory

vine theory.

i went outside this evening with a mission: to reclaim the flower beds. someone lovely lived here before me. she loved her gardens; i can just tell. i can imagine them in all their glory. i have been feeling a little ashamed about my neglected beds, so today i decided to weed the evening away. i set out to restore and preserve, tame the gardens, and make their first mom smile. but i discovered something...i discovered that the problem wasn't really "weeds" per say, it was the vines. now, i love vines. i find vines climbing up the side of a brick building to be something very picturesque. but, these vines were taking over everything - covering everything like a blanket. on the surface, they appeared lush and wild, which can be attractive, but...when i started pulling them back, i realized they were smothering the smaller flowers. stems were being choked and tangled. entire blooms were covered, strangled by the vines. as i started ripping the vines away, my thoughts brought me to the vine theory...

blooms awaiting the sun...

imagine my surprise...

the sunflowers are coming up nicely. only a few inches now but hopefully by summer's end they'll be kissing the sky jimi hendrix style...

and these were my helpers (as always)...
armani (armi)

and jewels...

majestic in the jungle...like a little lion

please notice the stick in his poof tail...

jewels helping me weed the dirt...by eating the grass...

& armi helping me dig...

and enjoying his root kill...

back to the vine theory...

here's my theory. we all have vines...certain aspects of ourselves or perhaps weaknesses that we let grow wild. sure, vines are nice...they can be nice. one or two tangle in; we barely notice. we keep it unchecked and before we know it...the vines have taken over. we have lost that part of ourself. the poison vine has strangled it out, interwined within...making it hard to separate the good from the bad. sometimes we don't even realize how deep the roots are growing.

not a new concept.

vine theory.

we all have vines.