For the love of a boonie pup...

So the question on my mind: do you believe in fate?  Or is it just a coincidence?

When my daughter and I were mailing packages at a nearby post office this week, we got the chance to rescue yet another boonie pup. A sweet, little thing this time. Not knowing exactly what to do, we took her directly to GAIN (Guam Animals in Need).  Luckily, this one's prognosis has turned out to be much better than the last one we "rescued".

 

This one only has a mangy skin condition, but nothing else apparently wrong.  She's about 7 weeks old, friendly, playful, and just a bit timid. We have no idea how big she'll get or what she'll look like, but her personality seems just fine.  As a bonus, our other rescue dog has met her and approves (well, as much as she can anyways). And things are looking good for us to be able to take her home and love her for life.

So the question is: was it fate that left this puppy within our reach? At a good time for me to spend some time training a puppy... at a time when we don't really have a 3rd pet, even though we could.... And in a place where we haven't rescued a pet yet...

In each place I've lived so far, I've been able to rescue one pet...  Sunny, from Sun City, Arizona (moved to North Dakota and then Hawaii with us before passing away at an old age)... Maggie from Minot, North Dakota (who has since moved to Hawaii and now Guam)... Jack-Jack the amazing cat from Hickam AFB, Hawaii (you guessed it, now living in Guam with us)... So it's only fitting that our last official assignment in the Air Force would also bring us one last "rescue pet" to take back to Wisconsin with us next year.

And Guam happens to be a place that is most in need of loving hearts to care for all these "boonie dogs" as they call them, growing up on the streets, scrapping for food, hanging out in wild packs, getting hit by cars.... This place is almost too much for a soft, puppy heart such as my own: it breaks a little more every time we drive down the road and see the bodies off to the side. Thank goodness this sweet little girl came to me instead of running! And if anyone wants to find out more about adopting these dogs, visit:  http://www.guamanimals.org/index.html 

So.... I guess it comes down to this, whether fate or coincidence, it really doesn't matter.  Because as it would seem, we are about to become parents to a sweet, little boonie pup!  Wish us luck!  And patience... we're gonna need it!  But the benefits someday will be overwhelming, I just know it...  :)

My Best of Guam Photos...

Someone at my husband's workplace had the fantastic idea to start collecting photos of Guam to include in a nice hardcover book for sale as a fundraiser.  Memories of Guam: I LOVE it!

But unfortunately, when I went to look for my own contributions, I realized: 1. I have not used my camera to it's full capabilities on Guam.  And 2. Most of my photos center around my children, as they should for now.  So my own contributions to this project are pretty limited.

But there were a few I can post to give you just a sampling of the beauty we're surrounded by here.  Hope you enjoy!  :)

 The coral in the waters surrounding us....

 Of course just a few of my favorite fish that didn't run away in fright....

 Fish Eye Park: one of my all-time favorite hang-outs!

 Built over a bomb hole in Piti with a wonderful fish viewing area down below...

 It's a little walk to get there, but so worth it...

 I can't explain why: my favorite pictures involve feet. I want to remember where my feet have been, whether walking or flipping....

 Ah, the Full Moon on Guam = WOW!  I mean, it's good everywhere, but picture this surrounded by Palm Trees in the sky. If only I could manipulate my camera to capture the "big picture" here....

 Gab Gab Beach: one of the best beaches on the island if it wasn't such a long drive for us....

 Ritidian Point Beach: my favorite closer beach...

Sunrise on Tarague Beach. Nothing like waking up to this while you're out camping!

 Tarague Beach by day: I can't say it's my favorite, but it's definitely our most frequently visited beach due to closeness.

 Of all the views I enjoy here though, the clouds are some of the BEST!

Tide Pools at Tarague Beach: a hidden secret here...

Another secret: the tide pools here contain Star-Shaped Sand!  Yes.  Sand shaped like gazillions of tiny little stars, made by little one-celled creatures found only on rare beaches on Guam and around Japan.  You'll have to go to my old post for a picture of the sand (http://gwennysworld.blogspot.com/2012/08/did-you-ever-think-sand-on-beach-was.html). Without a Micro lens, they just aren't postcard quality photos that I'd want to include in this special project.

Lastly, the view from Jeff's Pirate's Cove.  Ahhhh.....

Just one of my favorite things...

Although I love creating all kinds of things here at home, there is one thing that is my absolute FAVORITE... homemade play dough!  Dozens of batches later, I will never get tired of making it.... and my children never get tired of playing with it....

And there are many different (and fun and even some tasty) versions of homemade play dough out there, but this is the BEST one by far, thanks to Suzanne at the following link: http://mommyfootprint.com/the-perfect-home-made-play-dough-recipe/

It's so soft and smooth and beautiful, I have to stop myself from crying when my 3-year old takes all my beautiful color creations and merges them into one big, blah gray chunk!  

And no, you will not see photos of that mess....

But no worries... I can always make more. This stuff just couldn't be easier.  

 And I'll always share.... So enjoy!

Another Star

While I ADORE this Scrap Jar Star Pattern (see previous posts for it's original source), I loathe my own ability to match fabrics to draw out all it's glory....

This is the latest square I did for my square swap and I'm just not excited about it!  Black and White with a splash of color, but maybe I should just go back to black and white only!

My friend says I over-think these things. She's probably right; 8 squares should NOT take this long...  Hers were done within about a day. Back to the machine for me: Enjoy!

Another Quilting Project...

Well, it's a beautiful Saturday morning here in Guam, but what can you do when your favorite beach is closed due to high surf?  Stay inside and quilt!

So here's my current project: a square swap with some fellow quilters near and far. The theme is a 13.5" square block: "Black and White with a Splash of Color". 

Oh, and the pattern can be found here at this fabulous blog: 
http://alittlebitbiased.blogspot.com/2012/01/scrap-jar-stars-tutoroial-giveaway.html. 

4 down, 4 to go. Enjoy!!!

Another Kind of Paradise...

A few years back, we purchased some beautiful land in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (da U.P. to local folks) to prepare ourselves for retirement from the Air Force.


The goal was to create a Homestead and live out the rest of our working years on the land and it was a good one!  But it's probably no surprise that now that we're actually facing military retirement within a year, we're just not able to make that dream a reality at this time...  It seems we're still too tied to "city life" and careers to come back down to earth.


And so it is with hesitation that we now offer a portion of our land for sale.  The large cleared portion of it that was meant for gardens and orchards and grazing animals.  But you see, we'd rather see it go to someone who will work it, then for it to sit there for another 10 or 15 years waiting for us to come around....


So here it is....  the little piece of paradise that we're willing to give up.... well, at least 33 acres of it...

Wide, open spaces....

 Chock-full of wild flowers....

 And wild berry patches....

 And just wildlife in general....

But the most striking character of this land is the peace and quiet... The silence is worth it's weight in gold, interrupted only by the occasional birds, insects, rustling leaves, or the gentle sounds of the creek as you walk the west end of the property....

Now having said that, look down the access road that divides our property. We are planning to keep the 40 acres to the right, selling only the 33 on the left. Therefore, you always run the risk of having us as neighbors.   But even the joyous noise of our three young children trolloping through the woods exploring is 10 times better than the noises of the city life we're leaving....

Lastly, it's a few miles away, but still the view at the end of our road is just priceless.  Lake Superior and all that it entails... Porcupine Mountains to the left. Beach Park to the right.

 And the charming little town of Ontonagon is within just a few quick miles...

So having said all that, here's hoping for a quick sale and lovely new neighbors!

Quilting Projects

So I came across this project recently: "The Quilt that Built a Library" (http://www.princetonpublib.org/node/511) and I wanted to find a way to contribute...  I mean, Wisconsin? Quilting? Helping a library AND young children? This is a no-brainer....

Well, low and behold, an incredibly kind seller from Bonanza happened to include some extra fat quarters with my order this past week.  At the same time, my dearest quilting friend here in Guam gave me a small Winnie the Pooh piece.  It was destiny.

So I sat down in my favorite thinking spot, put them together, and voila: here is what I came up with!

Maybe I'll make a few more to send... Of course, if anyone has tips on how to "fancy" it up so I can win the big quilt in addition to helping the children, I am all ears!?!?   Otherwise, enjoy!

A Closer Look at Sand...

Did you ever think sand on the beach was just sand? A tiny gazillion grains that all look basically the same?  I admit, I've never looked really closely myself...

Well, my friend today showed me we have "Star Sand" here on Guam... I took some pictures below of the stuff we dragged into the house on the kid's sand toys after our trip down to the tide pools right on base here yesterday afternoon.... Look very closely....

Those little stars are the shells of a little Protozoa called Foraminifera. It's a rare sea creature found only on special beaches/tide pools around Guam, Okinawa (Japan) and a few rare beaches in Hawaii. AMAZING!

Note: this photo was taken on my cutting mat, so the yellow lines actually measure out 1 inch across. If you never looked really close at the sand, you'd never notice you were sitting in a billion tiny stars on that beach! 

This absolutely blew my mind today!  How amazing is this world....