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Posts tagged ‘dogs’

Rainbow Bridge


Our hearts are hurting today.
Yesterday we had to help our 12 year old Boston Terrier, TazE,
over the Rainbow Bridge.

She was struggling to breathe, rasping…
not eating or drinking for the last four days…
and lost the use of her back legs twice during that time.
Her organs were shutting down.

We were snowed in and unable to get out.
It was terrible to see her suffer.

She had lost all kinds of weight
since this picture was taken
because even when she still was eating,
it was very little.

We knew we were losing her,
but we just didn’t want to let go.
Who will be my walking partner?

Our wonderful neighbor, Rex,
spent over an hour with the snow plow on his ATV
here in our driveway yesterday
plowing us out so we could take TazE to the vet.
The ladies at Mountain View Vet Hospital
in Sheridan/Twin Bridges were wonderfully
compassionate, empathetic, and professional.
TazE went peacefully in my arms.

My heart is breaking,
but I know we did the right thing…
and I believe when I get to heaven
she’ll greet me at the pearly gates!
It wouldn’t be heaven if
our beloved furry family members
aren’t there, too!
Would it?

Bob won’t miss having the toenails to clip.
That was a stressful job!!
But he sure will miss his buddy
when we’re out on our “Lucille”
(she’s our ATV… a red head who is a Ball).

There is a part of Bob’s personality
that only surfaces
when he is with his Boston Buddy!
I will miss that part of Bob!

Happy TazE

In Heaven our TazE will be forever young!
Good-bye for now, sweet pup!
See ya over the bridge… keep the light on!

(St. Peter, give her a bone, wouldja?)

Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Animals, Faith, Family, Heartache, Life and Death, Life's Challenges, Love, Montana, pets

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It’s Beginning


It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

From my toes to my head … see that hat?

Christmas parties have begun

That’s the luncheon at our Madison Valley Woman’s Club yesterday.
45 ladies showed up from our little Ennis community!

My dear friend, Susan P, came and helped me decorate our house from tree to…

…fireplace mantle and lotsa places around the house.
She did things I could never do by myself.
God bless her!

Those candles on the mantle are battery operated
and can be set to change colors!!

Isn’t that fun?
They can all be one of any choice of 8 colors
or they can rotate.
Good ole CostCo.
They have lotsa fun things
to get you in the holiday spirit!

But nothing depicts the Christmas season
quite as well as this treasure
that I found at our Christmas bazaar last Saturday.
It’s a manger scene made by a darling lady in Nairobi.
She used the bark from banana trees!!

It’s not Christmas unless we
recognize the nativity as
central to the holiday!

Is it beginning to look a lot like Christmas at your house? Tell me about it!

Have fun fixing your home
to reflect this holiday season
in a way that is meaningful for you.

For me and my family, it’s Christmas…

Thanking God for the gift of
Baby Jesus,
sharing time with family & friends,
sending out cards,
decorating with trees, candles, music
and presents…

and the fun has just begun!

Our TazE looks just like this Boston on the right.
She has decided the blanket under the tree is her bed.
She thinks the presents are for her.
Help!

Have fun this Christmas season…
and good luck keeping your dog, cat or kids
out from under the Christmas tree!

Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Animals, blessings, Faith, Family, friendship, holidays, Jesus, Living in Harmony, Love, music, pets, relationships

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Angels Watching Over Us


I have a guardian angel
Who is faithful – yes, indeed!
He’s saved me from disaster,
Been there for every need.

An angel guarded Angela,
Our Boston Terrier pup,
From dying when a rattlesnake
Bit her on her butt!

You have a guardian angel
Who’s watching over you.
I hope that you are grateful
And careful on your feet, too.

Sunday in church our pastor
Read a poem that touched my heart.
It conjured up my angel;
Who’s compassionate and smart.

Yours is, too!!
In fact, YOU may BE
somebody’s angel!
Serving love with glee.

“The World I Live In”
Mary Oliver

God of Grace, help us to see
Your angels at work among us,
lighting upon the unhoused in the street,
delivering cups of coffee,
Ziploc bags full of toiletries,
and deli sandwiches.

Help us honor Your angels
with our praise and gratitude –
the patient teacher, the loving parent,
the determined wildfire fighter,
the volunteer rescue worker,
the visitor of the elderly,
the sick and the imprisoned.

Give us eyes to see, O God,
your angels at work
and help us be among their ranks.

Click the link below and enjoy listening to Alabama sing for us “Angels Among Us.”

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=MONUVPD2S1Y&feature=share
Our Angela –
saved by God’s angel!

Angela’s angel was a vet
Who was in his office on a Sunday.
He had the vaccine and loving care.
She’d’a been gone by Monday!

We never know when God
calls on us to be
the angel to a friend in need.
Open your arms and eyes to see.

God bless you!

Thanks for checking in today.
You’re my visiting angel.
Let me be yours!
Gotcha in prayer.
Tell me how to pray for you specifically, OK?

Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Animals, blessings, Faith, God, Life's Challenges, Living in Christ's Family, Living in Harmony, Love, music, pets, Poetry, prayer, relationships, Serving One Another

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Montana Trails with Friends


This is “Lucille.”
Yesterday we joined 12 friends
and went on a trail ride
into the Gravelly Range
above Antelope Basin.

Lucille is our ATV (all terrain vehicle).
Because she’s a redhead
on whom we have a ball,
we named her after the actress/comedian,
Lucille Ball.

Are you old enough to remember her?

Anyway, we met at Antelope Basin
about 50 miles south-west of Ennis,
and took the trails through the Gravelly Range
to our destination of Hidden Lake.

It was a blue-sky-perfect day
with temperatures not rising above 80 degrees.
We had not been up to this site for over a year.
In the meantime forest fires
had ravaged the trees
and changed the landscape.

This tree was lush and green last time we were here.

We stopped and chatted with our friends awhile before taking a lunch break.

Good buds: Sherry Riggs and Penny Hocking

TazE was quite interested
in what Rex & Penny Hocking
were getting from Linda Schott.
Mmm … fresh and yummy Flathead cherries!

TazE was interested in Bob’s Cheetos, too!

After lunch we traveled on up to the lookout above Henry’s Lake.

The wildflowers were prettier
than I have ever seen them this late in the summer.
We had quite a wet spring and that helped!

Traveling back down,
we could see our Madison Valley in the distance.

We gathered to take a group photo of our ATV friends.
And then some couples and quartets, too.

Top left: Kris & Bob (CG’s cousin) with CG & Caroline
Bottom left: Penny & Rex
Right: Sue & Bob Welna

Here are our five ATV’s.
You can see that Lucille stands out
among all those earth tones!

Most of the way to and fro
the trail was a road also traveled
by cowboys in their pickups,
tending the the cattle up in the verdant fields.

Some of the trail was rocky, steep and pretty hairy.
But, we managed just fine…
and I am so grateful that
Bob and I both had
enough stamina to enjoy the trip.

We Thank the Lord for our neighbors/friends
(the Welnas and Hockings)
who came to help Bob prepare Lucille
for the trip, and then
returned this morning to
help him put her back away.
God bless them!!

Maybe you’ll come join us
one of these days
for a Montana trail ride.
Ya think?

I’d be tickled to see you!

Just give me a call
and let me know when you’re coming.
We’d love to see you
and treat you to a Montana trail ride!

Thanks for visiting JanBeek
See ya tomorrow (God willing)

Click on the link below if you’d like to enjoy
Dale Evans & Roy Rogers
(my favorite cowboy)
singing “Happy Trails to You.”

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=oG_fSoYFWLA&feature=share

Category:

Animals, blessings, Family, flowers, food, friendship, Gratitude, Living in Harmony, Love, Montana, mountains, music, pets, relationships, Travel

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Wonderful Weekend


Enjoying Sunday
Remembering Saturday
And Fish on Friday

Sunday began
with this prayer-filled
good morning photo
from my friend Lisa
in North Carolina

After church,
Sunday continues
with our TazE
needing attention
and us
trying to
just relax!

Saturday memories
include a wonderful evening
shared with Bob
and dozens of friends
at the Madison Valley Ranchland’s
annual “Noxious Weed Dinner and Auction.”

Check out
Bonny Morningstar Guzzo
on Facebook
to see her wonderful pictures
of that highly successful event.

Friday memories
include our walk
along the Madison River
in Lion’s Club Park
where this beautiful
painted fish sculpture
greets us.

The painting on the fish inspires the Haiku poet in me.

“Father, please teach me
I want to learn how to fish
To fish like you, Dad“

Back home, the clouds keep the day cooler
as the sun plays peek-a-boo
The trees provide welcomed shade
And the birds serenade you

The breeze causes the wind chimes
To sing a lullaby
Reminding me of my sis, Sally
She’d love this place as much as I

The deer come quietly to rest
Beneath the shade of verdant trees
They promise not to nibble
But who can trust deer like these?

Time to think about a meal
Don’t know what I’d like to cook
Need to go check out the fridge
Maybe left-overs -Have a look!

Mmmm… I can see shrimp
Waiting for the coconut
Time to make the sauce

Hope all is well with you.
Thanks for sharing
my weekend memories
vicariously with me.

Now it is your turn
What are your best memories
Of this great weekend?

Sending love your way…
Hugs,
JanBeek

Category:

Animals, blessings, Family, Fishing, food, happiness, Love, Memories, Montana, Poetry, trees

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Git Walkin’


This is the week to git walkin’ –
It’s time to git off m’ butt –
Time to leash the pup.
Git outta this home-bound rut!

So off to the park
On this beautiful day –
Git walkin’ before the sun
Warms too much and I wanna stay.

Git m’ hubby to come
And join me in the park.
We’ve got a gorgeous place –
Let’s go before it gits dark!

Take the pup to the river
And enjoy the midday sun.
Let the hubby walk her –
They’ll both have fun!

Bob & TazE
@Lion’s Club Park

With my trusty camera
I’ll git some photos fir ya.
Come walk a spell with me.
Come close – let me stir ya!

Ready? Let’s walk!!

It’s a gorgeous blue-sky day.
There’s not another soul in sight.
We’ve got the park to ourselves –
The day looks mighty bright!

Ya gotta come in person
If you wanna read this sign –
Can’t tell ya about it
Not even the upper headline.

It’s so peaceful to be
In this place with only me
And my hubby and my dog.
Let’s sit a spell and just BE!

Didja bring along a snack?
We could sit here and eat.
Give our pup a treat
And get off our weary feet.

But, no that’s not why we came.
We came to just git walkin’ –
So git a move on, Jan,
And quit yer silly talkin’!

TazE says the day is heating up
So we gotta keep on movin’ –
Whistle a tune as you jog.
Exercise the dog and get groovin’!

Around the back side of the park
The scenery changes a lot.
Fields of baled hay and no shade –
Now it’s starting to get hot!

Don’t you love these round ones?
They were square in fields back home.
Things are done differently
When you git out and roam.

Looking beyond the hayfield,
You can see a ridge halfway up.
That’s where our place is located.
It’s a great neighborhood, yup!

Walking back into the shade
Of the tree-lined park, we see
A gazebo on the lawn out there.
Wanna come sit a spell now with me?

No, it’s heating up; let’s move.
I was surprised as I walked on
To see my friends from the Manor
Having a picnic out on the lawn.

That’s some of the folks
That I lead Bible Study with weekly.
When they saw me out of context,
Some greeted me quite meekly.

Isn’t it wonderful that friends
From our local nursing home
Can get into the van and travel
To the park and watch others roam?

When I saw a couple of the kids
From our neighborhood at play,
Their greetings were robust!
Their smiles and hugs made my day!

Time for a potty stop before
Heading home to get some rest.
I’m so grateful to the Lion’s Club
For their park. Kudos to Cherrie and the rest

Who work to keep it pristine.
It’s a gift to our community.
We plan to walk there most days.
Aren’t you glad today you joined me?

See ya tomorrow (God willing)
Love,
JanBeek

Walk with me
through the darkness.
Pick me up each time I fall.
You’ll bring light and erase the starkness!

(Love Randy’s invitation in the song below)

Category:

Animals, blessings, contentment, Faith, friendship, Gratitude, happiness, health, life, Love, Montana, music, nature, peace, pets, photography, Poetry

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Embrace Firefighters


This is the image of the Caldron fire in Amador County, California… only 14% contained … with strong winds moving it northeast toward Tahoe. According to our daughter-in-law today, the fire has grown to 177,260 acres and has destroyed 653 homes.

The line on the right shows you the 5.77 miles from the fire to our granddaughter’s house yesterday. Today it has moved closer and ALL residents (22,000) of South Lake Tahoe have been evacuated. They have only one exit highway open – and it leads to Nevada.

The line on the left shows the 5.49 miles from the storm yesterday to our son’s house. The purple dot in the fire’s “mouth” shows the place where the home is of our son’s friends – the ones who were evacuated and are now living in Placeville with Ty and Monika.

It is hard in the midst of such danger, loss of property, loss of homes, loss of lives and livelihoods, to keep a positive attitude. But, we cannot allow ourselves to despair!

Trust is a huge key to sanity!
Gratitude is a huge key to sanity!

For our granddaughter, Faith, and her husband, Kyle, the running water they are appreciating today may not be from their own faucet, but it is in the home of life-long friends of her other grandparents…

… and they were able to evacuate their home with some clothes… not just the pajamas they were wearing like some who were rushed out of their homes in the dark of the night…

… and they have food, love, shelter, and their dog! Of course, there is so much for which to be grateful!

I prayed for Faith & Kyle’s safety.
I prayed for our son & his wife’s safety..
They are safe.
Thank You, God!

But, as I thank God for the safety of my loved ones,
I am remembering to be especially thankful
for the firefighters who continue day and night
to try and save people’s lives, homes, our forests,
and our cities/towns/businesses.
God bless our firefighters!

Keep smiling (if you can) through the storms of life…
And try not to let the struggles get you down.
They are designed to strengthen us!!

Remember the scripture that says,

Psalm 46:1-2,

7 “God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear,
though the earth give way
and the mountains fall
into the heart of the sea;
The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.”.


My grandson, Sam, told me a few days ago,
“Grammy, just wear dark glasses.”
Don’t forget to listen to the advice of your kids –
they are smarter than you realize!

See ya tomorrow (God willing)

Love,
JanBeek

Be a friend to a firefighter
Be a friend to your neighbor
Be a friend who gives someone in need
a reason to smile today.

That’s what friends are for!

Category:

Bible Lessons, blessings, Faith, Family, friendship, Giving, God, Gratitude, Life's Challenges, Love, music, nature, optimism, relationships, Serving One Another

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Embrace God’s Grip


Do you ever tell yourself, “Get a grip!”??

When life seems challenging and circumstances tax your patience,
do you ever wonder if God’s really gotcha covered?

Well, trust me –

Trust the Savior –

He’s gotta grip on you!

God’s gotta grip on me.

Our Lord’s not lettin’ us go!

Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels.com

Romans 8:38-39

“ For I am convinced that neither death nor life,
neither angels nor demons,
neither the present nor the future,
nor any powers,
neither height nor depth,
nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us
from the love of God
that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

My Prayer for Today

“Gracious God, how grateful I am to rest secure in Your grip forever.”

God’s Not Gonna Lose Me

In today’s devotional time, Daily Guideposts 2021 reminded me that while I may misplace my sunglasses or my phone occasionally, God never misplaces me!

In his comments, Bill Giovannetti recalled a time when his daughter asked him, “What if I lost God? Or what if God lost me?”

Her younger brother responded, “Right, Josie, you’re the only person in the whole wide world that God forgot about!”

Reading Romans 8:38-39 together, Bill and his son reassured Josie and asked her, “If God keeps His Word, what is that verse telling you?”

“It’s telling me God never loses His sunglasses,” she said, “Or me!”



Today Bob & I celebrated my birthday
(I’ll match Bob’s age – and be 82 tomorrow).
Our hands certainly show
the wear and tear of work and years!

But, like that hold God has on us,
we’ve got a grip on one another –
and we’re not letting go!

GG (Great Grandma Jan) with Xander

Taking a clue from us and God,
Xander’s got a grip on his GreatGrandma Jan
(GG – that’s me!) and he’s not letting go!

Sienna & Hope
(my great-granddaughter and my granddaughter)

My great-granddaughter, Sienna,
gets a grip on her mommy, my granddaughter, Hope.
When children have a hold on loving, devoted parents, God smiles.

Sienna with Ty

It’s a double blessings when Grandpa
gets down on the floor with his granddaughter.
Our son Ty helped Sienna learn how to get a grip on puzzle skills.

Sienna with Monika

Children are blessed indeed
when they have a grandma who reads to them.
Sienna gets a grip on what books are all about
with Grandma Monika’s help.

Hope, TazE, Sienna, and me

How special to get a grip
on my great-granddaughter, Sienna,
and her mommy, Hope …
while they get a grip on TazE,
our Boston Terrier!

Monika, Sienna, Hope and Bob

Not every family has the privilege of gathering 4 generations together!
Get a grip on longevity … and the joy of embracing great-grandpa!

Xander and TazE

Such fun to see TazE getting along so well with Xander!

Xander decided he needed to get a grip on those puzzle skills, too.

Monika and Hope with Sienna & Xander…
They sang Happy Birthday
to help me get a grip on
turning a year older.
Not older… just more mature, right?
So nice!

Ty & Monika brought their big dog, Nakota…

… and TazE had trouble getting a grip on
having such a big buddy!

She was exhausted!
Time to get under the table
and get a grip on some rest!

Time for
me
to get some rest, too.



Never doubt that
you can rest in God’s Grip!!

Yes, He’s gotcha covered…

See ya tomorrow (God willing) –

Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Aging Gracefully, Animals, Bible Lessons, blessings, children, Family, happiness, Love, pets, prayer, relationships

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Embrace Montana Vistas


Here is the Madison Valley and Range
as seen from the Gravelly Range

We went on an adventure today into the Gravelly Range
with our friend, Julie, and her dog, Zeke.
Come enjoy the Montana Vistas with us!

The Gravelly Range is just south-west of Ennis. We were looking for wildflowers. This is the time of year when they usually are prolific. However, it has been a relatively dry spring and summer so far, so the flowers were not as colorful or plentiful as usual.

This field of flowers is irrigated –
so they’re not the “wildflowers”
we were looking for.
See that line up the mountain?
That’s where we are headed.
We drove the pick-up with trailer
to the base of our destination
and took the ATV up from there.
Julie & Zeke rode in the back.
TazE sat in my lap.
Bob’s the driver.
TazE enjoyed the views.
That mountain above TazE’s head
is called the Sphinx.

The clouds made the sky
so beautiful and interesting today,
but they also threatened rain.
Fortunately we had about an inch
or two of rain last night,
so it settled the dust.
And it held off until
we were headed back
home this afternoon.

On the way up, we saw a lot more cattle than usual.
Definitely more cattle than wildflowers!
Zeke was quite interested in the beauty
of the Madison Valley vistas.
This is Caroline’s tree!
We always think of her when we see it.
Caroline loves tree skeletons!
As we climbed, the clouds moved
out from the Madison Range
and began to cover the valley.

This is a purple sticky wild geranium. Julie has an app on her iPhone that allows her to take a picture of a flower and then have the phone tell her the name of that flower. What a cool app! “Picture This” is the name I think. I need to check it out.

I can’t remember the name of this hairy wildflower.
Isn’t it interesting?

We reached a place where the road was closed
and we could go no further.
So, we stopped and rested a while
and let TazE and Zeke run around.

Julie took our photo,
and while we were distracted,
Zeke went out exploring.
Zeke found some wet, runny cow poop
and thought it was great fun to roll in it!

Like I said, there were more cows than wild flowers,
so of course, there were plenty of places
for an inquisitive pup to explore!!

Julie was intrigued by some of the leaves.
I walked beyond the closed gate and
took this photo of the US Forest Service sign
and the field of wildflowers beyond it.
They were more brilliant than this photo shows.

Heading back down the mountain, the cows bellowed at us!
They were not happy that we were disturbing their peace.

The one we enjoyed earlier was still there on our way down.
TazE continued to enjoy the views with us.
The sprinkler systems keep the fields green
in spite of our near drought conditions.

The storm clouds threatened … and we got a few raindrops on our way back to the pickup.

See the squall on the other side of the valley?
You can see that it is raining there.

Ah, home – with great memories of beautiful Montana Vistas!

And a beautiful sunset ended our day…

Thank you for sharing our
beautiful Montana Vistas with us.

I hope you had a beautiful day, too.
Embrace Montana Vistas.
Come visit us!

See ya tomorrow (God willing)
Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Animals, flowers, Love, Montana, mountains, nature, pets, Travel, trees

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Embrace Family Time


Embrace family time
Our relatives are God’s gifts
Cherish time with them!

Bob & me with our son, Ty,
his wife, Monika, & son, Sam,
and her parents, Ruthie & Darrell,
and our grand-nephew, Liam

Lake Tahoe fun
A beautiful blue sky day
Comfortable breezes

Combined ages equaled 112
Ruthie & Kyle celebrated together
Faith and Kyle have a new puppy
“Poppy” will be a big dog before too long!

Visiting Faithy
And her brand new big puppy
Was a real treat

Two legs on the stairs
The other two on the floor
Poppy knows comfort!

Cosette in the puppy pool

Our great-granddaughter
Figured out how to cool off
Showed pup what to do

Fun at Faith & Kyle’s in S. Lake Tahoe
Our grandson, Jordan, (Daddy of Cosette)
watched while Faith & Cosette cooled their feet…
And then Cosette got totally wet
and had to wear her dad’s t-shirt

Faith had great hors d’oruvres
Then they barbequed chicken
No one went hungry

  • Faith & Kyle’s home
When we returned from a tour of Lake Tahoe,
we found a bear who had discovered
the garbage bag with BBQed chicken bones

The bear climbed a tree
To get away from people
Too full to climb far!

  • 1.
  • 2.
  • 3.
  • 4.
  • 5.
  1. A view of Lake Tahoe
  2. Jan & Bob at the lake
  3. Monika & Ty (the gracious hosts)
  4. Liam & Jodie (my niece & grand-nephew)
  5. Faith (my granddaughter)
  • Darrell & Bob at Ty’s in Placerville
    Celebrating family birthdays
  • Ruthie & Darrell Payne

When our son’s in-laws
Have time together with us,
Never lost for words!

Celebrate birthdays
Treasure the time together
Thank God for family

Cosette on horsey

Children grow up fast
Get together as often
As possibly can

Store up memories
Write – so you do not forget –
Take lots of pictures!

They came from southern California –
They came from Pennsylvania –
They came from Sacramento –
We came from Montana –
There were 16 of us for dinner!
When it’s shared family time,
the more the merrier.
Thank God for gracious family
who share their homes,
their beds, their food, their car…
… and best of all, their love.

Cousins – Liam & Sam

Next time we’re together,
it wouldn’t surprise me at all
if Liam is taller than Sam.
Like this sugar pine tree,
kids grow taller these days…
Must be all that family love!

I pray you have a loving family, too…
And you have many opportunities
To share family time together.

Cheers!
Have a great rest of your week.

I’ll see you tomorrow (God willing).

Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Animals, blessings, children, Faith, Family, Gratitude, Haiku, Living in Harmony, Love, Memories, nature, pets, relationships

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