self portrait



paper and paint collage on canvas



I am fighting the urge to crawl under a big fluffy blanket for the winter.

I've been working on a few paper and paint collages.

This one is my latest attempt at a self portrait.

I've been a bit blue lately.

I am a Gemini

The line down the center of my face represents my two inner voices.

Those voices are always in constant battle.

One of my Gemini Superpowers is the ability to equally balance pros and cons...

but this also makes the decision process very hard for me.

  I have had a lot on my mind.

We recently made the decision to not bring anymore dogs to RuffHaven.

It was a heart wrenching debate for us.

You see....we've been reminded again of how short  life is

and how we do not know how long we have on this earth. 

Since RuffHaven is small and private and not supported by public donations,

we knew that at some point we would need to stop.

We did the math and realized that this is the right thing to do.

The dogs that are here now will stay here for the rest of their lives.

Penny's Status has been changed from "Resident" to "Pet"

We are down to five.

But that doesn't mean I will stop saving dogs

I contacted the local shelter and had our home added to the list of foster homes in this area.

I know fostering will be hard, since I fall in love so easily....

but I will be able to help more dogs this way.

HOW TO BE A BEST FRIEND

Be Loyal

Niki

Be nurturing

Ginger

Be Comforting

Dutch

be positive

Goldie

be wise

Summer

be gentle

Sophie

be playful

Tucker

be understanding

Jack

be sweet

Penny

be shy sometimes

 

Bosley

 and when neccessary...

 be a pain in the ass

Shadie

MORE MORE MORE

Eleven Eleven Eleven

(Remember my ten ten ten post from last year?)

 

 MORE RANDOM

Marianne...

1.  is happy

2.  was adopted

3.  loves  sunsets.

If the sunset is especially beautiful she will call everyone

she knows and tells them to go look at the sunset

4.  started to watch TV again...big mistake

don't bother her at all on Thursday nights 

5.  loves to travel

6. is still married to a Lifeguard

(but it was tough this year)

7.  does not like shopping malls and thinks they

should all be turned into homeless shelters

8.  got six speeding tickets this year...

driving too fast past a speed camera that she knows is there

so now she just doesn't drive through that town anymore...she takes another route

9.  wants to raise chickens

10. loves RollerCoasters

her favorite vacation was one she took with her kids when they were 16 1nd 17.

They hopped from amusement park to amusement park

and rode 32 different roller coasters in one week.

11. used to bite her fingernails. But she doesn't remember when or how she stopped doing it. 

One day about ten years ago,

she looked at her nails and they were long...

she remembers smiling about that.

 MORE FAVORITES

Marianne had a hard time choosing these:

1.  Color - Buttercream Yellow

2.  Wild Animal -Elephant

3.  Food - Mushrooms

4.  Drink - Apple Cider

5.  Movie - Dances With Wolves

6.  Song - In Your Eyes

 7.  State - Utah

8.  Hobby - Sewing

9.  Flower - Daisy

10. Shape - Circle

11. Game - Scrabble 

MORE from her BUCKET LIST

Marianne would like to:

1.  lose 30 more pounds

2.  go to Australia

3.  learn to play steel drums

4.  buy a ranch in Colorado

5.  meet some of her favorite blogging friends in person

6. buy a run down house and remodel it

7. learn to dance ...well 

8.  finish all the projects she started

9. sleep more

10. complain less

11. Live in Hawaii for six months.......air fair is pricey and the flight is so long

Six months should be enough time to see it all.

I hope this November 11, 2011 finds you well and happy.

11/11/11 only comes around every 100 years.

wordless wednesday



Print by Gina Switzer



a time for everything

this blog is being  put up on the shelf along with several UFOs.

You can find me over on my Life @ RuffHaven blog.

Time is very precious and right now I just

don't have enough time to devote to maintaining more than one blog.
And it may be a while before I get back to blogging

I want to thank all of you for your emails asking if everything is ok. 

Yes I am fine.

But we have had some bad news.

and I am afraid I am not handling it well.
I have always been the type to become very quiet when facing a
difficult time. I'll be back to myself soon, I hope.
 I do miss all of you so much.

Why I named my blog Life @ RuffHaven

well my plans to escape came to a screeeeeching halt.

 Since my trip has been delayed (due to illness) and I am still at home,

what better way to pass the time than surf blogs and meet new quilters.

Dawn over at  As Sweet As Cinnamon  has asked the question...

What's your name?

 the reason I named my blog Life @ RuffHaven does have a story behind it.
I named our small sanctuary RuffHaven and people have asked

"Why is your name RuffHaven? I mean, isn't that kinda cheesy?"

( yes, someone actually worded it that way )  But I am a big girl and it didn't hurt my feelings.

Now the fact that dogs say "ruff" and my driveway is the "ruffest"  in the county,  had nothing to do with the naming of Ruff Haven.
Well, when I decided to open a Sanctuary for old dogs I first went to "Best Friends" The largest Animal Sanctuary in the world. Yes...the world.  it is located over 33,000 acres in southwest Utah....near Kanab.  You should go see it....even if only on the web.   Anyway.    They really know what they are doing when it comes to setting up a rescue so I took their

"How to start an Animal Sanctuary" Workshop

That was nine days of intense information.  When we got to the subject of business names etc... It looked like  ALL the good sanctuary names have been taken. So I set apon the task of trying to figure out a good name that would fit my sanctuary to a T.

I made a long list of possible names but  I kept coming back to    RUFF ... cheesy but very fitting.   Since most of my dogs are large, and one form of Chow Mix or another, something to do with Chow Chows was in order.   And since the fur around the neck of a Chow Chow is called a ruff,  it had to be part of the name.

   BINGO  !     we had a winner !

Now the Haven part was easy.

 My little portion of the world is my Haven.

So there you have it:     

RuffHaven 

  Rescue and Sanctuary   

gated community for canine seniors 

(and dogs with special needs)

So when I started blogging I just used that name.

I was only going to write about my life with dogs and then I started getting

deeper and deeper into crafting or I should say ..... buried under deep piles of fabric,
paper, ink, paint and......stuff.

So now I write about everything under the sun. 
And it makes me smile just knowing that you are here to read it.

I need to visit the sea for a bit of R&R

I'll be back soon

I need to visit the sea for a bit of R&R

I'll be back soon

glitter

I . HATE . GLITTER  !
I use glitter in my projects

only because glitter can do

what nothing else can do

 and sometimes it is the only thing

you can do to "finish" a project.

I like the glittery look.
But I still hate it.
Just the meer mention of the stuff

causes it to appear in places where

 it never was before....

like your brand new car...

 or on  the black dress you wore to your uncle's funeral...

or on the nose of a dog you are visiting at the pound.
I swear the stuff has a life force of it's own.

that is all

                                        

paws and think

I spent two days last week

 trying to help some old dogs find  new homes.

You have no idea how hard it is for me to look at an old dog and ask

why?

Why does this dog not have a home?

 if you are thinking about getting a puppy

remember this

 My life is likely to last 10 to 15 years.

Any separation from you will be painful.

Remember that before you get me.

  Give me time to understand what you want of me.

 Place your trust in me--it is crucial to my well-being.

 Do not be angry at me for long and

 do not lock me up as punishment.

 You have your work, your entertainment, and your friends.

 I only have you.

 Talk to me sometimes.

Even if I don't understands your words,

 I understand your voice when it is speaking to me.

 Be aware that how ever you treat me, I will never forget.

 Remember before you hit me that I have

teeth and I could easily hurt you,

 but I choose not to bite you because I love you.

 Before you scold me for being

uncooperative, obstinate, or lazy,

 ask yourself if something might be bothering me.

Perhaps I might not be getting the right food,

or I have been out too long,

 or my heart is getting too old and weak.

 Take care of me when I get old;

you too will grow old.

Go with me on difficult journeys.

Never say:

 "I cannot bear to watch."

 or

 "Let it happen in my absence."

 Everything is easier for me if you are there,

 even my death.

 Remember that I love you.

*******

(author unknown)

summer's end

I thought you might like to see a few photos I took while in Hawaii a few years ago.

This little girl was so adorable as she played on the shoreline.

 and this one is my favorite

I would love to know what she is thinking.

wordless monday???

Yay !   My knitting lessons are worth every penny !