Madison is my Hero!!!

Last night, Lori's daughter, Madison, had a very special outting. For the last several months, she's been raising money for Cancer research and had decided she was going to get her lovely, loooong blonde hair cut off and donate it to be made into wigs for children suffering from cancer.

She managed to raise over $1200 and donated 13" of silky blonde hair.

If you would like to know more about donating hair to make wigs for people suffering from the effects of cancer treatments, please click here.

Maddy, you ROCK!

“However rare true love is, true friendship is rarer.” – La Rochefoucauld

Life continues to get busier and busier, it seems. Another year has nearly passed us by. Soon, the snow will begin to fly and we'll tuck into our cosy homes for the winter.

In the hectic day to day chaos, it's difficult for Lori and I to find time for just the two of us, so it was an exceptionally special treat when we spent the day together Saturday getting pampered and preened.

As an early birthday present, I booked a surprise mini spa day at Aquilibrium for both of us. We had our hair cut and styled, a scalp massage, eyebrows waxed (ouch!), makeup and a manicure (ahhhh.....). After which, we came by my office and took photos of ourselves (I'm bound and determined to have at least one photo of the two of us together at least once each year!).

The photos turned out quite well (see above) until for some odd reason Lori decided to clobber me! Kidding...she swears she was just adjusting her necklace... too bad I don't have a followup shot!

Later in the evening, we joined up with our hubbies and had a nice dinner followed by games.

We've shared so much laughter,

And more than a few tears,

We have a special bond

that grows stronger with each year.

We're not sisters by birth,

But we knew right from the start,

God put us together

to be Sisters of the Heart!

Remembering...

I miss Taffy. I found these photos (along with many others) last night while doing some organizing.

Taffy was my cat as a child. Here we are in the innocence of our shared youth...I was 6 years old, she was likely about 6 weeks old.

She wasn't an overly affectionate cat. She appreciated her space, but on occassion, she could be caught sharing a tender moment with me or with someone else in the family (usually my dad - who "hated" cats...um...yeah...sure)

Fast forward 16 years and here is Taffy still with me on my wedding day. Frail at the time, yet we made sure she was part of the day. She sadly left us for the Bridge the following March at 17+ years old.

I have 4 cats now, not to mention the 2 dogs, and they are different, unique and equally as lovable as Taffy was in their own ways, but none of them are her.

I miss you, old friend.

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN!

TIME FOR THE ANNUAL JNMRF HOWL O WEEN CONTEST!

As you may or may not be aware, I am active in Norwegian Elkhound rescue in Ontario and Quebec. A non-profit organization out of the US assists me financially with the rescues I'm involved in. Without their assistance, there is no way that I would be able to do what I do when it comes to rescuing, fostering and rehoming homeless elkhounds.

Once each year, this organization (JNMRF) holds a costume contest to raise funds for rescue. This is their one main source of funds for the coming year, so it's a pretty big deal.

Each year, for the last 4 years, I have entered my dog(s) into the contest. 2 years ago, we were thrilled to win!

Above is this year's entry - the Headless Norseman (pun intended - Norwegian Elkhounds are obviously from Norway and were the dogs of the Vikings). This is 8 1/2 year old Monty and a lot of CGI magic!

Check out the contest. Please don't vote unless you intend to pay (cost is $1 US per vote), but in any event, check it out - it's well worth a look!

http://www.elkhoundrescue.org/contest1.htm

I've been a negligent blogger lately, but it's for good reason. I've been working on Elby's catching up on back orders. By the time I put a few hours in on them in the evenings, my poor hands are so cramped and stiff, even thinking about typing makes me wimper.

This is "Stormy" Williamson. Very shortly, he will be winging off on his way to his permanent home in sunny southern California with my dear friend Maragret.


Quinn demonstrates the typical pose that inspired "Elby".