Happy Birthday, Sammy

I had a plan: I would not adopt a dog until I bought a house.  I had so many reasons: dogs need much more social interaction than cats, more exercise, they are not as widely accepted in rentals.....I still did it ass-backwards when I met Sammy. And I'm so glad I did.

Sammy at 6 weeks old. 

Happy 6th birthday Sam.

Sammy at 6 years old. 

We did buy our first house a few years later. It all worked out. And now it's spring in the garden and stuff is blooming in every cranny.

 Perfect healthy roses in the Pacific Northwest are for meticulous gardeners. That is not me: I'm surprised mine even think about blooming.

 Rhododendrons and peonies are much easier to grow around here. The white peony was a gift from a neighbor last year: a rooted cutting of his. This is its first bloom in our yard, yay!

Hope you're finding things that make you happy and at home.

Spring

Spring is in full swing here in the Pacific Northwest. Tulips and daffodils have come and mostly gone. Our shady rhododendron is just starting to bloom, while sunnier ones are in full glory

.....and the fleas have arrived. Yuk. With the mild winter and a warm wet spring, I expect this to be a prolonged battle against the bloodsuckers.

(Mushy and Sammy rarely rest this close to each other)

We're using a variety of commercial and natural solutions to battle the little buggers. Right now I've closed off and am de-humidifying the one room we have with carpet because apparently fleas can't live in less than 50% humidity. I found these two articles to be the most help:Paul Wheaton on fleas and Drs Foster Smith on flea treatments We'll see who's the final victor. But enough about troubles of living in a humid, furry-friendly home...........................                                                                                                                                    
In an homage to sunny spring days we saw earlier in the week, I put on yellow and orange to go out to breakfast this morning under an overcast sky.

When I came home, I read that Anne at Spy Girl started a 52 pick-me-up with yellow as the theme.
So I took some pics to join in the fun.

And because of  the facinator, I get to link up with Judith too, at Hat Attack #10 here Judith too, at Hat Attack #10                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
I regret the blurriness of the photo above: I wanted to show off the necklace I bought last winter, but it took several shots to get the details. I think the ladies look Peruvian but would love it if anyone could verify or contradict:

                                                                                                                                                         
I bought the fascinator new from a local artist: Azula by Design but my other visible items were purchased second hand, except maybe the socks. I've been thrifting since I was a teenager and have no plans to ever stop. I thrift as a form of entertainment and consider having an awesome wardrobe to be an added bonus. So I'm also linking up with Bella, the Citizen Rosebud in her campaign to share how awesome it is to Shop Secondhand First.

I wrote this Saturday but am posting Sunday, May 4th: May the Fouth be with you, and RIP to the Divine Miss M whose birthday would be today if she hadn't lost her battle to cancer earlier this year. Miss you, lady.