Coffee Belle, Oh How we Will Miss Our Sweet Girl, Our Hearts Are So Heavy

Ten to eleven years ago our daughter, Joycie was showing a home, we have a family real estate business.  Out popped this energetic ball of black and brown with white to boot, running around here to there.  She was a pup with mange, clearly in need of a home.  The prospective renter said she deserved a home, and Joycie was it.  Joycie brought this girl home and we treated her and she was brought back to health.  

We named this little gal, Coffee Belle.   For she was just like a bolt or jolt of coffee...Not to mention her coloring was like coffee!   Do any of you remember the old Andy hardy movie,  Love Laughs at Andy Hardy?   A darling movie from yesteryear, a lovely girl in the movie is named Coffee Smith.  If you want to smile or laugh, I recommend this movie.

A loving and sweet dog, running and running and playing to and fro.  Jem said it would be good to have a bigger dog now.  Our others were more lap dogs at that time.  Jem said when he was little he had one much like Coffee but it was a boy named "Thunder". 

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 Coffee, when she first arrived.  Grace's feet.

 

 

Along came Buddy.   He was a huge colossal ball of love.  He dwarfed Coffee!   They were friends.  Buddy had been abused and was even scared of our kitties.  My son in law would pet him but couldn't look at him while he pet Buddy or Buddy would run away.  Oh if these fur angels could tell us what happened to them?  

Edit:  Buddy broke our hearts when he passed away suddenly in '16.

Buddy and Coffee. 

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We had a huge scare with Coffee a year and a half ago...We almost lost her then.  We were taking her to a vet who had prescribed her pain meds, making her bladder swell but she could not void.  Horrible.  Her eye is swollen here because it was determined she had glaucoma which we treated with drops.  Can you believe vets recommend sometimes to just remove the eye?  Would they say that to a human with glaucoma?  When daily drops can be used?  

The two above photos are of our Coffee when we got her home from a new vet we miraculously found that day rushing her from one vet to another viable one I miraculously found online right in our own backyard.  

She was so very happy to be home.  She is here even playing with the other fur angels after being very, very ill. 

 

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Here (above) is our happy go lucky Coffee Belle so happy just a few months ago, she and the other fur angels here were having such a happy time out in the yard as I took my walk.  This is Coffee, just so representative of her sweet personality.  Sometimes  I would call her my 'Sweet Po-tae-ta".   She was more than just plump, she was so cute, she would wobble... and would clop-clop-clop around the house when she walked...Just so adorable.  She loved to plop herself in on the edge of the pond and plop and plop herself down splashing like a little toddler in a baby pool.  You just had to smile watching this!

I didn't know these shots would be the last, and I didn't know my last three bottle order of eye drops would be her last, I was already fretting that I needed more.   

 

Week before last we noticed she was not doing that great but it was normal, just throwing up a little bit of clear matter, nothing out of the ordinary.  She became worse and Sunday before last went outside.  I knew we had a problem.  Jem and I would go pet her and she was so precious...She wasn't feeling good but would wag her tail when we stooped down to pet our Coffee...I noticed her going to the pond and lapping up water as usual so I was not sure if she was getting better.  We had to leave her with our youngest, Grace just for a little bit while we went out for an errand and I tell her  "We'll be right back Coffee!"  She smiled.

Later that afternoon, Grace called and said to get home, Coffee had followed her in and lay on her doggy bed progressively having a hard time breathing.  We were pulling up right then and ran into the house.   Our poor Coffee was having a hard time, I called the vet, to make a long story short, I did not want my baby suffering and Grace and Jem lifted her up in her bed, Grace finally losing it like a little girl (although a young woman) looking down at Coffee.  We got Coffee in the back seat floor board part of the truck on her bed.   We were exhausted but knew we had to get our pet to the vet in a farming community at least 45 minutes away.  Our normal vet from the sister clinic was sending patients there, they were closed on Sunday.  

 

The entire way there I just kept patting our Coffee, telling her You're a good, good dog, Coffee..  We love you Coffee...

Coffee Belle passed when we were almost there to the vet's office.  We drive up to a beautiful farming vet facility to the carport.  The young vet, a petite gal with a tshirt, jeans and cowboy boots came out, a stethescope was ran out to her we opened the door and you could tell Coffee had passed to the other side.  The sweet vet listened for a heartbeat and I will never forget these images.  She just said, I'm so sorry...she's passed.   I just stood there in disbelief.  All I could do was cry too like Grace and say...My baby.  

The vet and the tech looked like they wanted to cry too...I told the vet we would take Coffee back home....She is here buried on our property.  I miss her.   We all miss her...

Our oldest daughter's neighbor who I also know texted this, it had ministered to her so much when her pet had passed away, those are tear drop marks on the page of her devotional there:

 

It says:

"God's peace is not an escape from reality.  We are not transfixed or somehow mentally 'removed' from feeling pain or struggling...Rather, peace is an undergirding rock-solid foundation so that no matter the tears we cry or the sorrow we feel, deep down inside we know with an abiding assurance that God is with us.  God is in control, and the joy of the Lord is going to emerge far greater than any depth of agony we may be experiencing."

In the days that pass, my heart is heavy, and sometimes I do cry and miss our Coffee-girl but I know Coffee is with God, either here, there or both, she is here, she is There.  God's ways are not our ways...We don't totally understand the beauty of it all, but we know it's true.

When I volunteered at the nursing home there was a middle aged man who had died in an auto accident, when he got to Heaven, the first thing he saw was his pets from his life.  The paramedics brought him back as he is here on this green earth to tell his story.

 

In the days after Coffee's passing different things have ministered to me greatly, things from God above.    

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A pristine white feather in a historical district laying directly in my path as I walked.  I took the shot with my skirt I wore in honor of our precious Coffee. When our little Peanut passed several years ago, a white feather was found on Grace's black jacket in our home.  White feathers have special meanings when our pets pass.

 

 

This owl has visited me twice.  This is a close-up in the tree from this morning.

Once he swooped down and stood on the ground as we made eye contact for a while.

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Do you see God's Creature up in the tree?  This is the view from my kitchen window where I wash dishes.

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This beautiful white dove has visited me twice too, I opened the front door and he or she was standing in front of the door on the concrete looking up at me like he was coming to say Hello, I'm here. 

He is in the lilac tree not afraid of me at all in these shots. 

 

 

 

 

Some of our pets wonder...What happened to Coffee?  

 

Jem preparing a place for our Coffee.

 

I will close now...things are quiet here at The Forest Cathedral, I keep our routines and will tell you Dear Readers that the above verse from our friend from her devotional rings true.  

 

I can't deny we miss our Coffee Belle and her sweet smile, we hold on to the Father and trust.

 

So many things in life to trust the Father with yes?

 

Listening to:  Love is the Thing and More by Nat King Cole.  This music is some of the most beautiful and comforting music of all...Memories of life, pets, precious loved ones past and present.  For years, this album brings a peace and sweetness to our home here like not much else in the way of music.   

 

Take care Dear Readers, I appreciate you reading here so very much.

~Amelia

 

 

 

 

 

 

Catching Up Friends. Talking to God like a Child, Little Muffie, This and That Shots Here at My Forest Cathedral, Songs to Share

 Last Easter here at the Forest Cathedral...

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Our third born, Zuzu and youngest daughter, Grace taking shots of grandbabies as Grace's dachshund, Atticus looks on... I thought this was such a pretty setting, it reminded me of a Victorian painting with a few modern touches.

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We have four daughters pictured in these shots.  I love getting shots of them getting shots. 

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My little ivy garden was doing so good and then our cow pets came to visit.  They kind of liked that ivy and messed it up a bit. Eh hem.

 

The mommies take such good care of their calves, there were more than several mommies and their calves...So sweet.

 

Gracie is looking on.  There were many, many different colored cows on our property here for a while, Mr. Lundy's cows quite like it here. 

 

 

 

  

My 93 year old mom.  Always a matter of prayer.

 

This is little Muffie, we've had little Muffie since 2007, he's blind and we love him and care for him, he's like a human baby many days.  I'm learning to keep somewhat of a schedule for him.  So we have two blind dogs now,many of you read about little Missy last December.  Muffie was found in an intersection by our daughter, Joycie, it was like he was just waiting for her to arrive.  He hopped in the car and rolled around on his back pleased as punch to be in her car!  The poor thing had been left in the elements and his collar was rusted shut.  Can you imagine?

 

 

Sometimes Jem and I visit the city, it's nice.  I love the fountains and the statue.  This is near Rice University where my uncle attended in '38.  My dad climbed the statue in the distance with friends here as a fraternity stunt.  The police back then looked on and watched amused!

Oh my, it's been busy here lately.  I've learned lately to really concentrate on being a little girl to the Father...I've been talking to God as a child would, very, very transparently and it's such a wonderful feeling to be able to do so...I do try hard to rest in that and am sometimes a nervous little lady about things especially when it comes to my 93 year old mom.  We all keep an eye on her but things come up, and I'm sure any of you can understand if you have an elderly parent.  But the Lord is so good to me, He listens beautifully to my concerns, big and little.  No prayer is too small for the Father.  

 

I wish I could be at rest like this little girl *all* the time...Jem tells me to stop worrying!  Jem does not worry.

 

Here is a song that I've always loved and right now it has special meaning to me, do you remember Keith Green?  He had been a child prodigy and later wrote for a television network among other accomplishments.

I remember when Keith Green died in a private plane crash, it was horrible, some of his little children were with him.  I was expecting our first baby and we had just seen Keith Green in concert the previous spring.  I remember it like it was yesterday, after the concert I saw a young man I went to school with, he was the son of a famous astronaut.  He had the looks of Montgomery Cliff the famous actor.  Jem and I had been lifting him up in prayer, the Holy Spirit had put the young man on my heart.  Who did I see?  It was the young man, he was with other young guys getting on a bus, and I stopped him, franatically calling his name.  He couldn't hardly talk, the drug use had done something to him.  I still think of him, I hope and pray God restored him fully, he was a brilliant young man.  He was in normal clothing, jeans and a colorful button down 70s shirt, the other young guys were in black pants and white button down shirt uniforms.  Apparently he was the new guy.  

 

This song by Keith Green ministers to me in a special way, it still brings tears to my eyes.   I hope you too will be  blessed by this special song, When I Hear the Praises Start...

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Thank God my blood pressure challenge is becoming better, I study nutrition so have put the pedal to the metal on some things.  Keeping my sodium count to 1000 to 1500 a day.   Hibiscus tea is absolutely a Godsend and I'm drinking a cup or two of that, I love it iced too. I've cut down on caffeine, drinking a half calf blend of my own, and then refresh with decaff after a couple of cups of half.   This is not meant for medical advice but just personally what I do as I do research and God leads.  Stress is an enemy of mine I can see that too, one of, if not *the* biggest culprit.  Did you know (according to Dr. Peter Osborne) you can take your bp wrong if you do not have your arm more in line with your heart (I place mine on a pillow now) and also resting for a few minutes first (I sit quietly for five minutes).  Osborne states many doctors do not even take it correctly and it can lead to false highs.

 

In the meantime, with life going on I try to keep things happy and uplifting.   I take walks on most days.   When I get in, I try to keep my appearance a cheery one.  It affects me, how I am dressed and keeping up with myself.  

This is what I'm wearing today, and many days.  A favorite.

  

A colorful vintage-look print skirt I made.  It's so cheery I think!

 

I just finished this one:

 

 

This sweet fabric is from Hobby Lobby, I thought this would look so pretty with a black top, one of my signatures, or perhaps an off white cotton eyelet trimmed sleeveless tops. 

I'm working on a "Peanuts gang" print one, a "fall" print and a "dog" print.  I hope to post those soon!

 

Life is interesting, we can walk and talk with Him though.   Sometimes people can even say things to hurt us, perhaps they are calling our good, evil in some-off-way, entitlement can be involved, perhaps they look at us coldly as we are shocked out of our gourd.  Oh how it hurts our hearts!  We're just blown away when this happens and feel sucker punched. We immediately wonder who wrongly influenced the person.  But I will not be a victim.  Keeping a right heart, I'm praying for the person to be convicted by God. 

 

Here's a couple of  plaques Jem and I saw in Fredericksburg:

 

Haha, funny and true too!

 

Amen to that, I thought this was so sweet and a precious reminder.

 

Here is another song I'll close with that ministers to me greatly, I hope you will enjoy it too.  Be blessed and at Peace dear Readers, this song is by Fernando Ortega.  Jesus, King of Angels...Just beautiful...

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 Signing off from My Forest Cathedral...I just asked Jem a good title for this blog, He said... "Don't Worry".  (big smile)

Take care All,   let me know how you all are doing!  ~Amelia

 

Pondering Memorial Day. Best Years of Our Lives (1946) The Every day Challenges, Laughs and Memory. ADDED EDIT.

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Oh my heart.

One of my very favorite movies for this day.  'Best Years of Our Lives'  (1946). It was once said this movie is the most accurate of how the soldiers felt after WWII and what they experienced.  I highly recommend this movie, even the music score is beautiful!  

I have other favorites too but thought this would be nice for starters since I'm keeping this blog entry short.

 

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My parents as many of you know; my dad went to Gulfport Military Academy in Mississippi.   He was a captain there as a student.  I love this portrait so much, it hangs in my home in a place of honor.  I thought it spoke volumes this Memorial Day.

So much going on these days around the Forest Cathedral, just wanted to quickly put this up in honor of Memorial Day.

 

We look at the culture and it can be sad to us, but we can keep our personal homes in an attitude of prayer and calm coupled with cheerfulness.  God is faithful.

 

For me personally, it's been a bit unusual here, I was shocked to see I had high blood pressure.  Me?!   How?!   Sometimes life is stressful with an elderly parent, the concerns and emergencies than can arise etc.  I've never had a problem with high blood pressure so this is very new to me.   The only time I can remember having high blood pressure was one day when I was expecting our first baby and I was in my early 20s, there had been an altercation the day before and it showed the next day, but that was the last time that I know of.  I've delivered four babies and my doctor would always comment, Beautiful as usual! when he took my bp.  So you can imagine my shock!

I'm wired very sensitively, I'm a genuine Highly Sensitive Person, an HSP.  A Gift but it can also be trying in life, we seem to feel things and pick up on more than the average person.

 

I hope to put another blog up soon!  I have more I would like to share with more photos I do think you all would enjoy.  Prayers are coveted as I'm  trying very hard to stay away from any stress of any kind.

As Philippians 4:8 says, we need to think upon things of good report, things that are lovely.... : )

 

One kind of funny thing that represents things, the other morning I see my devotional on the floor under the coffee table of all places.  I see this strange white wad that looked like a coccoon of all things!  On closer examination, the wad was a wad of white chewing gum!  One of our precious little 3-4 year old grandsons who were here the other day decided that they would conveniently put their gum on Mimi's devotional  that is on the coffee table, and then casually slip it under the coffee table on the floor!   I had to smile and then just laugh!   I told Jem and he just laughed and laughed...

For some reason it was just the picture of how life is sometimes!    I think that's pretty good....A Blessing, ya just have to laugh at little things like that!    

I may start writing memories I have that were happy ones, when I take my blood pressure I purposely think upon those things.

One of those was me taking our little girls to a Memorial Day ceremony at a courthouse...Our little girls would carry their homemade autograph booklets made out of red, white and blue construction paper so our elderly veterans there could sign them as our little girls held the booklets in their little hands.  I remember being so very touched at this ceremony that I was tearing up even using a tissue ...One of the elderly vets, probably from WWII looked over at me, a baby in my lap...I think he wondered what my story was...And I wondered what his story was.   And still do...

 

God bless and be with you all until the next time...May we lift our country up in prayer.

EDIT  5.28.28   Please oblige, I must add the following song I just heard.  This brings tears to my eyes, beautiful, just beautiful.

What's Been Going On? Sewing Practical Skirt sets, Desperate Decluttering...Nature - God's Handiwork and Music Suggestion

Oh me oh my, it's been so long and I feel as if I've neglected my poor little blog.  But I've been so busy with the work of home and all of that entails with the grand-littles, elderly parents and cooking nutritious dinners and all of that jazz...and yes, decluttering.  Not stupidly throwing away things that might be needed but giving things away that I don't like anymore or don't fit.   Or putting things in an evaluation bag for a year or so.  (No pressure that way)   With everything that goes...I haven't been able to squeeze blogging in and have not even known what to blog about, for the theatre of my mind is so very full.

So this is life here, please oblige...

One sewing goal that was an immediate need in hot weather now is making two practical cool skirt and top sets.  Something feminine but casual and cool for home, I don't wear skirts every day but in the warmer weather it sure is nice and it feels so feminine too.  I can pair these sets with sandals, mix and match with other things in my closet and even throw tennis shoes on with these skirt sets, it's kinda cute.  

Easy-Breezy

These tops are from Simplicity 1690 and I made mine vneck.  Both of these outfits are from very comfortable and  breathable cotton lawn fabric.    The skirts are Simplicity 4881.  I made mine maxi length. The  belts are just my made-up belts I used with the leftover fabric.  The top has very small side slits on bottom but not necessary, the tops are a little shorter, almost forming a peplum appearance and I like that.

 

I added navy ric rac on this one so the outfit would compliment my fair skintone a bit better.

 

Last Child in the Woods

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This is a neat shot of my son in law with our grandsons enjoying God's Handiwork...

A good book?    Last Child in the Woods.  If you are tired of all of the screen stuff?   Read:   Last Child in the Woods, it's an excellent book, the Lord used that book to help me and direct my feelings and heart before moving out here.   God had been working on my heart, yes indeedie. 

 

 

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So nice when you go out to eat and you are seated across the window from that awesome old house, you whisper Thank you Lord! ....Oh the stories that home must have!   When it was for sale we would walk over there and peer into the windows, you could tell there were some parties probably presented there, a few  white porcelain rolling style carts on the back porch area near the kitchen.   A huge glass fixture hanging over the den...Huge with swirled mint green, baby blue, pale pinks and lavender in a solid glass giant fixture.   The town is a polite one...Have you noticed different towns and areas have different spirits to them?  When we look at the history many times we see why, what kind of people founded the town, were they mannerly?  Did they appreciate the arts?  Were they good Christian people?

 

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Meet Missy Christmas.    Our daughter called us late in the night on December 27, and told us about a poor dog spinning in circles out in the freezing cold.   They tried to warm her with blankets and the next morning we went out, Jem and I, to get that fur baby.   She's blind and has been mistreated, the youngish vet looked at us and said:   

She's had one hell of a life.

She's in good hands now...Oh my heart.  What a sweet little good natured doggy...Little angel.  Who dumps these precious animals, God's creatures?   Who does this?

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Creative Touches.  Our oldest daughter and her husband gave us this handsome lazy susan to us for Christmas.  Our kitchen island was the perfect place for it!

 

One of our neighbor's cows.  I love to see these guys and gals with the little calves...

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Our daughter who lives at home is mommy to this little guy...Atticus.  

 

One of the fur angels here, she's so sweet with her little pink nose!   Mo-Mo.

 

 I love to keep things old fashioned here.  Why not?  With all the things going on in the world, I can keep this a sanctuary and play sweet things that clear the mind, make me smile and allow me to hear God's Still Small Voice.

 

This precious music station has just what I was looking for...

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Well Dear Readers, I think of you all often.  I never thought I would be away so long when I posted my Christmas post but here I am! : )

Memory Bank This Week  Edit 4.4.23, our daughter sent me this pic!

   

I played a vintage Candy Land game and Pick-up-Sticks too with one of our little grandsons...So fun!   Nice memory to put in my memory bank. *big smile*

 

May we lift our country up in prayers and make our little homes that sweet sanctuary in attitude and prayer.   They will know we are Christians by our love.   We don't have to compromise on anything or be afraid to speak out, but they will know we are Christians by our love and in my opinion our sincere example. 

 

May we lift our country up in prayers and make our little homes that sweet sanctuary in attitude and prayer. How will our kids and grandkids remember us?   I hope a Holy Ghost smile will always be there for my family. 

 

Until the next time...Signing off from My Forest Cathedral

~Amelia