It's really hard to summarize oneself for the general public. I mean, really, what does the public want to know about me? Am I married? Yes. Do I have children. Yes, three, and they're all grown thank God. (By that I mean parenting is HARD. I'd do it again in a heartbeat, but I'm really glad our offspring have all reached adulthood.) Do I have pets? Yup. Two dogs. Since the kids are all grown, you'll read more about my dogs than my kids. Because that's what happens when you get old like me. I have three grand kids, too, so you'll read about them as well. But the dogs live with me and, when I am desperate for blog topics, they usually help me out.
I’d gotten tired of looking at the coffee and end tables we’d had in our family room for about 17 years. So, we moved those to my MIL’s house and I painted some old end tables for a fresh, new look.
By “old end tables” I mean pieces I acquired at a local thrift shop about three years ago. They’d been sitting in a corner of our basement, collecting dust, just waiting for inspiration to finally hit.
Thrift Store Find (Before)
Part of the fun of these furniture painting projects of mine is finding the pieces to transform. I snagged this pair of end tables for about $50. Knowing what I know now, I probably could’ve gotten them for a bit less, but that wasn’t terrible.
I know I’ve said this before, but that Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® (ASCP) is miraculous stuff. It really does stick to anything, and really let’s you give a piece, or pieces, character.
I wanted to do something colorful and fun, but not too much fun, otherwise that Hubby of mine would hate it.
Thrift Store Find (After)
I like the distressed look, but you could easily achieve a “new and clean” finish with ASCP, too. It’s the dark wax that really lends the aged look to a piece. In the image below, the drawer on the left is how it looked before I topped it off with dark wax.
L-R, Before and after dark wax.
Speaking of fun, I wanted to line the drawers using decoupage, a technique I’ve seen my friend Janet — The Empty Nest — use many times. I didn’t have any dog-themed or appropriately colored paper on hand, and I didn’t want to go buy anything new, so I decided to use pages out of an old literature textbook.
1950s-era Textbook
I’d picked that book up a while back when my auction-house friend told people to help themselves to some boxes of books that hadn’t sold. Actually, if I remember correctly, she said all buyers had to take at least one book with them or they couldn’t leave. I was selective and only grabbed a few, some of which were excellent reads. But Ideas for Writing wasn’t one of them. I’d been hoping it was more how-to book than textbook.
I’ve actually been meaning to toss the thing. Which is why it struck me as odd that it was quite hard for me, a book-lover, to tear pages out of that book. I mean, I knew it was headed for the trash heap, or at least the donation pile, but still. It’s a book. Full of essays, stories, and poetry created by literary greats.
Drawer lining.
I think it turned out kinda cool. I even tried to use interesting bits of text.
The Finished Piece
Cute, right? Not that we’ll see much of that drawer bottom on a regular basis.
A Matching Pair
I’ll be adding table-toppers, which I will sew one day, to tie in more of the red and gold from the rug.
What do you think? Fun and functional? Or kinda ugly? You’re entitled to an opinion, too, you know.
Oh, and in case you’re wondering, I got the drawer pull (yes, they’re dog heads) from The Empty Nest. But it’s been a while, so she may no longer have them in stock.
The last time I was in Staunton, Virginia, these buildings caught my eye.
Cool-looking old buildings.
They sit just west of the intersection of I-81 and US-250 on the outskirts of town. There’s a innocuous-sounding label — DeJarnette Center — on Google Maps, and there’s a sign near the driveway, which appears to lead to this complex, announcing the Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia.
Who can resist frontier culture and cool, old buildings?
So, finding myself with a little bit of spare time on Saturday, I turned in for a closer look.
The driveway was definitely leading me toward the museum, but it was going around the old buildings. And the buildings looked creepier and creepier the closer I got.
I couldn’t help but think of places like Pennsylvania’s Pennhurst Asylum.
Really, the place gave me the willies.
It’s a pretty big complex. Just sitting there, obviously abandoned. Since it was broad daylight, and the place was surrounded by “State Property, No Trespassing” signs, I just stayed in my vehicle.
Not that I would have gotten out had it NOT been broad daylight, mind you.
I don’t claim to have second sight or anything, but there’s definitely a feeling of foreboding about the place. It felt that way to me, anyway.
I did finally come to the museum at the end of the long drive, housed in a typical, up-to-date, museum-looking building, but I didn’t have time to visit. Instead, I added it to my mental list of places-that-would-be-nice-to-visit and moved on.
I still had a few minutes to spare, so I stopped in a Virginia souvenirs gift shop. When the lady at the counter said, “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you,” I had an idea.
“There is something you might be able to help with,” I said. “You know those old, abandoned, brick buildings on the other side of the interstate?”
She smiled and nodded her head. “Yes,” she replied, “that’s the old mental hospital for children.”
Gulp. Maybe I really did feel something?
While certainly a non-PC description, it seems an appropriate title for a very creepy looking place. Read this bit of history and I bet you’ll agree it was probably just as horrible as one can imagine it to have been.
Apparently it’s been abandoned for quite some time. Some folks want to restore the place, but it’s full of asbestos and clean-up would cost a fortune. Others, knowing the history of the place, just want to tear it down.
The lady admitted that many locals believe the place is haunted.
Here’s an interesting video I stumbled across while digging for info on the place.
As much as I like old buildings, I can only imagine some of the horrors people endured within those walls.
I am sure there are quite a few people still alive today who either stayed there or had family and/or friends there. Imagine what they feel every time they see the place.
I think I’d probably be in the tear-it-down camp, if I lived close enough to have a say.
Since I had to be in Staunton mid-day on Saturday, I planned a slightly divergent route through Harrisonburg.
What’s there? A good lunch spot for me. Y’all know how much I like Hardee’s, right? Did you know that affinity is primarily because of their breakfast biscuits? With an emphasis on the biscuit.
Well, there’s another fast food joint I really, REALLY enjoy. They have even better biscuits than Hardee’s and serve breakfast 24 hours a day. PLUS, they have to-die-for fried chicken.
Bojangles’!
Sadly, there are even fewer of those around than Hardee’s, so when I see a Bojangles’ I am very happy.
Oddly, the weather was exactly the same as it was on my last two trips to Staunton.
Gray and dreary on the eastern side of the mountains.
The cloud ceiling was really low, too. Wanna know how low?
Fogged in mountain pass.
I told you it was low. But, about a mile later, it cleared. And skies to the west were blue.
Blue skies on the horizon.
Weird, right?
There was something else in downtown Harrisonburg I wanted to see, too.
Nice mosaic wall.
The wall wasn’t it, but isn’t that cute? I just wish that guy hadn’t been lurking around to mess up my shot.
Downtown Harrisonburg
The traffic light wasn’t what I was looking for either.
I was in Harrisonburg looking for LOVE.
Harrisonburg, Virginia LOVEworks
Not nearly as cute as some of the others I’ve seen, is it? Still, I’m glad to have checked it off of my list.
I wonder if there’s any more LOVE in my near future?
That’s a rhetorical question, not a teaser. Sadly, I don’t have any more trips planned. Yet.
CORRECTION: I goofed. You’l see my fix in red below. In short, Nancy is the coordinator for two Brittany rescue groups. Transports are executed without distinguishing between the two groups.
I helped out on another doggie transport yesterday. I’ve mentioned transports here before. I even described a “transport” as a time when a dog rescue group needs to get a dog or dogs from point A to point B, usually over a long distance. Along the way, folks volunteer to drive 50- to 100-mile segments. It’s like a big doggie relay.
But that makes it sound so simple. There’s a TON of work, coordination, and cooperation that goes into pulling off these “relays,” and yesterday I was thinking a big shout-out is due to the folks who make this happen consistently.
Dog rescue is interesting. Cat rescue is similar, I’m sure. Sometimes, people wonder why it seems like one has to jump through so many hoops to rescue an animal in need. Those people, who have likely never been involved with a volunteer rescue group, fail to realize the level of effort, sometimes on a huge scale and involving many volunteers, that goes into rescuing an animal in need.
First, there’s the surrender/rescue. A volunteer has to accept the animal being rescued from an owner surrendering the animal. Or a volunteer has to pull an animal from a shelter, usually at the drop of a hat, because euthanasia is imminent.
Then that animal goes to a foster home. Ideally, the foster will be close to where surrender/rescue occurred. Sometimes, if there are no local foster homes with openings, the dog has to be transported over a long distance. On occasion, there are no available foster homes, and the animal has to be placed in a boarding facility, at great cost to the rescue group.
Remember, people volunteer to foster animals. That typically means one agrees to safely house, nurture, and feed the animal at their own expense. Fosters are also responsible for arranging for veterinary care. That can sometimes mean paying the vet bills then submitting receipts for reimbursement. Some rescues and vets will handle expenses among themselves, so the foster doesn’t have to pay.
When there are medical issues, and there usually are at least minor issues, the foster may have to medicate the animal, take it back and forth to the vet many times, nurse it back to health, etc.
Whether healthy or sickly, an animal usually spends at least a couple of weeks with a foster for evaluation. It’s a foster’s job to get to know the animal’s like and dislikes, personality, etc. For dogs, that means determining whether or not it is friendly to people, food-aggressive, has separation anxiety, likes cats or likes to kill cats, walks well on a leash, is content behind a four-foot fence, requires a six-foot fence, or is determined to escape from within any height or type of enclosure.
During this time, fosters can become attached to the animal. Which is why they care and want to make absolutely sure they end up in a good, safe place, with people who will care about them, treat them well, see to their medical needs, etc.
Sorry, that explanation got a bit longer than I’d expected, but it’s important.
As for getting a dog, or a cat, from point A to point B, it is the Transport Coordinator’s job to coordinate those efforts. Once they are notified that there’s an animal to be transported — they’re usually told the start and end points — they spring into action to map out a route. Things are never as easy as they sound, trust me. That mapping doesn’t just mean planning the route, but also breaking it up into segments, known as “legs,” manageable enough for volunteers along the way.
Then, they send out a transport request, typically by e-mail, but they also use other methods like Facebook posting, Internet forums/bulletin boards, perhaps a blog, etc. When I get these requests, I review each one to see whether or not there’s a NEEDED leg I can fill.
Here’s a map of my route yesterday.
My leg was Staunton to Strasburg.
Nancy “The Rock Star” Walker
New England Brittany Rescue (NEBR) and National Brittany Rescue and Adoption Network (NBRAN) share a Rock-star coordinator. Her name is Nancy Walker. Like many of us volunteers, she helps other rescues, too. (Other Brittany rescue groups, include American Brittany Rescue (ABR) and Brittany Rescue in Texas (BRIT), to name a few.)
Nancy will probably read this and accuse me of exaggerating about her contribution. But I’m not.
Nancy did call me. But only because she felt bad that I goofed and didn’t mention that she transports dogs for NBRAN and NEBR.
Sorry, NEBR, that was my fault entirely. I completely missed this in Nancy’s e-mail signature, “Brittany Transport Team – National Brittany Rescue (NBRAN)/New England Brittany Rescue (NEBR)”
Essentially, getting dogs where they need to be is a joint effort between groups, which just means an even bigger network of volunteers is involved.
Nancy also serves on the NBRAN Board. AND, in addition to Transport Coordinator, which is a full-time job in and of itself, she’s also the State Coordinator for at least four states. Being a State Coordinator for just one state is a big job. Describing what that entails will require a separate post.
I thought sharing the text from the request for the transport I was involved in on Saturday would help you appreciate the amount of work each transport involves. Do take a look at that run sheet, okay? A document like that is required for every transport. Each one.
Oh, and I just learned from The Rock Star herself earlier today that there’s a boatload of official government paperwork required for many of the transports, too. I had no idea there were specific laws, quarantine rules, and licensing requirements in some states. Some states even require foster homes to be licensed. Jeez. I’m sure there are reasons, but it just adds a whole ‘nother level of complexity to this already mammoth task.
On Saturday, Nancy the Rock Star was responsible for six transports. And sometimes, as with my transport, multiple animals are involved.
Nancy has to update each run sheet as legs are filled. Adding info such as driver names, contact information, vehicle descriptions, designated meeting place, etc. She publishes a final sheet before the transport starts. And then, while each transport is underway, it is Nancy who monitors the progress, fielding phone calls after each hand-off and sending e-mail updates to all drivers involved.
There were at least 23 drivers involved in just my transport alone yesterday. Think of all the e-mails and phone calls associated with just that one transport.
Wanna see yesterday’s passengers?
Cyrus
Princess
If you were wondering why Cracker Barrel at Exit 222 off I-81 was noted on the map, it was the meeting spot in Staunton. It’s convenient to the interstate, has a potty, which folks like me appreciate, and a big parking lot with a secluded grassy area that’s perfect for doggie potty stops, too. I’ve been there on at least two occasions when other rescue groups were also doing hand-offs. Arby’s was the meeting spot in Staunton. During my last stop there, at least one other group was handing off.
Diana, the lady I handed Cyrus and Princess off to in Strasburg, drove the two dogs north to Hagerstown, Maryland, another transport hot-spot, since it’s near the intersection of I-81 and I-70. A second transport was also heading south, so Diana brought another dog back to the Strasburg area. Diana also brought a borrowed crate (long story) back from Hagerstown with her, which I picked up from her in a nearby town this morning.
At least one other Brittany transport was going through Hagerstown yesterday, too, carrying a puppy from Michigan to Culpeper, Virginia.
Transports are a huge, HUGE part of the rescue process. I’m hopeful this post will inspire others to volunteer. It was a half-day road trip for me, which I thoroughly enjoyed. If you don’t have that much time, or don’t like to drive far, you could just volunteer for transports that pass a bit closer to your house. If you live near a major interstate, chances are very good that rescue transports are passing nearby all the time.
Just think about it, okay? It takes a lot more effort to rescue these animals than you might imagine. Every single volunteer and every donation, small or large, counts.
Before I sign off, I have to report that there was a bit of a hitch in yesterday’s transport plan. The dogs are all safe, but the transport got a bit stalled due to, get this, the volcano in Costa Rica!
Here’s some of the text from Nancy’s e-mail late last night.
Christine was supposed to pick up Dash and Cyrus tomorrow and take them home to Maine. She was vacationing in Costa Rica and has gotten stuck there due to the volcano erupting. The planes are not taking off due to the ash. She will probably get on a fight out of the tomorrow morning, but we are not sure, so Dash and Cyrus need to stay with LeeAnn instead of leaving in the morning.
Princess will continue on as planned.
Nancy had to scramble into action again, to secure a place for Cyrus and Dash to rest their heads until Christine is available. Never a dull moment.
So, the next time you see a transport request, think about pitching in. Volunteering for a leg or two doesn’t require much effort, but it could be THE link in a chain that means life or death for an animal or animals.
Also, if you know Nancy, make sure you let her know how much you appreciate the fabulous job she’s doing. She’s a Rock Star, I tell you. NBRAN is very lucky to have her on their team.
One Sunday afternoon, back in early October, Hubby and I decided to take a short ride to take advantage of the still-mild temperatures as Fall settled in in Central Virginia. It was my turn to plan a route, so I chose the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County National Military Park as a destination, of sorts.
Meg, our 15 1/2-year-old furbaby, was still with us back then, and couldn’t be left alone for long periods. So, unless we planned ahead to line-up a dog-sitter, we couldn’t go very far or be away from home for any significant length of time. Not that I’m complaining, mind you.
For me, ride planning is rarely about specific destinations as much as it is convenient waypoints on a map. Occasionally, places of interest will draw me in, but usually only for a quick rest break and/or potty stop. The battlefield seemed like it’d be a promising picnic spot, and it was.
We don’t ride south much. The terrain is flatter, so the roads are a bit less-interesting. But it’s still a lovely area. After enjoying the lunch I’d prepared at home — we sat on the grass in the middle of a battlefield — we continued our loop.
There’s a distillery I’d planned to visit, but we somehow missed the turn. No problem, though. We can always go back to the distillery. We did , however, stop at The Graffiti House.
The Graffiti House now serves as the Brandy Station Foundation’s headquarters.
Located near Brandy Station, Virginia, The Graffiti is believed to have served as a field hospital for the South during the Battle of Brandy Station and other local Civil War battles. It also served as the Federal headquarters during the 1863-64 winter encampment.
Soldiers from both sides signed their names on the walls, left notes, and/or made drawings on the walls. This graffiti was rediscovered quite by accident in the early 1990s when the then-owner of the land was preparing to demolish the house and sell the property.
The Battle of Brandy Station was one of the greatest cavalry engagements in history. There were about 20,000 troops, of which 17,000 were cavalry, engaged in battle. That’s a lot of men and horses!
Following are images I captured inside of the structure. I tweaked them a bit to make it easier for you to see the actual graffiti.
I like that it works better for everyone. But there are some little things making me crazy. I won’t bore you with my whining, though, ’cause then you might realize I can be a little bit, just a teeny, tiny bit, anal about some things.
Oh, and I keep getting weird SSO plugin warnings, which don’t seem to have a negative impact. But I can’t figure out how to fix whatever issue to make those niggling little warnings go away.
So, when I get a spare chunk of time and am sufficiently motivated, things may change. Again.
Sorry. Sort of. I’m a visual person, so I want to get the look just right. Thanks for your patience.
