Perfectly Happy

I would be perfectly happy if I never left my house again.

I know that’s not practical and not even necessarily good for a body, but that’s what I think sometimes.

The computer is my window on the world. It’s where I connect with family and friends who are too far away to visit. I can’t tell you how valuable our daily love notes are to me.

My handsome mountain man is the best companion, so I’m not all alone up here at our mountain home. Our pups, Raini and Bondi are good companions as well and I’m seldom without Raini at my side or under my feet. Bondi, lately, has been spending more and more time in the recliner with Mike, especially in the afternoons.

We have the cats, too, and in the evenings Tiger and Blackie lay in Mike’s lap where they’ll stay all evening. But only because it’s winter. In the summer we won’t see them much at all. About the only time the cats bother with me is when it’s time to eat! Tiger is a little more social than the others and helps us play our daily game of Skip Bo.

Speaking of Tiger...

He’s been making a meal on his treats and I’ve stopped giving them to him every time he asks.

“No more treats, today,” I told him.

He turned his back on me and I grabbed my camera. He’s pouting.

I have a fabulous husband, dogs I’m mostly happy with, although I wish they’d get along better. We haven’t had any recent spats between them. Part of the reason is because I’m vigilant about things they fight over.

And I have my birds. My Zebra Finches give me birdsong in the winter. Outside I’ve got the wild birds at my patio feeders. I so love looking out my kitchen window and watching them. I have doves and cardinals, woodpeckers, blue jays, starlings, chickadees, tufted titmice, juncos, house finches, nuthatches...

As much as I like being home, I don’t mind going out (and actually look forward to it) when Sunday rolls around and we spend time with our church peeps. Our church has the best preacher. Pastor Jay doesn’t just give us a message every week, he teaches us what the Bible says. I love to listen to him preach the Gospel!

And I love Tuesday evenings. That’s when I have a CDI class and get to spend more time with fellow Christians and learn more about Christianity. We use the time after class to ask Pastor Jay any questions we may have. I try to ask good questions and stump him but I haven’t been able to do that so far. He’s pretty knowledgeable.

Nick brought his handsome boy with him this last time we met. Dakota is almost three and a rescue.

“A German Shepherd?” you ask.

Nope, but a close look-a-like. Dakota is a Belgian Malinois (pronounced mal in wah).

“Those dogs are expensive! Why would anyone give one up?” you ask.

I know, right! They can range in price from a thousand to thirty-five hundred dollars! But it gets worse.

“He was mistreated all his life,” Nick told me. “Locked in a crate in a basement so some of the neighbors didn't even know the owner had dogs! Him and his sister both. He would be locked in his crate while the owners went to Texas or left to run free in the wild, unless one of the neighbors took the two dogs.”

People like that shouldn’t even be allowed to have dogs!

“The owners surrendered them. Dakota would snap at people if they got too close to his cage,” Nick said.

“Why would anyone adopt such an aggressive dog?” you wonder.

I know, right! I wondered the same thing!

“I had to try,” Nick said. “They were going to put him down.”

Nick’s had Dakota about six months now and has done an amazing job with him.

When I walked in the church for class, Dakota came up to me. “Hey, handsome,” I said and petted him.

“See! He was just fine with her,” Nick said to Pastor Jay making a ‘there-you-go’ gesture with his hand. He turned back to me. “When Pastor Jay came in, he growled and put his hackles up.”

“He knows I like dogs,” I said.

“And you have dogs!” Nick said.

Dakota was busy smelling my boots where Raini had rolled all over my feet before I left the house.

Even though Dakota could rip my face off, I’m not afraid of him — and I was afraid of dogs for a long time after the neighbor’s dog bit me!

Nick and Pastor Jay were working on the video system and Nick had to go into the attic space to run a cable. Dakota was anxious the whole time, alternating between standing on the bottom of the ladder or pacing.

If Nick had been up there much longer, Dakota might’ve tried to climb the ladder. He had three feet on it at one point but only for a few seconds and I missed the shot.

It wasn’t long before my beautiful bestie came in. Dakota was happy and friendly with Jody as well.

“She’s got a dog, too!” I said.

Whether it’s because we’re female or dog owners, we’ll probably never know.

I'm never lonely and I'm never bored. I dabble in something artistic most afternoons. I can get lost in that for hours. My newest obsession is watercolors. I started about a year ago and have done four dog portraits. This is the latest one. What do you think?

I want to paint people, too, but my attempts so far have been disastrous.

"Do a monochrome and find your lights and darks," is the advice from the internet.

I did a monochrome from a photo I took of my late daughter. I'm not sure it looks much like her. We shall see if it improves my ability.

Happiness can be found in the simple things in life. Taking care of those you love, watching the birds at the feeders while you sip coffee on a cold winter's day, making something — anything! Even a batch of cookies is being creative!

My faith brings me the greatest peace. I find comfort in knowing that everything happens according to God's will, and He loves me dearly. He loves you, too. Seek God and find contentment wherever you are on your journey.