Life at a "Swell's" pace: Family and Home

We've taken up the trend of growing avocado trees from seed. We have been saving our avocado seeds throughout the year and trying our best to get them to root. We've has a bit of success and therefore we've planted them in small pots and then combined them into a large pot all together. They've struggled a bit, but they are growing. We haven't read about how long it takes for them to grow larger, but for now we are happy with what we've created. The plants currently share a pot with some ginger found in the back of our refrigerator a few months ago. Waiting to see what happens with that, as well.

There's different way to get them to root, but I've always found that the toothpick balanced on the top of a glass has worked best for us.

I like to wait until there's a good group of roots showing and a small sprout coming from the seed before transferring them to soil.

These are the plants that the seeds above created. This is about a year's worth of growing. There is ginger in the pot with these, but overall there's definite success with the seeds. It's kind of satisfying to know that you can eat the avocados and with a little patience allow it to continue on with life. Everything in this world has a purpose, and I feel that sometimes giving other living things a chance to continue on living, is a great way to appreciate life on a different scale.

AKA: Hardy (April 2006 - June 2025)
Safe travels, buddy. Until we meet again...

We said goodbye to Hardy (AKA Mr. Farts) this week, and it was hard as hell. We have lost pets that we loved over the past 20 years, but this one hit differently. Hardy was so loving, kind, loyal, and smart; he was so smart. I don't think there was a time when he wasn't just all about us. He loved riding in the school bus, and he loved being wherever we were. All of our pets have had cool personalities, but we all had a different connection to Hardy in different ways. He knew that he could eat snacks with Jeff, popcorn, peanuts, chips, and crackers, without consequence. Jeff was his go-to for sneaking snacks. With Skylar, he knew that he could go for walks or runs whenever he wanted: walking down to the river with Skylar, drinking water in the canal, or running the many trails around the city. He would also know that he could go to Skylar to go outside in the backyard. With me, Hardy knew that where I was would be quiet. When I worked on my computer, he knew that he could relax without being disturbed and know that he was safe and loved. He started slowing down as he got older, but his jumping up high when it was time to go outside stays with all three of us. He was such a high-energy Miniature Pinscher, and he is the main reason why Baz lived as long as he did. Hardy kept everyone active. He was fine the day before, then not the day after. He stayed active up until the day it was time to say goodbye. His doggy soul was tired; at 19 years old, he was just tired.

The day before we spent time with him as much as we could. We laid with him outside in the grass, put on his outfits and his favorite things he loved to wear. We all loved on him and let the other pets say goodbye to him. Hardy was loving all of it. He looks so handsome in his surfing goggles.

Skylar created a train with Hardy's name on it in his memory.

We gave him one last ride in the school bus. We always joked that Hardy was either a bus driver, or a truck driver in a past life, because he loved being in the school bus so much. We are so grateful that we were able to take our long distance trip across the United States in 2024. Hardy had a great time on that trip and got to see parts of the country that not even we had seen. I will treasure those memories the most. Him looking over the edge of the Grand Canyon is one of my favorite moments with him. He was such a good boy!

His toy reindeer will not be passed down to Eleven.

His original collar and lease from Safe Haven Humane Society when we adopted him in 2011. We kept all of his records from that day and everything we needed for him to come home with us. I went into Safe Haven Humane Society to donate some items and saw this tiny black and brown doggie with a cone on his neck sitting the corner of a fenced in area. He was so lonely and kept whining for me to pay attention to him. I had no plans on bringing another dog home, but something told me to give him a chance. I was still recovering from being mauled by a neighbor's dog on my left hand and arm, as well as my legs, so I was not wanting another dog at all. I honestly was kind of shunning all dogs, but my own at the time, which was Baz. But that day, it was meant to be. Hardy was my emotional support through much of my recovery. Baz was there, but Hardy and I seemed to bond on the need of love and affection. And he not only gave me that, but gave me that in a way that I will never forget. Animals have taught me the most about love and acceptance. From my cats, Milo, Meia, and Eleven, to the dogs we've had in our family. Even the dogs and cats I had growing up. If there weren't animals on the planet with us I don't think I would have made it through some of the hardest times in my life.