Goodbye, Mr. Farts

 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.

Goodbye, Mr. Farts. We will see you again.

Five Simple Things (June 20)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. These peaches.

And they were delicious!

2. These cards.

I sent these pop up cards to my nephew and niece in Arkansas. The Rite-Aid in our city closed after CVS purchased all of the Rite Aid holdings after Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy twice in less than three years. They kept stores open in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, but shuttered several stores. Our store was one of them. Before they closed Rite Aid had a huge closeout sell and I was able to find a lot of small items and these cards. We also were able to purchase one of the hand carts Rite Aid had in their stores.

3. These tablets.

These Good Day Calm Chocolates have been my go-to this week. I have large amounts of anxiety that I deal with on a daily bases, which medication helps regulate that. But towards the end of the evening I have a harder time calming my mind, and slowing down. These have helps a lot with that. They taste good and actually work. Good Day Chocolate also carries supplements for energy, sleep, and supplements for kids.

4. This class.

We took a CPR class this week through the local CPR course with Santiam CPR. We learned the basics on how to assess someone that's choking, not breathing, and also learned how to preform CPR on young children and babies. We were also trained on how to properly use an AED. We became CPR certified after the class and it's good training that will last a year. I highly recommend that everyone, at all ages, learn CPR. And stay up on your training every year. You could very well save a life! You can find classes local to you here.

5. These flags.

I wanted a way to display our support for marginalized groups, which makes me upset to even type that. Juneteenth flag is on the left and the Pride flag on the right. It's our way of showing that our house is a safe house for everyone. We hung hooks that I found on Amazon to the top and the bottom of the flags. We used a grommet kit to add holes to the bottom of the flag and punch through a grommet so it's a cleaner hole that we slipped through the hooks.

We will forever show support and stick up for anyone being bullied, treated unfairly, or just feeling like they can not go on. We are THAT house and we are THOSE people; the ones that care about everyone. You can find all of the items we used to create this here.

One last thing:

It's strawberry season!🍓

Positive affirmations this week:

On the same topic as the flag display post above, hating certain people, for whatever reason, people concoct in their own minds, is learned behavior. I remember years ago being at a gathering with Jeff's family, and his dad said that he didn't watch *Modern Family* because of the gay characters. That always stuck with me. That he would make such a ridiculous comment, for one, but also that his own grandchildren were standing within earshot of his comment. All I could think was, if any of these kids are gay, I hope they know that there are people who love them no matter what, and that comment comes from stupidity and immaturity. The older generation, boomers, do not seem to consider their words carefully when making random comments that could hurt someone, especially people they know and are close to. This lack of consideration for others' feelings can cause significant harm and strain relationships. Years earlier, I had lost respect for this particular person, but it seemed that at every gathering, comments were thrown around as if no one cared who heard them. I felt that some of the comments constituted bullying behavior, so I made the decision not to subject my child to that mentality. Now, skip ahead 15 years from that comment. There are, indeed, a couple of the kids who were present that day who have come out as gay or bisexual. His comment was damaging that day, and it could still be damaging today. Hating a certain group of people is neither funny, sensible, nor logical. Being where we are in life is simply a matter of luck. Some in the boomer generation seem to forget that they were the ones who coined the phrase, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." And how quickly people forget that everyone's blood is red. If you have been bullied by certain comments just know there are more good people in this world than not. You are brave, you are strong, you are accepted, and you are important.

You can do this!🌈

Have a nice weekend.

Five Simple Things (June 13)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. These fireworks.

The Strawberry Festival was June 5-8 this year and we always do two things every year. Skylar and I go through the House of Mirrors together and we get a lemonade slushy. I don't like large crowds and the fireworks sounds get to us, so we don't stick around long. We do like our two traditions, and that is just fine with us.

2. This watermelon.

Along with strawberries being in season here it's also watermelon season. The stranglehold that summer fruits and berries have on me every year will never let up.

3. This news.

The Goodnewspaper has been a reading staple in our house for several years now. When politics were starting to get out of hand and mostly negative information being posted almost every day starting in 2016 I had to find a better outlet for the exposure to so much negative news. In our house we believe in the statement than everyone is equal to the next regardless of skin color, sexuality, and even political differences. But when those political differences target a group, it's no longer political, it's discrimination. The Goodnewspaper brings in all good news from around the world without making any one group feel marginalized. You can subscribe to this monthly, old school-type newsprint here. It comes in your mail and brings in some of the best stories from around the globe. I also post good news links on my Blue Sky profile. Every day I post 12 stories from around the world that bring in a bit of hope to a bleak world right now.

4. This list.

So proud!

5. These socks.

Anything with honey bees. Always.

One last thing:

We attended the No Kings protest near us this past week, and it was the first time I had attended any sort of protest. I am untrusting of our current government, and people around us who are okay with the current administration haven't said or done enough to convince me that they should be trusted. Not to mention, I wouldn't trust the judgment of those who are for the current administration on anything, anyway. Their logic is lost on the person over the party, and protesting that alone has given me a lot of pride in knowing we are definitely not alone. One main reason I have turned my back on the current government is the comments Trump made about the California wildfires. With our own people from Oregon being sent to help, he claimed, "Not a token of defense being made." What leader, or even a person put in charge of leading a nation, would even remotely make a comment like that? It is disgusting to know that people are proudly and without any reservations throwing on "Women for Trump" hats and "Make America Great Again" shirts and justifying these comments. Trump's hate of blue states not only affects those who vote blue, but it also affects those who vote red. But the people supporting this administration and making excuses for comments, especially the ones about first responders, are demonstrating stupidity in its highest form. They don't even see how supporting these statements from a man who has never even picked up a water hose to water a plant is a form of shooting themselves in their own foot. The types of behavior that are being allowed by people who voted in that direction are appalling. There is no way in hell these people would be okay with any of this had it been flipped in the opposite direction. The Trump family has gained a significant amount of money in the time he has been in office, and that fact alone should anger anyone. The "Don't Tread on Me" crowd has really become the "Tread on me any chance you get" It's disgusting, embarrassing, and disgraceful. I don't like to talk about politics on my blog, but speaking out about the corruption that is happening within our own country right now is the best approach. You're either speaking out against it, or you are on the wrong side of history and pretending not to understand for your "guy."

Skylar used the opportunity to write up an article for The Commuter Magazine at Linn Benton Community College. There was one guy standing across the street in a MAGA hat and shirt and Skylar went over to get his side of things. The guy said he was there just to make sure that no one started destroying property and were actually protesting peacefully. I found his view of our protest very obtuse and definitely mentality from listening to the current administration trying to drive a wedge between people. You can read Skylar's article here.

It was a great day and everyone stood up for their constitutional rights and it felt good to be part of something instead of just sitting by and complaining about how bad it has gotten since Trump took his second term. There were a lot of Trumps supporters that have now turned their back on his policies and attitude that were protesting with us. The No Kings protests aren't because we feel there will be a king in the United States again, but because of Trump's attitude about how he and others view our country. I would be incredibly ashamed if I still supported someone like him that doesn't even know what it's like to put gas in a vehicle, buy a gallon of milk, or even walk through a National Park, or go camping. The people that still support someone like him and think he knows what it's like to live like the middle class, or upper middle class, has no idea what they stand for then. Not to mention, those below those classes. I feel everyone should have the opportunity to live a good life, no matter where they fall on the social class spectrum.

Jeff Gates created this great poster for the No Kings protests. His artwork and features were perfect for the occasion.

I reposted this on my Instagram story. It is the streets of Portland, Oregon, and those standing up for what they believe in and protesting a dysfunctional government. The energy in these protests are incredible! If you never been part of something like this, January 6 doesn't count, then I highly recommend it. Peacefully protesting, no matter what MAGA people claim, doesn't include breaking into the Capitol and taking a shit on the floor, and threatening to hang the vice president.

My dad sent us a text to let us know that he was going to gather in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and attend the No Kings protests there. I am so proud to come from the background of two hardworking American people that stand up for my rights as a woman, stand up for the rights of gays, transgenders, and every single person being targeted by hate from the MAGA population backed by a racist, bigoted, selfish, discriminator currently occupying the White House. And every single one of the people in his administration that are unqualified to do their jobs, and the exact definition of DEI hires.

Positive affirmations this week:

Live your truth. Don't ever shrink yourself down to fit into a group of people. You only get this one life. Don't waste it on trying to be something you aren't around people that aren't even being themselves around you.

You can do this!🌈

Have a nice weekend.