Sharing

Hi Everybody,
We have a really nice shelter in town that rescues dogs and cats, and sometimes other animals, from death row and gives them a safe warm place to live till they find their forever homes. It's called C.A.R.E. which stands for Castaway Animal Rescue Effort and the peeps that work there are really nice and caring.

For many years Mom and Dad have been taking them things they need like detergent and bleach and old towels. We also send them our old collars that we don't need anymore and we always take a box of treats when we visit. We think homeless animals would enjoy a treat, too.

Well, Mom has been getting a box together to take to our shelter friends and we'll give you a peek. See, sometimes peep make a mistake or their ideas just don't work out exactly as they planned. This box is all about that.

Back before Mom's hand needed to be fixed, she used to do a lot of knitting. She made these blankets for the shelter dogs.

 She also made a bunch of fancy dog sweaters. They're too small for most of us. They'd probably fit Mackey, but she doesn't know that she's a little dog. She thinks she's as big and tough as a wolf and she doesn't want to wear a sweater. So Mom decided to send the sweaters to the shelter so that some little dogs can have something pretty to wear when they go to their new homes.

 Then there was Mom's big Ebay find. When the two little spotty girls came to live with us, Mom and Dad thought they should wear harnesses to save their necks. Mom went to Ebay and found a pet store that was going out of business and was selling a bunch of harnesses in different sizes for about $20. She thought it was a good deal, but she had no idea, because when the box arrived there were more than thirty harnesses, five leashes and a bunch of collars. She was really excited.

 Some of the harnesses are big enough for us Water Dogs, some fit the little spotty  girls and we can all use the leashes. But we still have a bunch of harnesses left over, so guess where they're going. Some of the shelter dogs are going to look pretty spiffy in their new harnesses.

Then a couple days ago when our Chewy review items arrived, we were surprised because instead of dog treats, someone at Chewy had grabbed the cat treats and sent them. At first Mom was going to let us have them anyway, but after reading the ingredients, she changed her mind.

The ingredients are all good things but one of them is cat nip. She thought the kitties would enjoy them a whole lot more than we would, so they're going to the shelter for a special treat for the kitties living there.

Mom says she needs to pick up some detergent and bleach for the box before we deliver it because shelters have tons of laundry to do and they need all the help they can get. Don't forget, if you're going to take a gift box to your shelter, most of them list their wish lists and there are things you probably wouldn't think about, like office supplies and cleaning supplies, trash bags and even paper towels. We use a lot of paper towels for the nine of us, imagine how many a shelter uses. C.A.R.E. even has an Amazon wish list so stuff can be sent directly to them, and don't forget about Amazon Smile. Maybe your shelter is listed.

 So, when your peeps start their spring cleaning this year, remind them not to throw out stuff that the shelter could use. Keep a box or bag around to fill for them. You won't miss the stuff and it will make life sweet for them.
Your pal, Fudge
 

New Year - New Review

Hi Everybody,
It looks like lots of you are having some snow days. It's great fun, isn't it? But, after a day spent playing in the snow, a guy likes to have a tasty meal to help rebuild his energy. 

 Well, our friends at Chewy must know that because they sent us a great new food to try. This  is Blue Buffalo Healthy Starts and we tried the Country Skillet with Turkey and Egg. Yum, sounds good, doesn't it?

I wasn't kidding about this food helping us build energy. Right on the Chewy site, it says it has vitamin B12 to boost energy and improve gastrointestinal health. I asked Mom what that meant and she said it helps keep my tummy happy.  It also has chelated minerals to boost my immune system and keep my skin and furs healthy. That's very important in winter when dry air can make us itchy.

Mom was surprised when she opened the little packages because unlike other food we tried in these little containers, this is like a pate. It doesn't smell bad either. Mom's only complaint was that the containers are hard to open. They used good glue.

Noah and Mackey were the test subjects. They ate before the rest of us. So did they like it? See for yourself.

 Then the rest of us came in and gave it a good test. Norma Jean didn't lift her head even once till her bowl was shiny clean.

I thought it was great. I think I'd like some more of this tomorrow, Mom.

Tess says Chewy will be happy to send some to you, too. If you don't like turkey and egg ( who doesn't like turkey and egg?) it also come in other flavors like Southwest Skillet with beef and egg, Sunrise Skillet with chicken and egg and Northwest Skillet with salmon and egg. They all sound wonderful to us. Chewy sent us a case of Blue Buffalo Healthy Starts at no cost to us in exchange for our honest review.

Bone appetite!
Your pal, Fudge

 

Thanks

Yesterday we saw a post of the Lapdogs, Tut, Sophie and Penny, playing in the snow. We asked if we could come play with them. But this morning when we woke up, we discovered that they had shared their snow with us.

We have enough on the ground to play in and it's still coming down. Mackey seemed a little confused at first.

Then she and Syd got together and decided it was a good thing.

Syd and Lola thought they should clear off the pool, but they gave up on that idea.

There was lots of  playing  and we had a great time.

  Mom was pleased with all the happy snow faces.

 But I think I had the very best time of all.

 Nothing like a good roll in the fresh snow.

Thanks Lapdogs, it was nice of you to share your snow with us.
Sebastian

A Special Birthday Boy

Happy birthday to Sebastian.

This is one of the nicest, most gentle, well mannered dogs I've ever known.

It's been our pleasure to have him in our family for the last five years. Today we'll have something special, with sprinkles, to celebrate his sixth birthday. Happy birthday, big boy.

My Medals

As long as I'm sharing my genealogy interests with you, I have another aspect to share. This is one I knew nothing about until I accidentally stumbled on a certain website late one night. I've since become fascinated with it.

I'm sure you're all familiar with the D.A.R. - Daughters of the American Revolution. Perhaps some of you or your family are members. It's a hereditary society open to women who can prove the are a descendant of someone who took part in the American Revolution.

Well, did you know that there are dozens of hereditary societies and they have some really neat insignia? I found this website that lists many of the societies and even shows the insignia. When I started reading the requirements of some of them I realized that I qualified for several.

Instead of applying to the D.A.R., for which I qualified, I chose a lesser known organization: The National Society  Daughters of Founders and Patriots of America. To join this group, you must be descended in an unbroken paternal line from an ancestor who settled in any of the Colonies during the period from May 13, 1607 to May 13, 1687 , plus an ancestor in an unbroken line who by personal service in a civil or military capacity assisted in establishing American independence during the Revolutionary Period 1775-1784.

Instead of proving one ancestor, I had to prove two and believe me, documenting the required proof takes time and lots of hard work. It took me months to gather all the documentation I needed, but I did it and am now a proud member. Here is my certificate.

And here is my medal.

While I was doing my research and gathering all the proof I needed, I also applied to the Society of the Descendants of the Founders of Hartford. One of my great grandfathers was among the founders of Hartford, Connecticut and I already had the necessary documentation, so I applied and was accepted. Here is my certificate...

and my insignia.

For now I belong to those two , but there are a couple more that I'm thinking about joining such as The National Society New England Women and General Society of Mayflower Descendants.

  There are some that I don't qualify for, but have really neat insignia such as the Order of Descendants of Pirates and Privateers...

 and Society of Descendants of Lady Godiva.

Have a look at the list and you might find that you qualify for one or more of these organizations that celebrate our history.

New Year - New Hobby

Happy New Year ! I can't say I'm sorry to see 2016 leave.

Last year I did get back into my genealogy research in a big way and I made a lot of progress. I do have one brick wall that I'm chipping away at and maybe this is the year that I'll find the documentation I need.

 Several years ago I located the cemetery where my 5th great grandfather, Hezekiah Wilcox, was buried in 1819. Hezekiah has become my favorite ancestor. He was born on December 25, 1731 in Westerly, Rhode Island, married Hannah Parker and they had twelve children. Hezekiah was a farmer and supplied the Colonial Army during the Revolution.

 He died in Watch Hill, Rhode Island and was buried in what was then called the Jonathan Foster Burying Ground along with about 150 others. Most of the people buried there were moved to another newer and larger cemetery but 10 graves remain and one of them is Hezekiah.

I really wanted a picture of his tombstone, but I couldn't get to Rhode Island, so I put a request on the internet for someone in that area to take a photo for me. A wonderful woman, Julie,  responded and I gave her all the info I had. She spent one Saturday driving back roads looking for the cemetery and she found it. It's now referred to as Rhode Island Historical Cemetery #31.

Most of the remaining stones are illegible and that includes Hezekiah's. Julie sent this photo along with the gps coordinates. She even checked out a nearby Champlin Wilcox cemetery.

It seems that Julie is one of an international group of volunteers that document cemeteries for the website Find A Grave.  The goal is to create a worldwide virtual cemetery that anyone can visit to leave a memorial or to find information on family for genealogical research. I have used the site and found links to ancestors that I didn't know about.

On the site there are dates and links to other family members and  pictures of the cemeteries and in many cases the  markers. Over the last few months I've found many relatives and sent links to their  spouses and children. Each link has to be reviewed by the sponsor of the individual burial. I decided t become a volunteer and added some burials I was aware of that were not already recorded, Hezekiah being one.

Now I have also become a photo volunteer and will try to answer requests for photos in my area. There is a large cemetery just two blocks from us which has been well documented and photographed, but I noticed that there are about 60 infants and young children buried there that have not had photos added of their headstones. Some date back to the early 1900s.

  Last week Rob and I spent several hours walking thru the cemetery taking photos of the baby's graves. Then when I got home I added them to the website. Some are incredibly sad, but I'm doing my best to find their identities.

Everyone should be remembered and this project makes that easier. If a husband and wife are buried in different cemeteries, this site can link them and their children. I get some deep satisfaction from reuniting families in this way. If you'd like to see what I'm talking about, here is Hezekiah's link.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=173525389
His site is a work in progress as I haven't located his wife or most of his children.

If any of you are researching your ancestors, check out Find A Grave. It's a great tool and you'll lose yourself for hours looking for loved ones.