Donkey Penises and Potato Salad

Playing a game on my phone the other day, I noticed little Esme was sitting beside me. I began to giggle as I saw her hind legs were crossed and her front paw was propped up on the couch arm. She turned and gave me a look as if to say, "So, what movie are we going to watch? Do you have any fish-flavored popcorn? If so, get on it." I'm so happy she is our kitty now. Well, at least she is living with us. I don't think we "own" any of our animals. No more living outside and being a stray, starving to death, and getting bullied. Now she is our fat-bellied little Esme, making herself quite comfortable. 

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For anyone who follows the blog, you know what we did on Thursday evening just by looking at the photos. Our lovely picnic in the park. We sit under our favorite leaning blue spruce tree while snacking on Subway sandwiches, cookies, and chips. Typically, our dinner lasts about two hours, then it's off again to go home. This practice has become one of our favorite weekly outings. It's relaxing and a great place for us to sit and chat about our blessings and our worries. Love this time of the week!

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Another peaceful time in Stewart Park. It was an awesome time spent with an awesome guy. 

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Jewelry crafting and reading are our two favorite activities every week. I sold another piece of my jewelry and a couple of other pieces of the Paparazzi jewelry I've been trying to rid myself of for some time now. We're talking about years here, not weeks or months. It's going slowly, but I have had so much of it that it is taking some time to sell. 

While Terry is involved in another fantasy in a fiction book, I delve into making one or two more necklaces. I love creating jewelry and don't see myself stopping any time soon. Selling a few pieces gave me some incentive, but I have to say it is mostly due to my enjoyment of creative activities. 

I'm going through my sea life charms quickly and then will pick up again, either using different charms or by learning the wire wrapping method of creating pendants. 

The sea life charms have been fun; however, I enjoy working with semi-precious stones more. Jade, jasper, and crystal are three of my favorites. But I did take it a little further this weekend by creating a jewelry set. Not just the necklace and a pair of earrings, but a necklace, earrings, and bracelet set. 

I love this blend of colors, with the hues of blue and green tones. 

Right after completing this set, I had another order come through and sold one of my creations. That really boosts the thought of not only doing this for relaxation and creativity, but to make people happy, too. I love making it and will continue the process for as long as I can. If any readers are interested, you can find all of the Pearls & Baubles Jewelry on eBay at vipe-438. 

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My husband is still developing his second poetry book. Not many people tend to purchase books any longer, but many do purchase eBooks, and that's fine. I've been reading some books from my tablet lately, as well as the hundreds of books my husband devours in a month. It's a good thing. 

I'm proud of him for putting his poetry in book form to push it into the public eye. That, to me, takes courage. I have been trying to write a book for years, and his consistency to complete the first and now the second book gives me incentive. I guess that could be another project to consider. We will notify readers when the second poetry book is published!

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As it happens, every month, the 17th rolled around again. The 17th is our monthly anniversary date. Yes, he is a romantic who celebrates our marriage every month like the sweetheart he is. This month, I received a beautiful bouquet of coral-colored lilies, roses, and other flowers, too. I love them!

Today (Wednesday, August 20), the lilies went into full bloom, and wow! The best part of the flowers he chose this time is the fact that I absolutely love the coral color! It's bright, happy, and beautiful! 

Thank you again, sweet man, for all you do to keep our marriage full of love and kindness. I hope I am doing the same. It's always a surprise when I see you walk in with flowers in your hand! 

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Our little Esme has a few knotted places in her fur. The matted areas are on her back, but once she felt the comb, she flopped over to have her belly rubbed. Always adorable. Always in our hearts. 

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For anyone who reads our life activities and happenings in the blog, there is an issue that has been resolved, finally. The issue made me sick, almost every night. A few doors down was an older man who kept at least nine rottweilers in a tiny fenced area. The yard was not large enough for the dogs, and they sat out there all day and usually most nights. I could hear them barking, fighting, crying, and howling throughout the night and day. 

I hate to stir up trouble and am not one for confrontation, but these dogs were miserable. I phoned the police twice since I have lived in this house. Each time, the same condescending tone was used to tell me that a welfare check had been done on the dogs not too long ago, but they would perform another one just to make sure. No police cars appeared. None. I could hear the dogs fighting some more, with a smaller dog whimpering. 

The turmoil was not just once or twice a day. The barking and howling continued each day for quite a while. If a car or person walked down the alleyway, the canines would start up again. I drove down there once to see nine dogs in that small yard. A couple of things were missing from what I consider decent care of pups, and especially that many dogs. No water in sight. No food. 

Eventually, the very small canopy the dogs had in the backyard to protect them from the sun was shredded. The pop-up wasn't large enough to give the dogs the amount of shade they needed. When it rained, they had nowhere to go. 

Sometimes the owner would pull them in and put a couple more out in the yard. I figured he was exchanging the nine to give them each time in the yard to use the bathroom. I heard many other neighbors had been calling the police for the past few years, too, with no results either. The dogs were waking me at night. The whining and crying made me close my office window so as not to listen to the abuse of a puppy by older dogs. I just could not handle it any longer.  

Last night, Thursday, August 22, Terry shot me a link, wondering if this article had anything to do with the neighbor and his abused, neglected animals. I opened it and began to read. My heart sank. 

Neighbors had phoned in that a puppy was being attacked by two dogs and needed help. The police headed over and finally removed the young pup from the pack. Saving Grace Adoption Center took charge of the puppy to care for it and help it heal. Nothing was said about how badly the dog was injured. 

On Tuesday, the day after the first appearance by police, Douglas County officers, Roseburg Police, and Saving Grace swarmed in, but this time armed with a warrant to search the place. Thank God they did too, as they went in only to find a large, illegal breeding business inside. As they pulled a total of 17 dogs out of the building and yard, they found firearms and even armor of some type. Typically, this would not have been a huge issue, but this man is on parole. He was arrested and given 17 charges of neglect, operating an illegal breeding business, suspected abuse, and the fact that he was on parole meant he was not to have firearms. All 17 animals were sent to Saving Grace to give them hope of finding a forever home and to give them the help they may need if they are injured. 

This little run housed at least nine dogs that the man had living outside. Besides this area, the rest of the dogs were kept inside the building. Officers had already begun to clean the area a bit by sweeping the run, and I'm sure the building, which was completely filled with feces and urine. Two dog crates were folded down and left behind here, too. All that is left are the remnants of how these poor dogs were treated. No wonder they were always crying and howling. 

One thing stood out in the article that crushed my soul. I guess the run was filled with feces and urine. The trash that is strewn all over the pen is another indication of how the poor puppies were treated. As long as they bred and made money for this heartless monster, I guess all was good. 

The skeletal remains of the small canopy sit at the end of the run. My heart broke each time I drove by and saw the dogs sitting in this pen, without even an ounce of shade. If the police had worried more about doing their actual checks on this operation and not how big, bad, and tough they thought they were, we could have ended this sad situation about a year and a half ago. The thought angers me. 

The open door shows where the old man stayed, along with the rest of the pack, I guess. Next door to this mess, a new neighbor moved in and began to remodel the space. Since these two places are connected, it would be tough for one not to know what the other is doing. I thought the new move-in was going to turn the building into an auto repair shop again, like the previous tenants had done. Instead, I just saw a sign placed above their door today. It stated the place was going to be a doggy daycare and grooming shop. Bad news for the moron who owned the dogs. I'm certain the new neighbors turned the old guy in. I'm not sure what they said or what happened to get something actually done this time, but it worked, whatever it was. Maybe just the dog fight. 

Whatever the case is that ended this mess, I'm thankful. Turned out to be a big blessing. I have not had to hear those babies suffering through their neglect or dog fights they get into. I have to say that it is a huge blessing. Now maybe those dogs can find homes they deserve. 

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Today is Saturday, August 23, 2025. All is good at the home front. Chose to work on some stackable bracelets today, using heishi beads, coral-colored beads, and even some gold beads, plus another set of turquoise, gold, and white beads. It was fun and varied from my regular necklace sets. 

However, I did also complete a couple of necklace sets along with the bracelets. 

A rose gold and gold necklace set with a bracelet and a pair of earrings to match. I love rose and rose gold. Another color combination I love is blue and gold. 

I made a mismatched blue bead necklace with two pairs of matching earrings on fishhook fittings. I love these colors together!

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Today is Saturday, August 23, 2025. Wow. We are nearing the end of August, which brings the summer to a close. Children return to school, and parents can finally take a deep breath. Next up are piles of leaves blocking space in the driveway and the lawn. Beautiful colors tend to return with the fall season, though. Fall does tend to show off a bit. 

Our day went well. We had a visit from Mallory. We always enjoy that. When the company calls, the BBQ comes to life again. I pulled the cover off the cooker and began to prepare some juicy burgers. I threw four burgers on the grill, closed the lid, and continued in the house to prepare everything else. 

Inside, I opened some macaroni salad, potato salad, fruit, and a can of baked beans. I put the beans in the microwave and headed back outside to flip the burgers. Much to my surprise, the burgers were not only already done cooking, but they were ready to be put in the Hall of Fame for the most well-done burgers known to man. Check these bad boys out:

Yes, these hockey pucks were once a pile of good beef. Ground beef, to be exact. I showed them to my hubby and watched for his reaction. First, it was a few seconds of bewilderment. Secondly, his face formed into a shocked look. I asked if I should go to the store again and grab hot dogs. He replied, "Yes," immediately. 

Mallory and I were giggling on the way to the store. Those hamburgers had not been on the grill very long at all. We fed a few pieces to Togo before leaving to pick up something else for dinner. Soon, we returned with a pack of Angus hot dogs and buns in hand. I passed by Terry's smoking spot under the patio by the BBQ, and he smiled. I flipped the lid up and heard my man say, "Babe, this time could you not cook them so they look like donkey penises?" That did call for a couple of finger gestures. 

Boom! It was as if the universe heard that remark and said, "You want to see donkey penises? Hold my beer!" Once again, on the grill for only a few moments, and eight black pieces of ash were ready to eat.  

All three of us laughed very hard over the dinner meats. Togo got the hamburger through the evening, and we did eat those hot dogs, believe it or not. They were not as bad-tasting as they looked. 

Later, Terry suggested I look in the bedroom on the floor. I walked in, and my beautiful baby had thrown up twice. Poor guy! He had not even touched his regular dinner. As I cleaned up the two spots on the rug and apologized profusely to my furry pup, he threw up again. Aw, lovely finish to a lovely evening. 

Now it's time to examine the barbecue and determine what is happening. Could it be the chef? Nah. Never. 

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I believe Togo has his sea legs back again and is doing okay. He still has not eaten his dinner, as of 9:15 this evening, but he is not hurling on the carpet any longer. Poor guy. I felt so bad for him. He always shows shame if he vomits or has diarrhea, or has any accident. He's only done that one other time. I spent a while patting him and telling him it's not his fault. That seemed to calm his pride, and he fell asleep beside me. Note to self: never, ever feed my baby any barbecued meat. At least the stuff that has been burned down to ashes. 

My baby turned out okay. After throwing up, he devoured his dinner like nothing had happened. The carpet was cleaned once again, the dog was back to normal, and now that leaves the barbecue (or the chef). Crazy that burgers and hot dogs could turn out that way, though. I did see that the flames were shooting up pretty high in the barbecue tonight. Quite possibly a good cleaning is in order? We'll see. 

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We will leave this week's post here. I finished up the weekend by making another piece or two for the jewelry line-up, but that was about the height of our excitement for the week. Terry is down to two days a week now, since they hired another man to work a day or two. Neither Terry nor his coworker wants to work full-time, so the VA hired one more person to ensure that doesn't happen. That leaves Terry with only two days a week, which is good for us. Now his weekend begins on Wednesday and ends on Sunday. We have enjoyed one extra day together this weekend!

Our wishes for a wonderful week go out to you. Thank you for reading the blog. We do appreciate you. Have an awesome week and remember to shine your light!

From our household to yours, be blessed!

Terry & Vicki Macrae

Partners in crime