I have been house sitting for four dogs, three cats, three turtles, and one Iguana this week. It's been quite an experience. I know they miss their owners, but we have become quite accustom to each other.

The dogs are all young and rambunctious. Their favorite activity before they settle down for the night is seeing who can bark the loudest while seeing who can run the fastest though the house. They are like little kids that get so hipper in the evening, before they collapse and fall asleep.

All 4 dogs wear collars that respond to an invisible fence. They have a large yard to play in and a dog door that lets them access the laundry room during the day when no one is at home. This gives them a chance to come in out of the hot southern summer days.




When someone is home they pretty much have the run of the house...totally spoiled and very lucky pups. All four are rescue dogs and so are the cats. Three dogs were dropped off in the neighborhood and left to fend for themselves. The newest addition was coxed out of the woods, he was covered in ticks and fleas, hungry and thirst.

Alley, the latest kitty was in a nearby road side ditch...almost dead and covered in diarrhea, pus closed eyes and hardly able to stand. She took a week to even start to recover, and get past the brink of death.
But she made it and is now an adorable peach ball of love.

What is so remarkably unbelievable is how people can throw away animals, like the thoughtless people that roll down their windows and toss out the trash to litter the road sides we drive by. What has become of kindness and consideration and responsibility? Animals suffer...does that word not mean anything? Have we become so hard hearted and callous in our society, that taking care of a helpless animals is meaningless?

The responsible thing to do is at least take them to a shelter, where they have a chance and won't suffer starvation and thirst, disease and injury...if you are unable to provide a loving home. Most important is to stop the excess population by getting your pet fixed. We don't need anymore...so many are being put down daily, just because there is no one to give them a good home.

People, all I ask, is be responsible! Do what is right, like this pet owner, you will be blessed for they fill your heart and lives with unconditional love.

Earth is just a tiny dot in the Milky Way as seen from Mars

My sister lives in Denmark and I live in Tennessee...I can't help but reflect on how different her life is from mine.

When you think of Europe, the size is similar to the USA, but when I cross the border of Tennessee and enter Georgia there is little difference, or Kentucky...the culture language, architecture, restaurants...etc. are still the same. But when my sister leaves Denmark, and crosses into Germany or Sweden things really change. This summer she spent 2 weeks on the Coast of France and in the mountains. And this week she took her daughter to Sweden to start her Master's program. The experiences as so strikingly different. New language, of course, but the foods they eat, the life style is really unique...a real cultural change.

America is a beautiful country, don't get me wrong..the nature changes from plains, to mountains, to deserts, and beautiful coastlines...but there is that missing something that makes traveling in Europe so special. Maybe it's the centuries of History. The kings of Denmark go back a thousand years, our Presidents only go back about 200 years. And the cities have such an amazing mix...startlingly modern blended with buildings that date back to the 1500's of even before. I miss the contrasts, the customs, the authentic. I love Epcot, it has done a great job of trying to show us the world, but it only wets the appetite...hardly even an appetizer for the real thing.

So that brings me to another thought. I consider myself a wanderer here on earth...and I truly am. I started life in Denmark and came to the States, as a child, first living in Minnesota, then to Hawaii for 2 years, and back to Michigan. I spent time in England in college, and visited my parents who were now living in Tromsø, Norway...and several trips to Europe though my adult years. But I have only one place I can truly call home. It is with my Brother and Savior, Jesus, my Father God, and the rest of the Magestic Family, in heaven. I don't know yet, when I will be going, but these troubled times seem to indicate that it can't be far away. How much long can this worn out world hold on?

I can't begin to imagine the vast experiences we will have once there. We think of our world as old, with so much history and incredible sights to see and interesting people and cultures to experience, but I don't thing we have more than an inkling of what awaits us there. Grand Canyon, or the Alps, the topical beauty of the islands give us a small taste of the marvels of creation, but I can't wait to see the vastness of the Milky Way, of which earth is a minute part. Remember, the same Creator made earth, so just imagine what the universe will be like where evil has not marred the wonders of it all. It will take forever to see it all, and I am sure I have a tour guide, that has been with me all the days of my life here on earth, wanting to show me everything. I am going home!