We are getting there...

There was a good reason for the break in blogging.
We are very busy with a few things and most important, our garden.
We've been cutting, pulling, digging, planting, mulching, getting sore backs, splinters in our fingers and blisters.
And we are not done yet, but we are getting there.
The front and the sides are almost done and for the back we found, after a lot of research from Jacks side the exact stuff we want for our fence in the back. It was hard, because we wanted something like you see a lot in the Netherlands and couldn't find it over here. But it looks like it is coming in fashion on the west coast, so we will be able to order what we need.

Garden centers are different in the US, they don't have the variety I am so used to and a lot of the stuff looks old fashioned to me. Also plants are more expensive than I am used to.
But, we found a local place that has a lot of plants and shrubs that are, when it is the season for it, are very affordable.

Guess I'd better show pictures than words :-)

Today we added a hammock which is in the shaded area. Only, it is way too hot to use it. Actually, right now it is way to hot to be outside at all. Which is why I am behind the pc at 2 in the afternoon.  We have had some real ho weather for a few days now and I have been watering everything like a madman.

Something else that keeps me busy is working towards my own pet photography business. Am using every opportunity I can find to practice and also talk to people. It helps that our neighbor got a new dog that I walked a few times, that they also have cats, like another neighbor and they are all willing to help me out by letting me take pictures. I know, we have 4 dogs, but I think you could compare them with the pillows on your couch, 90 percent of the time there isn't much movement. Also, I had my own business cards printed and yesterday we went to the Harrisburg Art Fest and looked at how people had set up their booths, what was offered and I got to talk with a photographer that had made this same step just a few years ago with her wildlife photography. She offered her help if I had any questions which I gladly accepted. 

It is all very interesting and exiting. It won't be really working until I get my drivers license, but also that will be done soon.

The thing that really surprises me is how much help and support I am getting from a lot of people. It is so different from my experiences in the past in the Netherlands. It gives me a lot of confidence to start another adventure.

Blame it on the greyhounds!

If you think about it, an awful lot of things happening in my life can be blamed on our (Spanish) greyhounds. 
Jack and I wouldn't have met if it weren't for them.
It helped my self confidence and social skills, working in a rescue organization for these dogs.
Have a lot of friends thanks to them.
It did wonders for my language skills having to contact greyhound rescues all over the world.
I'll even blame them for giving me the courage to move to the US to them, since I knew they would be a constant factor in our life.
They also are the 'always' available models for my photography, which made me a better photographer and that gives me the courage to start my own business.


We have more dogs in this house than people. That means that a huge part of our lives evolves around them. Hard to avoid, since they are pretty big and have more space on the couch than we have.
And going away for a full day is hard, try to find someone who can walk 4 big dogs and who you can trust to not let them off leash when they go crazy over a rabbit or squirrel.
We'll have to get a bigger car because of them, got laminate flooring in the house because of them and just spent an fortune on vet bills for regular vet work for all 4 (and we're not done yet).
We're also looking into getting a fence around the backyard so they can run off their energy. Which means we will probably have to say goodbye to the grass that is still there. They also have their own room in the house, with their own couches, which is baby gated off from the rest of the house. They can still see and hear us, but it is safe when the front door is open.
With four big dogs, you also have to pick up a lot of poop. And sometimes they have accidents in the house. You have to walk them 4 times a day. They eat a lot of food. Chicken necks look really yuckie!
And I don't like the smell of canned fish when I divide the portions over the kibble.
And lets not start about doghair, I'll find one in our food occasionally. And we never have clean windows, it is dogsn'art' all over.


But I wouldn't want to miss them!
I love how Johnny now brings his pillow upstairs every morning to wake me up and show how happy he is. How Tex decided that I give perfect scritches and stand with me for a long time pushing his nose under my arm. How Cara gets more and more playful and outgoing, she makes us laugh. And how Paquita is still her sweet, gentle self and wins over so many neighbors that love on her.
I love how they all get along so perfectly and after nine months it is like they lived together all their lives.

Now, wouldn't a whippet look great with them?

Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhh

just watched the news.
Just a few miles away from us, they saw a young black bear in town?

We are given guidelines:
Don't feed the bear
Take birdfeeders down
Make sure no trash is outside


And here I was, thinking Jack joked when he said they had spotted a bear not long ago in the area we went for a hike...