As usual I have no idea how to fix the pictures! Kayla says there’s nothing wrong on her end so it must be me.
Blanche was spayed today and the vet was able to tell me that she is very young – she has not even experienced a heat cycle yet so I hope I haven’t made a terrible mistake by having her spayed. He thinks she could even be younger than one year – which would make her a puppy!
When I brought her home, she had no balance and really could not walk well at all but I did not want to leave her there overnight with no one in the building but her and 4 resident cats.


I’m going to post the reader quilts that I have waiting – maybe you’ll be able to make them larger on your end.



Remember that gorgeous fall foliage I posted that we all just loved? Well, just take a look at this photo taken overlooking a church and school in New Hampshire. It is magazine quality – I’ve never seen anything like it, have you?

This quilt is from online but I loved it!

The combines are going full speed around here and Rick will start work on Thursday morning – early! I will have to get up so that Blanche won’t run out the gate when he leaves. Ugh.
I really appreciate all of you taking such an interest in Blanche – Mark said the farmer was going to shoot her if her didn’t take her home with him. I know not everyone feels this overwhelming love for dogs that I have but right now I am “living the dream”, as Rick’s friend Phil always says. How could I ask for more? Living in the country with all these animals and rescuing when I can has been my life’s dream.
Thanks for coming along on the journey! Keep your fingers crossed that I can figure out the picture problem.
Your pictures came through beautifully! What a lovely dog – and bless you for saving her life.
Pictures look fine to me. The one of the orange rainbow is amazing! Bless you for loving those doggies. Blanche looks very sweet!
Thank you for being one of God’s angels for the animals. Blanche is so blessed to have you watching over her!
Pictures came through just fine!
Pictures came through just fine. Poor Blanche definitely looks “woozy”. Now is your chance while she is kind of “slowed down” due to surgery. Perhaps you can get her in the house or the porch. Your loving attention may resonate with her while she is heeling. Were you able to get her chipped while while she got fixed? Might help if she is a runner. I cannot even tell you what I think of people who abuse animals. GRRR. Keep up the good work Mary. All the good works, quilts, teaching, animals, sharing your many, many talents. Wonderful stuff.
Jan in NW WI – Yes, I had her checked and she doesn’t have a chip or a tattoo! She’s mine! She’s in the house tonight sleeping off the anesthesia- I will sleep on the couch next to her in case she gets scared.
Mary, that’s so sweet of you! She is such a lucky pup to be with you!
The pictures all came through fine. Blanche is very lucky to have met you with your loving heart. You being you is what has drawn all of us to follow you. Hugs
Looks to me like you have figured out the photo issue as they are coming through here just fine.
Blanche is one lucky puppy! When I die, I want to come back as a Country Threads/Mary Etherington rescue!!!! ❤️
Blanche is beautiful & a lucky girl to have become a part of your crew!
The pictures came through just fine! I like the full rainbow too, WOW!
Blanche is one blessed puppy! If she is that young she will respond to your love and kindness in no time! You can train her too so she doesn’t run. It won’t take her long to heal.
I received the pictures!! I like the full rainbow too, WOW!
Blanche is one blessed puppy! If she is that young she will respond to your love and kindness in no time! You can train her too so she doesn’t run. It won’t take her long to heal.
I have always spayed or neutered my pups before they were a year or had come into heat. Never a problem. I can’t imagine shooting a dog. How do people do such a thing? Thank you for loving Blanche. What a blessing for all of you!❤
Lucky Blanche, she is one lucky dog to have found a home with you!! Wonderful to have the pictures back!
Thank you Mary! I enjoy reading about your days. I love the animals but really love the quilt inspiration.
Today I visited the shelter my daughter volunteers at in southern Illinois. They work on a shoestring budget, supported by donations. Having rescues live in a foster home is so much better for the dogs. You are doing a special job, Mary.
I ditto everything the others have emailed. Jan in WI, Gayle, Diane B, and Jan S. and I think alike! Who would have thought that such a big dog is just a puppy! So, I wonder how big she’ll be when she’s older? Blanche is going to have a wonderful home with you.
Many years ago friends adopted a puppy from the Humane Society and named her K2 because she was too little to be a K9…haha. My husband pointed out that she had very large paws. That’s because K2 was a Great Dane! She was loved by this family her whole long life.
The pictures are great! The one of NH is amazing!
Hi Mary,Blanche is so beautiful, and so lucky to have you! Stella will be 4 on Friday, hope l can get some photos to send to you lt is wonderful to have the grandchildren here,our summer is coming so looking forward to plenty of sunshine. Best wishes to all, Sandy
I worked with a gal up in Forest City who had a Wolfhound. At the Good Sam nursing home. They had like a pet show and she brought him in. Very tall and long dog, more a lighter gray. I remember it was really calm and well behaved. I believed her and her husband moved to one of the Dakota states.
Ruthie – you described Blanche when you said “really calm and well behaved” – I don’t know how she got this way unless it’s the breed.
The pictures look fine to me. In another life I would still be living on the rural Iowa 8 acres where I grew up and I would be doing exactly the same. I love all animals too. I am so glad Blanche is living with you now.
Mary,
You are a bright light in my day. My husband of 60 years has had a terrible summer. Anemia since early spring ( not associated with an acute bleed according to the lab report ) hearing loss, fatigue beyond belief!! Passed out in our home in late Aug. Hospitalized for a week. Bleeding gastric ulcer the culprit. Fixed ( we hope ) but hard to get at via endoscopy and he is NOT recovering. Has lost so much weight he looks like a victim of the holocaust. I am so worried about him. He does NOTHING all day but doze in his chair or watch tv. I’m not ready to lose him yet all though I realize it is God’s time, not mine. We have an appointment with his G.I. doc in two days. I hope for positive answers.
Again, your posts are a bright spot in my day. Thank you. All though I realize why
you couldn’t continue with the Goat Gazette, I really miss it!!!
Be well ,
Bonnie – oh, your poor dear husband! It must be so hard to watch him decline but like you said, the timing is God’s, not ours. That doesn’t make it any easier to watch from the sidelines. In keeping with the times, just consider this blog a continuation of the Goat Gazette!
Bonnie in AZ – please send me an email at maryehazel2020@gmail.com
Bonnie,
We will pray for you and your husband.
So sorry to hear of your suffering.
Who could possibly not love Blanche.
❤❤
Your post looks great, the pictures are in “living color”. The church and rainbow are phenomenal.
Mary, you are such a good mom to all those critters. Staying with them through the night just to make sure they feel safe. Soon, you’ll be giving her your tee shirt to sleep with.
God Bless, Mary for all you do!!
Mary, Thank you for your kindness to Blanche. Keep us up to date. Beautiful fall day here in the valley. we are enjoying fresh cider and cider donuts and I made an apple pie to go with the fall season.
Carolyn b Shenandoah valley VA
That Blanche is a sweetheart. Love her loving face. I’ll bet that by tomorrow she will be feeling much better.
The four-patch quilt by Jeannie is so cute. I love those little critter faces in two of the patches.
What a beautiful photo in New Hampshire. Very unusual rainbow, if that is what it is.
Good Night All…
The pictures came thru just fine, Mary. I hope Blanche feels much better tomorrow; she is one lucky puppy to have landed with you and Rick.
I am loving these beautiful fall days and making applesauce for the freezer. 🤗
I pray poor little Blanche is feeling better today! How great that she is in the house finally. I know you will let us all know how her night went.
I’m glad Blanche is so young as it will be easier to keep her difficult start in life in the rear view mirror. Getting her to sleep in the house since she was too groggy to complain is a great start to getting her to be in the house in the winter. Too cold in northern Iowa to do otherwise! I wonder why the farmer who had her first even got her since he certainly didn’t love her at all. Pictures look great as usual—so glad you figured out the problem.
Pat Smith – Blanche is feeling good this morning – our next lesson is the dog door so she has a choice without me to open the door.
The photos were perfect on this end. Love seeing everyone’s works of art.
I am sure it was a hit and Miss sleep for you last night keeping an eye on Blanche. You’ve been a good mama to her and for having the common sense to get up early tomorrow to make sure she doesn’t run out. She’s safe now so doesn’t have to run from someone as cruel and heartless as a farmer who would shoot a dog. If he had enough money for ammunition he had enough to buy a bag of dog food. Thank God Mark brought her to a wonderful farm to call home.
Kathy in NY – she is so very thin but doesn’t seem to want more to eat – she leaves food in her bowl. I finally gave up trying to sleep on the couch and left her in the front room and went upstairs to my own bed. Today is another day to work with her.
Blanche looks so sweet. Not being familiar staghounds, I had to google them, and yes, she does look like she could be one.
Some farmers do not get sentimental about animals, but see them all, even dogs, as livestock. Maybe the farmer she was acquired from was not her original owner or breeder, but she was running and ended up on his property.
Blanche is very fortunate to end up with you, Mary. : )
Jeanne H – now that is a theory I had not considered – that she actually belonged to a farmer at the time. Most of the farmers around us are not sentimental about their animals – makes me sad.
I am so thankful the farmers I had interaction with growing up around farms treated the cats and kittens so kindly in my presence. I found it fascinating they had large bags of food stored in the milk house to feed them as I was only use to a small bag at my home we used to feed our pets. So many here ride with them in their trucks with their ears flapping in the breeze. We get our dog food from a feed store to support them and many of the horse owners walk right in with their dogs in tow. The gal at the register keeps her chihuahua in a sling on her body and loves the attention we give him.
Kathy in western NY – now there’s a little dog that’s got it made! Riding around in a sling – love it! Take a picture sometime!
I see all your photos !!
Nothing wrong with the pictures on my end,
Photos look fine and Blanche is a cutie. She is a lucky dog to have ended up with you. I agree with Jan in NW WI about abuse. I’m sure if you google Greene County NY you would find the story of the nutbag woman who tried to cut her dogs head off with a sword. Needless to say all of her animals were taken away from her instantly and hoping the outcome of her trial gives her some jail time. The dog survived hours of surgery and is being adopted by a new family. I always say if you don’t like your animal donate them to a shelter, someone else will love them. I’m sure Blanche will bounce back and enjoy her life on your farm.
Hi Mary
She is such a beautiful dog!! Wow her bone structure on her head is gorgeous! I love her brown eyes and Big nose. Such a beauty!
Thankyou for taking such good care of her she is blessed!!!! So so glad you took her in!
Bea knight
So happy Blanche is feeling good this morning! I know everyone has been waiting to hear!
Love animals too!! All kinds. The sunset (?) was beautiful.
Your pictures are fine on my old computer and just a bit south of Indianapolis, Indiana. Love reading your notes!!
Pictures look great to me!
Oh, Blanche … what a sweet face! Those brown eyes always seem to be trying to tell us something, don’t they? I’m sure she’s already feeling a little better with the anaesthetic working out of her system. I hope she soon starts feeling at home inside your home!
Thanks for showing all the pictures of Blanche! She is adorable. I may have missed it but is she a Scottish Deerhound?
MartyCae – I have no idea what she is but we think some kind of deerhound/wolfhound mix?
The picture with the church looks like Stephen King ‘s “Under The Dome”.
Mary, I’m so glad rescued Blanche!
Lovely pictures!
Bonnie, in Oregon
(Actually I’m in Tennessee visiting my daughter and son in law. ❤️❤️)