I love this picture. It is one of my favorite fall images! Doesn’t a little rust make everything look a little better? No? Oh, well, I think it does!

Tina, Shirley and myself enjoying a fall craft show…and dressing for the occasion!

Isn’t this a clever picture…taken through a screen door!

And, the beautiful ‘orange’ that closes the day…magnificent!

Before we move totally into the fall season, I wanted to post one of my most favorite pics of all times. Balance…it’s a beautiful thing, isn’t it? I’m sure we could all think of some clever things to say about ‘balance’ in our lives…but, I think I’ll just let this one speak for itself. Balance!

I recieved the following e-mail from my friend, Jolene. It was of special interest to me since I have a dog. Please read this and pass the info along to other pet lovers:
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Yesterday one of our dog agility friends
experienced a tragedy and
wanted me to pass a special message along to all
of my dog loving
friends and family.

Please tell every dog or cat owner you know.

Over the weekend the doting owner of two young lab mixes
purchased *Cocoa Mulch* from Target to use in their garden. They loved the way it smelled and it was advertised to keep cats away from their garden.

Their dog Calypso decided that the mulch smelled good enough to eat
and devoured a large helping. She vomited a few times which was typical
when she eats something new but wasn’t acting lethargic in any way.

The next day, Mom woke up and took Calypso out for her morning walk.
Half way through the walk, she had a seizure and died instantly.

Although the mulch had NO warnings printed on the label, upon
further investigation on the company’s website, this product is *HIGHLY
toxic*to dogs and cats.

Cocoa Mulch is manufactured by Hershey’s, and they claim that ‘It is
true that studies have shown that 50% of the dogs that eat Cocoa
Mulch can suffer physical harm to a variety of degrees (depending on each
individual dog). However, 98% of all dogs won’t eat it.’
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This Snopes site gives the following information:

Cocoa Mulch, which is sold by Home Depot, Foreman’s Garden
Supply and other Garden supply stores, contains a
lethal ingredient called ‘Theobromine’. It is lethal to dogs and
cats. It smells like chocolate and it really attracts dogs.

They will ingest this stuff and die. Several deaths already
occurred in the last 2-3 weeks. Just a word of caution, check
what you are using in your gardens and be aware of
what your gardeners are using in your gardens.

Theobromine is in all chocolate, especially dark or baker’s
chocolate which is toxic to dogs. Cocoa bean shells contain potentially
toxic quantities of theobromine, a xanthine compound similar in effects
to caffeine and theophylline. A dog that ingested a lethal quantity of
garden mulch made from cacao bean shells developed severe
convulsions and died 17 hours later. Analysis of the stomach contents
and the ingested cacao bean shells revealed the presence of lethal amounts of
theobromine.
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Please spread the word about this…our pets depend on US for their well-being.

I found a most interesting article on the Internet recently, and wanted to share it with you. Kelley Styring has authored a book entitled “In Your Purse: Archeology of the American Handbag”. Just the little I was able to read is fascinating. Why do we carry the things we do in our purses? Is there an underlying reason that we ourselves do not even realize? These are the categories she says are in the majority of the purses in our country. Finance***Eye care***Memberships***Coupons***Office Supplies ***Keepsakes***Beauty Care***Jewelry***Identification***Nail Care***Keys and Key Chains***Feminine Hygiene***Receipts***Paper Products***Cell Phones***Cigarettes***Insurance***Oral Care***Food/Gum/Beverages***Weapons***
Cameras***Healthcare***Electronics. How does your purse measure up to these categories? I had them all except Cigarettes, Feminine Products,and Weapons…unless you count the debit card…I can do major damage with that!

Quoting from the article…..
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