Dear Speck

Speck (11/6/2001 ~ 6/24/2014)

It has been quite a while since I have posted anything - much has been going on both happy and sad. One event that has left a large hole in my life is the loss of my dear friend, Speck. It's been two months and we are still missing him. Here are a few words I wrote in his memory.

Speck AKA Mr. Speck, Spectacular, Señor Suavẽ and/or Speckita lost his battle with cancer last night ~ we are numb. Rescued from a house that contained a clap-on/clap-off fountain, at 9 weeks old Speck joined our household and became ruler of the roost ~ our dog Sparky who was 7 at the time was happy to be relieved of the top dog responsibilities. Speck was the quintessential Scottish Terrier ~ independent, feisty, faithful, vigilant and full of personality. I give him credit for helping me choose my boyfriend, Dick, keeping our yard vermin free, providing us with a zillion happy memories, and for being my loyal companion & muse through good and bad times for all of his 12 1/2 years. RIP my handsome boy, Speck ~ gone, but never forgotten.

Scotties LOVE Snow!

{dashing through the snow ~ source}

{immersing himself in the snow ~ source}

INSPIRATION 2014 #82: Although these photos aren't of my scotties, they could be. These guys truly enjoy a snow day ~ even if it is at the end of March! Hoping their enthusiasm is contagious as we may get a bit more snow tonight.

Memories ~ of the pups they used to be . . .

{Speck at about 3 months}

{Sprocket at about 4 months}

INSPIRATION 2014 #80: As you may have noticed, I have become obsessed with finding out what special day is being celebrated ~ so many obscure holidays! According to Days of the Year,we should be celebrating Common Courtesy Day, Single Parent's Day, Memory Day and Puppy Day today. How often will I be able to post two images that work for 2.5 of the 4 days?! I am stretching it a bit with the Single Parent's Day, as I was only a single parent to Speck for several months before my boyfriend showed up. 

So, celebrating the wonderful memories we had when our scotties were puppies. Speck is now just about 12.5 and Sprocket will be turning 6 in April. You can read more about their adventures here, here, and here. 

Scottish Terrier Humor

{source}

INSPIRATION 2014 #50: From The Argyle Sweater comic strip by Scott Hilburn. Always thought Argyle would be a good name for a scottie.

Old Summit Country Antique Show

Tomorrow is the fall 2012 Old Summit Country Antique Show, so what better time to share with you some photos from some previous shows? This is one of my favorite shows ~ lucky for me, it is held three times a year here in the Kansas City area. If you happen to be here for the weekend, make sure to put it on your list of "must dos" as it is a wonderful show, filled with unique and beautiful antiques, vintage finds & an vast array of fabulous dealers. See you there!

{gorgeous set of antique optical lenses ~ love the labels}

{tin quilt templates and lovely handwritten letter}

{tasty signage on inside of box}

{Ready to Wear Fabric Shop sign}

{Giant metal Barkers sign}

{rustic painted metal chest of drawers}

{trio of terriers ~ I'm guessing they are Hubley}

{hand stitched ribbon flowers on red velvet pillow}

{yo yo pillows}

{entire set of old lodge ribbons ~ love that metal bullion fringe!}

{charming melange of objects}

Walnut 2012 ~ Adieu

Good bye to another wonderful year at the Walnut Antique show ~ I am still having buyers remorse for not snapping up this cute leather scottie dog ~ this is the sort of thing that keeps me up at night! We had seen him our first day, but decided to pass him by ~ he was gone by the time we went back for him the next day. Just supports that whole "buy it when you see it" motto when it comes to antiques and vintage finds!

{Grrrrr ~ I wish he were mine!}

At least I did go home with some other treasures ~ like this piece from a McCaskey register. I was lucky that it was still there on Day 2 as I had seen it on Day 1 and was indecisive.

As you can see, we were prepared this year with both a cart and raingear ~ we needed both! Despite the rain on Day 1, 2012 was one of the most pleasant weatherwise ~ not too hot and no tornadoes! Ask Sammy, the basset hound ~ he came prepared as well . . .

{Suave Sammy decked out in his slicker}

Sprocket is 4 Today!

Today is Sprocket's 4th Birthday, so despite the fact that we are on a tight time and money budget, we could not pass the day without some sort of celebration. Since Mr. Speck seemed to enjoy his Burger King party a couple years ago, that is where we headed again - after all, you do get those free birthday crowns!

Have to say, while everything including the crowns fit nicely in the box, the crowns just don't seem as special now that they are yellow instead of metallic gold ~ they seemed much more regal then. Either way, Sprocket is not really very fond of having to wear the crown anyway. Mr. Speck just outright refused ~ he has figured out that he will be getting the treats anyway, so why humiliate himself? Both the boys need haircuts terribly ~ some might mistake them for sheepdogs at this point ~ they have their grooming appointment next week, so they will be back to their handsome selves soon.

Well, the party was a success after all! Sprocket is a big Burger King fan ~ I think he would have eaten the free toy if I had given it to him. So, Happy Birthday Sprocket and Grrdy (his sister) too!

{Yum, that was tasty ~ I don't even mind wearing the crown!}

Hopefully next year we will be back to our usual grandiose dinner party ~ after all, 5 years is a milestone birthday, so we better make it special ~ we'll aim for a scenario similar to that shown below ~ except no ducks or cats (or birds, squirrels or opossums).

{image from here}

NY Tartan Day Parade

{dressed in his/her finest kilt}

Once again, just too busy to make the trip to the NY Tartan Day Parade, which was held yesterday ~ April 14th. Some day Mr. Speck and Sprocket will participate in full tartan regalia! In case you missed the parade as well (for some reason it was not televised?!), you can see a ton of photos on their FB page here. Although there were pipers, drummers and all sorts of different Scottish groups, my favorite would have been this group:

These three were especially dapper in their matching outfits ~ looks like they need a bit more training in parade marching though. Compared to my boys, these dogs all look pretty well behaved and calm ~ mine would have probably been banned from the parade for wreaking havoc and causing disruption. Such a sight ~ so many scotties and westies in one place at one time ~ I would love to see it for myself!

Happy Tartan Day 2012!

{all photos taken by Mark Beaumont}

Raining Cats & Dogs!

{postcard from here}

So far this week it has been drizzling or pouring rain ~ a good week to get design work done inside ~ no spring fever to have to deal with! Unfortunately, as the light is so dim, I am going to have to postpone my St. Patrick's day find until I get a good day for a photo, so please be patient.

Now, the only extra bother with the rain are the wet scotties ~ neither Speck nor Sprocket have gotten the hang of shaking off BEFORE they come inside. Then there is that wet dog smell to contend with ~ ah springtime!

National Button Week ~ Last Day

{syroco or ornawood scottie buttons}

By now, if you have visited my blog a few times, you certainly know that I have a great fondness for scottish terriers, so it shouldn't be much of a surprise that my theme for my final posting for National Button Week is scottish terrier buttons. There is more to the story than just the combination of a button with a scottie on it ~ the first pet I had was a scottie and his name was Buttons ~ you can read about that episode of my life here. Also, one of my favorite books is about a scottie named Buttons ~ more about that here.

{syroco or ornawood scottie dish with scottie buttons}

{white plastic button with metal scottie attachment}

{reverse painted pressed glass buttons}

{tiny plastic molded scottie buttons}

{variety of bakelite scottie buttons}

Hope you enjoyed the week of button postings as much as I did ~ now that I know there is actually a week designated as National Button Week, it will give me another excuse to buy more buttons!

In Like a Lamb

The usual saying for March is "in like a lion, out like a lamb", but this year March arrived in like a lamb (albeit a windy one!), so I suppose will go out like a lion. So, since it has been awhile since I have posted any sort of antique or vintage find, I thought I better see about rectifying that issue! Didn't take long for me to locate something to share ~ even happier to find something that I could actually connect to the March saying ~ thus, the lovely little hosiery mending kit I picked up a few years ago, complete with an illustration of a stylish woman walking her scottie dog on a windy day.

{front and back views}

Initially I thought it was a match book, but upon closer inspection, found it to be a cute little mending kit for silk stockings - I'm guessing from the 30's?

This is one of those items I cannot remember when or where I purchased it, but at some point I discovered it fit perfectly in the little syroco (or Ornawood) wood scottie card or matchbook holder I had bought at a different time. A perfect match!

An Uninvited Guest

Looks like we now have another guest along with Stumpy ~ Scurvy's cousin, Rickets. Considering my home is within city limits, it always surprises me when this sort of wildlife is living within 20 feet of my back door. It does look as if Rickets has taken up residence in the hollow tree, so that is a huge improvement over Scurvy's bad manners ~ he was the guest that wouldn't take a hint.

I doubt either Mr. Speck or Sprocket will allow Rickets in the back door, so I have no worries about that. As you can see, Sprocket has also noticed Rickets, but so far has not figured out how he is going to get an invitation to tea. I'm not sure Rickets is the tea throwing party kind of guy (at least I hope he's a he!) ~ looks like he is giving me the stink eye. Ah, life in the city!

Ten Today!

Mr. Speck is celebrating his 10th birthday today! Still hirsute and handsome, Mr. Speck keeps a good eye on the backyard while waiting for his birthday dinner. While the celebration last year was spectacular, turning 10 is quite the milestone, so a special dinner of flank steak on the grill awaits Mr. Speck this evening. Happy 10th Birthday Mr. Speck!

{in a serious mood}

{keeping an eye out for squirrels}