Weekly Winners: For All the Dogs We've Loved Before...

Meet Nelson. He is (was) a Landseer Newfoundland. He was 175# of big, sweet boy.

He had a head like a buffalo, people said.

Everywhere we went, he drew attention. We'd have him on a leash when we'd be walking with the boys in a stroller. People would stop and say "what a beautiful DOG!" instead of "what lovely children!" Before Nelson, people always commented on the kids. Hmmm.

Nelson had hair, that's for sure. So much, that a I collected a big bag full, and a friend spun it into yarn, and knitted a scarf for Uncle Lynn for Christmas!

Nelson was a great dog. He was protective by nature. When I'd push a child in the swing, he'd get up and walk over to the swing, take the child by the foot, and stop the swing. Not on his watch! If the kids were in the driveway on trikes or playing with trucks, he'd lay at the end of the driveway. His nickname became "Nana."

We took Nelson out on a pontoon once. I say "once" because it only happened one time. First of all, he was afraid of the space between the boards on the dock. It took 3 big men to lift him onto the boat. Everything was great until the kids went swimming. Six little boys jumped into the lake at once, splashing and hollering. Nelson jumped in, too. He could not figure out which boy needed saving the most, so he swam from one to another, trying to pull them to shore. All he had to pull with were teeth! It was quite a scene.

Imagine my surprise when recently, a dozen years after his death, we were walking near our home and met people with a Landseer Newfie, like our beloved Nelson. "Oh, what a wonderful DOG!" we exclaimed. Come to think of it, did they have children with them?

Would we have noticed? Probably not.

The little guy sitting next to Nelson is our Springer Spaniel, Trouble. More about him later!

Weekly Winners is Sarcastic Mom's production. I think I shot these snaps with a Canon Rebel of the film variety.

Weekly Winners: A Flowering Mother's Day

Welcome to Weekly Winners, hosted by Lotus over at Sarcastic Mom. And Happy Mother's Day to one and to all!

To honor all of us today, I wanted to post garden shots. Taken with my sad little Nikon COOLPIX 4600, but flowers usually cooperate for me. They're just so in to showing off!

My Mom ~ the kids called her Baba ~ was a gardener. It's been three years since she died, and we're still keeping her geraniums in good shape. Of course, we take them inside in the winter. And give them used coffee grounds, on occasion, for breakfast.

The centerpiece of Baba's Garden was Baba's Bench. It's pretty old, and under the weather these days. Several decades of wind, rain, snow and ice can do that to a piece of outside furniture, which faced the elements 24/7 all those years! But I've figured out a way to make Baba's Bench the centerpiece of my garden, as well.

Azaleas were Mom's favorite flower. Might have had something to do with growing up on Azalea Lane. Or, it could also be because these flowering bushes are stunning. I planted three out back. Baba used to come over to admire my "green thumb," but she and I both knew that azaleas are such show-offs, they can take care of themselves.

Now, my SIL, Aunt Julie, really loves hummingbirds. So did Baba. It's far too early for hummers in my neck o' the woods, even though I live in slightly more temperate climes than most of the POPrs Family. So here is a hummer medalion I picked up at the garden store. It used to be on a long, sharp stake, so I poked it in among the flowers for many years. Unfortunately, wear-and-tear has left me with just the little birdie. Can't wait, though, 'til the real, live hummers appear on my back deck!

Finally, I learned to be a thrifty gardener from My Mom. Our local nursery has a "plant hospital," where they sell the sad little plants that aren't going to "make it" for 50 cents or less. Baba taught me that these are the "thrift sales" that keep on giving. Here's a Leopard's Bane, which cost me about 30 cents, and keeps coming back bigger and fuller every year. Mom once told me that when I was little, I called the plant "Leopard's Mane." I probably was thinking of a lion...I don't know!

I'm celebrating Mother's Day in the garden. What about you?