dogs

The Official Mayor of Elkhart Lake? Boone Dog.

Posted by Barbara Techel
Photo: Patrick and Connie Mertens

Personally, I think the best part of the Elkhart Lake Farmer’s Market is seeing Boone. He lives across the street from the post office and one block from the market.

Patrick and Connie Mertens belong to this handsome fellow. I hopped off my bike for a few moments to pet Boone’s sweet face and head this morning on my way to the market. He is super friendly. Patrick told me today that this is one of Boone’s favorite things to do and greet all the people who walk past on their way to the market.

I think you can tell by the photo that he takes his job very seriously and enjoys it immensely.

After this photo was posted on Facebook someone said that Boone should be the mayor of Elkhart Lake. We’ve never had a mayor. We are a small village of 950 people, but dare I say, he’d be the kind of mayor I’d want!

It was a bittersweet day as it was a first riding my bike to the market without Gidget in my basket. I also realized how often it was that people I didn’t know would stop me to comment about Gidget and we’d get to talking. Now that I was alone that didn’t happen. It made me a bit sad.

But I realized I was also looking for people with dogs too because well, I just love seeing the dogs. Though I didn’t stop and talk to anyone with a dog. It’s so interesting how animals connect us and seem to make it easier to start a conversation with a total stranger. I kind of missed that today. But I was happy for the opportunity to pet Boone and chat with Patrick.

You’ve got my vote Boone should you decide to run for Mayor of Elkhart Lake! 

XO,

Barbara

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Come Meet Baron. Garden Center Dog.

Posted by Barbara Techel

There’s nothing like a sweet dog and flowers to lift one’s spirit. Meet Baron. He lives and works at Willow Wood Acres Garden Center.

I’ve been planting some new flowers near Gidget’s resting area. Though I’ve had to do it in-between the rain and cold. It has been quite unseasonable with both.

As I was reading the tag of one of the perennials all of a sudden a snout came up under my arm and my hand landed on this handsome fellow.

He belongs to Kathy and Stewart Blanke who own the garden center. Kathy told me he is a part red fox labrador and part husky. He is only eight months old and came from Alabama. Sweet as can be and very helpful at the garden center.

I’m so glad I got to meet him and I hope I never run out of areas to plant flowers because I already want to go back again and visit him.

XO,

Barbara

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Fly Free. An Important Message from Our Dog Friends.

Posted by Barbara Techel

Fly Free. An Important Message from Our Dog Friends.

This morning I was listening to a podcast called Freedom Seeker Chronicles. At the end of each episode the host says, “Fly free my friends!” as a way to encourage her listeners to follow their hearts.

As I celebrate my 55th birthday today, I’m reflecting on the past twelve months as I get ready to orbit yet another year around the sun.

I’ve been thinking quite a bit about Gidget and my new book I’m writing. With it on my mind so much, I often have what I think are my best thoughts, early in the morning, as I sit at my vanity getting ready for the day.

Today when the host said “Fly free my friends!”  it occurred to me to the real teaching of dogs related to this saying. How often when a pet (or person) passes we say, “fly free.”  With well meaning of course, as we believe that when a being has passed they are free of pain and struggle. No more constraints of worry or burden must they carry any longer.

As I reflect on this half-way point in 2018, I could have never predicted it being as pivotal as it was in my personal growth. Gidget was so poignant in helping me take a leap of faith I never thought I would. And as I simmered in “fly free”  I realized that for me, the true teaching from our dear dog friends, is to learn to fly free while we still walk this earth.

We have a choice as to how we will work with what we perceive as a burden. Is there a teaching within that burden that we aren’t seeing? Could it be that by understanding this we could be set free while living in this human body?

While perhaps we may not always be 100% free as we are human after all, Gidget did help me understand that every time we are willing to look deep within ourselves, and dig to the root of what may be causing our pain, that we can more often than not, find clarity in a perspective we may not have otherwise known had we only lingered on the surface of our feelings.

And when we do, we are able to set ourselves free just a little more.

Fly free my friends from me and G!

XO,

Barbara