Operazione: Find Beau a Home II

On November 15, I reported that I found Beau his "forever" home but it did not work out.  Four days after taking him home he was left alone for the first time for a couple of hours. Apparently, Beau stood on his hind legs at the front door and chewed around the framing of the glass panels on the front door.  Because he was never alone here with my other dogs I did not think to counsel on a degree of separation anxiety. He has never once damaged anything in my home in the months I have had him.  The agreement was that if he did not work out, he comes back to me and he did so, quite happily I might add.  He's a great dog but not a perfect one.  Beau is a very bright 2-3 year old neutered male, house & manner trained, energetic but not hyper, loyal & protective, is good with other dogs and great with people. 

Still waiting for his new home...

Love the ears!

Beau, with Kenyon and my beloved Paws, who died last month. Scout is taking the photo...

After:  A visit to the vet the next day defined a treatment plan for the hook/heart worm and fleas.  Within 30 days, assisted by an organic diet loaded with Omega 3 (Flax), Beau's fur quality and quantity improved dramatically.  His appetite increased and as he settled in his big personality became more apparent.  I have since learned he is part Border Collie. What a fascinating and loyal breed they are.  I had a plumber in the other day and Beau herded him to the bathroom and then sat and waited.  Every time the plumber left, Beau would follow him right at his side and then resume the watchful eye.  When the plumber was walking through the house to leave, Beau again walked immediately beside him escorting him out. 

Before:  Within days of taking him in - underweight, lifeless and missing patches of fur, fleas, hook worm, & the curse of The South - heart worm.   I had gone back to the beach that night to look for him after taking my 3 pups home and found him in the parking lot trying to get into cars with people who were leaving.  I leashed him up and walked him home and gave him a good bath in the yard before he walked himself through the dog door and curled up on the couch.  He made himself at home so quickly the other dogs did not entirely know how to react.  

For the next 30 days we worked on manners (he was trained) and tried to either find him his original home (which I am not sure I would have returned him to) or to find him a new home. 

Amazing Grace by Il Divo

Grazia Straordinario

(Amazing Grace in Italian)

In honor of this holiday season please enjoy the stunning men of Il Divo (The Divine in Italian) and their performance of Amazing Grace from Live at the Coliseum. 

Il Divo is a multi-national operatic pop vocal group whose members hail from Spain, Switzerland, the U.S., and France.  They perform in English, Italian, Spanish, French, and Latin.

Better Homes and Gardens article

BH&G Kitchen and Bath Makeovers - Winter Edition 2010

My Coronado, CA, kitchen article.

Dining room area off the kitchen.

The copper faucet was one of my great investments and the black cabinetry one of my smartest choices with (at the time) three black Labs. The countertop is marble.  I was cautioned against it because it is not as hard as granite but I figured people in Europe have been walking on it for hundreds of years so it was an easy choice.  I had it honed to remove the shine and paid extra for the finish - a double ogee.

Somehow the editor has me living in Atlanta but that's not correct. I am in Georgia, however, but on the coast on Saint Simons Island (South of Savannah).  I've never even been to Atlanta...

I opted for deep drawers instead of cabinets.  I like the look and, frankly, think it's easier to find things in drawers than cabinets. Tamerie Shriver, my dear friend, made the roman shade.  I think that's even how we met.  Take a look at the standing room only class she just taught on Saturday on how to make a slipcover for a chair at 

A Little of This, That, and the Other

"Cucina" translates to Kitchen in Italian.

My favorite photo (along with the dining room and broken twig chandelier photo).  The concrete floors were original to the house. I acid washed them and painted them a deep red.  I pulled up the flooring in the dining and kitchen so it would match when I opened the rooms in to one another by creating the expanded arch barely visible at the top of this photo. I enclosed an alley door and a back window to allow for maximum use of the corner and back wall area since I was opening one up - see below. The house is small - 900 square feet - so the kitchen is proportionate.  I was not sure then about putting the large butcher block in the middle of the kitchen but it completely worked. 

This makeover spared little expense quite unlike the current remodel I am doing here on Saint Simons Island.  Beginning this week, I will post photos of that process with a sneak preview below.  Stay tuned...

"Bella Cottage" remodel

Saint Simons Island, GA.

More to come... when pulling the plaster inside we discovered this gorgeous brink.