A Crafter's Life

Salt of the Earth

tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

I began drafting this post prior to the recent series of deadly mass shootings across the United States. I am eager to return to blogging, however I thought this was too an upbeat a post to make in light of the recent somber events.

Then I thought – perhaps during these dark times it is good to post a reminder about the good people in the world we meet in our daily lives…

Dictionary.com defines the term “salt of the earth” as follows:

“An individual or group considered as representative of the best or noblest elements of society.”

This term wonderfully describes the kind of people I’ve met and keep meeting since moving to Colorado.

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Colorado State Flag, zumper.com

If you are new to my blog, I moved to the greater Denver metropolitan area in April 2019 to start a new life after the sudden death of my husband (Terry the Quilting Husband)      and over the past several months I’ve been settling into my new life and exploring the region (see post Greetings from Colorado and the series of posts Colorado Bound).

I knew Colorado was an awesome state with lots to do, little did I know just how warm, friendly and helpful many of its residents are!

Let me share an example (actually multiple examples).

Schnauzerfest!

Moving to Colorado meant leaving my beloved veterinary office and finding a new vet for my Miniature Schnauzer, Mike. I selected a vet based on Google reviews and comments and I was not disappointed.

During Mike’s first visit to his new vet. she connected me with a group of local Miniature Schnauzer aficionados which included one of her best friends. Mike and I got invited to the annual Miniature Schnauzer Club picnic which was like attending “Miniature Schnauzer Fest”! 

The photos below will illustrate this better than I could describe and Mike enjoyed hanging out with his new friends, after he recovered from the shock of so many furry people that looked like him in one place!

2019-07-13_13-00-46_8612019-07-13_12-46-42_7922019-07-13_13-39-01_7302019-07-13_14-12-59_6092019-07-13_11-20-22_795We met so many wonderful, warm and friendly people at the Miniature Schnauzer Club picnic including a new dog groomer for Mike.

A Proper Grooming

I’ve struggled with finding a good dog groomer for my dog Mike. If you want a Miniature Schnauzer to look like a traditional Miniature Schnauzer, you need groom your dog regularly.

A couple months ago, I tried out a mobile groomer and unfortunately Mike was groomed more like a Bichon Frise instead of a Miniature Schnauzer:

Bichon Frise:

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Photo by Viktor Talashuk on Unsplash

Miniature Schnauzer:

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Wikipedia

I tried to fix the disappointing grooming myself but Mike ended up looking like a blindfolded, highly sedated dog groomer did the grooming!

Luckily at the Miniature Schnauzer Picnic, I met Carol, a highly seasoned dog groomer with extensive experience in grooming Miniature Schnauzers including competitive show dogs. She even showed a couple dogs herself at the Westminster Dog Show years ago.

We tried to schedule an appointment but had one challenge – she only  had spots open in the middle of the week and she lives 32 miles away from me. I telecommute for my work in the health care industry and my middle of the week is peppered with conference calls.

She has a dog grooming station inside her home and she suggested that I come telecommute at her house for the morning/day while she groomed Mike!

And so I did! Not only did she let me telecommute from her house while she lovingly and meticulously groomed Mike, but she even gave me beverages and snacks – homemade lemon poppyseed cake!

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I had so much fun telecommuting from her kitchen table while we discussed life and miniature schnauzers! Here are some photos of Mike transforming into a properly groomed Miniature Schnauzer!

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In addition to great conversation, exceptional dog grooming, and wonderful snacks – she also gave me a tour of her lovely garden and gave me a bag of fresh garlic from her garden to take home!

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She hand washed Mike’s collar before she began grooming him and had me hang it on the clothesline in the garden to dry!

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Finally, as an added bonus, she has 4 or so of her own Miniature Schnauzers, so there was lots of Miniature Schnauzer cuteness going on at her home!

I got three of them to stand still for a photo:

2019-07-17_13-02-54_764.jpegOf course every proper Miniature Schnauzer Aficionado has lots of Schnauzer related decorations in their home and she was no exception:

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I know this post was likely “Schnauzer Overload” and hopefully you will quickly recover (smile).

My telecommuting visit with my new dog groomer and the opportunity to hang out with other Miniature Schnauzer Aficionados (or perhaps “Obsessives” in a more accurate term) has only increased my feeling of being so “welcomed” to Colorado.

Every day I continue to meet warm, friendly, kind, generous, and welcoming, “salt of the earth” people in this state.

But these few are the salt of the earth; without them, human life would become a stagnant pool. Not only is it they who introduce good things which did not before exist, it is they who keep the life in those which already existed. – John Stuart Mill

Postscript

I promise my next post will be crafting/quilting related!

The tagline of my blog for tierneycreates is “a fusion of textiles and smiles“. I hope this post induced a little smile across your face. The “textiles” part will return next post!

Feature Photo by Jason Tuinstra on Unsplash

Published by tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Quilter, crafter, obsessive tea drinker and lover of all furry creatures (especially dogs and cats) - join me on my tierneycreates blog as I share stories from "A Crafter's Life".

37 thoughts on “Salt of the Earth”

  3. There’s craft and there’s life, and all blog posts are good. I enjoy the first years at a new area where I am half tourist and half resident. Continue to keep us posted.

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  5. Thank you for your upbeat post…I needed this. It definitely put a smile on my face. Mike looks like he is in his element. I am looking forward to your next post to see your latest art work.

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    1. Oh I’m so glad that you enjoyed it. Thank you so much for your comments :-). I’m looking forward to catching up on blogs that I like to follow as well as staying on top of mine again😀

      Liked by 1 person

  6. I am so pleased that you have found your home, and that the fractures in your life are being healed by those who are the salt of the earth, and a schnauzer or two! Looking forward to seeing what creative work you have been up to.

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  7. totally agree with Anne54…and creative work – sometimes needs to take a break to take of other things, that when completed and consolidated, means you are ready to create again…

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  8. Awww, Tierney, you just melted my heart with all these precious schnauzers–and you know I’m a cat mama. Seeing a group of them together is so sweet, and I’m glad you found and had such a great experience with the groomer. You do a much more faithful job with your blog than I do, and I’m always inspired to write more. My phone camera is filled with kitty pictures and I certainly could. Your new life in Colorado reminds us that we are strong and resilient and can find joy.

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    1. Thanks so much Martha and I never tire of kitty pictures (I must admit Elizabeth has my heart) so more kitty photos please on your blog 🙂
      Thanks for your comments!

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  9. Hi Tierney—. I agree, focus on the good. There is always a flip side to every coin. I choose to smile and look for the spark of light in others. It is always there. I am happier that way and it sounds like you are too. Love you girl!!❤️❤️❤️

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  10. Hi Tierney, thanks for sharing your adventures in Colorado and I love the Schnauzer overload!!! ❤ I'm a mini schnauzer momma so this is right up my alley. Finding services in a new town can certainly be trying so I'm glad you've had mostly good luck. Looking forward to hearing about more adventures:-)

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  13. I’m so glad that’s working out so well for you. As a native westerner, I would say you would find those qualities in all of the southwest, but I know things change from time to time, and it sounds like Denver is a great place for you!

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  14. I love this quote. “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping’… Because if you look for the helpers, you’ll know that there’s hope.” ~ Fred Rogers
    It sounds like you have found a lot of “helpers”. Hugs to you Tierney. ♥

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  16. Does letting your dog go out in the rain, bringing them in, and toweling them off count as grooming? Let mother nature clean ’em off 😀

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  18. Oh wow, I’m so glad I dropped in to see you today! Crafty goodness in your most recent post, and Schnauzerfest in this one! The picture of Mike with his new furry buddies really made me smile, and it’s great to hear how lovely all your new neighbours are 😊

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