Dear Abby - Vintage Easter Cards with Dogs

Dear Friends,

I hope you are having a good week!  It is beautiful Spring weather here and I am looking forward to Easter weekend.  I thought you might enjoy sharing some vintage Easter cards today.  They all include dogs!

A little dachshund helps a girl with the ribbon on a giant Easter egg on this vintage postcard.

A little yellow chick sits on an Easter egg and watches a dachshund on this vintage postcard.

A dachshund and a Jack Russell Terrier chase a bunny rabbit up a giant egg. (Vintage postcard)

Two cute dachshunds find some flowers.  (Vintage postard)

This is a RPPC (real photo postcard) featuring a little girl with a dog and an Easter basket.

Vintage postcard -- a dog surprises a chick!

Vintage postcard -- a dog is surprised by a chick who has just hatched.

Vintage Easter postcard - did this dog hatch from the giant Easter egg?

On this vintage postcard a dog climbs on top of two big Easter eggs.

A bulldog makes friends with a chick on this vintage postcard.

This vintage Easter card is for "daughter and her husband."  A cocker spaniel lounges in a big straw hat.

A Scottish Terrier pulls an Easter egg carriage on this vintage card.

A hound dog has a gift for the Easter Parade on this Mid-Century vintage card.

This is one of my favorites!  A sweet puppy sits outside of a cute storybook cottage on this vintage Easter card.

I hope you enjoyed these vintage Easter cards, and I wish you a wonderful holiday weekend!

Next week I will begin my new series about pet collectibles.  If you collect any pet themed items, I would love to include your pictures at the blog!  Just let me know (with your email) in the comments.  Thanks!

Love,

Abby xoxoxo

Book Spotlight and Giveaway - Called to Justice by Edith Maxwell

Book Synopsis

Quaker midwife Rose Carroll is enjoying the 1888 Independence Day evening fireworks with her beau when a teenaged Quaker mill girl is found shot dead. After a former slave and fellow Quaker is accused of the murder, Rose delves into the crime, convinced of the man’s innocence. An ill-mannered mill manager, an Irish immigrant, and the victim’s young boyfriend come under suspicion even as Rose’s future with her handsome doctor suitor becomes unsure. Rose continues to deliver babies and listen to secrets, finally figuring out one criminal – only to be threatened by the murderer, with three lives at stake. Can she rescue herself, a baby, and her elderly midwifery teacher in time?

Author Bio

Agatha-nominated and Amazon best-selling author Edith Maxwell writes the Quaker Midwife Mysteries and the Local Foods Mysteries, the Country Store Mysteries (as Maddie Day), and the Lauren Rousseau Mysteries (as Tace Baker), as well as award-winning short crime fiction. Maxwell lives north of Boston with her beau and three cats, and blogs with the other Wicked Cozy Authors. You can find her on Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, and at www.edithmaxwell.com. 

http://wickecozyauthors.com 
https://www.facebook.com/EdithMaxwellAuthor/ 
https://twitter.com/edithmaxwell 
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5826191.Edith_Maxwell 
http://www.amazon.com/Edith-Maxwell/e/B001HQ0XU8 
https://www.pinterest.com/edithmaxwell/ 

Purchase Links

Amazon  B&N

Giveaway

(2) Print Copy - Called to Justice by Edith Maxwell.  Ends 4/17.
 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Dear Abby - Show Your Pet Themed Collection

Dear Friends,

It has been quite a week here!  We had storms on Monday and then very strong storms Wednesday.  They included rain, lots of wind, thunder (shudder!), and even hail against the windows.  I am glad to settle in for a quiet day and enjoy  visiting with you.

I would like to invite you to share your pet themed collections at my blog!  I think this will be a fun new series.  Momma collects vintage Dachshund Valentines, photos, and storybooks.  We have friends who collect breed specific dog treasures or who love cat theme collectibles or dog theme items in general.

If you are interested in participating, please include your email address with your comment below.  I would love to hear from you!

Wishing you a great weekend!

Love,

Abby xoxoxo 

Dear Abby - How to Help a Choking Dog

Dear Friends,

I am here to talk about a serious topic this week.  I had a scare a couple of weeks ago and Momma said I should tell you about it here.

At night I get a crunchy biscuit before bedtime.  A couple of weeks ago Momma gave me my crunchy biscuit as she was unmaking the bed for the night.  I ran into the other room to enjoy it.  Moments later I returned and got up on the bed and acted very agitated.  I was pawing at my mouth and gagging.

Momma thought I was going to have an upset stomach, so she got down on the floor with me.  Unfortunately, this continued on the floor.  Momma looked in my mouth and discovered that the biscuit was lodged in my throat!   She said I was so excited about it that I evidently swallowed without chewing.  She was able to gently remove the biscuit, and all was well.  We were both VERY relieved!

But this changed things at my house.  Now my crunchy biscuit is broken into three parts, and I only get a treat when Momma is in the room.

And she has learned more about what to do when your pet is choking.

Here is a very good article with step by step information.  I would encourage dog people to read this and bookmark it:
WikiHow: How to Save a Choking Dog

This very short video from The Huffington Post even shows how to perform the Heimlich maneuver on a choking canine friend:


I hope you never, ever need this information, but I wanted to share just in case! 

If you have a dog, does he or she eat slowly or does your dog friend tend to swallow food and treats quickly?   (I am in the eager eater camp.)

I would love to hear from you in the comments, below.

Love,

Abby xoxoxo

Book Review - 1,001 Ways to Slow Down by Barbara Ann Kipfer

Book Synopsis

This irresistible list book from National Geographic provides lighthearted quick hits of inspiration for those of us who feel overwhelmed—which is to say, all of us. Musings, activity suggestions, and illuminating quotes are paired with whimsical art on themes such as living in the moment, achieving balance, relieving stress, developing patience, and appreciating the world around us. “Slow living” sidebars, such as “Foods to Cook Slowly” and “Things to Do the Old-Fashioned Way,” are interspersed throughout the book.

 

Purchase Links

National Geographic | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

 

My Review

1,001 Ways to Slow Down is a delight from start to finish.  First, this is a beautifully designed book.  It is a small hardcover with a blue and green abstract design that looks like ocean waves on the dustjacket.  The illustrations through the book, by Francesca Springolo, are also lovely.  They brighten the edges of the pages and also provide colorful borders for inspiring quotes.

 

In the introduction to the book, Barbara Ann Kipfer writes:  "Since sixth grade, I have been an ethnographer, making lists of the little things in life."   Although I did not know the term ethnographer before, I am also a lifelong list maker, and this book of lists fills me with delight.

 

There are literally 1,001 suggestions for slowing down in this book.  I found them inspiring, comforting, and challenging.  The suggestions include ideas like:

 

"Instead of getting agitated when you are stuck in traffic, think of this as a time to pause - a time when you cannot hurry" (p. 11).

 

"Create a jigsaw or word-search puzzle and send it to a friend" (p. 14).

 

"Walk like a three year old exploring the world" (p. 36).

 

"Put a note in a bottle and send it down a waterway" (p. 196).

 

As you can see from these examples, the suggestions in this book go beyond merely slowing down;  they also are tips for finding joy in small, simple things.

 

1,001 Ways to Slow Down also includes pages with inspiring quotes and (my favorite of all!) lists.  The lists in this book are a delight!  They include topics like:

 

Slow Movies to Savor

 

Relaxing Hobbies to Try

 

Handwritten Letters to Send

 

Meditations to Try

 

Things to Do the Old-Fashioned Way

 

If you have an interest in mindfulness or voluntary simplicity, or if you simply want to slow down and enjoy life more, you will love 1,001 Ways to Slow Down!  I know I did. 

 

Author Bio

Dr. Barbara Ann Kipfer is the author of 14,000 Things to Be Happy About and the Page-a-Day calendars based on it. She has written more than 60 books, including 1,001 Ways to Live Wild, The Order of Things, Self-Meditation, Instant Karma, 8,789 Words of Wisdom, The Wish List, and 4,000 Questions for Getting to Know Anyone and Everyone, and she edited Roget’s International Thesaurus. She holds PhDs in linguistics, archaeology, and Buddhist studies. Dr. Kipfer is the Chief Lexicographer of Temnos and has worked for such companies as Answers.com, Ask Jeeves, and Dictionary.com.

I received a copy of this book from TLC Book Tours.