Dragon, Chinese Guardian Lion and Fire

My dragon and Chinese temple guard lion enjoying the fire in my fireplace. I always wrote "our" for 45 years, now I write "my", sad to say but true.

The guardian lion is usually one of a pair, this is a male lion who guards the home, while the female guards the people. Chinese guardian lions are often called Foo dogs or lions or Fu dogs or lions in English.
My husband and I had not used the fireplace since the big earthquake in 1989. All fireplaces to be safe should have an inspection before use after the quake. In December of last year our sons decided to have a fireplace man inspect it for damage; he found one thing which he fixed, he cleaned it all, and voila, now I have fires again. This photo was taken a few days ago. I bought the fireplace tools and a log holder on Amazon, the tools are like sculptures, made of wrought iron. You can see the tools on the left in the second photo.

Best Dog in the World?

Ok, ok, I had to put the question mark in the blog post title, cuz we all think our dog is the best and the cutest in the world, right?
This is Bounce's favorite spot, on the back of our sofa, in the sun where he can look out the window and watch people walking past, some with dogs. Our street is a popular one for walking as it leads straight to the bay. Today Bounce brought his little squeaky toy to sit with him. I will try to get more photos of him with more light, but you get the idea. I think it is extra cute he brought his toy friend with him.
Bounce is a Chihuahua terrier mix, found on the streets in a nearby city and brought to the animal shelter. He weighed 7.8 pounds when brought in and was underweight. I adopted him in November last year and now he weighs 11 pounds which the vet says is ideal for him. I try not to overfeed so he stays at 11 pounds. He is so cute and food oriented so of course I give him treats like milk bone and Greenies.

A Joyful Easter and Spring to All

"... these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him, you will have life by the power of his name." John 20:31

"Then Jesus told him, Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." John 20:29 Jesus spoke to Thomas after Jesus was crucified and resurrected.

Book Beginnings: Off the Grid by C.J. Box

C.J. Box is a great writer with a series about the dangers Joe Pickett faces, as he works as a game warden in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming. Joe patrols on his own, sometimes by pickup truck and sometimes on horse back.
This series begins with "Open Season" which is the ideal place to begin reading the series. "Off the Grid" was  published in 2016. My favorite series character is Nate Romanowski, a guy I have a bit of a crush on. He is an expert marksman, will kill people to defend the Pickett family, trains falcons, and at one point was given to climbing naked in trees in remote areas. Oh, he sounds handsome too.
Here is the beginning of "Off the Grid".
"Nate Romanowski knew trouble was on the way when he saw the falcon's wings suddenly flare in the distance. Something beyond his eyesight was coming fast."
I am joining in Rose City Reader's Book Beginnings, which is easy to do if you want to join in.
The second group is Friday 56 at Freda's Voice. Here we share something from page 56.
"It had been a long day that started with Joe saddling Rojo in the dark by the headlights of his truck."
He doesn't know it but his daughter Sheridan is in danger.

Books You Loved: April Edition, John Caldigate by Anthony Trollope

This is my first time joining in with Books You Loved and I chose "John Caldigate" by Anthony Trollope.

I adore this book. It was published in 1878 and has a love story, is mainly set in the English countryside, John Caldigate has a wild and rough few years spent in the Australian mining camps, Hester has a mother who is severely religious, there are scoundrels, the mysterious and alluring Mrs. Smith, a trial, a verdict, and a favorite female heroine of mine. She is Hester, and she falls in love with John Caldigate. They met only twice before their marriage; he loved her since the first moment he saw her in England and his love helped him survive the tough life in Australia. After they are married the question is raised: is he a bigamist? Did he marry a woman in Australia? Hester stands up to her family and stays true to John. When it looks like John may have a trial and if convicted, face prison, Hester says to him “Thank God, I am strong, John, and I can bear things that would break down other women. You shall never see me give way because I am a poor creature.” Trollope then adds “Certainly she had a right to boast that she was not a poor creature.” 

To see more Books You Loved chosen by bloggers visit Books You Loved

Caroles Chatter is hosting this event.