Sunday, May 19, 2013

Only in Bucks County: Talk to The Dogs

Aside from sharing photos of some of Bucks County's cutest pups, this post is to bring attention to Richboro's Nor'Wester Readers Canine Assisted Learning Program. When I first heard of this therapy program in Bucks County and parts of Montgomery County where kids read to dogs, I thought it was therapy for the dogs. It is actually therapy for the kids!
The premise is that the presence of therapy dog teams offers a stress free learning environment that will increase a student's self-esteem and confidence.
I had the opportunity to see what this wonderful organization does first-hand when I took these photos of kids reading to the canines at the Northampton Library. I got to see some of the Nor'wester dogs (and many others) again at their Dog Walk and Family Fair at Tyler State Park, which I attended a few weekends ago to support this interesting local mission!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 



 
 

A Better Way Belgians were there at the event.
 
And so was my Cody Bear!
 
(Pit Bull Paint)
 
NorWester Readers are in need of more Therapy Dogs in Lower Bucks County.
Does your dog love kids.... and a good story?
 
Click HERE to get YOUR Canine tested to volunteer!
 
 
 
 "We never really own a dog as much as he owns us."
-Gene Hill
 
 



Friday, May 10, 2013

Only in Bucks County: Things I Find Around My House

I have a Twitter friend who blogs about Autism mostly, and the million other things that happen in her (Berkeley) life, or come into mind. She is observant and witty and has balls and tells like it is.
But even SHE recently admitted that she doesn't broach certain topics on her blog anymore, that she feels she's being scrutinized, that she now holds back at times... and that just sucks.
I mean, it's HER blog. She doesn't get paid to do it, she has no sponsored posts; her blog is an extension of who she is as a person and as a writer, and I hope she won't continue to censor herself.
Here's her post that I keep thinking about, it's called "Pardon Me."

AND I JUST REALIZED I've been doing the same thing. Even though I basically just post pretty photos of Bucks County, I've been holding back in a different way, thinking that my readers only want to see the most beautiful green landscapes, colorful red barns, and open blue sky that Bucks County has to offer. Winter hit and I didn't take any photos of green landscapes or blue sky. Most of the photos I've taken these past few months have been around my house or in our yard.
And so I just had my own epiphany thanks to Jill's epiphany: I haven't posted a thing in months for fear it isn't good enough. That it's not interesting enough. That it's too personal. That there's no rolling farmland.
But this is MY blog.
I've been experimenting a lot with texture, focus, and depth of field and I have some good stuff, even if it's of my dinner or of my dog.
A section of Jill's blog is called "Things I Find In My House."
Today's photos are of things I find around mine.



 

 
 
 


 
 


 







 
And because she's awesome. show some Twitter love to @jillsmo or check out her blog,
 
Oh. And she draws: