Heart and Soul

Grace, a soul with heart and spirit

In his book "Dog Stories", James Herriot writes of an old woman whose only fear is that she may never be reunited with her animals after death.
Here is an excerpt from the short story "The Card Over The Bed" A very touching and beautiful story.


I went back and sat down by the bed. Miss Stubbs looked out of the window" for a few moments, then turned to me. "You know, Mr. Herriot," she said casually, "it will be my turn next.""What do you mean?""Well, tonight Ben has gone and I'm going to be the next one. I just know it.""Oh, nonsense! You're feeling a bit low, that's all. We all do when something like this happens." But I was disturbed. I had never heard her even hint at such a thing before."I'm not afraid," she said. "I know there's something better waiting for me. I've never had any doubts." There was silence between us as she lay calmly looking up at the card on the gas bracket. Then the head on the pillow turned to me again. "I have only one fear." Her expression changed with startling suddenness as if a mask had dropped. The brave face was almost unrecognizable. A kind of terror flickered in her eyes and she quickly grasped my hand."It's the dogs and cats, Mr. Herriot. I'm afraid I might never see them when I'm gone which worries me so. You see, I know I'll be reunited with my parents and brothers, but ... but ..." She gazed at the two cats curled up at the end of her bed."Well, why not with your animals?""That's just it." She rocked her head on the pillow and for the first time I saw tears on her cheeks. "They say animals have no souls.""Who says?""Oh, I've read it and I know a lot of religious people believe it.""Well, I don't believe it." I patted the hand which still grasped mine. "If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans. You've nothing to worry about there."
"Oh, I hope you're right.



“You think dogs will not be in heaven? I tell you, they will be there long before any of us.” Robert Louis Stevenson ☺️

They’re creepy and they’re kooky, Mysterious and spooky, They’re all together ooky, The Pumpkin Family

What do you ………..see?

From left to right…..Pugsley, Wednesday and Pyewacket

Casper and Morticia 

They’re creepy and they’re kooky,
Mysterious and spooky,
They’re all together ooky,
The Pumpkin Family.

The Addams grew' em in their garden,
With seeds from old man Varden,
Thou nutty they got pardon,
The Pumpkin Family.

Their patch is a museum
Where people come to see ‘em
They really are a scream
The Pumpkin Family.

(Neat)
(Sweet)
(Petite) …...( yoo-neek)

So get a witches shawl on
A broomstick you can crawl on
We’re gonna pay a call on
The Pumpkin Family.



Lyrics by Vic Mizzy……sorry Vic, just changed up a few words/ stanzas to fit this Bunch ; )




Neat, Sweet, Petite…..Yoo -Neek ~^!^~

Lurch, Gomez, Morticia, Thing, Uncle Fester, Grandma, Wednesday, Pugsley and cousin It……….. Oh , so very Unique!


Recently my husband participated in a Insights Discovery Course his company gave for their employees in attaining a better understanding of each of their own unique personalities as well as that of their fellow colleagues; hence establishing a better pro-active alliance in the work place rather then creating negative adversaries through lack of correctly identifying one's character.

The Insights System was built around the model of personality first identified by the Swiss psychologist Carl Gustav Jung and since this discovery his work has been carried on to the present day by researchers in better understanding the personality of human behaviour.

Once each individual's responses to the Insights Preference Evaluator were completed in the IDC course they were left with a clearer picture "of self understanding in both strengths and weaknesses which enabled the participating individuals to develop effective strategies for interaction, helping them better respond to the demands of their environment".

Surprisingly my husband's evaluation was spot on , both with his good and bad points given ; the exercise proved to be of great value to him and his work colleagues. Wouldn't it be lovely if schools , if not already doing so, give this exercise at an early school level, say grade 5, that's if they would also abide by the evaluation results of each person ,which undeniably always proves to be of a difficult challenge but none the less ,without doubt some good would come of it if implemented; maybe there be less bullying , better teacher pupil evaluations and more camaraderie amongst the student body….a little wishful thinking I suppose on my part.

Anyway, after reading hubby's profile and the Blue person he personifies I wondered what colour person I am or the colours my kids are partial to : ) …..(Will need to address that later in another post : )

And from there I continued to ponder on all the exotic eccentricities found in human or creature in Nature and through personal exploration deducted that most of us at one point in time , if not always, have our own little innocent bit of quirkiness and kookiness that make us the Yoo-Neek beings that we are and that's of course me included. Even the Addams family had their Neat, Sweet, Petite and very Yoo-Neek characters in their family.
And The Pumpkin Patch Family that grew in their garden, well lets just say they are a Very Special Bunch : )

Inspired by Nature both Human and Creature.
Inspired by a Kooky show I grew up watching as a little girl in the sixties " The Addams Family" …..and totally over the moon in love with composer writer Vic Mizzy's unforgettable musical scores and lyrics ie. (The Ghost and Mr. Chicken , The Spirit is Willing and The Addams Family to name a few of his very, without question unique pieces of work.


This Witch is In ….Content to be in her Cozy Home…...

Snug as a Little Pumpkin in the Middle of Ancient Volumes, reading her favourite Haunted Tales…...

You just never know what might fancy her next …..this Whimsical Kooky Old Witch named Annabelle

These Creepy, Kooky, Mysterious and Spooky and Cute Whimsical Fairytale Pumpkins will be available on Etsy very soon.

P.S. The eyes, their windows to their souls…personality descriptions to follow ; )                                                           

 ……. And I thought a gathering of a Creepy, Kooky, Mysterious and Spooky all together Ooky Bunch of Pumpkins more than suffices my appetite for a little quirkiness and kookiness for me this Halloween ~^..^~

  " YOU HAVE TO HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOUR , DARLING, TO BE ALIVE. EVEN A BIT MAD. IT HELPS TO BE MAD." *!*