We have officially named our home in Kentucky!
Our home in Kentucky is the first home that Bret and I chose and purchased together. It is the first place that is truly “ours”. We decided last summer that we wanted to give it a fitting name but wanted to ponder it for awhile. This summer we officially decided on “Misfit Manor”. Our home in Georgetown has a bit of history…well, its old, so I guess it has to have some history. We found a book that had some stories on our home. It has been a home to a town doctor, it was a boarding house (believe it or not our home had 13 bathrooms in it at one point…crazy)…its been a home to some lovely families…and well to some total weirdos too (wait… maybe we are the weirdos). But no matter its history…and even with its crooked doors and sagging floors…it is our little slice of heaven and now it has a name. I made this wreath for our back door while Granny Sandy was here. I still need to add the cats to the
wreath. We are going to make a small plaque for our front door too.
So why such a campy name as Misfit Manor? Well, frankly…we are a couple of misfits. Bret and I are (finally) fairly self-aware individuals…purified by dances with dangerous “isms” at different points in
our lives…but grateful for how our lives have been shaped by the mistakes and rough journeys of the past. Little about either of our adult lives has been “traditional”. But hindsight can be a funny thing…Bret and I both agree that now that we know where our bumpy paths have landed us (together with our creatures)…that we would go back and walk the same rocky path a thousand times over to get here again.
We are also a home filled with off beat creatures (besides Bret and I)…a once chronic biter (our Lacey), a hyperactive and reactive little freight train (our Buster), an afraid of his own shadow JRT (Turnip) and a feral ca
t (Zilla)…and several more quirky creatures. You would think it would be chaos…but what makes it special is that when all of us misfits get together…somehow it all works. I believe its grace. Bret and I…and the animals…are more whole together than we are when we are separate. I know that I am only fully me when I am with all of them. I wish this sort of peace and “foundness” for everyone…
Have you ever taken a boring, even downright ugly painting or photo and changed it out with a beautiful frame and suddenly that same item will seem so much different…its the same but you see it completely new… it is now more than it first was? Somewhere along the journey I came to terms with this simple truth; that often the biggest change we need to make isn’t ourselves nor is there fault in something or someone else that pushes us out of our comfort zone…but instead the problem is how we frame ourselves and each other in our thoughts…framed properly someone odd or ordinary, or even difficult… suddenly becomes quite beautiful. For some reason I have a knack for all things misfit…I rescue misfit pieces of china at flea markets and set a summer table that turns out lovely…I love rescuing misfit furniture…Cottage Paint works wonders…we even bought a misfit house…and we have a bunch of misfit animals…”misfit” seems to be where I fit…I see them with sparkle not dim. Thoughtfully re-framed each misfit is something beautiful…its not about change…if that makes sense.
This week Bret and I picked up a couple of new foster dogs…one of them…we named her Luna…has seen better days. This dog is so pathetic looking that Bret and I instantly fell in love with her. Whatever happened to her…we assume she was either hit by a car or attacked by a larger animal…her deformed little body to us is just a little bundle of courage and joy. I am sure Luna will find a permanent family…she is a heart breaker…but if she doesn’t she will always fit in here.
I am most comfortable…in our realm of the misfits. Others may see us as quirky or weird…that is ok…each of us needs to be our kind of wonderful…and here at Misfit Manor everyone has the chance to be something beautiful…
If you love all things pet and pet rescue please follow my blog…I blog weekly about pet parenting, pet resources, pet rescue, pet crafts…I also have a The Rescue Mama Facebook Page and The Rescue Mama Pinterest Page where I post daily. My Pinterest Page has boards for every pet topic you can think of! If you are looking for a pet sympathy card or pet rescue artwork please visit my Rescue Mama ETSY Shop.
Rescue On!
Nancy