Sidetracked Charley

  Been a busy month but not sure why it included no time for reflection. And I don't know if I have done anything really major. Too much social butterfly time. That is what my sister titles my meetings and having coffee with friends. But some of the friends have been four legged.  Boca has been here for two weeks and Avy joined me for just three days. And Carol brought over Emory for a romp in the fenced yard for a couple hours.  Happy Dogs. Avy and Emory My quiet time has been focused on the orchids which are beginning their blooming season. There are 13 orchids now. I figured I did not have this color but who remembers from a year ago and rehoming some orchids from others. The newcomer An orchid which is blooming again for me And then painting small watercolors of flowers to add to note cards. Making and sending these little creations and sending them to friends. But if I had to pick one word for the last month it would be Water. Seems I am alway...

Thicke and Quentin A lot of people my age are shedding their pets or at a minimum not replacing them. Yes, they may well out live me but what would live be without them. And the good news is more people are adopting older pets. Cats and dogs whose owners moved on or just into a care facility. I imagine a time when senior homes are more open to letting pets come too. Admittedly not two dogs and three cats like at my house. But when I look back over my pet history not many lived to the full extent of their lives. Yes, Mariah made it to 14. Which for a German Shepherd I full expected to die at nine was extraordinary. But her puppy, Maddy, developed a virulent and aggressive spinal cancer at five. It took me a month to come to terms with having to let her go. Other dogs fell from one cause or another around five to 8. But my standard poodle is now 15 and a half. The grand dame of canines. Magique, my labradoodle, is 11.  She will really miss Mardi and so in part the kittens are ...

Mardi Gras and Magique Sometimes you do not know how out of balance your life is until you cannot stand it any more. It isn't always the big things. Sometimes it is an accumulation of a bunch of little things that do not get better. And sometimes it is us humans which are the last to see it. Since I took Wolfie back to his house to care for him there an interesting change has come about in my household. First was that Willow immediately accepted the kittens. Two was that the kittens immediately expanded into the entire house and stopped hiding in the corner. And three was that Mardi got better. Mardi is 15 and a half now. I have been treating her with vitamins for a liver ailment for a couple years, and the last couple of winters I have wondered if this will be her last. This one really felt like it. I had a difficult time getting her to join in with the morning walks. They were short walks because I was trying to teach Wolfie to walk right on a leash. Mardi always hung ba...

Mardi Cresting the Hill There have been a large amount of huge things going on in my life; Getting ready for the July show, trying not to go blind before then, a plethora of pet sitting engagements, and two badly infected teeth that must be pulled today. All of it has been complicated by requirements, re-scheduling, people not coming home when they said they were, and a winter which seems to be playing hide and seek with spring further delaying planting the garden. Beneath all that noisy stuff have been the little gifts and victories it is wise not to miss as they are our reasons for living. Mardi Gras at 14 and one half is still taking cross country walks. If she is not always keeping pace with Magique, Magique is slowing her pace to not lose her. Even letting her lead sometimes. Mistress, as usual, is overly concerned with her photography. Mardi and Magique's annual physicals showed that Mardi is doing great. And my vision improves. With a perfectly functioning right ...