Wedding memories

 It's only been 9 days since the Wedding!  Seems in some ways just yesterday and in others an eternity.  Such is the nature of time.  The photographer has a website with the "gallery" of photos up for a month.  I checked with the bride to make sure she has the rights to the images before putting a couple of them up on Facebook.  One is of Carl, of course!

In the order of service, this was as the officiant (Rev Amy) was explaining how the young couple met, with their first date at the dog park, and introducing that the bride and groom had selected readings for one another.  Carl was not content with his role as ring bearer alone, and decided he was also the Wedding Singer.

The wind chill was 31℉, and most of that was indeed the wind effect.  If you put your back to the wind, it did not seem so terrible.  I look at Rosa's feet in sandals, while she holds Carl's leash... brrr!  Extra duty for the wife of the best man!

That's enough, Carl, says grandma, having put her coat back on.  I stood there petting him to keep him quiet so the humans could hear all the words of significance.

The groom, his mom, and the ring bearer, before the service.

The whole wedding party, left to right:  Best man, mother of groom, groom, bride, mother and father of the bride, man of honor.  And of course the four-pawed ring bearer in front of us all.

The bride and groom in a flirty moment right before... "last chance to run"!  Neither looks like they are going to do so, do they?

With joined hands, now bonded for life together.

Oh, yes, and promised to Alicia:  the rings photos.

Collecting them from the Ring Bearer, here.

On their fingers, here.

Life is good!  Love is eternal.

Spark on!

Days 7 & 8: Feeding pills to dog

 

Saturday morning Carl was mopey.  We managed to get 3 pills down his throat in the 6 a.m. hour.  Since all 3 prescriptions are "every 12 hours" I figure this is the best time.  I found that for Carl, anyway, cheese doesn't work as well as lunch meat as a "wrapper" given I don't have any doggie pill pockets on hand.

He had a bit of a cone break to go out on leash to pee, and to get access to food and water.  But when he was up on the couch and started lifting a paw toward that snout... well, back in the cone.  Feeling sorry for himself.  Grandma has her work cut out for herself.

What does one do when sort of "tied down" by a cone-wearing canine?  I put the new park sticker on Dexter's windshield, so I can go park-tripping for the rest of 2023.  And in between leash walks in the back yard and going between "cone breaks" and "cone wearing", paid a bill online.  

Mostly I was trying to stay alert to if he was taking a swipe, however he could, at those stitches.  I suppose I was a bit too much of an enabler, not making him figure out how to navigate with the cone on.  

Whoever said (I think it was Val) that dogs are sneaky?  Yep, and clever.  Quite naturally, they seek comfort for themselves.  Overnight, with the cone on, sleeping on the big bed with Grandma, Carl managed to rotate the cone enough to rub those stitches against the seam of the cone.  I shuffled the cone around so that the seam is above his head again, so he can't do that (until he figures another way to shift it).

Since I have it on hand, I found that the promise of a bite or two of that roast beef after taking his pills, if he's a "good boy" helps motivate him.  He's been dosed with antibiotics and pain/inflammation as directed so far.  He has by now figured out how to go down and up the stairs with the cone on.  He seems to need a little help navigating around corners.  But slowly, with Grandma being less of an enabler, he is figuring it out.  Kind of like a horse in blinkers?

For Sunday, that cone is staying on.  I had been letting him out of the cone to eat earlier, but not today.  Grandma's getting tougher as Carl is getting better.  Food and water are being hand offered, to help with cone navigation.

Yogurt (Greek style, non-fat, the stuff Grandma eats) offered as a treat.  We'll have to get around to offering regular dog food today.  

Sunday morning, the comic relief was when The Prisoner showed up on the deck to demand his breakfast.  Carl was suddenly wide awake, alert, and charged to the sliding glass door, only to be stopped when the cone collided with it before his snout would have done.  Got my blood pumping, for sure.  I leashed him up, took him out, just in case he might need to pee or poo (he didn't, just wanted to sniff the cat's trail).  One more challenge in this adventure.

Outside the house, beyond the fence, The Prisoner comes out when I refill his food and water dishes.  He complains to the management about his situation.  Rubia... well, beside the first spotting in the playhouse, we've seen her pop herself up out of the storm drain a couple of times.  That's another of her go-to spaces.  I am thinking that she's almost feral.  She normally chooses to stay inside, but she wants nothing to do with Carl.

The kids have spent their last night in the VRBO home.  They will start to head back in this direction today.  

Photos of the honeymooners show a very relaxed and happy couple in a gorgeous collection of settings.  I am glad they had this time; they deserve it!

The photos are from their "fancy dinner" on their last night in Pagosa Springs, Colorado.  Clearly relaxed and happy!  They noshed on elk and bison (herd sizes managed, feeding the tourists is a good thing).  Speaking of elk and bison meat, those, and vegan were the hot dog choices at the reception last week!

Here's wishing all a peaceful and blessed Sunday.  Whoever is in need of healing and recharging, may God bless you by fulfilling those needs.

Life is good.  Spark on!

Day 6: update on Carl's boo-boo

By fortunate chance, Carl's "Grandpa Bob" (his mommy's dad) had the camera out at the dog run on Thursday.  Here you see several of the dogs that were there yesterday afternoon.  You can see my pink shoes in the distance, where I have gone to do my diligent "poo" duty for Carl.  Carl is in the foreground.

You can see that his coat is covered in dirt, showing that this was shortly after the time of the injury, as he came to the park clean, and the "scrum" is what got him dirty.

As I mentioned in reply to some of the comments on the previous blog, I'm over my own little vent about the incident by now.  Without someone who was paying extremely close attention at the time (and I already admitted I was busily picking up poo), we may never know exactly the source of the injury.  Knowing that Carl is getting excellent care and will be fine helps me to have a generous spirit about the whole thing.  Things happen.

I daubed the wound with 3 Way Ointment again Friday morning, and then observed what Carl did. He didn't like having the foreign substance there and scraped it off with his foreleg.  Then he licked the leg.  This reminded me of what he was doing when he came to bed about midnight... lots of licking, then tilting his throat as though he was about to howl... and swallowing.  So, he was eating the ointment!

I also noticed that it was starting to swell.  I was very glad I made that vet appointment.  We set off in the chilly rain.  Carl was quite happy to walk up to the vet's office and in the door.  He wasn't very happy to be waiting his turn.  It took about half an hour beyond his appointment time before the doctor was done with the previous patient.  I hugged Carl close so that the doctor could get a good look.  Carl really did not like anybody messing with his head.

The vet's verdict:  It was abscessed and needed stitches to heal from the inside out.  They would keep him, put him under for the minor surgery, and call me to come get him early Friday evening.  I signed all the permissions for them to treat Carl. Owner or Agent it said on the line for permission... I signed and noted I was "mother of owner".

I held Carl and comforted him while the anti-anxiety shot started to take effect, I gave up his leash to a lovely young vet tech who took him back to await his procedure.  I then was free to come home and wait for the phone call.  I messaged all the affected parties with the news.

Then I had lunch and took a nap.  The phone call to pick him up came about 5 p.m.  We have a cone for 3 days.  It's heavy.  Tail is tucked.  He was happy to see me until the cone got applied.

Poor baby in the car, with the cone.

Stitches that need protecting from that swiping paw.  

Body language on entry to the house.  Poor baby!

There are also three medications to administer every 12 hours until we run out, starting one Friday evening, the other two on Saturday morning.

I took the cone off long enough for him to eat and drink something (to go with the med that started Friday evening, but then he started to paw at his snout, so, cone is back on.

The honeymooners are in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, at a VRBO house.  It is gorgeous.  They put their feet in the natural hot springs.  Paddle board was put to use on the lake.  Their photos look relaxed and happy.  And yes, they know what Grandma is doing with Carl and his boo-boo.

Life is... interesting... but beats the alternative, always.  Spark on!

 

Day 5: Drama at the dog park

It started out as a socializing thing:  occupy Carl with visits with familiar people.  The bride's parents had expressed an interest in meeting at a dog park "if you want human company"... so I invited them to the little dog park I take Carl to whenever he visits me.  We set the time for 2 p.m. to meet there, and we did, arriving at the same time.

Carl was ecstatic to see his other grandparents and spent time making sure he knew where they were as we started out in our rounds of the fenced in area.  I picked up one set of poo, and while I was doing so, a scrum of dogs tumbled into the dirt patch nearby, including Carl and another black dog.  Growl bark, yelp!  Humans intervene, dogs separate, but clearly that one black dog was either aggressive or reactive and his human was nowhere to be found in the moment.

Turned out the human attached to that dog was on a bench on the other side of the park.  Carl shook himself out, completely covered in fine dirt... so much so that he was another color than his normal shiny black.  He had a slobber patch on his side, and there was a little spot on his cheek / side of his nose that could have just been a graze.  It was clear to me that Carl was in complete submissive posture in the scrum, on his back, belly exposed.

It wasn't until we got around to the park entrance and Bob (son's FIL) sat down on a bench, petting Carl, that we became aware that the graze was in fact a cut probably made by the other dog's tooth.  I had been keeping a wary eye on where that other dog was within the park, but he never left, and his owner only showed up after a second squabble at the gate, while Carl, Donna (son's MIL) and I were taking a second loop.

Retreat!  The owner of the other dog claimed it was the victim's fault... "that dog jumped up and he doesn't like that."  I'm sorry folks, but if your dog is reactive and you know it, you should not be letting him run around unsupervised in a dog park!  If you do take him to a dog park, you should be right with him in training mode, or keeping him away from other dogs.

Carl loves to tumble around on the ground with other dogs who like the same.  Play fights are common at dog parks, among well-socialized dogs.  Carl is not an alpha who needs to dominate.  Carl will immediately de-escalate when things get unpleasant, as he did in this situation.

I brought him home, messaged the kids "I don't want anyone to panic, but who is Carl's normal vet?  He's fine."  I did not get an immediate response, but I remembered a name from a prior conversation with my son and took a leap:  called and asked them to confirm that my grand-dog was among their patients.  I was right.  First opening they had to see him is Friday at 10:15 a.m.  I made the appointment, even though I don't think this wound is all that serious, as long as we can keep it clean and disinfected.  Stitches might make it produce less of a scar, but he's not in imminent danger of losing life or limb.

Meanwhile, the bride's parents messaged the young couple about the encounter with "an aggressive dog" and son did what I wanted to avoid:  had a minor melt-down.  Then my son processed it internally, decided that I was doing exactly what I was doing, taking care of it and avoiding disrupting their trip, because I didn't think it was as serious as the in-laws seemed to think.

Son sent me Carl's pet insurance information, then phoned to confirm the vet identification, that Carl was fine, and gave advice for how to treat the wound if I wanted to avoid taking him to a vet.  By the time he called me, he was done with the mini-meltdown, and told me about it or I'd never know he had it.

I followed his advice (I'd already done the first two steps, but he had specific antiseptic and wound care products he recommended, plus where to get them at a reasonable cost).  I did so.  While Carl was not a fan of the process, he's now washed, sprayed, and daubed.

I'm still planning on keeping that appointment.  Carl will be extra happy when his parents come to get him on Monday!

I am grateful to have had son's inlaws at the park, as Bob, sitting on the bench, was able to keep Carl away from that second dust up at the gate.

Life may have drama.  But life is still good.  Carl is fine.  Really!  And the proof that he forgives me for the process will be if he decides to snuggle up in the big bed overnight.

Spark on!

Day 4 of Carl visit

 

Carl's plate... add a couple of carrots.  He can have those.  He makes it disappear in seconds.

My plate has more veggies.  It's all very nummy!

This was day 4's luncheon.  I bought that roast with Carl in mind.  It is making several meals for the two of us.

The lawn guys were here again Wednesday with weed killer.  I was alerted by Carl and went out to warn them that I have cat food and water set out in the yard (and why), and they promised not to spray around that part.  Sigh.

Carl and I walked loops around "Grandma's dog park" Wednesday morning in the hopes that he'll be tamed down enough to go on the regular Wednesday walk with his Great-Aunt Alicia and me in the afternoon.  I've been talking up her visit to him.

As happens when distracted by animal care, Grandma (that's me) didn't get the Runkeeper turned on right away and forgot to turn it off until it talked to her at the first stop light!

The total distance is probably close to right.  

I never realized until I mapped this with Runkeeper that the paved path is essentially a triangle at Stransky Dog Run.

Alicia came at her usual time, after her work day.  We did a very short walk, into the park near my house, but turned around before we got too deep into it, because I didn't want to take Carl out by the busier street.  I used to walk him there, pre-pandemic, when he was still a pup, but there were a lot of other dogs out and about, and I wanted to take no chances of bad behavior.  Set them up for success, right?  

He was a very good boy, not even barking at the other dogs.

Home again, best buds with my sister, happy camper Carl!

He earned a reward of a bit of a run in the backyard while I loaded up his Kong with treats, then he came right back inside to collect it.

It was a good day.  The kids, meanwhile, traveled into Utah to see Hovenweep National Monument.  Hovenweep means deserted valley, in the native tongues of the region.  By the end of the day, they are at their VRBO, where they have reservations for four nights.  It is gorgeous, from the videos she posted... right on a lake in Pagosa Springs.  The house looks to be large enough and have enough bed and bath rooms for six adults... plus any smaller children that might come attached to them.  A good place to just chill if they want to.

Life is Good.  Spark on!

Cooking for human not always safe for doggos

 

The meat is safe, of course.  Some of the veggies are, but some of them are not.  There are mushrooms and onions among those things underneath, so before Carl gets a sample, it will be carefully curated.  No powdered spices (which can be too intense) in this pot.  No added salt.  Potatoes, green pepper, and carrots, oh, my.  Classic pot roast, in the crock pot.  It will be ready in time for supper.

Meanwhile, out in Colorado, the honeymooners are at a "stay two nights" place, and are out exploring Mesa Verde National Park, among others.  Their trip involves a whole bunch of National Parks, that are located in that quadrant of the Rocky Mountains.  This is a part of Colorado that I have never explored, so I'm thrilled to be following along in their shared photos.

Carl and I both slept through the night.  Tuesday morning we went on a leash walk around the nearest block, following the route of the puppy parade.  We came home and Carl checked to be sure the perimeter was secure.

Tuesdays is the day that all the lawn service companies hit our neighborhood.  This Tuesday they seemed to take turns.  One neighbor, then another company for the senior condos to our north, then after a while, my lawn guys came by.  They all made more noise with their machines than Carl does with his barking.

I ordered groceries online for pickup this evening, as Carl can't go inside and I don't leave him alone in a car, no matter how nice the weather.  Nor do I leave him alone in my house.  Well, except when I'm just out doing stuff in the yard and he can come and go.

One advantage of having Carl "in residence" is that it gets me out in the yard, and I do more yard clean up.  I'm grateful that it's a cooler week, weather-wise.  And I'm grateful for his 4 year old self, past the puppy stage.

The yard waste bins are starting to line up.  I have five of them and expect to have them all full by Friday morning's collection.

Wednesday morning, The Prisoner showed up on the deck rail pre-sunrise, looking like he does coming in from an overnight outside.  Carl stood at the door, but did not bark at the cat.  It might be that he knows we are quiet in the morning, but then again... maybe I'm making some progress.  Prisoner would have none of it, not even a silent pup... over the rail and off he went.  

The avian visitors are flitting about, too.  This chipper cardinal hopped about on the top of the older section of fence.  I took the photo through the kitchen window on Tuesday afternoon.  On Wednesday morning, Carl chased a cheeky squirrel away from that same spot, and raced up and down the fence line with joyous declarative barks.  No more squirrels... or at least make them retreat to the neighbors' trees.

Meanwhile, to the West and South of here, the kids hit "Four Corners" on Tuesday, as well as driving through a snow cloud and a dust storm.

Not sure which foot is in what state, but between the two of them, they are straddling New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah.  What a very touristy thing to do... and both came out smiling.  The non-smiley part of the day was when their truck got pelted with hail outside a brewpub they visited.

And life continues to be GOOD (always beats the alternative, eh?)  Spark on! 

Puppy dog eyes

 

Doing his predecessor proud, Carl has learned that if he slides his head onto grandma's lap while she's sitting at the keyboard, she'll melt and come see what he needs.  Who can resist?

He got me up before 3 a.m., needing to go out and eat some grass, which he later regurgitated.  All better now.  Dogs somehow know when their tummy is upset, this is how to hurry healing along.  We humans can learn from them.  Not that I'm advocating eating grass, but how about some fruits and veggies?

The kids got a later than planned start yesterday, but made it to their first destination about the time that Carl and I sacked out.  They posted about a diner where they stopped for "breakfast for supper" in northwestern Kansas.  Funny story was about a little boy who didn't consider their hybrid to be a truck, exactly.  Then they made it into La Junta, Colorado where they had reservations for the night.  Today their target is Cortez.  This is a part of Colorado that I have never explored, so I'm hoping they have good weather.  Already got a message from them Monday morning that they have mountains in view.

Meanwhile, Carl and Grandma went to the dog park to let some other canines release some of Carl's energy.

In the early afternoon, Carl rode in the car again, with Grandma to go drop off her ballot at the election commission office.  It's a drive-thru drop-box there, so Carl didn't have to get out of the car and behave.

The behavior challenge came later in the afternoon when the cable guy needed access to the yard because the "pedestal" is in the corner of my back yard.  So Carl has had to stay inside and go out on a leash... it's two and a half hours later and the cover is still not back on that little cable periscope thingy, and the truck is still in the neighborhood.  But in between, Carl went out in the yard with me for a bit, and out on the deck once, and came right back with me, no fuss, bother or rebellion.  Proud grandma here.

Meanwhile, the honeymooners are driving through the mountains.  They visited Bishop Castle, and when I played the video with the sound on, Carl recognized his "mommy's" voice narrating.  Then they took a side trip to Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve (who'd have thought - Sand Dunes in Colorado!)  Tonight they are aiming to stay in Cortez.  So they were driving through Rio Grande National Forest.  It is mountain driving, and some of her progress posts have been videos of the road being traveled.  Yes, there is snow along the sides of the road, but the pavement looks clear.  And of course there are tunnels!  My dad would have loved it.

The cable guy came back and said there will be folks trouble shooting overnight in my back yard, as they have not been able to figure out just where the issue is.  Bracing myself for a disrupted sleep night, as I know who will hear and go into protect mode.  

Still, Life is good.  Spark on!

Finish Line Syndrome

 Training / eventing goes from "are we there yet" to ... "is that all there is?"  

Seriously, finish line syndrome won't kick in until the happy couple get back from their honeymoon and Carl has survived his week with Grandma (me).  This photo is from the reception:  the groom's side of the family, plus the bride added in.  On somebody else's phone is a similar shot of the bride's side with the groom added.  Both of them added Carl in for good measure.  He was of course a star at the reception, and all of us who've heard names of the other side of the family finally meeting one another in person after three years of pandemic carefulness!

But it does strike me that a bout of finish line syndrome will be appearing soon!

Speaking of the reception, it was a wonderful time.  Most of the time, others were holding Carl's leash or spoiling him with treats and pets.  He was a great hit with the children in attendance and showed off his tricks to acquire treats.

Meanwhile I sought out Grendalbane, a gaming friend of my son's from the era in which he lived in my basement and learned about teamwork and commitment from a massively multiplayer online game (Ever Quest).  I had never met this gent in person, but on Saturday, I sat with him and his plus one... and chatted about their lives on the Eastern edge of Iowa... they had driven about four hours to honor the couple.

And I was in the same room as all three of my sisters for the first time since we lost our brother in 2019.  "Weddings and funerals", right?  One of those sisters and her hubby drove 8 hours to come.  I'm mega jealous of my niece's hair (on the far right hand side of the above photo... see it's down to her waist?)  She usually wears it up, but on Saturday she had it flowing down in all its glory!  It was so nice to have a happy occasion to gather us together!

Here is Carl showing good manners being petted by Lacey (bride)'s Dad and by his mother.  Since you can't really see her in either of the shots, I offer up two at different angles.  Lacey's grandma lives in a local senior care facility, and they brought her and her power wheelchair over.  So glad to finally meet so many of Lacey's family in person.

The couple had met just as the pandemic was starting up, and so many times plans to get together were thwarted by illness or caution.

On Sunday I got a FB friend request from one of her aunts, whose name I had heard so many times over the past couple of years... families expand!

It was later than originally estimated when they got all packed up and dropped off my visitor.  Both cats are now outdoors, and thankfully the sun has come out and it's warmed up (got down below 30℉ overnight... i.e. a hard freeze).  Carl and I went out to check the perimeter and one of the first things he did was to put his front paws on the ladder to the playhouse.

I stepped up one step to check out what he caught the scent of, and sure enough, was greeted by golden feline eyes.  Rubia has chosen this as her hiding place for the week!

Carl was actually pretty happy to be dropped off.  He seemed to recognize the signs of a road trip in what all was packed into the truck.  He happily bounded into my house, and he's so far been a gentleman for grandma.  We shall see how the night goes and how quickly he settles into Grandma's routine, but so far, so good.

Hugged the kids goodbye and alerted them that they will see snow (Colorado bound), using Paula's report that the weather man in Denver said "off and on through Wednesday"... isn't it great having friends from all over?

At bedtime we'll have the talk about 8 sleeps until mom and dad come back... then tomorrow about 7 sleeps... etc.  

Life is good.  Spark on!

It's legal and everybody's happy!

 

Carl did his job but was a mess of anxiety the whole ceremony.  Doggos can tell when "something's happening", and he's been seeing suitcases come out at home.  We played pass the leash, and shuffle the coats on and off for photos.  Some with the dog, some without.  

The ceremony itself was brief, which was a blessing outdoors as the windchill was in the 30's.  The officiant gave the little speech about talking with the couple about their first date (at a dog park), the couple's willingness to take chances and support one another through life.  

Lacey (the bride) read a poem (I know there was a thing about finding the name of the originator, as it was attributed to someone else... go, Internet!), Jon (the groom) read from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Two Towers, then they exchanged the vows they wrote themselves, which were very touching.  

Carl wanted to get to his people.  So that others might hear, I stepped out of the little grouping to pet him while Rosa (wife of the Best Man) was holding the leash.  He was quiet as long as he was being continuously stroked.  Good boy.

The bride and groom dropped the ringbearer back at home before coming to the "after party" dinner.

The Reverend Amy came to the Wedding Dinner after with us, and the Best Man gave a lovely speech about how he's known the groom for 17 years and this is the happiest he's ever seen him (his mother, who's known the groom for 38 years agrees).  There is so much hope and love around this match!

Saturday it's on to the reception for wider family and friends.  

Clockwise from the top:

Father of the bride, Groom, Bride, Man of Honor, empty chair (Rev Amy took the photo), Mother of the Groom, Best Man, Mrs. Best Man, Mother of the Bride.  The only person who was not at dinner but was there in the shivering cold doing yeoman's work is the photographer whose work we'll see later.  And Carl, of course.  The bride wrote his photo caption, btw.  And no, NOBODY ever outshines a bride!

And Life is Good!  Spark on!

Marathon Monday and the week before the wedding

 

My favorite "memory" photo of myself in Boston was from the 2018 BAA 5K.  Taken by OVERWORKEDJANET, it captures me (white jacket and cap) just after crossing under the Marathon finish arch, and a sunbeam lights me up!  Some folks are just really, really talented photographers and are graced by luck as well as patience.

On Marathon Monday in Boston I tuned the TV to the race.  The wheelchairs rolled; the elites ran an exciting race.  There's a hole in my heart, shaped like my brother, that activates on race day.  But it is filled with memories of his three races there and our last visit together.  It is filled with gratitude that I had such a brother in my life.

Tuesday was my regular workout with the trainer. 

Wednesday was the AC check, even though it's cooler weather this week.  Things are starting to bloom which means my sinuses bloom too.  Locally we're in the "green" for Covid, but "moderate" for flu. Just to be safe I wore my mask to greet the AC tech at the door.

 All went smoothly and as expected, since the AC was put in new last Summer.

We're getting chillier weather just in time for the wedding.  That dress I bought will probably not be warm enough, but I can probably stand it for long enough for the photo shoot!  I will take a coat along for after.  We want good photos for good memories for the bride and groom.

Wednesday was also spent hauling hoses to water after the lawn guys cut my weeds.  I'm trying a bit of overseeding and bought a new soaker hose to help with that.  Kid sis Alicia came and took me out to walk after her workday, so I woke kind of stiff and kinked up Thursday morning.

Thursday morning was the other regular workout with the trainer.  I'm taking next week off, as I will have Carl in residence, and I don't leave him alone in the house, or in the car.  He'll exercise me plenty, all by his canine self.

That's about it.  Next check in will be some time after the wedding!

Life is good.  Spark on!

April showers? Please, even it out, Mother Nature!

 

The clouds looks fluffy and playful in the afternoon, but started rumbling later as the front is rolling through.  We are dry in our state, for sure, and even though it's only mid-April, we have had several wildfires, sparked by "dry lightning".  My sense is that normally this happens in July and August.  April is supposed to be storing up rainfall!

A triathlete acquaintance who leads hunting parties posted a Facebook live from near one of the fires.  Prayers for everyone in the path.  So far, the firefighters are doing a good job of containing them, but thousands of acres of land have been burned.

If we're lucky, we'll get some rain out of this front.  Cross your fingers for us.  

Here's hoping that next week it will look better.

Saturday morning:  yes, it did rain overnight.  I heard the rumbles overhead in the night.  It doesn't look drenched or flooded, but there were a few puddles in the grocery parking lot when I went to get a few things.

The temperature has plummeted after having been in the 80's for three days running.  Just in time for the weekend.

Saturday evening was our "faux rehearsal dinner".  The groom and the best man were off on a mini-bachelor party, crawling the downtown bars, including the ax-throwing place (which we all fervently hoped from the dinner they were doing first, before drinking any alcohol).  Plans were in place so that neither would drive "home".  

Meanwhile, at the restaurant, the bride, the man of honor, the parents and an aunt and uncle of the bride joined the mother of the groom (me) for a festive evening meal.  It was crowded and loud (see what happens when you reserve on Saturday evening?)  I had my first margarita (a virgin lime one) and enjoyed the complexity of salt versus the tart of the lime.  Excellent fancy drink for a non-drinker... I will tuck this one into the back of my mind.

The main triangle of conversation for me included the man of honor and the bride.  The acoustics made for smaller group talking.

The man of honor (who is a hoot, by the way) had quesadillas;

the bride had street tacos;

and I enjoyed about a third of what's on this plate, chicken enchiladas mole.  

We lingered for quite a while, and the leftover boxes came out!  

Everybody made it home safe.  I will call it a win.

Monday will be the Boston Marathon day, and plans are being made to track and follow as needed.  This is kind of my personal memorial day for my brother.  I prefer this time of celebration to remember him and his achievements, rather than the anniversary of his passing.  My dentist's husband will be running this year and their entire family is in Boston for the week.  I'm thinking warm thoughts for all the runners, their families, and the home town folks there.

Life is good.

Spark on!

Speaking of old photos

 

A family messenger chat today brought up some heritage connections, and my older sister, who took this photo, shared it.

The younger people in the photo are my mom, my brother, and myself.  My sister is behind the camera.  In the bed is my mother's father's father's mother, i.e. my great-great grandmother.  This photo was taken on the one and only trip in which we met.  She had been four years old when Abraham Lincoln was shot. She regaled us with stories of the black borders around the newspapers in her home state of Illinois following that event.

My sister brought up that her parents had been married in England and immigrated to the US with three children.  This young lady was one of six children born to them on these shores.

She was 101 in this photo.  I was not yet ten, which would make my brother not yet seven.  The camera wielding sister was going on 12.

This was an amazing trip.  One highlight for me was visiting a home that Abraham Lincoln's family had resided in at some point in his life (probably when he was a state senator?) and feeling the horsehair upholstery on one of the chairs.  Impressed that they let us touch it!

Great great gram passed away the following April, shortly after her 102nd birthday.

My brother's daughter had started the chat with a question about whether the sister behind the camera and I had been alive when Kennedy was shot, and every time that sister and I think about Kennedy's assassination, we also think of Great-great-Grandma, who died just half a year before that event, and how we connected the historical dots with our own family tree.

Trying to get the story saved off before everybody who remembers it is gone, as of the four people in this photo, I'm the only one left breathing at this point (and the sister behind the camera, of course).  Glad she re-shared it today.

Life is good.  It is good to remember that history is made up of family stories, our own and others', and we're all just humans, trying to live our lives, raise our children, and hopefully help one another along the way.

Happy Easter from the Prisoner

 

"How does this selfie thing work?"

The pages of the calendar keep on flying.  The news cycle keeps on flipping.  I read or listen and then change the channel simply because no matter how I feel about it there's not a whole lot I can do about it.  I hate the giddiness of those whose issues seem to be going their way, and the cockiness of those who want to spin the bejesus out of things that are NOT going theirs.  Pick your issue.  Whatever happened to quiet, intelligent conversation?  Apparently that does not generate clicks and eyeballs.

Meanwhile I escape into fictional tales, including Kiefer Sullivan's latest, "Rabbit Hole".  I'm still following each new episode of Picard as it comes out.  I am loving how the characters from three separate Star Trek series get woven together in this one.  Prime has started airing a new series called "Power" about young girls developing a new organ (that generates electricity) and learning how to use it.  If you are of a philosophical bent, you can see themes of use of power to hurt or to heal arising.  We shall see how it develops.

On Good Friday morning I got a phone call from the mythical son, as he had a hole in his schedule.  I'll take the calls as they come.  Partly he was letting me know his dad RSVP'd no to coming out for the wedding, not feeling up to the trip.  It is a heck of a haul, to be sure, from upstate NY, and his dad is not a flyer.  I am sad for my son, who would have liked to have his dad present, but as we both know, this was not particularly surprising.  At least he and his bride to be did get out to meet him last Spring.

Now that my son is provisionally credentialed, he has an actual office space, and a case load, as that's what a social worker or therapist has.  He informs me that they have loaded him up mostly with angry teenaged boys.  To be honest, he is among those best suited to help them, having lived through that stage of his life, and come out on the other side in one piece.  Sometimes it helps a kid to have proof that challenges are survivable.  

From a mom's perspective, I remember those days.  They were scary.  I feel for the moms of these angry adolescent males.  Son said he can easily see how he might have wound up in the position his clients are in today (a truancy case, for example), and I reminded him of the lengths his father and I went through to make sure he was spared that particular experience.  One always second guesses whether they did the right thing during difficult times.  I am grateful that the end result in this case is a strong, capable, and compassionate man.  Hopefully his experience can help others.

Because of the nature of his case load, though... it still gives him a schedule that's heavy on the after school hours, leaning toward a "2nd shift" kind of working life.  

Two weeks to the Wedding, then I get Carl for a week while the bride and groom head off to their honeymoon.

Life is Good.  Spark on.  And Happy Easter, Passover, or Ramadan... whichever you happen to observe.