Easter Sunday

Hope everyone is having (or had) a good Easter (or whatever holiday goes with your own faith traditions).  I went to church with my sister, as planned.  We consolidated at her house, which is the usual drill, so as not to put 3 cars in the parking lot at church.  I discovered as soon as we pulled out of her driveway that I did not have my phone!  I was going to put it on silent/airplane mode so as not to be disturbed during the service.  

No matter:  one does not HAVE to live in the electronic age to celebrate Easter with a church service and a brunch.  Of course that means y'all won't get photos of me, sis, and her gentleman friend, but I think you'll live.

We sat in a different place, about midway back in the sanctuary, and it was because of this that it was a different show than usual.  My music teaching sis observed the gal at the back who was timing the procession of youngsters carrying the big Bible, the candle lighters, the crosses, etc. down the center aisle, followed of course by the choir.

I was enthralled with the very well behaved children who were in attendance with their families.  The music was outstanding as is the message.  And the social catching up that is always a hallmark of sis and I getting together, of course.

After brunch, back at my sister's house, we noticed a young man walking a puppy.  My initial guess what that it was a lab (or mix) about 12 weeks old.  The dog-dad corrected me, 4 months... I was off by about a month.  But I was right about the breed, this was a "goldador":  golden and Labrador retriever cross.  

This little pup was about as well behaved as could be expected at that age.  Turns out he was visiting a neighbor of my sister, is originally from the area where Ember was born.  I asked him if he knew the family, and sure enough, he does!  He gave me his surname so I can let them know I met someone "from the neighborhood".  It is indeed a small world, and we parted wishing one another luck with the hard work of puppy rearing.

And I came home to find the phone just where I expected:  on my kitchen counter.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town

Preparations continue for human household expansion, one generation down from me.  DIL posted this pic of herself in her new hybrid Escape.  The plan is to have enough room for whatever foster child comes their way, plus a couple of team-mates/friends... foster and sports mom to be?

The "kids" are working at training Carl to hop into and ride in the hatch of the new vehicle, in anticipation.

Puppy progress:

Meanwhile, as I type this, it is about two hours out from my own anticipated wagging tailed housemate.  It is about a 3 hour drive from the home of the puppy's birth to my house, so if they aren't already on the road, I might be waiting longer.

Life is Good.  Spark on!

Good Friday

 

The Chewy boxes keep arriving.  The final one came this morning.  It contained the crate that Ember will "grow into".  But the training videos say that the crate should ONLY be big enough for the dog to stand up, sit, and lie down in, no bigger.  This one she won't be ready for until six months down the road. 

Here's the humongous crate that arrived today:  

I got it assembled, remembering putting a similarly sized one together for Diamond, many, many years ago.  But seriously too big for puppy-sized Ember.  

I expected to do a bit of shopping at Zoom Room for training treats and appropriate toys to start with, before she gets to her initial Puppy Pre-School session.  The trainer there said I didn't have to buy treats yet, I could start training with her regular food.

I ended up bringing home a "house line".  This is simply a lightweight leash that stays attached to her collar, even inside the house.  It can go off when she's in her crate resting, but otherwise, she's got this line that I can step on, for example, if she would try to follow The Prisoner out the door.  This was on my list of things for starters, based on the training videos I had watched, and the Zoom Room trainer said yes, that is a good tool.  I also picked up a safe to chew bone that crackles, and can go into her crate with her.  

Next I drove over to TSC and consulted about a more appropriately sized crate to use for the first two to six months, before transitioning her into that huge one.  Turns out, the clerk's husband was there and they, too, are adopting a lab puppy in a few weeks and he helped me select the right size.  See?  Much better... the house line and bone are sitting on top of the smaller crate.

I heard from my friend who will be transporting Ember on Sunday.  We swapped phone numbers, I gave her my address, and I'll swap her a check made out to her daughter when she drops Ember off.  It will be probably 5 or 6 p.m., which works fine with my Easter plans to go to church with my sister and her gentleman friend, and out to brunch after.

I think I'm all set, about as ready as I can be until she actually arrives and rocks the household!

On the next generation's planning front

I was wrong about the kids' home visit being the final one.  Last night they got their fingerprints taken for a background check, and were assigned another set of homework.  They have to give emergency contacts, and names for character references.  DIL asked her folks and me if we'd be willing to be among the character references (a certain number have to be relatives).  You can imagine that all of these potential grandparents jumped at that opportunity!

As her dad said, "If you two don't meet their requirements, I don't know who would!"  

Life is Good.  Spark on!

And have a Blessed Easter Weekend, all!

Thursday cometh

 

Does this really look like a poor kitty?  He's 13 years old.  He's smart and intuitive, and his hu-mom adores him.  Just not enough to turn down the long wanted puppy from coming to join us!

My trainer has medicalizing this morning, and was going to text me if he got done in time to schedule a session, since I'll be taking next week off to settle Ember into the mix.  But I just texted him and said, "Nawww... my cleaning is in full session today and I don't want to interrupt it."

I am doing things that probably should have been kept up with right along.  You see, those of you who remember me from the Spark days might remember that I am a self-identified "Messie".  So things get left out, mid-project.  I am not good at finishing what I start.  Sigh.  I've lived with this me ever since I was a kid, and was shamed for it.  But I have come to accept me for who I am, and periodically fight the good fight because of a higher need.  

Well, a new puppy in the house is definitely a higher need, so I started removing cords and things that are no longer used (like the not quite successful digital antenna on one of the TV's), so as to remove temptation from a curious critter.  I moved the laptop that usually lives on the dining room table up to the office (where I'm typing from now), so the cord won't tempt her.  Cleaning products are being consolidated into safer locations so they won't look like chew toys to her... etc.  

When Carl was a puppy I kept several doors closed in the house while he was present, so that he didn't get in trouble.  Watching these puppy videos has me very aware that I need a higher level of supervision for the new puppy than I gave to him at first.  Both eyes on the puppy, distract.  I'll have the advantage of starting crate training myself from the jump, in this case.  At least that's the fantasy.

In family news:

The mythical son and his wife have their final approval home visit for foster parenting Thursday.  They have installed a locking cupboard for cleaning supplies, and a locking bar cabinet for the liquor in the house.  Being a responsible gun owner, my son has long kept his heirloom and personal firearms locked up, so that was not ever going to be an issue.  

The two sets of potential foster-grandparents are hoping and praying for a good report after said visit.  

All of which is to say:

Life is good.  Here's hoping that Ember comes into my life to keep the Spark alive!  And may all who follow along, Spark along, as well.

Moonset was stunning

 

I woke before 4 Wednesday morning.  Early waking is the side effect of several things:  anticipation, of course, better diet, earlier bedtime.

"Better diet" is a side effect (for me) of the onset of Spring, even with the reprise of Winter weather.  I start wanting more fruits and veggies, less bread and starches.  I start craving more activity, too.

One of the benefits of waking early is seeing the sunrise and the moonset.

The first "puppy preparation" package arrived late Tuesday.  It's a Snuggle Puppy, with a little heartbeat generating thing you put in its tummy, so the puppy will be comforted.

I have never used one before, but then again, I have never raised a puppy all on my own from scratch, either. 

The second package arrived in a big box labeled "Chewy".  I stepped out onto the porch to receive it, telling the delivery guys (there were two, one in training) that I would not chant "The Peanut Butter Box is here."

Next, I created a user account at the Zoom Room training place, even though I don't have the vet papers for vaccinations yet.  I scheduled myself into an orientation session for Friday morning.  I called to confirm that I don't have to have the vaccination papers until Ember comes to a training session with me.  Orientation sessions are for just the humans.

I also called my sister's vet to schedule Ember's first checkup, and transfer whatever vet records come with her.  So that's on the books.  

The neighbors are gradually being given the heads up, too.  Saw one couple walking a 12 week old puppy so we will undoubtedly be sharing puppy phases.  I warned the puppy parade walkers that Ember is going to join my household, and discovered (probably knew it before) that Barnaby's co-walking older dog had been named Ember!  I think I had been introduced to her once, but had mis-remembered her name as "Amber".  Go figure... it's Kismet!

Life is good!  Keep on Sparking!

Winter reprise

 

It was chilly and overcast Thursday, but thankfully those street workers finished not just the tail end of the patch in front of my house but also the ones down the block on the side street... so it turns out that for once the weather and the work coincided.

Friday morning I went and got my hair cut, as it had reached the "driving me crazy" stage again.

For those of you who remember how "March Madness" I get, yes, it's happening again this year.  I watched three games of men's NCAA tournament Thursday, including the one where Oakland upset Kentucky.  I do not fill out a bracket or bet on games, but I enjoy watching the winnowing process, the Cinderella stories that can end in simply being "spoilers" or actually in Cinderella wearing the crown.

Thinking of my old Galloway coach, I watched Creighton and the Oregon Ducks advance... he went to both schools, both won their first round games on Thursday, and they played each other on Saturday with Creighton coming out on top.  Since I had a cousin who played for Creighton, I'm fine with this.

My own alma mater, the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, lost on Friday evening, against Texas A&M, the school that recruited away our athletic director.  The Husker women won against the Aggies, though, then went on to lose their Sunday game.

I usually look for Syracuse University (I took some grad school courses there) as a more likely winning team... but they aren't even in the round of 64 this year.  At least not on the men's side... the Syracuse women are there, at least in the first two rounds!  They lost to UConn Monday night.  

But the big draw for the women is the Iowa team with Caitlin Clark, and I watched them both Saturday afternoon and Monday night, but fell asleep before they pulled off the Monday night squeaker.  

Outdoors, Saturday has brought us snow, and after The Prisoner went out, he came back in with an extra coat that was rapidly melting.

Of course he will be in for the shocker of his old age when Ember shows up next weekend.  

Tuesday morning, we awoke to a dusting of snow, cold temperatures, and a Winter Weather Advisory that lasts until 10 a.m., with gusty winds.  I will be heading out to work out with the trainer 

Ember's breeder posted a video on Monday of the litter (including a glimpse of her in the mix) experiencing their first snow!  It is apparent that Ember might be lonely when she comes to me, so of course I had to order her a Snuggle Puppy, that has a heart beat and heat... hopefully to help her sleep in her crate.  Again, all those wishes for "good luck" with this new project are appreciated, and might well be needed.  Fantasizing about a puppy and actually training one are two different deals.

It's been five years since I worked with Carl as a puppy.  It's been thirteen years since I said my last good-byes to Diamond as she was put down.  I'm sure that Diamond would be happy to have my heart grow to include Ember.

Life is good.  Keep on Sparking!

Coming soon!

 Ever have one of those days when you finally pull the ripcord and do something you're not sure you'll pull off well?  Sunday was one of those days.

See the "star" puppy in the middle, with the turquoise collar?  Her name is Ember (since last night's family discussion).  She was born on January 31st.  She's halfway across the state right now, but she will be coming to live at my house with The Prisoner and me, when her grandma goes out to visit for Easter.

I have given myself this week to prepare.  The mythical son and his wife have volunteered to puppy sit when needed.  Ember has not yet met a cat.  Both she and The Prisoner are in for an education.    

Puppy training videos are the new favorite.  What a pleasant distraction from the news, huh?

Now I HAVE to take care of my own health, too... because this little darling is going to depend on me, as much as I will be depending on her.  

Life is good.  Spark on!

Spring on pause

 

This little beauty was frost-bit and it looks like the freeze points will continue for a few weeks, after having been teased by a warmer than normal February.

Wednesday afternoon we got a sister walk in, ALICIA363 and I, and that's always one of those "high points of the week".  We dump our collections of life issues on one another, plus coping strategies and humor.

Thursday morning brought "breakfast with the financial advisors", where I tend to meet other retirees who share the same management firm.  There's a bit of market update and a bit of education on current products they are considering for folks who might be attracted to them.  

One part of market analysis that was shared might be of interest.  It had to do with market performance, the importance of sticking to your strategies in good times and bad, and whether or not "this year will be different".  He did a graphic comparison of "what would have happened to your portfolio over the past 50 years if..."  This was a lesson in the strategy of long term management winning over allowing one's emotions to force your buying/selling decisions.  It was one line of what would have happened if you only invested while the Republican party was in the White House, versus another line of what would have happened if you only invested while the Democratic party was in the White House, versus a third line that showed what would have happened if you just stayed the course regardless of who got elected.  Need I say that it made essentially no difference if you chose based on party, and the "stay the course" strategy was far and away superior to either of those partisan things.

I think that can be applied not just to investment strategies... it can be applied to living life in general and investing our time and energy into what makes one happy and healthy, as SparkPeople used to teach us!

The current investment vehicle they talked about reminded me of my mom talking about "dollar cost averaging" back when she was the one in the family building the nest egg.  This kind of does the same sort of thing, automating the "averaging" piece so that you aren't doing it by dribs and drabs, manually.  I don't know if any of this vehicle are in my own portfolio, but it got me curious enough to go look.

The most fun surprise was running into a gent who graduated from high school with me (and even shared the same Yearbook page, our senior year).  Funny thing about that is that we never met until we worked in the same agency as older adults!  I didn't realize he was a client of the same outfit.  Life is like that... connections and surprises about those connections.

The street work has moved around the corner, so there's still the odor of fresh asphalt in the air.  I'm thinking they will fill the rest of the second patch on my street today sometime.

As of Thursday morning, it still looked like this.

Life is good.

Keep on Sparking!

The asphalt arrives

 

I shall leave the Springtime aroma of hot asphalt being applied during "road repair season" to your no doubt capable imagination.  Sometimes it is a blessing that we don't transmit odors electronically!

Arrival was about the same time, 9 a.m. on Tuesday.  They did finish the work directly at the base of the driveway, but ran out of asphalt before they finished the second spot South of the mailbox.

Looks nice.

Not quite done.  They still have the street coned off for now, and at ten to three, have come back from wherever they went in between.

Monday afternoon late the e-mail from the landscape company arrived.  I cringed at the bottom line, slept on it, and on Tuesday morning called them and booked the job.  Still don't know when it will be scheduled, but he said I was on the list for early in the season.  That will be nice.

Elements involved:  Sod, border wall, river rock, sand for the sandbox, pavers for where I put my hoses.  Labor and equipment charges, of course.  Oh, well, I was told to spend my "extra" money by my financial guy last year... I did some of that with the brick mason last year.  This is a bigger project for 2024.  

I'm still holding off on the inside work because I can't make up my mind what project(s) to take on or in what order.  But at least having committed to this large expense has put the "wanna puppy" urges to rest for now.  One project at a time!

Life is good.  Spark on!

Starting the week "blocked in"

 

The street repair crews are here, in the chill of a Monday morning, the last day of astronomical Winter.

The practical result is that I'm "blocked in" for a while.  I don't know how long.  BUT, the good news is I don't have an appointment for which I need to drive until Thursday morning.

The personal trainer called off Tuesday, and I had already called of Thursday so this is a "no trainer session" week.  Perhaps I'll dig up the dumb-bells to do a few free weight exercises on my own, but no promises.

When you get the trucks and machines, a work crew comes with it, and it turns out that this year, they are doing my pot-holes as a larger project.  For some reason the street repair crews always seem to come before the other home projects I plan, so that the newly repaired street gets the extra weight of landscape work equipment this year.  Sigh.

The Prisoner keeps a close eye on them.

Life continues to be good.

Keep a-Sparking, my friends!

This year's pending projects

I do try to get some projects done "around the house" every year.  And sometimes they are just the start of something that becomes bigger over the years.  This year I have asked the folks who did my "step down" from the patio to the yard to estimate a variety of tasks around the yard.  Probably won't see the break down until beginning of next week, but hang it all, I'm ready to have it maintenance ready.

The step and boulders at the bottom of the photo were done by these guys about 15 to 20 years ago.  But it has held up well.  I'm asking them to make that back yard mowable grass, and graded so that their mowing guys can maintain it, without my having to garden or weed.  Clean up the landing there in the foreground, fill the sandbox with sand, etc.  

In the front, I've asked them to estimate putting stone borders around a paved/rocked areas where I want the plants to "go away", until the bay window, and where the swing used to sit.  Get rid of the old stumps of the volunteer trees.  General yard cleanup.

While they are at it, they will "take a peek" at my long-broken sprinkler system.  He says a new system for a yard the size of mine might run about $13,000!  So if they can fix the one that is there, no matter how many problems there might be with it, it would be a lot less.  OK, on this one I feel like I'm dreaming, but it can't hurt for them to look it over.

Dream, dream, dream.

Lots of bare dirt there, I will ask them about re-seeding, especially if the sprinklers get fixed.

I expect the estimate via e-mail sometime next week.

Meanwhile, the city has been out marking the potholes it intends to fill this Spring.  I'm on the list, like always.

I'm not sure when they will get this work done, but it doesn't seem as bad as it has been some years in the past.

Saturday afternoon, "the kids" collected me for an outing at the dog park for Carl's birthday weekend.  He ended up doing a bit of water fetch and then showering anyone within shaking range.

In the end, a tired dog is a happy dog.  And a tired dog is also a good dog.

Life is good.

Spark on!

Happy Birthday to Carl (and Pi Day, too)

 

Nothing can focus Carl's attention better than his birthday sundae.  Such a patient fellow.

It was a rainy day, so he got a good sniffing walk mid-day, and a romp at the dog park after his Dad got off work, too.  Muddy paws washed, sundae delivered, he's a happy birthday boy.

Middle aged doggie... those five years just flew by!

Life is good.

Keep on Sparking!

Words Carl knows

New family game one February Saturday morning.  The kids have created a shared list of "words Carl knows", and all of the group are contributing to it.  

Surprising?  Carl knows "Guinness" as well as "Beer"!  Who teaches these to their dog?  Turns out Guinness is the name of one of his doggie friends from the park.  He knows several names of dog friends and he knows my Prisoner's name, too.

I noticed that I use a different set of words with Carl than his "mom" and "dad" do.  Kind of like a little kid knows that when at Grandma's house we habla Español.  Not that it's a foreign language, there are enough English words to build whole different dog-vocabularies specific to whose house he's in.  I use longer / more words than they do.

"Out" versus "Outside".  "In" versus "Inside".

Silence, repetitive nature of life, "am I weaning myself from blogging"?

It's been nearly a month since I posted a blog.  Yes, I'm still breathing, but when I'm being a bit of a hermit, and life just gets repetitive, and all I'm writing about is life, because, gee, you don't want to be controversial or offend someone by talking about politics (which is going to be taking up a lot of space in my brain for some time here)... well, silence tends to ensue.

The medical stuff keeps on trickling on:  had my annual mammogram as rescheduled. I've received the snail mail "it's normal" letter.  I finally got off the dime and scheduled the "every ten years" colonoscopy... has it really been ten years?  Yes, it has.  Sigh.  The verification of the phone number was enough to make it clear:  they still had my land line on record.  The verification of insurance, same-same, I was still working and on work's insurance back then.  The kids will provide transport and monitoring, but the appointment isn't until June.

Of course, the kids' lives are far more active and interesting than mine.  My son started a new job the last week of February, but he hasn't entirely left the old one.  The two of them finished up their foster parenting classes, and have an up-coming home visit the end of March.

I have been sorely tempted by photos/videos of puppies, born the end of January, and hand-raised by a trusted person.  BUT, I know better, so have resisted up to this point.

The Girl Scouts are selling cookies in their little booths, in rotating spots for limited hours.  I am pleased with myself for having resisted this food temptation, as well.

See?  The end of February, beginning of March... it's a time when change is in the air!  The time when you're likely to get your hair styled differently, change your diet or exercise plan, or, in my case, call up the lawn and landscape people and schedule an evaluation / advice appointment.

Friday morning comedy

The repetitive part:  a dusting of snow, and a grocery order pick-up.  

But then, in my rush to watch a taped show (the finale of The Traitors, on Peacock)... I managed to try to balance my oatmeal on a knee, and whoops, slip, slide, spill...  The leg of my jeans, the pet cover AND the slip cover on the couch, and the carpet!  Yikes.  No, I did not photograph the evidence, but I ran for the paper towels, mopped up, stripped the couch and now am on my second load of laundry associated with my home-grown slapstick of the day.

Had Carl been in residence, I would have had less "clean up on aisle ten", because he loves oatmeal and blueberries, and would have slurped it right up, but The Prisoner is not tempted by most human foodstuffs.  But there you have it, a klutz story to lighten up your day!

Hope everyone has a good Spring-forward (why are we still doing this) weekend, and that the warmer weather returns soon!

Life is good.  Spark on!