Day 25 - Today I am thankful...

Today I am thankful for "catch-up" sleep.  After the past couple of weeks, between the schedule for the surgery, the disruption of normal routines for the puppy, her side-trip through the vet, my sleeping on the couch, and then of course the "fall back" time change and the election, waking from time to time to see the progress of the count... it felt good to have a couple of "normal" nights to sleep.  And a few short naps, too!

I am thankful for a couple of sunshine hours yesterday, between the cloudy and drippy ones.

Ember got some new toys recently.  I'm starting to learn which ones will be hits and which ones misses.  The one in the photo is a crinkly one.  The strap is like unto a leash, providing a "Mommy end" and the crinkle fleece is the "Puppy end".  We don't exactly "tug", I flirt with her, she chases the flirt, catches it, and chews.  Slowly, she and I develop our own little routines.

Oh, and my kid sis Alicia started training Ember to "shake".  This is something that I never got her to do much.  However, it has come in very handy in administering the medicated wipes on her paws.  Another small thing to be grateful for.

Life is good.  Spark on!

Day 24 - Today I am thankful...

Today I am thankful that the political ads are going to be gone for a while!

I am thankful that dogs are not political.  I have rewarded mine with a fresh new beef center bone to chew on while I write this.

This morning, as I circled the block on "mommy's end of the leash" we watched people getting into their cars and driving off to their jobs.  The world has not ended, whether the election went my way or not (some did and some did not...)

There will be some mourning on the part of people who were emotionally vested in this election, and then there will be survival.  If we are praying folk, we will still pray.  If we are volunteers, we will still volunteer.  If we are compassionate people, we will still be compassionate people.

I for one, choose not to hate anyone.  It's one of the reasons I liked the yard sign that said "Dogs 2024".  I may truly hate/detest some of the words and actions that people take.  But I don't hate the people.  I may truly hate the expression of hatred in political speech that leads some people to violence "on behalf of" what they believe is a righteous cause.  But I still do not hate the people.  I hate the actions.

Remember this as we move forward... be kind to those who may be fearful.  

Life is still good, even when it changes and becomes darker.  We live through grief.  Use your disappointment as motivation to do better, to not return hate with hate.  Choose to heal one another.  Find a plan B.  Survive, and thrive, even in its face.

Spark on!  

p.s. YOU are loved!

Day 23 - Today I am Thankful...

 It is my tradition to begin a week leading up to Veteran's Day on November 5th, with my gratitude to those who wear or have worn the Uniform of the service branches of my nation.  This number includes both grandfathers, my son's father, my son, and various and assorted cousins and in-laws.  

Why do I start on November 5th?  Because on November 5, 2009, that "blank check" that all service members sign to the nation, "up to and including their lives" got very, very real for me.  I did not lose my son that day.  Instead, he lost brothers and sisters in arms, when a radicalized individual opened fire on his unarmed unit as they prepared to deploy overseas, at Fort Hood, Texas.

This morning on Facebook I expressed my thankfulness for the puppy taking care of business at midnight so I could sleep a little extra this morning.  This is the first year that I have led with something less sober on November 5th.  That makes it 15 years ago, today.  The losses of that day still tug at my heart, as I got to know many of the families of the fallen and the wounded at Yellow Ribbon events in the year and a half that followed.

I am thankful that despite the incredible cost and risk associated with serving, there are still those who are willing to serve, with honor and integrity!  I mourn their sacrifice, even while being thankful for their courage.

Life is good, and often too short!  Spark on!

Day 22 - Today I am thankful...

 I told Facebook this morning that I'm thankful for coffee!  This is due to my issues with the "Fall Back" time change, in conjunction with Ember's recent GI issues messing with my sleep schedule.

The photo of the day is "what mommy does when Ember has a spa day".  Yes, she's with Tony the Groomer this morning, so mommy reconfigured the X-pen.  That's the couch I am grateful is longer than I am tall, the one I slept on a couple of nights last week.

You can see how challenging it might be to contain an active labrador retriever puppy with that open floor plan.  Living room connects to dining room, connects to kitchen, connects to hallways (2) and stairs (2)... nary a door in sight.  Thus, the need for the X-Pen.

I am grateful to whoever invented X-Pens, and that even though I had to buy 3 8-panel sets to make the configuration I now have (includes the fence around the A/C unit outside), they are not so outrageously expensive that I couldn't swing it.

Life is Good!  Spark on!

Day 21 - Today I am thankful...

Sunday morning, I am thankful for the soft, foggy pre-dawn hours.  It smelled so fresh.  It was amazingly calm and mild for the beginning of November.

Total training failure this morning, on the other hand.  I was trying to let Ember sniff at the brush.  She managed to swipe it with tail wagging happily, drag in a game of "keep away" into her X-Pen.  It was fruitless to try to get her to "drop it", "bring me", etc. as she's fascinated by it.  She completely destroyed it before our morning walk.

Tony's a lot better at grooming her than I am.  Oh, well!  She's scheduled with him on Monday, thank goodness.

Clocks have now been changed.  And something extra to be thankful for, I slept in my own bed overnight Saturday to Sunday.  Granted it was in fits and starts as I kept trying to get up between the showers to encourage an outdoor jaunt on Ember's part.

Life is good!  Spark on!

Day 20 - Today I am thankful...

I may have to make up today's gratitude as I go along.  I told Facebook at 3 in the morning that I'm thankful for curiosity, and I am.  But I really needed to get some sleep and it was iffy in the Friday to Saturday overnight.  Ember is feeling better, but she's got her nocturnal on.  

Curiosity was in evidence this morning.  You see, this is Ember's first Autumn season, and everything from falling leaves, changing temperatures and colors to holiday decorations on homes is new and piques hers!  

My own curiosity has been fueled by Ember's most recent health episode.  Why did it make her reluctant to go out on the deck?  The inflammation of her paw was the clear winner for that question.  Having had two days' worth of medicated wipes applied, she's OK with the back deck and patio again.  She ventured out into the yard but is still choosing concrete on which to deposit her "output".  That's another thing I'm curious about.

Turning my curiosity to human topics, I'm pondering over the kids' travel schedule.  I think they are driving today.  But not sure.  Carl is being boarded for this trip, as I waved off the ten-days-with-two-dogs scenario.  I'm very glad that I did, given Ember's recent GI issues.  

Speaking of "the kids", my DIL won the pumpkin decorating contest at her workplace, second year in a row.  Here's her creative entry of a pumpkin having a spa day.

I was pleased to have my curiosity satisfied by my visit to the regular eye doctor Friday.  Healing up nicely, he says, and we made an appointment for me on November 22nd, so that will be another point of gratitude.  I'm grateful that I got my driver's license taken care of early, thanks to this schedule, as it would have expired before I got my new prescription.

Life is good!  Keep on Sparking!

Day 19 - Today I am thankful...

 

Thankful for the veterinarians who toil away helping our animals stay healthy or recover from mishaps!  Here's Ember on Thursday, hiding her hurting paw under her body, while waiting for the vet.

We came home with four prescriptions and instructions.  The vet herself helped me load Ember back into the car after our visit Thursday morning.  Ember loves this vet and was climbing in her lap, and licking her face, and generally being a puppy, all wags.

Ember's cupboard now has treats and meds in it.  The good news is that after the hu-mom fretted all day, and the first dose of everything was administered, about 10 p.m. we got production of both sorts on the "output" side.  Who knew one would get so excited over excrement?  There was some serious fiber in that one!  It was not the soupy stuff of the past few days.  I am thankful for the improvement.

I slept on the couch again, but got a bit more sleep, once I knew things were improving!

Here's the nod to the holiday last evening.  I got a grand total of 9, count 'em, 9, visitors, not counting attached parental units for the littlest of them.

The instant information on social media has certainly changed how the holiday happens... matter of fact, most holidays, since the pandemic!  The message thread between myself, my co-inlaws, and my daughter in law documented the counts in "real time".

In the end, "the kids" of course had the most visitors, at 132.  My co-inlaws and I live in more aging neighborhoods, so ended up with 7 and 9, respectively.  Still, it was fun.

Ember spent the Trick or Treat time snoozing for the most part, in her big wire crate, which is rapidly starting to look like it will be her "final" adult crate, starting now.

Today she'll get a test of staying in that particular crate while I leave the house for my one week out check of the left eye, that had its cataract removed last Friday.

Life is Good.  I am thankful for this attitude, which was lived by my brother, and encouraged by many positive thinkers in the world.  Spark on, my friends!