Just when you think.....but why did I think?

Just when you think that spring is around the corner: BLAM. A cold snap comes your way.

As they say around here, "if you don't like the weather, just wait until tomorrow." Temperatures were increasing nicely after that last cold snap. A few days just to wet one's whistle with the hope that the really cold stuff was over, and then this front hit. Once again, it was accompanied by rain. I have decided that I need to keep a tally of how much rain we are having. It seems like a lot (well over 5 inches this month), but there is no official weather data collection center in this town OR this county. Odd. In the past 24 hours we received over 2 inches, which is now frozen in my rain gauge:


I know it was a little bit of a stretch for me to think that spring might be around the corner since it is still January....but I am really tired of this winter and it's short days. I have decided that I may need to move to the equator.

The winter weather is really inhibiting my resolution to keep running. As I have grown older, I have become a cold wimp, although running in 25 degree weather is a possibility. However, with the rain we had yesterday and the potential for ice, I think it was better for both me and my head to stay inside.

Work continues on house by the cows. I have been pleased with how it is turning out, although making all the decisions does get tiring. For the most part, I have made a decision and moved on, not looking back. That would take more time and energy than I have.

I am going for a "country" look -- trying to hit the 1920's with some modern touches so the overall look is eclectic. When the tile FINALLY came in (long story but it is really quite boring so I won't repeat it), I was pleased with the colors. I love the earth colors and so far, everything is nice and soothing. For some reason, the floor tile for the upstairs bath wasn't available when everything else was....it arrived two weeks later. When I first saw it, I was a little shocked. The pattern is right, but did I really choose those two colors? (Also, the tile is matte finish rather than shiny). However, the more I look at it, the more I love it. A little funky retro something....
I really thougth I had two shades of green, not green and blue, but I LIKE this. Still, did I choose it? If so...what was I thinking? But, in the end, I really, like it. Odd how things turn out that way.

A shot with the shower tile in view:

OK, maybe I shouldn't give up my day job to become an interior designer, but....it really does grow on you in person! Honest. So, come visit in a few months (I think it will be that long before we have a prayer of getting gravel in for the driveway, again).

The garage has a dog/utility sink constructed out of tile that I had leftover when I removed the carpet in my study:The MOST important thing: a flushing toilet for use if I ever have races at my place. (Big, big, big grin).I know, it's a toilet in a closet, but it is in a location where muddy shoes, etc. just won't matter

January 26, 2010. A year later.

The "almost" silent post.
(Don't ask what Charlie was doing...)

Dad, I miss you. I'm still trying to figure it all out.
In celebration of your life 11/24/36 - 1/26/2009. Has it been a year?

It's Been a Long Time

With the turn of the year, one of my "resolutions" (which I try not to make because usually, I fail) was to blog more frequently. We can see how well that is going.....

Somehow, with Dad's death last year, the Muse left me. Or, the Muse was still there, I just didn't want to listen or feel comfortable in what she was saying. I still do not feel comfortable -- I try to, for the most part, separate my professional from the personal, and much of what She has been telling me goes to the professional. Perhaps, another blog....perhaps, not.

Another of my resolutions was to get back to running. About a year ago (likely longer), I took several falls in a row. Most of these were induced by running with 4 whippets combined with wild varmints, but the right hip chronically hurts. I think it may be a damaged tendon-thing. Still, it hurts. Then there is the left heal...that chronically hurts, too. Needless to say, I am beginning to feel my age. Still, running is my sanity. It's my centering time. It's my anti-depressant. Who cares about aching joints? I am now running with two dogs, which is, for the most part, manageable. Gabi can take me down on her own, and I think if Layla ever wants to, she could launch me into the stratosphere. Thankfully, she hasn't figured that out, and I'm not going to teach her.

This morning, I talked myself into running. I last ran Friday, and had promised myself that I would run Saturday but woke up too early and then was involved on the 'puter. If I don't get out in time, my neighbors leave their dog out, and their dog (a golden retriever) has a tendency to attack us so..... I have to get out by 6 or the bewitching hour comes. I was having a good run, although Layla, who is new to the game had to be watched.

We were on the way back, when I heard a car behind us so I started walking. Although Layla has an aggressive appearance, she is afraid of her own shadow (interestingly, she is NOT afraid of 1500 lb cows, but that is for another post) and cars. The car slowed; I glanced over. It was a police man. Cool! I like police...."Ma'am, I know you are just out here walking, but you need to keep your eyes open an call us if you see anyone on foot. We have had few car break-ins, and with the last one they got a 12 gage shotgun." You know officer, I was actually out here jogging, and you have just given me the motivation to run! No additional events, but talk about a bad morning to forget the pepper spray.

Back to the New Year's goals: I have also decided that I want to take up sewing. I used to do embroidery, but stopped. For some reason, the fingers feel like they wouldn't like that anymore, but I think I would like to try sewing, again. Need to get a machine, though.

I want to get back to my photography. This year, because our club has so few members, I haven't been able to take many race pictures. I did take pictures at this year's nationals, but felt off my mark because it had been so long. We are expanding our office at work. I want to take some local pictures for the walls.....I am tired of 1980's motel art.

Just a few updates:
1. Since my last post, Darby died. He was my first whippet. He had been sick for a long time and finally developed an oral cancer. The vet's didn't think he could stand surgery, and I agreed. I hope he and Charlie are running around pain free at the Rainbow Bridge.



2. Gabi's puppies have grown. I ended up with two (there were FIVE). They are about as opposite as pups can be coming from the same two parents. Layla (Midnight Gossip), is a little hunka-chunka. People tell me she looks aggressive, but I think it is just her boxy head and black mask. Josi (Global Chatter) is a mess. She is constantly on the go, and seems to have a disconnect about her body and the potential for injury. She is in your face, and since the whelping box has been very in touch with her voice box. She is constantly on the go, and constantly too thin because she is on the go. Layla has begun racing and is doing well. Josi....well she just doesn't have her head together, yet. (Josi is the blue fawn, Layla the red with mask in the picture below).


So that's it for now. We'll see how the resolution goes....

Fear

As anyone who has read this blog for a while has realized, I am a nerd and a geek. It's a lifestyle. I also have my fears. My fears sometimes result in expanding my horizons. If you remember my story about meeting the Fire Department in Smalltown, you know I fear electricity. Yup. That has something to do with that physics experiment in high school. That one teaching us about electricity: volts, amps, resistance and what-not. I don't really remember it, except connecting something and suddenly being 4 feet away from my chair with curlier hair and a heart that not longer seemed to be in sync. I repeated that experience in college....yup, electricity and I have a very healthy respect for one another.

I am enjoying my property and having a lure machine. Problem with that -- lure machines run on batteries, batteries that have to be connected to the lure machines with each use and have to be recharged on occasion. I have used the battery for 4 practices now. My handy-dandy lure machine has a volt-meter attached...the charge was beginning to drop. It is time to RECHARGE THE BATTERY. gulp.

I have a Diehard Platinum battery, which requires some special handy-dandy charger which I also purchased: a "Microprocessor Controlled, Fully Automatic Operation Battery Charger with Engine Starter." I liked that....fully automatic. My cup of tea.

Today, I retrieved the charger and read the instructions. After all, if nothing else, nerds are good for reading instructions, but........what the hey who?

BATERRIES GENERATE EXPLOSIVE GASES DURING NORMAL BATTERY OPERATION. FOR THIS REASON, IT IS OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE THAT YOU FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS EACH TIME YOU USE THE CHARGER.

OK. You have my attention.

2. PERSONAL PRECAUTIONS
2.1 Consider having someone close enough by to come to your aid when you work....
2.2 Have plenty of fresh water and soap nearby in case battery acid contact skin, clothing or eyes.
.....
2.7 Removal personal metal items such as rings, bracelets, necklaces.....A lead-acid battery can produce a short circuit current high enough to weld a ring or the like to metal, causing a severe burn.

All right people. At this point, I am fully convinced that I am probably not going to be able to operate this "fully automated" charger. I mean they are allowed to sell these things without requiring a course, without licensing, without having the fire department on standby?

I called my favorite go to guy....he laughed (note to self: find a new go to guy). "Just connect the red to red and black to black and turn it on. It's simple." I thought about calling 911, just in case. They were so nice about coming before the fire last time.

Right now, the battery is in the garage, hooked to the charger.....the house hasn't blown up, yet. My phone is on speed dial for 911, though.....And my rings are in the glass on the kitchen counter. Anyone up for a battery charging party next time? I hate living life on the edge, charging all alone.

It's been a long time....

I haven't posted in a while. Part of that lack of words has been fatigue. My father's death came at a time when I was overloaded at work, and I just didn't have energy for much beyond working and taking care of the hounds. The other part: most of the writing seemed to center around death and dying. You might expect that of someone in my line of work but seriously.....

So this is a update post. Yes, I am alive. I continue to work on the Whippet Wranch, and the "clubhouse" (OK, I will likely live in it part time because I just LOVE it) is coming along nicely. The pups are growing (9.5 months) but interestingly, are both shrimps (that's what you get when you breed moderate sized bitch to nearly oversized dog?). Whatever!

So to reintroduce the kids:
Josi -- She's the "pink" dog (officially blue fawn but her coat has a real rose color to it). What to say about Josi? (Notice, since she's saying, the spelling of her name has been altered to fit: Gabi, Hudi, Mati and Josi....poor Layla). The posted pictures may look a little scary. Yes, I feed her! But this pup has one button with two settings: on and ON. OK, I exaggerate. As she gets older, she sleeps some.
I should have known: when Josi was in the whelping box, she was the first to bark and would stand in the center of the box testing different sounds. She uses them all! She is totally obsessed with catching balls. If I throw a tennis ball and she misses (and another dog gets it) she will tear across the yard hoping to get the next ball thrown.Layla (dark beauty): Layla is not a polar opposite of Josi, but she comes close. At about 4 months, she went through a "spook" phase. I disciplined her for biting and she refused to come out of her crate for two days! She would have absolutely nothing to do with strangers. For me, it was fascinating. Two pups with the same parents and similar upbringings but almost polar opposite personalities! She is no longer quite the spook, but she is still very sensitive. With her markings (the dark face) for some reason, I expect her to be assertive.Josi is frequently disciplined (she has a hard head). When I am trying to get Josi to stop barking ("NO barks!"), Layla sits right beside me, almost worried. Pups can be so interesting. Layla is much more reserved. She wants reassurance, but also prefers to be off on her own (much like her mother, although her mother was NEVER a spook).

We will see if I blog more frequently. I should probably have a professional blog to mumble about some of my other thoughts. Hmmmm.

Question of the day: why does the skunk choose to cross the road 3 feet in front of the woman jogging with whippets?

The end of the ramblings for this morning. Off to work on weeds!

Angels among us

I have always sought the rational, scientific explanation. Despite that, I have also been a person of faith, although at times in my life, that faith seems to be built on a very thin foundation.

It feels paradoxical, but my father's death has strengthened my faith of things beyond us. I sometimes wonder if that is the reason that he died...a death so that his daughter could understand better the purpose in life. Yet, I do not think the answer is so simple.

---------

She came to see me, bright and vibrant, dressed up for her visit with me as so many her age do. Scratch that....there aren't many her age, and most can not bring themselves to the doctor. She looked "much younger than her stated age." SCRATCH THAT. She didn't look her age at all. Try 65 rather than over 90. Thankfully, she doesn't really need me. She was sent for a lab abnormality which we agreed to watch rather than aggressively pursue. When we had confirmed that all was well, that the abnormality had not progressed, we had time to visit.

I have pictures on my office walls. Pictures that I have taken of butterflies and flowers. She had noticed at last visit, and had brought a card that resembled some of my pictures. She suggested that I should make cards as well. I do, sometimes, but in the emotional exhaustion following Dad's death, I have fallen woefully behind in that process. I told her "I used to do that, but this spring has had a lot of stressors."

"Oh, Sweetie, that's right. Your father died. How is your mother? Is she getting along?"

I was a little surprised, not remembering us talking about my father dying. I do reveal some of my personal life, but usually limit those revelations to things of limited importance like the dogs. With her question, we talked about my mother. We talked about how proud I was that my mother had recently come to visit, traveling alone. This earthly angel confirmed how frightening those first trips in widow-hood can be, after living and aging with a mate that one finds is suddenly gone. She told me the key to staying young, "Always pick friends 20-30 years younger than you are. Otherwise, you will find your friends keep on dying on you." She related a recent celebration some friends of hers had given her -- celebrating her life's commitment to music. In my ever-so brief encounters with this angel on earth, I understood why her friends had wanted to celebrate.

As I spoke with this sweet lady with twinkling eyes, I had a sense of a greater presence. I did something I normally wouldn't do. I asked a question solely for my benefit. "When your husband died, did you ever feel that he was still with you?"

She paused, looking at me with eyes that transiently lost their sparkle. I was concerned that I had asked something that was causing her pain. As she looked at me, the twinkle returned and she whispered, "Oh, Sweetie! You know people aren't supposed to talk about that, but OF COURSE!" She went on to describe how one day, two months after her husband's death, she awoke to see him watching her sleep. She said that he looked like he was physically in the room with her, although she knew that he wasn't. She knew, at that point, that it was all going to be well. As she talked, I could see her entire face relax with the memory that telling brings. Even though many years have passed, she has continues to feel his presence at odd times. Because of that, she isn't afraid of dying, and knows that it will happen. In the mean time, life isn't quite so sad, and she knows that she still has a purpose here.

------

I haven't had the courage to ask my mother if she sees or feels Dad. I know she still grieves his death, although since he has died, she has talked to me of dying. I still grieve my father's death, even though some days, I feel his presence in a way that I never felt when he was alive.

------
I saw poem at the hospital this week:

What Cancer Cannot Do

Author: Unknown

Cancer is so limited...
It cannot cripple love.
It cannot shatter hope.
It cannot corrode faith.
It cannot eat away peace.
It cannot destroy confidence.
It cannot kill friendship.
It cannot shut out memories.
It cannot silence courage.
It cannot reduce eternal life.
It cannot quench the Spirit.

One can scratch out Cancer and put Death at the top of that poem.
_______
There are angels among us, both angels of the world beyond and angels here on this earth. I was lucky enough to meet both this week.

Crime Spree

I was just watching the am news from the Big City. They reported a "crime spree" in my old neighborhood, with more than $60,000 worth of jewels and goods being stolen. They showed a picture, only a few blocks from my house. Hmmmm....guess the guy (or guys or gals) that were helping themselves to my televisions and other household appliances, on a somewhat regular basis, have realized that I have left the 'hood.

I got used to getting a new TV every 6 months or so....Nothing like a little burglary action to induce some deep house cleaning....look at the dust that I had under that TV. Obviously, it should have been removed much sooner.....Seriously, I am so glad that I don't have to deal with my personal crime spree anymore.