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Friday, April 25, 2014

I must have blinked.....

....... and missed a couple of seasons......


because this happened......back to winter?

It rained all day yesterday, and then around supper time it started to change to snow. I had to clean the car off before going to choir, and again after choir. I think we may have had more snow up here on the mountain, than there is down in the valley. I know it won't stay long, but we are starting the day with the temperature just below 0C. O dear me. Did we do something to offend the sun?

On the brighter side, my youngest granddaughter celebrated her 13th birthday this week. She asked me if I felt old, having two granddaughters in their teens. I laughed. Then she asked her mother the same thing. I laughed. Having two beautiful granddaughters makes me feel just right, and I have to be 70 to see them at 13 and 17. I must see if I can find some pictures of them when they were small. Those pictures were all taken before I joined the digital age. I am lucky to have had them so close from the time they were born. Not all grandparents are that fortunate.

I can admit to being quite tired this morning. I had lots of things on my mind when I went to bed last night. It was one of those times when I just can't seem to find the off switch. Then at 1:30, just after finally falling asleep, Sadie decided she had to get up. Then, again at 4 we made a quick run for the door. Finally, the 3rd time, at 6 I decided that I would call it a night, and stay up. I will pay for it later in the day. I am finding the couch just about every afternoon, lately. I guess I go sound asleep for an hour or more. Now that, dearest granddaughter, makes me feel old!

If you don't hear from me for a while, it is because I have gone searching for the sun......sure hope I find it before I get too old.

Sadie and I wish you a good day, and thank you for your concern for her. She is doing ok.







Tuesday, April 22, 2014

A Little Bit Here and There

     It has been a quiet morning. Sadie decided it would be good to copy yesterday and get up at 5:30. The sunrise was lovely, the birds were singing their 'welcome the new day' songs, and all was well. Dare I hope that spring has finally arrived. There is some green grass, and the crocus are up. The snow has even disappeared from the ditches. Now the sky is cloudy, and my thermometer says 57F. I am not sure what that is in Celsius, but I'm guessing it's close to 10 or 11 perhaps a bit higher.

You might ask why I have a thermometer in F. The answer is that was all we could find. There is a period during the apple season when we must monitor the temperature for a certain bug hatch. Even though the Captain has retired, I can help Dawn out by keeping track of the temperature.

Dawn has been busy, trying to get some pruning done in the orchard. The weather has not made it easy for her, but she has accomplished quite a bit. Soon, she will be going straight out. There will be spraying for the trees, planting her garden, then the raspberries, with many other chores in between.

It is time for me to get out and do some sprucing up in the yard and little garden. I sure hope my energy returns.

Lots and lots of lambs have been arriving at H's farm. Can't wait to see them. I hope I can get out there soon.

As I have been writing this, two runners have passed by, short sleeves on one. Sadie is keeping a good watch out the window for anything that is moving.
I also received a text just now, saying that my granddaughter's choir will be singing for Prince Charles, in May, in Halifax.

Sadie seems to be doing ok. She is still not eating as she should, but we soldier on.

                                           HAPPY EARTH DAY TO ALL

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Bedraggled?

     It was a windy but warm day to day, up to 20C, however tomorrow's high will be 2C. This must be Nova Scotia. Unbelievable.

Little Sadie had a vet visit yesterday, and she is holding her own. She has not lost any more weight, despite her poor eating, and I have been encouraged both yesterday and today as she has eaten more. I am still looking for something that she will not stick her tiny little nose up at. Cooked egg and chicken was on today's menu. She seems a bit more alert and she no longer has to take the water pill, as long as she does not start coughing again. The heart pill is forever.

Tonight I am weary, as it has been a long day for some reason. I'll need to get a good sleep tonight, since I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning, and after these last few weeks, I don't want to look too bedraggled. (Is that a word? I think it is.) He says he can tell how I'm feeling, just looking at my face. We'll see......

Blessings to you during this Easter week. We will have a Good Friday Service at a neighbouring church Friday morning, then a Sunrise Service followed by Easter Breakfast, then the Easter Worship Service on Sunday. I'm pretty sure Sadie will get me up in lots of time for the sunrise, but I will set two alarms just in case.





Sunday, April 13, 2014

Better days

     Well, I am glad to say that today is a better day all round. I appears that my Sadie is feeling a little better, and has finally begun to eat something, even if it is just plain chicken cut up very small. Beginning yesterday, she seemed more like herself, even pouncing a bit at me to get my attention, not that she hasn't had it for 3 weeks straight out.

      I don't want to push my luck, so I will stick with the chicken for now and not try to add anything else to it. She has always been fussy, so I will wait to add real dog food. We have a vet visit tomorrow am. Here's hoping the vet will also notice a change for the good.

I have tried to be much more positive in my thinking, a necessary change, since I spent one whole night thinking that it would be Sadie's last. It is definitely not good to be so pessimistic, that's for sure.

     So, while I am writing this, Sadie is having a nap, and I am listening to Rita MacNeil. The day is a bit grey, though there was some sun this morning. More rain to come, but today I can handle that.

I thought I heard a timer, about 5 minutes ago.......and I did. I managed to rescue the cake before it over cooked. (I prefer to say over cooked, than burned :).

I want to say thanks to the bloggers I follow, for their words and pictures. Some days, they are the only things I am interested in.

Blessings to all.

Sadie & me

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Sadie

     Yesterday was indeed a windy, rainy day. Lots of water on and in the ground. However, most of the snow has gone. There are still areas of snow cover where it has piled up or been plowed up over the winter.

    This morning, mid morning, it is still quite cloudy, but we have been promised a look at the sun later today. That would be nice. The wind is not blowing nearly as hard as it was yesterday. My basement is still a patchwork of water puddles and streams, but thankfully not much bigger than before yesterday's rain.

     Sadie had her what has become a weekly visit to her Vet yesterday morning. Somehow, she has maintained her weight, 5lb 6oz, which is a good thing. She was poked and prodded and was well behaved, although she cried when her temperature was taken. Her vet really wants her to start eating, but short of intravenous feeding I am at my wits' end. I tried yesterday with a new suggestion, but it didn't work, something different this morning, and no go and I'll be trying something different at noon. She has another appointment next week. I am very thankful to her vet that she is keeping such a close eye on her.

I am trying to remain optimistic but found myself having a bit of a cry this morning. She is such a sweetheart, and beyond good at the vet's. I am keeping Sadie's Journal', but it will never be a best seller. Her daily 'movements' are not that interesting.

Cheers for today.

Friday, April 4, 2014

Nice Day (for a change)

As I am usually found whining on this page about the weather, I want to change my tune for today. Tomorrow not so much, but I do need to say that today was very nice. It started out this morning with blue sky and a few clouds, with the sun shining. As the day progressed the sun grew warmer and the temperature rose to about 6 C. Nice.

Now, a bit of a smile, compliments of a friend. I found this in my inbox a few days ago.

If my body were a car,
I would be trading it in for a new model.
I've got bumps, dents, scratches and my headlights
are out of focus.
My gearbox is seizing up and it takes me hours
to reach full speed.
I overheat for no reason
and every time I sneeze, cough or laugh
either my radiator leaks or
my exhaust backfires.

Two little squirrels were playing tag around the garden rose bush. They are eating the rose hips I think. I didn't know they would eat them.


                                                       I caught a pictue of one of them.

I moved the bird feeders today, again. The wind had blown them off the branches and they had lain in the snow for a few days. It was nice outside, and the chickadees chattered at me, as though they were telling me it was about time I put some fresh seeds out. I am hoping the squirrels can't get into them this time.

Rain tomorrow......I am not going to say a word, this time.......

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Yesterday and Today

Yesterday:

I look across the valley to the north mountain. It appears as if the heavy grey clouds have come to rest on the top. Patches of white fields, interrupted by tree stands mark the mountain side. It looks cold and foreboding, not inviting, as it is in the spring and summer.

Those grey clouds stretch across the valley to our side. In whatever direction you look there are clouds. Do they hold more snow? More freezing rain? As I watch, they seem to be lowering and the top of the mountain is now hidden.

Today:

The answer to the above question is, yes. Snow fell in the evening. Dawn, the girls and I went to a play presented by the local high school drama club, and it was snowing before we went in, and continued through the evening, and as we drove home. This morning, it is a bit brighter, but still cloudy. The valley and N. Mountain are cloaked in grey. At least the road is bare, and the temperature is above freezing.

It is hard to get up the desire to accomplish something each day. My mood is dark, and I find myself standing or sitting, eyes closed, lost in thoughts that are meaningless. I am weary and need to see the sun, to feel its warmth an have its light brighten my mood. I don't much care at this point whether I do anything. It seems I move in spurts, dots and dashes, doing whatever is necessary but not much else. Sometimes I need to make myself do something, such as going to the play.

Added to my dark mood is my concern for my little Sadie. She was 10 in January, and I have just recently learned that she has heart disease. I am giving her medication, and watching her closely. I wish I could just snap my fingers and make it all go away. She seems to be doing OK in her second week of medication, but I can't stop thinking about it. The vet suggested keeping  a 'Sadie Journal', so I am doing that. She had fluid in her lungs and was coughing constantly. The coughing was awful, sounding like a honking or quacking and gagging as though she was trying to clear something from her throat, and couldn't . One of her pills has cleared this up quite a bit, so that she is not coughing. Her vet has been very caring and is trying to do as much as possible to get Sadie through this. The heart disease can't be cured, but hopefully whatever we do will halt its progress or at least slow it down. For now, as always, we take one day at a time.

As I look up I see a tiny bit of blue sky. As I watch, the clouds move to cover it....... come back I think......soon........ eventually......

I write about my mood, in order to acknowledge it, to remain aware, and to face it, rather than being enveloped by it.

Looking forward to better days ahead........