We Love Lucy

Even as a puppy Lucy never cared much for toys.  She loved playing with Ellie.  And she still loves playing with the blue tug.  And she likes tennis balls, although not nearly as much as Ellie did.  Ellie frequently carried two tennis balls in her mouth at once.  Try as she might, Lucy could never achieve that feat.  And try she did.  Interestingly enough, after Ellie died Lucy stopped trying to pick up two tennis balls.

We have several "puzzle" toys in which we put treats.  When Ellie was here, Lucy would follow behind as Ellie got the snacks out.  Lucy was prepared and would spring and snatch the treat.  And that would continue with Ellie getting perhaps a fifth of the treats while doing all the work.  Lucy does not want to  try to get the treats herself.  She is a very smart dog and could easily get the treats herself but she is not interested.

She loves to try to catch tennis balls.  I emphasize the word "try" because she rarely catches one.  Her timing is way off and she goes up into the air opening her mouth the instant we throw the ball.  She is landing when the ball gets there so she hardly ever catches one.  She does not think the "retriever" part of Golden Retriever applies to her.  So we have a dozen or so balls to toss since she doesn't bring them back.

She gathers a few balls when she is tired of the game.  She puts them around her and lies down among them.

Don't even think of throwing me another ball.

I've played with you long enough.

Like millions of others across the country, we did not win the huge Powerball lottery although we did indeed have a ticket.  Strange that we never buy a ticket, even when the jackpot is  millions of dollars.  But somehow I warmed to the dream of being a billionaire, setting up a foundation and giving the money away to causes we deem worthy.

Had we won I would not have given one cent to any of the Presidential candidates on either side.  Even if I had the billion.  This is the first election year in which I have not given money or volunteered even one hour for any candidate seeking any office.  Yes, I will vote.  I have often voted for candidates who lost but I have always voted.  I recall the 1980 election.  Our daughter was seven and becoming interested in government and politics.  Her class held a mock election.  She asked me who I voted for.  I told her I voted for John Anderson.  She laughed when I said that and replied, "That was silly.  He did not get a single vote in the whole second grade."  It was a good teachable moment.

Today's quotes are on the lighter side if you don't think too deeply about them.  The first is by author George Eliot:

"An election is coming.

Universal peace is declared,

And the foxes have a sincere interest in prolonging the lives of the poultry."

The author of the second quote is unknown:

"There are always too many Democratic congressmen,

Too many Republican congressmen,

And never enough U.S. congressmen." 

HAVE A MOST WONDERFUL WEEKEND, EVERYONE AND A GREAT WEEK AHEAD

   

More Than a Hound Dog

They may be able to find little more than their food and water dishes right now.  But the two new sheriff deputies in neighboring Henderson County will grow into their jobs.  The Sheriff's office has two ten-week-old bloodhound puppies who will be trained to assist the department in finding missing persons and/or to track suspects.

(Both pictures are courtesy photos from the Henderson County Sheriff's Office)

Just doesn't get more adorable than a puppy, does it?

The county has a STAR (Sheriff Teaching Abuse Resistance) program and the fifth graders in the program will submit names for the two little female puppies.  Winners will have an opportunity to meet the puppy  in person  in canine to meet the puppy he or she named.

Stories like this make me smile.

Lucky Kitty Times Two

July, 2013.  A rather scrawny calico kitten appeared at my son's house.  Feral cats being rare in their neighborhood, the kitten must belong to a neighbor so they ignored it, waiting for it to go on home.  The kitten persisted in hanging around.  Coming toward them when they left their cars for the house.  Lying down placidly in front of them.  It looked hungry and thirsty so they put out some food and water.  After a few days it seemed clear the kitten had no place to go or no idea how to get there.

They already had a cat.  A unique cat who didn't like anyone except for my son who adopted her when she was tiny.  She didn't care for my daughter-in-law and seemed to view her as competition for my son's attention.  Not an ideal situation in which to introduce another cat.  But what else was there to do?

They brought the cat in and took it to the veterinarian hoping to find an identification chip.  No such luck.  So they had the cat examined, given her shots and took her home.  Finally realizing no one was going to come to claim the cat, they decided to name her.  They chose the name Sybil, the name of their favorite Downton Abbey character.

Cute little kitten no one seemed to want.

This photograph was before they took her in.

 They slowly introduced Sybil to our son's other cat, Biko.  Biko was totally uninterested in Sybil.  Totally disdainful of the newcomer.  Not worth bothering about.  Well, except to eat that delicious kitty food.  And occasionally chase her away if she came too near.  But she did not attack the new kitty.

So the two cats led a relatively peaceful life.  Sybil was playful and totally believed she could turn Biko around.  That was never going to happen.  Biko was an old cat when Sybil came into the home.  And she was the very definition of curmudgeon even when younger.  She did not mellow with age.  When Biko died, Sybil was rather at a loss in spite of being dismissed by Biko for so long.  By that time, she had grown into a healthy beautiful cat.  No longer scrawny and dirty, but sleek and clean.

Last week my son sent me a photograph of Sybil sitting among the nutcrackers as if she were pretending to hide among them.
 

 Sybil among the nutcrackers

 

But lucky as she is, Sybil is not the most lucky cat around.  Not even in her own home.  The luckiest cat is a little impaired kitten my son and his wife adopted from the shelter.  The little kitten had several strikes against her.  She was tiny.  She was black.  But most of all, she had a neurological impairment that left her with poor motor function, tremors and a rambling gait.  She was almost certain to be euthanized.  So that's the little kitten my dear son and dear daughter-in-law selected.

The veterinarian explained that she had cerebellar dysfunction but that because she was so young, she might actually get better as she grew.  So Sybil had a companion.  They named her Rumble.  Now the little kitten has grown into a beautiful cat.  Her muscle tone has improved but she still has some tremor, more marked when she is excited.  And she still cannot jump and still has a somewhat rambling gait.  But she has learned to make accommodations for her disabilities and is a happy and energetic cat.

 You mean he didn't leave the shoe here for me to chew the laces?

Both of these kitten had a rough start in life.  But now both are very lucky to be loved and cared for in comfort.

Kudos to my son and daughter-in-law.  And to all of you out there who choose to adopt shelter animals.  You are special indeed.

We Love Lucy

What a difference a week makes.  Our weather has returned to normal temperatures, even a bit below normal.  Chilly winds are blowing.  And the lovely flowers we so admired have turned into a sad brown and fallen to the ground.  It is refreshing to once again see the icicles hanging from the rocks on the sides of the roads.  Only time will tell what longer term effects we will see from the most unusual weather patterns.

While we enjoyed our holiday decorations, I'm always happy to have the house back to normal.  Fortunately, "normal" to Lucy means her beds are exactly where they are supposed to be and we never move them.  She does not like change unless she initiates it.  She loves arranging her pillows.  We touch them only to vacuum them and I do that when she is outdoors with my husband.  She doesn't like anyone messing with her stuff I suppose.

She looks pensive.  But I know she is thinking about a nap.

She has turned her bee pillow over as she snuggles on a rainy day.

(Surely doesn't look like I ever vacuum it, does it?)

January brings the post-holiday blues for many people.  I'm not one of them.  Perhaps because we have never made a huge deal about the gifts.  It's far more about the fellowship, the food and drinks, and the traditions we have developed.


Today's quote comes from Vita Sackville-West.  She was an English poet, novelist and a garden designer.  Her gardens at Sissinghurst Castle continue to attract visitors.  Her personal life was a bit scandalous, having an open marriage (in the early 1900s) and multiple affairs with famous women, including Virginia Woolf.

"The shortest day has passed, and whatever nastiness of weather we may look forward to in January and February, at least we notice that the days are getting longer.  Minute by minute they lengthen out.  It takes some weeks before we become aware of the change.  It is imperceptible even as the growth of a child, as you watch it day by day, until the moment comes when with a start of delighted surprise we realize that we can stay out of doors in a
twilight lasting for another quarter of a precious hour." 

After the winter solstice I check the weather app daily to determine how many seconds of daylight we have achieved.  I love the lengthening of light even when it's imperceptible.  I do hope our return to normal weather will continue.  Our thoughts go out to those so severely affected by the storms and flooding.

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND, EVERYONE!

 

Very Warm December

December 2015 proved to be one of the warmest Decembers on record here in western NC.  Day after day of temperatures more than 40 degrees above normal.  Nighttime lows higher than the normal high for the day.

We also had day after day of heavy rains.  More than 12 inches in one week.  It remained warm and there was flash flooding in many places.  Several roads were closed because of standing water.  All the fields and some houses along the French Broad River Basin were flooded.  But then the sun came out and the days felt just like spring.  We even got to 70 degrees!

I noticed our camellias were budding out so I clipped a few buds and put them inside, thinking I would save a couple of them before the inevitable frost.

How nice to have a flower in mid-winter

 To my surprise, the inevitable frost did not happen.  And so the camellias burst forth full blooms.  What a sight to behold.

 Such a strange sight on New Year's Day

No one is sure exactly what the effects will be for the spring flora.  Most say the fruit trees will not bear as well because they will not have had the required number of cold days.  The bulbs will be shorter stemmed and the tulips and daffodils will be only a few inches tall.  In the worst cast scenario, we could have a hard freeze prior to some colder weather.  It has not been sufficiently cold to bring the sap "down" so a hard freeze would be a death knell for some trees.

In truth, there is nothing we can do to change these events short-term.  So the best advice which I decided to follow is to sit back and enjoy the blossoms while they are here.  But there is also a bit of sadness when I realize the hellebores are done for the year.

Thank goodness our weather has returned to more seasonable temperatures.  That's a good start.  Now if it will just stay colder before a hard freeze...

Happy New Year

Here's hoping 2016 turns out to be the best year ever.  Happy New Year!!!

Many thanks for those who have read my posts in 2015.  May 2016 bring all of us a greater sense of community.

A quote from author Jean Vanier:
“One of the marvelous things about community is that it enables us to welcome and help people in a way we couldn't as individuals. When we pool our strength and share the work and responsibility, we can welcome many people, even those in deep distress, and perhaps help them find self-confidence and inner healing.” 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

We Love Lucy

Lucy selects one or the other of her beds in the great room based on the sun during the day or near the fire at night.  She loves lying in sun, especially during the winter days.  Unlike our Ellie, she does not like it when I bring out the camera.

 Nope.  Not gonna smile.  Not at all.

 You can make me sit next to the Christmas Tree, but you can't make me smile.

We have company for the holidays, so I will most likely take a blogging break until after the New Year.

Today's quote is from Dave Barry:

In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season;
The Christians called it "Christmas" and went to church;
The Jews called it "Hanukkah" and went to synagogue;
The atheists went to parties and drank.
People passing each other on the street would say
 "Merry Christmas!" or
 "Happy Hanukkah!" or
 (to the atheists) "Look out for the wall!"

Whatever you celebrate or choose not to celebrate, may the year end well for you.  And realize that the daylight minutes will begin to lengthen in our hemisphere.  And that's a good thing.  Even if it's seconds per day, we'll  be heading in the right direction.

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND, EVERYONE!