We Love Lucy and Spring

It's finally spring around here.  The proof is in the first hummingbird we have had at our feeders.  Because we live very near the Southern Blue Ridge Escarpment, we note on maps that hummingbirds have been seen to our east, to our west, and to our north for several weeks before we see them here.  We put out the feeders and then wait.  And then they come.

Not a great picture, but the first of the season.

Further proof of spring can be found in our very strange weather patterns.  While we didn't have a blizzard like much of the northern Midwest, we did have severe storms, one of which brought very large hail.  We've had strong damaging winds and loud thunderstorms.  Flash flooding is common throughout the county.  And we're in for more this weekend.

Downtown Brevard

(Photograph from The Transylvania Times)

Lucy continues to be the same.  We are happy that the storms do not seem to bother her at all.  I have shown you a similar picture, but I love this one.  It shows just how happy she is in spite of her lame leg and restricted living space.  On nice days, she loves to sit on the deck soaking up the sun.  And while she no longer goes downstairs, she seems happy enough remaining on one floor.  She still has that internal "clock" that tells her when feeding time comes around.  And she loves her food.

We are so please that Lucy remains happy and pain-free.

Our Violet had a GI "bug" for a day or so.  She spent the day in her jammies sipping clear fluids and getting lots of extra hugs and attention.  A huge treat for her was that she got to watch much more television than is normally allowed.  She loves television, perhaps because she doesn't get to watch much.  She is wrapped in one of the blankets I knitted for her and one of her handmade quilts is on the back of the sofa.  It is "Sunbonnet Sue" and is one of several made for her by a 90-year-old woman who is like a grandmother to our d-i-l.  The quilts are works of art and such treasures.  The woman makes them for Violet because our son and d-i-l so love and appreciate them.  She wants them to be used and not packed away.

There are two television shows that their family watches together on a regular basis.  The first is because Violet LOVES it.  She watches "Wheel of Fortune" as if it were created for her.  They all love "Jeopardy" because my son so often shouts out the correct answers.  [BTW: Have you seen the current champion?  He bets every cent on each daily double he encounters and has set a record for winnings.  Wouldn't you know?  He is a professional gambler.]  After that, it's story time and then bed for Violet.

Too absorbed in the program to look at the camera.

She is much better now and pretty much back to her usual busy little self.

A word about my own health:  I saw my oncologist when I had chemotherapy on Wednesday.  He is delighted with how well I am doing.  The "cancer marker" blood levels are still low and I am feeling quite good.  We will continue the chemo as "maintenance" for six more weeks and then stop.  We will follow the blood levels and do another PET scan in the summer.  So while we are realistic we are also profoundly grateful that my cancer responded so well to the chemotherapy.  It rather makes all that pain, weakness, and discomfort worth the outcome.

The quote today is a thought-provoking one from Albert Schweitzer:

"At times out own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person.

Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us."

During some of my worst times the past eighteen months, my own light certainly flickered and threatened to go out.  And each time it was rekindled by a spark from someone else.  I am eternally grateful for those sparks that kept me going in dark times.

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK, EVERYONE

BE THE SPARK FOR SOMEONE IN NEED

Golden Dog and Golden Granddaughter

Life has been blessedly uneventful for us.  Lucy is certainly no worse and we are grateful for that.  It's already spring downtown but is a bit slower up here on the mountain.  We've enjoyed  sunshine most of the week although it's a bit chilly for this time of year.  Unfortunately we are expecting rain over the weekend.

The bike ride "Assault on the Carolinas" will occur tomorrow, rain or no rain.  Limited to 1,000 bicycles, there are two rides, a 50K and a 100K.  Neither is for the faint of heart.  The 100K is 66 miles over hills and dales with an ascent of 3,700 feet.  It goes up the mountain, then  down to South Carolina and then up the mountain again.  The 50K has a 1.1-mile hill climb with as much as a 15% grade.  Traditionally, fans will line the highway in certain areas, ringing cowbells to cheer on the riders.  Both routes go past the gate to our community and both routes begin and end downtown.  Needless to say, we do not plan to be on the highway during that time if we can possibly avoid it.  Sharing the road with bicycles in the mountains is difficult enough.  Sharing with 1,000 bicycles is near impossible.  Even with rain in the forecast, lots of fans will stand by to cheer and welcome the riders at the various drink/rest spots.

Lucy is really looking rugged in spite of being groomed often.  She has become a rather shaggy dog and as she sheds her winter coat, we have lots of dog hair around.  But she doesn't seem to mind so neither will we.

Curled up and waiting for her maximum sunbeam.

Meanwhile...someone gave Violet an Easter Duck outfit.  And yes, it does remind one of Ralphie's bunny suit and she seems rather overwhelmed by it.  Yes, it quickly came off and was worn only briefly for the photograph.

I don't get it, Daddy.

This bright sunny day started out as bubble-chasing fun.  Then Violet discovered the shadow that copied every thing she did so it became more of a shadow game for a while.

Lift up your foot, shadow.  Just like me.

Because she celebrated a birthday this week, it is appropriate that the quote comes from one of the people I most admire, Jane Goodall.

"I think my message to the politicians who have within their power the ability to make change is this:  'Do you really not care about the future of your great-grandchildren?  Because if we let the world continue to be destroyed the way we are now, what's the world going to be like for your great-grandchildren?'"

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK, EVERYONE!

DO SOMETHING TO HELP THE PLANET

IT'S ONE EARTH, ONE PEOPLE

Sunny Lucy Friday

We had a couple of misty and cloudy days but for the most part we have had sunny and beautiful weather.  Spring has come downtown but still a bit behind here on the mountain.  The forsythia is blooming, and the Lenten Roses (spring helebores) are blooming.  The pierus is blooming and many of the trees are budding.  A light jacket will suffice and I am delighted to see another spring.

Lucy is about the same, certainly not any worse.  She developed a small irritated spot on her paw so we ordered some larger boots so we could put a small and soft dressing on the area,  She is adapting to the lameness and seems to walk better.  The biggest problem is that much of the great room is hardwood with a large rug in the living area and a long one in the hallway.  She seems to understand that she cannot navigate the stairs but we keep a gate there as a reminder.

She is definitely less active and we have changed her diet and feeding to accommodate for that.

She lies down more even if she doesn't sleep.

My son identified with Tigger as a young boy.  (You know, bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy, fun fun fun fun fun).  His "loveys" were a blanket and a small Winnie-the-Pooh which I had saved and sent to him when he brought Violet home.  I decided to send a Tigger as well.

As you can tell in the following photograph, Tigger was substantially bigger than Violet.  (My son assured me he removed the toy as soon as he took the picture.)

Little Violet and Tigger

While Tigger has remained the same size, Little Miss Violet has continued to grow and thrive.

Sometimes a mom has to cuddle her child while she feeds herself breakfast.

Sometimes we get so caught up in worldly things that we forget some of the basic truths of life.

Today's quote is from Marcus Aurelius:

"When you arise in the morning,

Think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive,

To breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love."

So don't waste your time hating and screaming about injustice.  If you can do something to change it, then do it.  But if you cannot, then focus on your own life and happiness.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK, EVERYONE

FOCUS ON HOW PRECIOUS LIFE IS

REACH OUT TO HELP OTHERS

WE ARE ONE WORLD, ONE PEOPLE

Golden Dog and Sunshine

Finally.  The daily rains have subsided and we are delighted to have sunshine.  The rivers are still high and we are expecting more rain over the weekend.  But we've had almost a week of sun.

Lucy is doing fairly well.  She seems to be better able to compensate for her lameness and moves much better.  We are very lucky that she doesn't mind the boots.  In fact, she seems to like them.  I must admit it is a bit strange to see her hair so long.  We can trim inside her ears and her paw pads, but we can't do a "professional" trim.  She enjoys getting brushed and that helps a lot.

Long-haired Lucy getting ready to snooze

Stretching out for a nap.

Violet continues to learn and grow.  She still has an attitude when things aren't going exactly her way, but that is typical for her age.  She is a happy little girl, loves her animals and books.  She  also loves to color and has recently started holding the crayons properly.

I love the look on her face in this next photograph.  She was busy coloring and her favorite cat, Sybil, walked into the room.  Needless to say, she jumped right up to greet "meow."

Oh lookee!  It's my favorite kitty.

Sybil was so named because she showed up on their doorstep while they were watching "Downton Abbey."  Older folks assume she was named for the Sybil with multiple personalities.  Violet simply adores her and plays gently with her.


Neil Gaiman gives us today's quote:

"Tweeting prolifically is the most easy thing in the world.
Tweeting prolifically is like somebody saying, 'Boy, you are a really good walker around.'  It's really not that hard."


If you like college hoops this is a great time of year.  Unless, of course, your team loses in the first round.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK, EVERYONE!

TALK TO PEOPLE IN PERSON,

IT'S BETTER THAN TWEETS.

All About Lucy and Vi

The rain poured down day after day.  (Thanks a lot Patti.  https://thenewsixty.blogspot.com/)  Last night we had severe thunderstorms.  Our community has a building code that makes no sense that I can determine.  It requires one room on each floor to have a "sensitive" electrical breaker that will trip if there is lightning nearby.  The master bedroom must be one of those rooms.  So during the storm I awakened in total darkness.  No light from the clock/radio, no light from the answering system, no light from the nightlight.  I had no idea what time it might be.  So I put on my slippers and went out to the garage to reset the tripped breaker.  I was too sleepy to look up the time in another room and reset the clock/radio or phones, so I got back in bed.  [Note to self:  Put battery in the clock.]  What an inconvenience.  What did that truly accomplish?  Did they not think I knew that lightning followed by thunder after the count of "one boy scout, two boy scouts" meant it was nearby?  And what was I expected to do with the knowledge?  Be sure not to run outside in the dead of night during a thunderstorm?

There are lots of jokes about the rain and flooding. What else can you do?  This was one of my favorites:

Amidst the rains, we did indeed have a few hours of sunshine every now and then and Lucy took advantage of them.  We are leaving her boots off a bit more since she has a very small irritated spot on her injured leg.  We think it's likely due to the fact that her boots get wet every time she goes out so we have to change them more often that we would like.  We have found a very nice dry shampoo for dogs that has a slight blood orange scent.  Using that makes her coat look and smell much better.

Lucy on a rare bit of sunshine.

Like all toddlers, our Violet continues to grow and learn.  Her father takes her all over the city to the library and the many museums there.  Her favorite by far is the marvelous Children's Museum.  So full of age-appropriate places and things to do.  Certain areas are cordoned off for crawling babies, some for toddlers and much of the museum is for anyone.  One of Violet's favorite places (besides the water pool, of course) has light switches that illuminate different objects on a large board.  Perfect for a little one who loves the mechanics of things.  Another great benefit of the museum is that she interacts with other children there.  Especially important for a child who does not attend day care.

I know I'm a bit biased.  But isn't that a lovely, sweet smile?
And it's not even for the camera.  It's for another child.

Today's quotes are about happiness.  In the stress of life we all too often let it slip away from us.

The first is from Omar Khayyam:

"Be happy for this moment.
This moment is your life."

The second is from the Buddha:

"Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle,
And the life of the candle will not be shortened.
Happiness never decreases by being shared."

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK, EVERYONE

BE HAPPY

IT MAKES LIFE SO MUCH EASIER

We Love Lucy

Life here on the mountain continues to go well.  I still awaken each morning so thankful that I'm still feeling good.  I lie in bed quite a while after I wake up, just thinking about how lucky I am.  Not even the rain (which started again this morning) can make me sad.

Our Lucy continues about the same.  She is getting one little irritated spot from the seam on her boot, so we are putting protecting padding on that.  She's eating well and manages to get around without help, albeit slowly.  She is not having any pain and we are very pleased about that.  She still loves her pillows and she still curls up into a tight ball sometimes.  Her hair is getting longer since we no longer take her for grooming, but we keep the tangles out and use a deodorizing dry shampoo so she doesn't look too bad.

Lucy in a tight little ball

Our Violet continues to grow and learn.  She is totally absorbed in figuring out how everything works and will manipulate a child-proof item for quite a while.  She loves shape-sorting puzzles and climbing.

It's already hard to imagine how small she was when she was born.  In fact, had she weighed even a few ounces less, our son and d-i-l would have had to purchase and install a new car seat before they could leave the hospital with her.  She has caught up and past most milestones and is in the 97th percentile for height with very long legs.  She has developed the "terrible twos" independent attitude.  It seems quite cute to her grandparents.  Not so cute for her parents.

Here is tiny Violet on her way home from the hospital
My son said he has never been so scared as when they closed the car door,
knowing those people trusted him and his wife to care for this little baby.

Here she is in a photography shoot.  (My son photographed the photographer)

The little blanket was my son's "lovey" for a few years

One of today's quote comes from the Buddha:

"Three things cannot be hidden:
The sun, the moon, and the truth."

The other is from Sojourner Truth:

"Truth is powerful and it prevails."

So in these days of partial truths and lies, keep in mind that the truth itself cannot be hidden forever and will eventually prevail.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK, EVERYONE!

LOOK FOR THE TRUTH

Rainy Days with Lucy

Following an all too brief respite, the rains are pouring on us again.  We seem to be stuck in a "green space" on the weather maps, indicating widespread rain throughout the mountains.  More landslides have closed roads and isolated homes.  We shouldn't complain.  It's a minor convenience for  us but it does indeed make for lethargic days.

Lucy looks out at my husband hanging the bird feeders

Lucy continues to be the same and we are thankful she isn't getting more lame.  She sleeps a lot and is reluctant to go out in the rain.  (Aren't we all?)  We keep the house cool and enjoy a fire in the evenings.  Lucy takes up a position on or near the hearth and soaks up the warmth.

Warm pup by a warm fire

The scan results were even better than we had hoped for.  The new drug is definitely doing its job and we are delighted.  The chest scan showed "something" in the esophagus but the oncologist assures us that whatever it is, it is not related to either the ovarian cancer or to the chemotherapy.  He thinks it is an abnormality caused by my other GI problems and is an incidental finding.  I will see my GI doc for a scope just to take a "look-see."  So the news is good.  We are optimistic but with a healthy dose of realism.  Lady Cancer is an absolute bitch and does not follow any rules.  But we take what we can and thank goodness for it.  Thank you all for your positive thoughts.  I do appreciate it and please keep'em coming.  This ain't over yet.

Our Violet is growing and learning like all little ones do.  My son says the most common conversations in the house involve the word "no."  From Violet it is said once, meaning she is not going to cooperate with whatever has been "suggested."  From my son it is repeated "no, no, no," as in "you cannot do that," or "you cannot go there," or "don't mess with that."  She is very clever and knows how to operate almost all of the many "childproof" guards in place.  Fortunately, she doesn't have to physical strength to overcome most of them.  But she knows the proper sequence of events needed to work them.

She loves to color and prefers the small crayons to the larger ones meant for younger children.  She even has tub crayons to write on the bathroom tiles during her baths.  She does seem to understand that her other crayons are for paper only and not for writing on walls.

The little artist takes her work seriously.

Today's quote is from the late Maya Angelou:

"No matter what happens, or how bad things seem today,
Life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow."

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK, EVERYONE

IT'S MARCH

SPRING WILL SURELY COME