A day for good-byes

It was a sad day in Shakerag. Today, we said good-bye to my folk's German Shepherd/ Rottweiler mix, Bailey. She arrived with her sister at Mom and Dad's as a small puppy thirteen years ago. Having been born in the wild to a wild mother, Bailey never allowed any of us to pet her until she was about ten. By then she had arthritis and was in enough pain that she knew she needed Mom and Dad to help her. They did, and she continued to be friendly. The vet who saw her for pain said he had never seen a dog that didn't get over fear of people until old age. He said dogs either got over it as a puppy or never. Bailey was unique. She had been moving slowly for quite a while. Losing a dog never gets easier. It's always a very sad day.

We also had to say good-bye to our favorite local business, Grandmother's Clock. A shop specializing in unique children's books and gifts, it was a well-loved part of our community. Owned and run by a local grandmother, they even had story time and a tree house for good listeners. Unfortunately, there were simply too few of us who appreciated such a special store. The Grandmother of the Clock will still be around, but Stinkerbaby's favorite store won't be. Grandmother's Clock will be missed.

I'm sorry I'm not cheerful this evening. I promise I'll be in a better mood for my next blog post.

Good-bye Bailey and Grandmother's Clock.

Summer

I love summer. It has always been my favorite season. Part of it has to do with the fact that, although I was a good student, I always hated school, so any time off was good time. Yes, it is hot enough I could bake bread on the deck, but we have air conditioning, so I have no right to complain.

I know memories are not accurate representations, but as I recall every summer day was spent either at the VFW pool or at Grandma and Grandpa's or at the park or playing in the creek or picking blackberries.

Mostly, I remember going swimming. We'd get up early enough that it was still pleasant outside and be at the pool when they opened. My sister and I would swim until we were so hungry we could hardly stand it. Then we'd eat the not very good sausage pizzas sold by the snack shop at the pool. We'd swim some more and then go to Grandma's for lemon ice cream and a nap. Most days, Grandma came with us to the pool. Some times, we even picked blackberries from the parking lot by the pool.

The only thing better than going swimming at the pool was putting on our swim suits and going down to the creek. We'd splash and play in the shallow pools of water and catch frogs and crayfish. Sometimes the crayfish would catch us instead, but we always had fun.



Picking blackberries was always an adventure. We were aware that we might meet up with a snake. Thorns, ticks, and chiggers were no joke either, but they were all worth it for real, wild blackberries with sugar and cream. Grandma always came along for blackberry picking.

Summertime is all about good memories for me. The same can't be said about the rest of the year. I didn't have a horrible childhood, but the rest of the year was more real. Good things mixed in with some bad things. Summer was always good.

I hope I can give my kids good summer memories. We've been swimming twice this week at a friend's pool. It's wonderful, but it's just not the same without the bad pizza. Too bad the VFW pool is no more.

Thankful for summer cold

I had planned on posting on Monday, but instead, I awoke to a sick kid. Stinkerbaby had a cold. Bonus was been sneezing some, too.

As I was feeling sorry for my babies and myself (hey, just being honest), it dawned on me that I literally don't remember the last time the kids were sick. I do remember that Bonus has been sick once, but he's nine months old!

Stinkerbaby was fussier than usual and congested. Bonus was unhappy if set down at all, instead of being happy just playing in the floor. There has been much babywearing.

I really am very blessed. And it took an annoying, summer cold to point that out to me.

Why I am thankful for this summer cold:
Batman can take time off to help, if needed.
Nana's next door for assistance whenever we need it.
Cold's aren't serious, just unpleasant.
None of us have asthma or other health problems that make colds more serious.
The grownups didn't get sick.
And it's summer so there's plenty of sun to recharge our vitamin d stores which were depleted from illness.

I'm still sorry I had to see my sweet girl so uncomfortable, but all in all, we've been shown our blessings by a summer cold.

Surprises

I'm terrible with surprises. Apparently, it's genetic. There is a family story involving my great grandmother, Mammie, getting a gift for her mother. She borrowed money from her brother to buy her mother a cold meat fork. It was delivered on the train and Mamie was so excited that she announced the gift before she had so much as picked it up, much less wrapped it or waited for the event.

Sadly, I'm the same way. I simply cannot hide surprises from my immediate family. The only way I can manage it at all is if the gift recipient doesn't live with me. I managed to surprise my sister for her birthday, but she lives three and a half hours away from me, and I don't talk to her daily.

Which brings me back to the quilt I made for my friend. According to the Post Office, the package should arrive today. And I am just vibrating with excitement! I want to post pictures! I want to know how they liked it! I want to see pictures of their new baby!

Yet, all I can do is wait for a call or an email. With a new baby at home, I suspect another baby gift is not the focus of their day. Snuggling a sweet baby is and should be their focus, but I still want to know if they have gotten it yet. . .
They live a time zone over. It's later there. Do you think it's too early for the mail to have run?

I know. I'm hopeless. Maybe I should try to make some surprise something for my hubby for lunch. It should keep me occupied at least for a little while.

How can anyone keep a surprise a surprise? Did I miss a class in school?