Wash Day

The view from my upstairs study.

Whoa, it's windy!

And not just from one direction, either.


Which is all very well until there comes a lull,
and then I can see that my newly strung clotheslines
need some major tightening.
We had a big rainstorm last night, so at least the grass is clean.

This is my first venture into hanging clothes to dry instead of using the dryer.
Maybe the hank of line I found in the basement isn't suitable for a clothesline -
it seems to be pretty stretchy.

Seeds!

I finally planted the Liberty Garden with some of the seeds I ordered:

Carrots, radishes, onions, spinach, arugula.
And I'm ready for the rabbits.

A Dog's Life

I'm afraid Quincy is not as articulate as his friend Poppy
at Chez Magpie.

But he'll share some thoughts anyway.

1. Exercise regularly, even if it's wet and blustery and your fur blows around.

2. Get plenty of rest. Don't be too picky about when and where.



3. Once it lands on the floor, it can be used as a pillow.



4. Be tolerant of your humans' need to do goofy things to you. If it amuses them to rearrange some of your fur into a comb-over, let them do it. Laughter is healthy, and they need it.



5. If your human loses her temper at you, forgive her. She's probably just obsessing over some little spot on the carpet. She doesn't understand that "things" are just not that important.



6. If you lose your temper at your human, quickly make up with her. Whatever she did to cause you to lose your temper is not as important as your relationship with her.


7. A dog's job is to be an example to his humans about what is important. And humans have trouble remembering what is important. So you will have to show them again and again:

Friendship. Forgiveness. Tolerance. Love.

Another Birthday

I think I had exclusive rights to licking the mixing bowl that day.
My older brother and sister would have been in school
and my younger brother and sister not yet born.

There seems to be an empty cupcake liner to my left.
So, in addition to licking the bowl,
did I also already have a cupcake?

And my favorite toy,
a plush dog with most of the fur worn off,
is just visible on the table in the foreground.

My mom is taking my picture.

No wonder I have such a big smile on my face.

Tonight G and I are having dinner with my wonderful parents
at their house.
The same house where the picture was taken.
I think I will look as happy today as I did back then.

A good day

Yesterday was a good day.
The white scilla are looking so fresh.



Signs of crocuses, finally.



The blue scilla are just starting to emerge.



G worked on removing moss from between the bricks.
Yes, he's wearing his slippers.
But it's so unusual these days for him to do anything resembling work outdoors,
that I didn't want to spoil the moment.



The rhubarb is showing some leaves -
something I've never really looked at before.



I sieved compost to add to the Liberty garden.




An easy dinner.



And - the conclusion of Sense and Sensibility on PBS.

Legacy

My friend and fellow caregiver Pat passed away yesterday, after a long battle with cancer.

She was a very strong person and never wanted to accept help from anyone, so the last weeks were especially difficult for her, as she defined herself as the one in her family to whom everyone turned for help.

She was a great example, in the two years I knew her, of making the best of bad situations, finding new solutions, and staying calm in the face of some difficult times.

She expected to outlive her husband, twenty years her senior and diagnosed with Alzheimer's. And while she had seen a lawyer and gotten some of the legal work done before she got really sick, she did not execute all the plans that she had, as she thought she had plenty of time. It has caused, over the last two months while her life was hanging in the balance, a lot of turmoil and angst for her family, rushing to find care for her husband and securing his safety for the time when she would not be there to provide it herself.

So that is part of the legacy that she has left her fellow caregivers. We all think that we have plenty of time, especially those of us who are considerably younger. And some of the planning involves thinking about a time when we won't be here or would ourselves be incapacitated, or our loved ones would be much sicker and in need of more care, and all that is not pleasant to contemplate. It is very easy to keep postponing it.

She has reminded us that we need to have as many of the plans in place as we possibly can, so that those we leave behind have a clear view of our intentions for our loved ones.

Alfresco

A warm and sunny day.

Note snow shovel is still by the back door.
I'm feeling a little superstitious.
If I put it away, will that make it snow?

A bit windy, but not too windy to have lunch alfresco.



Quincy gets to watch.

I have to say that I had more pleasure arranging lunch outdoors
than I would have otherwise
when I thought about taking pictures to share with you all.
Alice recently mused on the evils of blogging;
evidently, this is how they have affected me.

Liberty and other gardens

Rhubarb.
Comes back every year.



Chives.
The rabbits must love these.
They are chewed down to nubs.
And the winter aconites I took a picture of?
Had been eaten by the next day.



And some work to prepare the Liberty Garden.



Switch to the pitchfork.



Before I plant anything,
must get a fence to keep out the rabbits.


Supervised by Quincy.

Visitor

I don't want

you


in the house.


Scram.