A day without a single Poppy picture

Don't get TOO excited; I said a "day" without a single Poppy picture, not a post. heh

That day was yesterday. Rick felt 'not quite right' Thursday evening, but woke up fine Friday morning. The 'not-right' feeling came back Friday evening a bit worse, and didn't really change after taking to nitroglycerin doses. We spent an uneasy night, Rick obsessing about every sensation, me knowing that at any moment he might decide I needed to take him to the ER. That didn't happen until Saturday morning, when I took him up to St. Vincent's (where he was treated after his heart attack ten years ago and again 14 months ago when he needed two more stents). We spent all day there to finally be told that all test results were normal and he could go home, but follow up on Monday with his cardiologist (who might very well send him back up for another angiogram, the only way to really SEE what's going on in those arteries). Poppy went with us so I could ensure she got regular potty breaks, but it was a long and trying day for all of us and my mind wasn't on taking cute pics of my pup. We did get home in plenty of time to watch Brian play in his last high school varsity basketball game, even though he sprained his ankle earlier in the week. I did take photos of that. 😉

Lucky for you, I did take Poppy pix before and after our no-Poppy-pix day – as well as a few non-Poppy-pix.

Thursday morning started with a pretty sunrise. After work I stopped at Debbie's to drop off something and let Poppy have a little playtime with Murphy. She got more outdoor playtime at home because it was a beautiful day.

The only photo I saved from Friday was Poppy passed out on Rick's lap. This was after she turned into a dog possessed, tearing around and around the house and biting at everything and everyone. All three of us finally had to put our feet down, so to speak, and do some training before we and our house were shredded! It was tough at first, but she is smart, and therefore trainable.

This morning Brian turned on an episode of "House" for us to watch before starting his homework (Rick stayed in bed late, taking it easy as per doctor's orders). Poppy stretched out on the floor and watched with us – so cute!

This evening it was all hands on deck to change Poppy's splint; tough terriers don't like to be restrained. I hoped to take photos of her leg but didn't have a spare hand. The paw is no longer swollen but her carpus is hyperextended, which is to be expected from wearing the splint. It will take some time for everything to strengthen and straighten back out once she has healed up.

I did take a photo of Bing Saturday morning; he was quietly enjoying some attention.

I snapped this photo between today's showers: Everything seems very early this year.

That's it for now from . . .

Before it's "All puppy, all the time"

This is the last post in which I can promise there will be no Poppy pictures. I don't plan to post tomorrow, and starting Sunday, all bets are off!

We enjoyed a rare dry day today; January has done its best to make up for the lack of rainfall in November and December. There was a bit of color in the sunrise, then some pretty clouds and SUNSHINE(!) . . . before it turned gray for the rest of the day. But I was able to get both horses exercised and nobody got wet. Well, not from rain, anyway. Stella ran and bucked and played and rolled for quite awhile, and then played hard-to-get and ran some more, so she get very sweaty.

What's blooming now? The snowdrops are starting to fade and the daphne odora are just beginning to open. The Tasmanian Tiger euphorbia in front of Brian's bedroom are tipping their budding heads. The sarcococca bushes along the north side of the house are in full bloom and saturating the area with their heady fragrance.

Small but powerfully perfumed!

Basketball games are giving me lots of time to spin; I've finished two samples of Jamieson & Smith dyed Shetland top and am starting to ply one of them. (Yes, I take photos of Brian playing, too, but I'm behind on editing them.)

On the one hand, January has been a very sad month. Jackson's soulful eyes gaze from the calendar I made for my office wall; I can only glance at that photo if I want to keep my composure. But anticipation over our new family member has been a happy distraction this final week; "Joy cometh in the morning." Joy – that would have made a good name for the pup!

That's it for now from . . .

Whirlwind weekend, whirlwind emotions

Thank you to all who shared your care and condolences over the loss of Brian's parakeet Sprite. She was a real sweetie, very bonded to my son – which is just what he wanted, a pet that liked him best. She wasn't her normal perky self Tuesday night, and I knew with depressing certainty when I had to leave for work late Wednesday morning that she wouldn't be alive when I got home. That evening Brian took her death much harder than he did either of the dogs'; together we buried her in the yard. And the house was quieter still.

So it was probably a blessing that the next morning, as planned, we all left the too-quiet house for a high school basketball tournament in Walla Walla, WA. Brian drove himself to school very early so he could ride the bus; Rick and I picked up his mother (who went along to visit an old friend in Walla Walla) and headed east down the Columbia River Gorge a bit later. At the last minute, Rick agreed to stop on our way to look at a litter of Decker rat terriers. I have been looking into the breed with growing interest since meeting a pair of brothers last May, but it wasn't a breed Rick is familiar with or attracted to. Lately we've been talking about our next canine family member without any movement toward consensus, which was depressing, and to add salt to the wound, friends were sending a flurry of ads, mostly for Aussies which Rick didn't want. Then, two days before we left, the friends who had agreed to do our farm chores while we were gone told us they were getting a Decker puppy from the breeders I had been following! Since we hadn't talked about the breed together at all, I was flabbergasted – and more interested than ever. This was the backdrop to Rick's begrudging agreement to stop and see the puppies, which we did. I knew better than to hope – or push – too much....

This is the one our friends have reserved. 

This is the rear view of her very similar sister.
I didn't get good photos of two others.

Then it was on to Walla Walla and basketball . . . and melancholy. Posting those photos of Brian with his bird and with Jackson were a forceful reminder of how fast time speeds by, and there we were on the campus that Brian plans to attend next fall. The reality of my single chick flying the coop soon echoed in the void left by three beloved pets in just three months. Yeah; I was a sad sack.

On our way home today, Rick waited until we were entering the town in which the puppies were located to say (again begrudgingly) he guessed we could stop and put down a deposit on my preferred puppy. Say WHAT!?! I texted the breeder to make sure she was still available, but also learned we wouldn't get to see her again or take any special photos because one of the resident children had the flu. So you'll have to wait until next Sunday, when I'm hoping to travel with our friends to pick up our matching set of sisters. 😁 Here are a couple photos of our girl (from a litter of five girls) from the breeder's Facebook page:

This rainbow over the Columbia River felt appropriately celebratory as we continued our way home:

With all that driving and game-watching, I had time to finish one color of J&S Shetland top and start another (the second is much farther along since I took the photo):

Two of my friends are starting to come out on the other side of the most difficult period of puppyhood with their dogs, so I have no illusions about the challenges ahead. But I know I will be building a special relationship as well, and look forward to that.

Thanks for being along for the ride; your comments mean more to me than you'll ever know!

That's it for now from . . .

Gifts given and taken

This is going to be two posts in one. I started Part Two before heading into last weekend, when it became clear that Jackson was becoming 'bedridden,' a fate no animal understands or deserves. The first half is acknowledgement of how much your collective sadness and empathy over my* loss means to me, that life does go on with meaning and joy (as well as other challenges**), and that peace is coming more quickly than I expected. Oh, if I chose to dwell on bittersweet memories or the current aching void, I could quickly tailspin into swamping sorrow, but I choose to redirect my thoughts instead, over and over again. And when you make the better choice, you can see what God sends to encourage you, like rainbows while working my horses on that most difficult of days,

a cat who craves cuddling,

the dynamic beauty of nature and weather (photos posted in chronological order from yesterday morning through this morning),

the unexpected blessing of a bridle to fit my new beauty for under $20 –

I introduced the bridle to Stella in parts; this isn't all of it.

and the SIX eggs the hens gave me yesterday – in January!

🐑🐏🐑🐏🐑🐏🐑🐏🐑

Part Two

Someone new to Boulderneigh left a comment on my January 7 post. (Welcome, M.K.!) She said, in part, "I love yarn and knitting and spinning, so hopefully I'll see some of your woolish activities here too!" Well, M.K., the reason(s) I do any "woolish activities" at all are my Shetland sheep.

Before getting them it had been ~35 years since I'd dabbled in knitting and crocheting, and spinning wasn't even on my radar. But after getting Shetlands to provide some 'farm income' for property tax purposes, the "Call of the Wool" drew me in. First I taught myself how to knit again, thanks to a Lion Brand tutorial, then I learned how to make yarn – first with a spinning wheel, then with spindles, followed by an e-spinner. Since then I'm rarely without a spindle and some fiber or a knitting project; having something enjoyable and productive to do with my hands has transformed the way I view "down time"! My current project, some mystery roving I'm spinning on my Lilac Jenkins Turkish "Aegean" spindle, has kept me busy while waiting for and during grand jury orientation, riding in the car, and watching Brian's school's boys' and girls' basketball games.

Yep, more than a month after their season started, Brian is back in the game after taking care of some grade issues. Let's hope he can finish out the season!

Back to "woolish activities." Most of you will remember the two hats I knit for my farrier and his wife from yarns they had millspun from their flock of Texels and Border Leicesters. When my farrier came again last week to do the horses' trims, he brought me a thank-you gift from his wife, who doesn't knit but who does felt:

I wore that beautiful scarf to church last weekend. 😊

Someone I have long admired for her art and humor (even more so during the current administration!) posted this oh-so-appropriate sketch on Instagram:

Because in the midst of Jackson's crisis, **we realized that our roof was leaking and a hose failed in my car's coolant system – all while Rick's workload petered out to nothing. I am trying not to think about the money I spent on a new horse and the money we spent on more hay, and am praying that the veterinary business picks back up SOON.

As for giving our hearts to another dog to tear (I love that poem, Jean!), who knows. Reaching a family consensus on what and what not to get will be difficult at best (even though Brian will be leaving for college this year, he still has Very Strong Opinions). I would get another herding dog in a heartbeat but Rick doesn't like them (*no, he wasn't even that fond of my dear Jackson). I've been intrigued by Decker rat terriers and have been following a breeder on Facebook for two litters now (yesterday out of the blue, a friend told me they have reserved one of the pups in the current litter!), but neither of my guys seem interested. Getting all of us together to go look at shelter dogs, much less agree on one, is also improbable. Sigh; at least I have other distractions, but the house is awfully empty and quiet....

That's it for now from . . .