Puppy Tales

My puppy nieces are visiting again.  When I took them out for their morning constitutional, I noticed something poking though what's left of the snow:  green shoots.  Looks like I have iris, hyacinth, and daffodil coming up already.  Granted, they are but nubs at this point, but I don't care.  I am so ready for spring it isn't funny.  I think our lack of beach time this winter has definately affected my mood.  Bring on the sun, bring on the flowers, bring on warm, soft breezes.  I'm ready.

Later, the girls did the Pied Piper routine, following Uncle Walker's every footstep as he made himself a plate of Tator Tot casserole.  They were hoping for a bite or two, but no.  Lily has developed allergies to most everything, and if she doesn't get any, Baizie doesn't either.  They didn't quit begging until the empty plate was rinsed at the sink.

Speaking of Faucets.....

Our bathroom sink has had a slow drip for months now. Drives me nuts. I hate waste, and a drippy faucet is waste in the most basic form. Twenty four hours a day, drip, drip, drip right down the drain.  At least it wasn't hot water.  Walker kept saying he would fix it, "later," but it wasn't until I told him I was calling a plumber that he actually got his tools out.  Just one problem:

Um, Honey?  The faucet is ABOVE the sink......

Waiting for the Storm

Peeps, I am so glad the week is almost over.  There must be some nasty bug going around my office, because for two weeks I got called in early every day to cover for one coworker or another.  I don't mind helping out, but they need a better plan than, "Call Denise."  One night, there was supposed to be seven of us but only two made it in, me and the overnight guy.  There is just no way to provide good customer service when you are stretched so thin.

We're expecting a major snow storm tonight. My sister is scheduled to fly out on vacation this weekend, and she's been saving for this for years.  It's her 50th birthday present to herself.  I have my fingers crossed that nothing happens to ruin or delay her trip.  She so deserves it and has waited so long.  Of course that means my puppy nieces will be in residence for a couple weeks.  And after that, my handsome nephew will be spending his spring break here with us.  It's good to have things to look forward to.

On a routine visit to the clinic, I had to go the "old" part of the building.  I love that building.  I used to work there.  There are treasures to be found in unexpected places:  gorgeous 100 year old hardwood flooring in a seldom used closet, a stained glass window in a forgotten stairwell, pressed tin ceiling tiles that, miraculously, have never been painted over.  Bits and pieces of history. LOVE that!  So I'm over there, my appointment is over, and I stop into the restroom.  Interesting, what I found there:

 Need a closer look?  

Yes, Peeps, for some reason, someone labeled this faucet "Ice Water".  Of course I tried it, and of course nothing came out.  That part of the clinic, decades ago, was a hospital ward.  While I'm sure they never truly found a way to deliver ice water through a faucet, I'm thinking they used that spigot to fill up those little pitchers patients had by their beds.  In it's current setting, I thought it was funny. So there ya go. 

Onward

Peeps, I am tired of feeling blue.  Growing up, my mom did not encourage outbursts of emotion, a lesson I learned well.  I know I would feel better if I could "let it out" but I just can't, so I'm just going to keep plugging along, whether I feel like it or not.  I'm not honoring my friend's memory by moping around.

Last weekend Walker cleaned the house - a rare occurrence, one worth noting.  Because I didn't go into Diva's room to clean, I missed the fact that half of the leaves had fallen off the Meyer lemon tree currently passing the winter in a pot in front of her window.  When I finally noticed, the cause was easy to spot:

Those little webby things are caused by citrus mites, and they can do a lot of damage.  Right now, the tree has lost most of it's remaining leaves.  In a way, that's not a bad thing, because I was able to take the vacuum to the tree before washing it down and spraying it with mite killer.  It would have taken forever if I'd had to wash the leaves, too.  Seems to me I had the same issue last year, too, but all the foliage grew back once the tree was moved back outside.  Guess we'll find out in a couple weeks.

In the Arms of the Angels

Cherie, your beautiful spirit will live on in the hearts and memories of all who were blessed to know you.  Rest in peace, my sweet friend ~

Winter Blues

Walker left early this morning for a Superbowl family reunion weekend.  I could have gone, but when we planned it, I was looking forward to a couple days to myself, after the craziness that comes with the holiday season and the end of the fiscal year at the office.  Now, I'm thinking that wasn't a good decision.  I don't mind being alone, but the last couple weeks have been difficult.  Right now, the house is too quiet, even with the TV for company.

My sweet friend, the lovely Miss Cherie, has entered hospice.  She was diagnosed with cancer one year to the day that I officially beat it.  To me, that was a good omen:  Cherie would beat it, too.  We would share a happy anniversary.  And for the next year, it looked like she would do just that.  She looked great, she felt great, the tumors were shrinking, she had minimal side effects.  Then, suddenly, the cancer fought back.  Chemo quit working, radiation quit working, an army of cancer cells like evil Pac Men took over, spreading and growing, and now....well, now there is hospice, and tears.  Friends post wishes, prayers, and happy memories on Facebook.  Some of them say good-bye.   It's so, so hard to just sit here, waiting, praying. I have done this three times now.  It sucks, I hate it, and there is not one single thing I can do to make it better.