Wednesday, August 16, 2023

I just got tickets to that jewelry shop this morning. Reminds me of the early days trying to get Covid vaccine appointments. I started looking an hour ago (at 6:45) and they just opened up at 7:45.

Terrible sleep last night due to my extremely painful shoulder though there was no specific reason for it to be worse than other nights. I took aspirin this morning though I know I have to limit it.

There is a lot of fog over Lake George this morning and it looks like it is raining. The weather forecasts say that the day may be very similar to the two prior years when we went to the horse races here in Saratoga Springs and it was on and off showers. Doesn't bode well for the day. We ran into my DS's birth aunt and uncle at the restaurant last night (DS told us they would be here). We are going to try to find them at the track later today.

Time to get showered and off to breakfast here at the Inn. Not too easy to eat restricted amounts when there is food all around.

Have a winning Wednesday!

ETA: I read about Keira on FB - my condolences to Peps

Sending a big hug to Peps today...

Yesterday my folks had two sets of friends over for dinner. I cooked. I'm in one of my funks where I pick apart my "social performance" after the fact. I talked too much didn't I? Said the wrong things? Did they notice how much weight I've gained? Do they thing it's weird I spend my summer with my parents? Argh. It's this unrelenting brain circus that makes me not want to be around people.

I did weigh myself this morning. Not pretty! Maybe it will spur me to stop eating how I'm eating.

Still working on my hard puzzle and might finish today. Maybe sit outside a bit. And clean up my house. First I need to go get dressed!

Take care all!

Yesterday was a bit harder than I thought it might be. I didn't lose it, per se, but was very very sad. Very interesting, too, to see the dogs navigate the change. Dottie, who never hangs out in her crate, spent the evening in her crate. Lucky decided to take Keira's bed and the puppies decided to genuflect him like the did Keira. His reaction to them was the same as hers... Blitz just seemed blah and stuck to me like velcro and Dinah required a lot of attention. She kept nose butting me for petting. The puppies, well, they were pretty clueless. Me, well, kind of numb and didn't realize what a powerhouse of a presence Keira was even in her dotage. Strangely, the house seemed kind of empty. Just weird.

We went to 31 Flavors after the vet appointment to get a milkshake - Ron's main comfort go to. I couldn't really drink mine because my stomach was all tight and queasy. I felt more like throwing up rather than pounding down a milkshake. Finally felt like eating around 9 pm, so just drove down the street to Burger King and picked up a Whopper. That was total comfort food for me! LOL.

Today is the first day of school for the kids, but I don't teach until next Monday. We still have planning time and time to set up all 6 school sites.

Off to work! Wonderful Wednesday to all.

Amazing how the other dogs sensed what had happened to Keira. She left quite a legacy.

Tough day for your family. I'm glad you don't need to be teacher on stage energy yet.

When our Bella was clearly terminal, one of our cats sat a vigil with her. Animals know things.

It is indeed interesting. Because Keira's decline was gradual/chronic old age the dogs seemed to understand what was happening and the last few days kept a wide berth because Keira didn't like being disturbed. They were very respectful, checked in on her, but didn't hover.

When my dog Jackson had an acute onset of splenic hemangiosarcoma, and seemingly got sick over night and spiraled downhill very very quickly the dogs reacted very differently. They kept a vigil. On his last day when his life was tenuous at best, Ella, Lucky and Dottie formed a circle around him and wouldn't leave his side. When I returned home without him there was obvious mourning. I believe it was Ella who went to sleep in his crate.

When my Cairn Widget died it was as if a burden had been lifted from the entire pack. I think having an extremely strong, benevolent alpha female maintain her leadership authority during her old age and her cognitive decline took a toll on the dogs in the pack. They were clearly exhausted the day she died and when she was gone, they SLEPT! I thought Keira stepped into her place, but I was mistaken. The new alpha female was Widget's daughter, Delta -a 14 pound sweet as pie little girl. Like her mama, she ruled with such quiet confidence I didn't realize she was the new lady in charge for several months.

Dog pack behavior is fascinating!

Hope the weather gets better for the rest of your trip. Looking forward to hearing about Montreal.

CC, there is nothing unusual about you spending your summer with your family. Our psyches can really do a number on us.

Got a few things done yesterday, including finishing the book A Gentleman in Moscow. It was a book I read more slowly, as the story unwinds at it's own pace, filled with much descriptive detail. Overall, I enjoyed it.

Today I think I will do some yardwork. Tomorrow we will go to funeral for a good friend's Dad. He reached 93 years, maintaining his gracious and kind nature even as dementia advanced. It was a privilege to know him, a very fine person.

I enjoyed that book!

Greetings all

It might be 70 degrees here. DH has the front door open as well as the back slider. Dog gate in place. Our front door is directly west so the breeze comes straight from the ocean. It's so pleasant. We had fans on at scrabble yesterday.

Liz hope the fog lifts for you. Horse races are so fun. I love when they parade them around first so you can choose. My friend always said look for the horse with the biggest ass. I made my bets based on color combinations. Hope your shoulder gets some relief.

Peps we are all thinking of you. Keira was indeed the regent in your home. It is very interesting how dogs react to a loss. I so remember dogs in the past going around the house looking. So sad. 31 sounds like a good option. We take these dogs on and we take responsibility for them to the end. Thinking about how dogs react to loss reminds me of people and loss and how many different ways people cope. Being an estate lawyer I saw them all and have concluded there is no right or wrong. Some people might seem cold and business like but it's just how they manage.

CC don't you ever wonder who that other person in your head is who criticizes and analyzes? I sure do for myself (I think it's mainly my mother). Gotta learn to just blow that voice off I guess (said the person who still hears it). But hey, be glad you have your dad.

DD your summer reads sound great. Love hearing your recommendations. I cant imagine not being able to read. I need to read like I need to eat. Necessary.

Last night I cooked these bacon cheeseburgers that were made up by the deli. Bleeechhhh! Way too salty for me. I cooked two so there is another one tonight but I am not eating it. It's not even good enough to give to the dogs.

DH got the bookshelf moved back into the living room. I am glad I was not here to watch. When he does stuff it's like watching a little kid try to make cookies and it makes me nervous. So now the books are ready for reshelving. I am tossing a little but not enough.

So pot pie tonight from the hippie grocery deli. And I worked at the studio and blabbed to others so it's always a pleasant afternoon.

Cheers Diane S

"I need to read like I need to eat". Absolutely!