Another day of patchy freezing fog, patchy sunshine – and close to sunset a try at alpenglow.
These are the same photo – the first is a crop of the middle section of the second to show the color and the mountain.
When we get freezing fog, but not a complete inversion – and at this time of year with the sun at its lowest angle – the light and color is extraordinary.
It is recovery day here at the little house in the woods.
Bob has been doing wonderfully on the insulin regime for his diabetes! Input and output returned to normal and his usual partly obnoxious self returned :)!
Yesterday, he was scheduled for a “glucose curve” check. The idea is to monitor his blood glucose level shortly after an insulin shot and then through the day. A specific type of curve as well as levels is desired to ensure that the correct dose has been established.
Karl and I accompanied Bob in the Jeep to Whitefish with an 8:00 a.m. scheduled arrival time. We departed at 7:15….
How do mothers do this every, single day??? How do they get themselves dressed for work, a child or children dressed, everyone fed and out the door to school or day care???? They have my admiration!
So…35 mile drive in the dark and freezing fog to Whitefish. Not my favorite thing, but as we approached Kalispell – the halfway mark – the fog lifted and it was clear…well clearish. Blue sky overhead, the still nearly full, but waning moon on its descent, the Whitefish range lit in a ghostly way by the rising sun. It was a look I’d never seen and made the push out the door worthwhile…for me…
Bob rides out of his carrier, in the back of the Jeep, typically on Karl’s tail. I can’t blame him. Karl’s fluffy tail is no doubt warm and comforting. And by this time, Bob probably has an idea of our destination. Jeep rides are not usually for Bob’s enjoyment.
Fast forward to the retrieval… Karl and I arrived back at the clinic at 5:30 p.m. – dark and foggy again! – to pick up Mr. Bob. Bob’s day was not a good one. He didn’t like his accomodations, didn’t like being poked for blood, peed on the tech – AND his glucose level was off the charts – probably due to stress so the eval was useless. Based on my report of all at home, it was decided to leave the dosage as is and I will attempt to do the curve from home with a glucometer…heh…
The tech (yep, the one he peed on) could not get close to him to get him in his carrier for check out and called me to the back. Bob hissed at me, but I spoke to him, wrapped him in a towell and took him to a quiet exam room where he entered his carrier willingly and once in the car and loosed, proceeded to move to his spot on Karl’s tail for the trip home.
We all passed a restful night but yesterday took its toll.
Today, for all of us, recovery day.
Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy
Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry
Sunshine on the water looks so lovely
Sunshine almost always makes me highJohn Denver “Sunshine on my shoulders”
Photo taken 12/18/2010, Wayfarer’s Park, Bigfork, MT. The morning and afternoon were gloriously sunny, although COLD at 10-16F. No one at the park but Karl and I. We meandered along the lake shore and the cliff area behind the campsites.
It was a TGIF Day x 10 this Friday. We were all glad for it to be bedtime!
Three vet visits this week – 2 for Bob and 1 for Karl. Karl’s was a check up but some anomalies so we are waiting his results…Rats! But he is in good spirits and our routine has not been disrupted. The check up stuff is non-invasive and quick, but still stressful and we are both a bit exhausted when it’s over.
Bob has diabetes – I suspected based on his drinking and resulting output. It was confirmed from a Tuesday visit and yesterday we picked up insulin and I got a training session. I’ve given the “under the skin” shots before and the pen system they have for small doses of insulin is easy. Bob doesn’t even act like he feels anything and the results were obvious in several hours. I am not sure that he equates feeling better with 2 trips to the vet which involve two 70 mile round trips in the Jeep, but thankfully he didn’t hold a grudge.
My plan to keep on track and take the weekend completely off….hmmm….derailed. BUT, I am so grateful that I have a “job” that gives me the flexibility to take care of things and that there IS work…enough that I can work as much as I’d like, mostly when I’d like. AND, I enjoy the work and my work group and my work environment. So although not what I planned for the weekend, I will enjoy the work, a smaller amount of baking (gotta have some cookies!!), a walk with Karl through Bigfork and at least a little time in front of the fire even if it includes the computer :)!
Saturday morning as I write this… It is the week before Christmas: Christmas carols are playing, the house smells of cinnamon and cloves, the fire is popping, there is still some snow on the ground, Karl and Bob are feeling well and so am I.
And, yes, the fire is so delightful :)!
It is alternating between heavy, wet snow and freezing rain outside. Even Karl came in. I took computer and a mocha spiked with cinnamon schnapps to join Bob in front of the fire to work on this post.
Bob and I had an exchange of ideas…
After all, Christmas is about love and family and tradition. Bob has been part of my Christmas celebrations for 10 years.
Although this week’s work schedule was less pushed, I have felt not quite caught up – with not enough hours in the day to do all I’d like to do. Just a few weeks ago I was getting a jump on Christmastime and now it is suddenly only 2 weeks away.
Last weekend, towards the end of Sunday, I dashed to the garage for my Christmas boxes and unpacked the things I wanted around me this Christmas.
Typically, when I’ve been in a house for awhile, there are “places” where the Christmas things go and this house is no different – I’ve put things in the same place every year. But, this year, as I sorted things on the kitchen table, I had a new thought. I spend most of my time in the sunroom/office and kitchen. Although I love sitting in the living room with a fire, my time there is usually a short time in the morning and evening.
As I was considering a different plan for this year, it occured to me what a cornucopia of memory and experience and friendships and family history there was in that small group of Christmas things.
Over the back of the chair on the right is a placemat woven by my mother. She made 2 placemats and a smaller table centerpiece mat for me when she was learning to weave some years ago. The garland of mini stuffed hearts is a find from a quirky Christmas shop in El Segundo, CA as are a few of the wood ornaments on the table. I lived in El Segundo for a couple of years – 20 years ago!
The large stuffed tree with gold trim was made by a co-worker from Korn/Ferry International where I worked temporarily as secretary to the V.P. of Operations and General Counsel. It was a unique and fun position and the tree is a happy reminder of that time – MORE than 20 years ago!
The goofy stuffed snowman and moose – gifts from a neighbor and her daughter from my first Montana neighborhood. The daughter a pre-teen then is now grown and on her own.
The skiing Mama rabbit – a gift from my father to my mother. I love it because it says to me, “The heck with the housework, no time to even remove the apron…put on the skis and go!” It speaks of choosing joy and fun.
The angel bear I bought myself for my tree topper. We always had an angel on the top of the tree growing up and this just made me laugh and yet is sweet. That is a black and white cat, a tuxedo cat …with angel wings and I think it once had a halo. My mother gave it to me…my tuxedo cat Gus was not angelic in a lot of his behavior – he was “his own man” and yet also very attached to me. He disappeared 5 years ago…the hunter became the hunted – hard.
The UCLA bear was a gift from the man at UCLA who signs my work contract. Bill and his wife Judy – not only colleagues but dear friends of 19 years duration. And my time as a consultant at UCLA has been and is a source of joy as well as the thing that puts kibble in everyone’s bowl and keeps the roof over our heads :)!
To the right, a new addition, just in the last week – the Folkstone Santas – a gift from friend Sandy’s collection. It didn’t make the photo and is not a decoration, but Jerry sent along a mini-flashlight for staying in my coat pocket so that I don’t get lost in the dark woods at night! There were other goodies from them and these Folkstone Santas will be forever tied to the love attached to small things that mean a lot – dear friendship!
That skier in the front. He is made of wooden beads attached with elastic string. He was my father’s and growing up the skier was positioned under the tree. A white sheet was wrapped around the base of the tree as snow and the skier sat in the folds of the snow. It was a favorite and is always part of my Christmas reminding me of those idyllic childhood Christmases.
I had wonderful childhood Christmases full of all of the anticipation, family, food, and magic of Christmas. I have had married Christmases, single Christmases, Christmases alone and shared. I love them all. I somehow missed the angst that many have over woulda/coulda/shoulda/might have beens and love each year for all of the good things in it.
The decorating, it is part of both the anticipation, the remembering, the Joy – and as a spiritual person, who believes that Jesus is who he said he was, it is that time of ultimate HOPE.
The stockings are hung, by my desk with care…
And the weather outside is frightful, but inside, in this warm house, with Karl and Bob and reminders of family and friends…it is delightful and lovely and full of hope and joy.
That is the snowthrower in that trailer. It is going off to Big John’s.
The auger stopped augering on Thanksgiving Eve. I had a spare auger belt. The directions didn’t look bad and I have tools, can read, have done plenty of repairing/servicing of stuff. But, in recent years, Big John’s has been my go to place for home equipment as they pick up, service and deliver for a price so low it is hard to understand how they are making any money. But…it was Thanksgiving and snowing and forecast to snow more and I had all I needed so I began.
My first hurdle was getting the new belt on. I finally realized that at 15F, a rubber belt was going to have less give than normal and maybe warming it up would help. Also, it was getting dark. The belt spent the night in the house.
Friday, I got the belt on. I fired up the thrower. It started marching out of the garage on its own. I didn’t try the auger.
I have a work deadline to meet. I already had a couple of hours in the thrower. Discretion…valor, etc. – I made the call to Big John’s. Adding to the agony, I had to include a note about working on it. The good news is that it may be the source of amusement to whoever draws my thrower to work on. Laughter is good for the soul!
Meantime, the temperature rose above freezing. Three – four more inches of heavy wet snow has fallen. The snow and needles have come down off the trees in shuddering avalanches – sometimes on the roof of the house sounding a bit like the entire tree came with. It is a mess. It does this every year!…a VERY cold spell, a foot of snow and then a warm up.
Now, it is forecast to get cold again and more snow on top of slush that will freeze. Somehow it works out and looks beautiful again but at the moment not so much.
Although some long days this week on this project push, it has been a very good week. Hope yours has been as well – Happy Friday!