Sun after the storm

A friend of old Bob wrote me an email.
He misses his old pal, they went to the Chouinard ARt Institute together in the 1950's.
A half a century ago.
Nice to hear what memories he has of that young handsome man.

I had changed my office so that I can see Bob sitting at the kitchen table and
keep an eye on him. This morning he looks like Florence, his mom, with a Belgian baseball cap.
He checks out the dogs, they are always close by, he smiles at Carwen, sometimes he is not that gentle. Today is haircut day, then pedicure, then wash him. I just do not enjoy this
as with everything I do to his person he hates.
We will have many arguments today and I so want peace.
It has to be done.

The storm of yesterday has gone to the sea and the blue sky is
a welcome sign but then it also means I have to watch him in
the garden. He cuts and cuts and cuts.
No idea why he cuts the fresh blossoms and little green shoots of
spring but cut he does.
My gardening feelings are getting very upset.
Hard to ignore.
Yesterday he brought in the dead daffodils and put them in water.
Why does he know flowers need to be in water and why does he
not know these have finished their job.
The mind................works in mysterious ways.

Last night we watched a movie with young Bob, I can't even remember the
title but I had a good laugh for a couple of hours.
Watched old Bob , he reacted like my teen age grandson.
Giggled when the f word was said and opened his eyes very big
when the girl showed her boobs.
Still know something about that equipment.

I splurged and ordered a Gazebo which will be in the back yard,
it comes with a mosquito tent so I hope to spend some time in there
with him when the warm days come.

I am getting better so that is my good news for today.
Still coughing but much better.
This was a very nasty bug.
Young Bob has it but fortunately old Bob does not.

Going to enjoy our Sunday with sunshine.

March 28 2009

Raining again and storms expected but we need the rain so , shut up, Jeannot, stop whining.

So I am on day 18 of being ill and enough already. Went to doc yesterday, she said that it is a mixture of acute bronchitis and asthma.
What is "cute" about this?
I am running around exhausted all the time, barely fix dinners and dishes and back
in the chair and fall asleep, looks like I am on old lady. Refuse to accept that.

Old Bob was on his dying bed , so he made it appear, on Thursday .
He was shaking, said the word "Sick" several times and I started to
have a knot in my stomach. I told him to stay in bed and go to sleep.
No bus today! He smiled, little con artist that he is.

He comes out all dressed at 11 o clock and smiling like a Cheshire cat.
"How are you?" I asked.
he looks at me surprised, I am fine.
You hurt? No!
Are you sick? No.
End of story.
He had me again, he just did not feel like going.
You would think that a 3 year old is not aware of tricks like that
but he is and he is also 2 or 3 years old now.
Next time I will tell him the grandchildren are coming over.

While I sat coughing , he was smiling, he has no idea that I am sick
and hurting. He thinks it is funny.
I am thinking I would like to punch him in the wherever.
I am not a violent person but about now I am starting to think
that I am changing.
He fell asleep in the chair before I could reach him.
Lucky Bob, or was he really asleep?

C'est la vie with dementia or Alzheimer whatever you want to call it.

WALKING IN SPRING TIME

I am on day 9 with whatever bug in my system which is inno hurry to leave.
Thought today was going to be the day to jump for joy with energy and
no coughing. Instead I took naps all day long.

The only happening which made me smile was while walking Bijou
discovering this gorgeous tree on our way.

Spring is here and hope.....well there is hope to jump hoops tomorrow.....

Alana, this one is for you!!!!

do you think these two angels would do harm to anyone? Besides the dogs!!

Grandpa who eats grandchildren for breakfast

Spring around the corner

My walk this morning brought joy as I saw that after the rains we had blooms.
Pear, plums, so many of the decorative trees in bloom. Forsythia and bulbs popping up everywhere.

It has been a rough ride week.
Accepted some bug into my life and have a hard time throwing it off.
First I sounded like a group of wild dogs and now I am down to sounding like a seal.
The very potent syrup the doc gave me does not even help. I wake up and have
coughing fits which last forever.
Time for me to get well, I need to do so much.

Add to this that I had a birthday on Sunday.
I do not mess with them anymore.
I just feel that "OK I am still here" so keep on trucking.

Oscar was here from Texas so the troops came to say hello to him.
Equal that to a house with 4 grandsons.
Old Bob was not amused. He sat like a nasty cop in his chair and watched
everything the boys did. He told them not to steal his paintings and
gave young Bob the finger every time he looked at him.
It was unpleasant.
I was in bed most of the day but reports came to me plus the fact
that the old man did not want to come to bed for fear of what the young ones would do.

He spent the day mixing coke with sugar and milk and making the microwave look like an a war zone. He not only did it once but several times, he is sneaky. I watch him and then
go around in another room and he tries his drinking experiments.
Signs are over the sugar pot :"DO NOT MIX WITH COKE"
they are being ignored.

I am slowly getting better but in no mood to hassle with people who do not know
what I am saying. So OK, I am a bad girl today, big deal.
I'll be better some other day.

Here is a photo of the three grandkids

march snow

Snow in the mountains, AGAIN

When my daffodils crop up and the crocus are already vanished in the lawn then I
declare it SPRING, I am not very aware of the calendar which tells me that it
ain't necessarily so.

So this is the second Sunday I was promised a day at Biltmore Castle and the
second one with bad weather. Come on,

Got up to rain and now they tell me it will snow this afternoon and tomorrow.
Three to Six inches. Well, I have friends in Chicago who email me and tell me
to just laugh it all away. They have had a lot more to deal with.
OK so they decided to live in Chicago. I live in the South.

The weather is about all I moan about these days.
Old B is doing fine and the dog training classes for young Bijou have been
worth the money.
The other day I was in a hurry for his walk and started to dash out the door
but Bijou sat there waiting for his command when I was already half down my
steps. He looked at me wondering what was wrong with ME.

Running out of the house was my main priority in his training.
I do not want to find him on the side of the road.
He is picking up fast regardless of what I learned.

Trainer said that the Corgy is the smartest dog around.
They were bred to work and it is still in them.
They wait for orders.
Maltese , said the charming young man as he put a dagger in my heart,
Maltese are to keep combing and to sit on laps.
They feel they are it and do not take to orders without a fight.

Carwen, the Corgy was listening to all this and looked at me
as if she was trying to say: I told you , I am smart but you keep
giving that white fur ball the goodies just because he sits for a second.

Well, I am trying not to give up and continue all the training I paid
for and so far it is working, even my patience has not run out yet.
I want an obedient dog, is that too much to ask? even from a Maltese.

My friend Jeannette has been in hospital twice in a month.
SHe is 93, had 3 surgeries and is back to "normal" and in the
nursing home. She does not want to go just yet and she is holding on,
the will of a Taurus which she is.

Well, lets get the boots out.
Old Bob will be by the window as he forgets what snow is and he
will be smiling about the magic of it all.
He is like a 2 year old when it comes to snow.