It's either been that nothing is happening...Or that it's been so busy that I haven't had time.
As usual, I think it's a bit of both.
And I also think that I've been in a bit of a funk.
Still am if I'm honest.
I think my "funk" began when we lost Scooter back in March.
Fortunately, he was fine one day and gone the next, so we didn't have a long drawn out illness. For all that he was a pain in my tuckas, I miss the ornery little guy.
The garden was slow to start which was weird considering March and April were warm months. I'm just now getting peas on the vine.
I wandered around the fruit trees yesterday. Peaches were zapped by frost and while there are a few apples to be found, it's a disappointing year again in the apple department.
SM was remarking on the fact that the grapes have never really come through. I told him I think it's a maturity thing and we have moved them which messes with their mojo.
I find that I'm moving more and more into flowers here in the garden. I've got three flower patches going and I'm looking to plant a hydrangea patch in the shady part of the garden.
I'm not wasting time and effort on vegetables that don't produce well here. This year I'm sticking with the tried and true...Lettuce, carrots, summer-winter squashes, beans and tomatoes.
SM wanted me to order some strawberry plants but from a time management perspective (as in I've got none) I think it's easier to buy a gallon here and there from our local strawberry shack and fix them up that way.
I took my annual "staycation" here the last week of April and worked on repainting the house exterior. It was a beautiful week and I got the front of the house and the sides completed.
I also worked on creating a web page for SM's business. I enjoy that sort of stuff and SM felt that it was past time that he "validated" his business online. Funny how we used to go to the Yellow Pages to find the things we needed. Now, it's all about a Google search.
So my week flew by pretty quickly.
And then Ginny collapsed on my last day of vacation.
A few days at the ER Vet and the Neuro Vet (Yes, we saw a specialist) and he said it was something called an FCE - Which is basically a spinal stroke. Quite common I guess. She lost use 3 of her legs and bladder function but the Vet said that most dogs regain normal function given time.
He was right.
The first 3 days were downright miserable (and sad) but then on the 4th day she stood up all on her own. She needed to pee and was tired of doing it in her bed. SM and I carried her outside and she squatted all on her own. Did you hear us shouting? Boy, was that a happy moment.
Since she is 55 lbs I knew I needed some kind of harness to help us to move her around. The best I could find at the pet store was a life jacket for dogs in the water. It's worked out well and I'm happy to say that at 1 week post-stroke Ginny is walking around the block and moving through the house normally. Stairs are still an issue so we strap on the life jacket to help her up and down. Her right front leg drags a bit but that may get better with time.
SM and I are SO grateful. I think loosing Scooter and Ginny within a month of each other would have broken me.
SM and I reflect on how we are starting to "slow down" ourselves. I turned 54 in April and SM will be 58 this Fall.
We are having conversations more and more about how we hope our "retirement" will look. This is our favorite time of the year so I think we both like to indulge in fantasies of "I don't need to work" and what we would do with our day. Still way to early for us to quit work (need the $ and the insurance) but it is interesting having these conversations.
Sorry for the long post but I thought it was a good thing to play catch up since I feel like writing.
Who knows when that will happen again!
Soon I hope ;)
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