Not Yet There

OK – I really am getting in to the swing of things. I am also realizing that my feelings of isolation are in great part my own doing. I miss everyone here with whom I interact. Yup – I really do! This is a photo taken directly after Emmy’s graduation and a good place for me to start my blog again. It gets me back into the game. My family lives in Indianapolis, we were not able to attend. We live in St Louis. David is going up this weekend for the party Beth (her mother – my daughter) is giving. I do love this photo, from left to right: David my son in law, Emmy in graduation garb, Beth my daughter and Abby the youngest grandchild.

I am currently working on a post about the move and the new place! That will be next.

Jack & Paggy

A poem with two perspectives upon the same thing, from Mary at dVerse. In essence the the first perspective of this poem represents me. The second really represents David as he walks the dogs. However, I just speak from the first person. Jack is our black dog, getting old now, pushing 13. Patty – having become Paggy is still full of vim and vigor at about 5 years of age. They are each rescue dogs.

I open the door
downstairs
mid-day
Two furry noses
greet me in their
special way
Wet and wooly
they emit nothing
but love
Each snuggles under
a different hand
This is true
friendship
pure
Never would either
stray or
leave me
for another
It was always
love at first site
And it would
forever remain
that way

Yet on this
cold
and windy night
the snow
drifting but light
I would question
is my love
as deep and
as pure
as without question
as theirs
as I put on
his collar
and grapple with
leashes
reaching under
her belly
to fit her harness
knowing
that in a
minute
out there I
would be
struggling against
the wind and
the snow
My scarf
becoming
a frozen maul
as it scratches
my face
and scraping now
frozen skin
I ask myself
Is it really worth it
These two mutts
Why did I get
them
rescue them
why
They are nothing
but work
nothing
but trouble
Who wants to
be out in the
in the snow
on a night
like this
grappling with
two lunging
dogs
as they play
pulling
you this way
and that

Thanksgiving – 2012

Initially we were not going to be able to see the kids due to some silly mix-up. I am so very grateful that in the end we connected and had a wonderful meal together. My daughter discovered Lake Wasatch about 10 years ago. It is this very special 300 acre lake with I believe nine cabins on it. She took us there once and now we meet there every weekend “after” Labor Day weekend. We bring our dogs, hang out, enjoy nature and are grateful for no WiFi or 3G. It is serene and beautiful, but most of all it is really wonderful family time.

After discovering our plan for Thanksgiving wasn’t going to work, we were finally able to settle upon a new plan. We went to Lake Wasatch. We shared the responsibility of fixing dinner, bringing things both from St Louis and from Indianapolis. The kids came for Thanksgiving dinner and then trudged home later that night after a wonderful movie. We stayed for two nights. At night we made popcorn and watched movies as if we were dating again. It was fun.

The dogs go crazy with all of the smells of the woods, other people’s dogs, forest creatures and two resident Potbelly pigs that each way weigh in at about 250 pounds. I have no idea where my photos went. However, once I was back at home the photos were no longer in my camera. The lake was so beautiful during late autumn. The changing autumn light really made it a different place.

As I lost my late autumn photos I share these from September 2012. I am especially fond of the last photo taken in early morning as the fog rises off the lake. When we went in September I enjoyed seeing the young Swans.`There were 5 children. They were sort of fuzzy and brown. Today they have little of that brown left … but they are still there with Mom and Dad. Needless to say the Canadian Geese (or are they Canada Geese?) and the Swans were each quite territorial, making lots of noise.