End of Year Denial!

This is the second dark, dreary day following a string of beautiful ones. We were expecting some rain, which we needed, but it only spit enough to keep Rosie inside! She alerted me when Mark took Felix and Henry out and I used that as motivation to get her moving. It worked like a charm! While our temperatures are falling, we will still be in the mid-70s next week, minus the humidity of the summer, which makes it wonderful.

Photographs are a great way to remind myself whom I've been with and what we've done. These are photos from October that were misplaced and not included in the last entry. Chris's family (the Girls' Week!) was down for a week and invited us over for Sunday brunch. We knew to expect abundant and delicious food, but this year they were right on the beach with a gorgeous, bright view of the ocean. It was a delightful morning with a heavy Jimmy Buffet theme, as you can see. It was lots of fun and we came away full and happy!

Speaking of Chris, she was up to her phantom treats again for Halloween. Being a former teacher, Halloween is one of my least favorite holidays, but this goodie bag did get it off to a good start. Somehow, I also received an invitation to my (Conservative) neighbor's Halloween party. It was actually held at the home of one of Rosie's favorite people (Who isn't her favorite person?); so, if he's out working in the yard, we stop for a chat in the morning. It was to be in their driveway/garage and he invited me. I dreaded it for a week! It turned out to be a bigger bash than I expected and I chatted a bit with various neighbors, some of whom were surprised to see me there! My plan was to arrive early and depart early, which I did. Thus, Halloween was over!

Now that the carpet in the bedroom is complete, I've tackled the window leak and floor damage in the den. It takes a while to get estimates and try to determine the best person/company for the job. I have one last (I hope!) guy coming tomorrow and I hope to move forward from there. There is actually only one who seems to really have found the source of the leak with a reasonable plan of action, but before moving ahead, I'll get some input from neighbors who know more about this type of thing than I do. Wish me luck!

I shouldn't complain because I do have wonderful neighbors whom I feel I could call on in need, and I'm very appreciative of that. Recently, I had a bush that was enveloping my mailbox cut back. In doing so, the cap of the mailbox post had rotted away, and I added that to my list of jobs to get done. A couple of days later, I arrive home from my walk, and my mailbox has been capped and gussied up! My neighbors across the street, Maria and Mark, repaired it for me! How nice was that? It really made my week!

On Oct. 26th in the late afternoon, Rosie began shivering and panting violently for no apparent reason. I quickly called the vet and was happy when they could see us on such short notice and that late in the day. Rosie has intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) and the vet thought it was a flare-up. We were sent home with two medications for pain and inflammation, which along with the gabapentin that she already gets twice a day, meant that I was giving her medications 5 times per day!! No easy task. One was a liquid, which I could disguise with treats, chicken, or cheese, but the other was a hard, nasty-tasting pill. As you can see from the middle photo, I wound up pulverizing the pill, putting it in a pill pocket, and rolling it in cheese! To make it seem more like a treat, I put it in her puzzle. I'm not sure she was fooled by any of it and there was one day when she would have none of it. It took about 4 days for her to act herself again, and I'm hoping that it lasts. It is really difficult when something is wrong and she can't tell me what is happening. 

And, yes, there has been the usual socializing over food. The periodic trip for Indian food, this time finding a cupcake shop for dessert! Asian food with three other like-minded, single ladies from the hood. Lynn hosted a lunch for three November birthday people - Tom, Chris, and Tippy! It was the first time we'd been together in a while and was good to catch up. Rhonda C. and I got together for a long overdue chat and political rant, which I always enjoy! Liberal Ladies also had a nice brunch where it was good to see longtime friends and acquaintances, as well as Jewish friends who are experiencing much angst related to current international issues, some having relatives in Israel. It's hard to imagine how they must feel. Equally, I can't imagine what the innocent (non-HAMAS) people of Gaza must be going through. It certainly makes one feel helpless and at the whim of crazy men.

To the topic of the day, Thanksgiving is around the corner and I wish I looked more forward to it. I'm lucky to be sharing it with friends, but I feel like I just want to get it over with!  And I can't even think about Christmas! I guess things will fall into place as the holidays approach, but at this point, I remain in denial!

I'll leave you with this little blurb about glimmers. I really think glimmers are my superpower as I am always aware and appreciative of small things that happen solely because someone did something nice for no reason other than to make someone's day brighter - like repairing my mailbox, which I consider a big glimmer! Like friends who leave goodie bags at your door. Like a neighbor who saw Rosie and me scrambling home in the rain and pulled his car over, rolled down the window, handed me an umbrella, and kept going. Like the Black Magic Woman Tippy and I ran into in Cape Town. Like the young man at Callawassee service station who asked if everything was okay when I had car trouble. Too many to count. Sometimes the world seems too overwhelming and out of control, but it's nice to know there are good people out there willing to make someone's day. Here's wishing lots of "glimmers" in your future.