Look Ma No Hands

I am a "little" accident prone. Well, actually a lot. I have fallen on, off, down, into and out of multiple things, whacked myself in the head with a stick (don't ask) causing my forehead to swell, occasional bouts of profuse bleeding is not a cause for alarm. Recently I've been whacking my hands to no end for some reason. Not new of course - last year Reuben split the back of my hand open, I had to get shots of cortisone for the poison ivy that was so bad, I could not bend my fingers. Who knew that's what poison ivy looked like before it got big? This year, hmm, thorns from clearing brush and subsequent infections from not taking the time to clean them out. Then the surprise allergy to Bath and Bodyworks hand sanitizer causing my fingers to peel. This morning was a little over the top, even for me. I take a cup of coffee with me to drink at the office and since it's such a long drive I stick it in the microwave for two minutes, give it a stir and pop the cover on. By the time I get to work it's lukewarm the way I like it. This morning I was out playing with the dogs a little too long so I had to hurryhurry a bit. I put my coffee in the microwave - and I have no idea how this happened - I took it over to the sink so I could give it a stir and drop the spoon in the sink. Thank goodness for that little detail - I put the spoon in and the coffee came out like a volcano. It hissed and boiled up and over the side, it happened so fast! It poured over my hands before I knew what was happening but because I was standing at the sink I dropped it right away and threw the cold water on full blast and jammed both hands under. David was upset, but not freaking out - considering my track history it takes a lot to make him run. I had him go out and turn my car off, got a big bowl and filled it with a little ice and more cold water. After about ten minutes I stopped wanting to deglove myself, I think because I reacted so fast it was not anywhere near how bad it should have been. My right hand didn't get it as bad as my left so I drenched a towel in cold water, wrapped my hand and took off for work. I figured if it got worse I could find a place to get treated. By the time I got to work it was not too awful and I went out after our weekly meeting and got some lidocaine ointment. All in all, it not too terrible, a few tiny blisters here and there, my left hand is pretty scalded but no open areas. Why the coffee did that - I don't know. I think it might have been because I usually leave it in the microwave for a few minutes before stirring it normally instead of doing it right away. But I think tomorrow morning I'll be way more careful!

Lightening Does Strike Twice.

A good friend of mine recently lost her dog of 11 years - I know they are broken up about it. When I asked if they were going to get another, she said she didn't know, she was not sure if she wanted go through that again. Anyone who's a pet owner knows the heartbreak of losing them. I think pets have become more like children - we no longer live on farms, anyone with more than two or three children is a rarity these days, we work longer hours and we work, families no longer occupy one town, they're spread far and wide. So no more family dinners, no block parties, aside from work our social lives have become pretty limited.  But the dog - there's  a friendly face at the end of the day, raring to go on the weekends, will attend all dinners and watch any program you want. As society has changed, so has their role, their rights are more protected - they truly are family. But they are not people, their lives are longer, but so are ours. Being indoors, not being exposed to parasites, good food and vet care have all extended their lifespan and still, 15 is long, but  12 is realistic. David and I have a slew of dogs throughout the years, some have been adopted as adults, some owned simultaneously, one that ran off repeatedly as we had too much going on and she was super hyper(and no we didn't bother rescuing her, we saw her in a car with someone a couple of weeks later, happy as a clam tail wagging. We left well enough alone). But we always have a dog. I know quite a few people that say they don't want another one - but me, I get a new one as soon as  I can. Heartless? Uncaring? Quite the opposite. When Pearl died I think everyone who knows me knew how heartbroken I was - she was the cream of the crop. My constant companion, hiking buddy and sofa buddy. But not a month later we were looking and two months later Molly entered our lives. She is not a replacement for Pearl. She is not Pearl and nor would I want her to be. But the hole left by Pearl has been very nicely filled by Molly, for both us an Reuben the Wonder dog. It's a two way street - Molly benefits by Pearl too, all the love and attention, the car rides and walks that Pearl got,  goes to Molly now. It gave us the patience and drive to make Molly a part of our family. We did not forget Pearl, but life goes on and when one pet leaves it gives another one a chance to share that happy home, to have someone to care about them, a playmate. So maybe a pet passing is a heartbreak, but adopting a new one, especially one that needs you - that is the heart mend.

All things Considered.

I do enjoy NPR for awhile on my way to and from work. The show All Things Considered is one of my favorites - it's just a mix of every topic you can think of - and more. The wave of illegal immigration of unaccompanied minors escalating due to violence, an interview with a jazz artist, the struggles of Iranian women with education. Sometimes it's a hot topic, sometimes it's something totally off the wall - but it's fun to listen to and you actually learn quite a bit. If I'm invited to a dinner party six months from now I'll be the Queen Of Chit Chat and Obscure Topics.. We took the dogs for a walk this morning - due to my working some weekends and David being out of town it's been awhile. Reuben's attitude is sort..."eh". Molly's is over the top exuberant can't-contain-it joy. It's hard to get the harness on her due to the leaping and running. Reuben has gotten much better in the car, no more throwing up and this last ride he seemed to very much enjoy it - head out the window, ears flapping in the wind. David wore his fancy new watch I got him for father's day, it not only tells the time, but has a compass AND can tell you the barometric pressure. In the event we ever drop him down a canyon he's prepared. We took a different path this morning which was fun, I had to pull Molly from the little pond because if I remember correctly there are snapping turtles in there. Next weekend I have to do another Saturday visit, but that's OK - I really don't mind once in awhile. I've started taking pictures again, but stay out of the abandoned buildings. Unlike the backwoods of West Virginia there's a good chance I'll find more than a raccoon or a nest of squirrels. I've calmed down (a bit) with the shopping but make great use of the post office which is right across the road. Summer is almost here, our yard is so green it doesn't look real, the flowers are blooming and I continue to work in the woods clearing paths and keeping the ones I've cleared, well, clear. It's grows back so fast! I'll have to take pictures in another month, the growth is so thick that the paths I've made are starting to look like green hallways. I've made a couple alcoves for the chairs I brought out there, I have one in a sunny spot for cooler days and one in a covered spot for hot days. The dogs have gotten the idea if they don't wander too far - or come right back I'll let them muck around, doing whatever Important Dog Business they feel needs addressed. My ereaders are getting great use, but I need to be careful. Yesterday I was walking and reading and caught my foot in a root - down I went. I'm OK, a few bruises and my wrist hurts a little, but nothing too tragic. My ereader was fine too, thank goodness! I honestly cannot live without it, not a bit! My nose is constantly in a book since summer is right around the corner - don't you love summer reading? Mine tends to involve vampires, warlocks and wizards - so enjoying it. I continue to knit - slowly for now as I tend to be outside when we're home. I usually get home between 6 and 7, change into my yard clothes, grab the dogs and we stay out for an hour or so. I tend to feel guilty about the dogs being in, but I'm pretty sure I mind it more than the "poor dogs" snoring away on the couch in the air conditioned house do!

Sunday Girl

I had to do a visit on a client today - Bayada's policy is we do a weekly visit on new clients for a month and if the nurse just happens to only be weekends - so be it. Given the fact it's a 3 hour round trip for a half hour visit there has been some concern in the office. But not all of the visits have to be done on the weekend and..... it's really not hurting me. Since I'm new to the city it's all a big adventure, none of that been there done that stuff yet.  If I have to go in on the weekends it gives me to time to look around without getting stuck in traffic. I had an incident during the week where I had to pick up meds - I found the pharmacy but couldn't find a place to park. I circled around a few times, with people on my tail of course making it impossible , it was the middle of the city. On the 3rd time around I spotted a small street behind and pulled in what I thought were the pharmacy spots. I was only going to be a couple of minutes so my parking was not so great. When I came out this woman wearing big stretchy pants with her hands firmly planted on her hips marched over and gave me What For. Apparently I had accidentally parked in the dentist spot AND had parked over the line. I did apologize but she was so invested in yelling at me I figured I'd let her continue, sometimes its' more time efficient to get yelled at and I didn't have time for this. She said her piece and stomped off - I got in my car and made it to the client's in plenty of time, but it was just frigging annoying wasting all that time looking for a spot.  So I made time this morning for a little driving around the city.  I left around 10 this morning as I wanted to see the Whole Foods in the middle of town - the good news is it was easy to find. The bad news was it's Sunday and it's PACKED. I found a spot in the back of the parking lot, nabbed the last small cart, brought my re-usable bags (if you don't you're almost sneered at since you obviously don't Care About The Environment. You probably even Hate Kittens.). It was the usual crowd - there's a percentage of people that feel the need to dress like they live in an organic tree house, all hemp and Birkenstock when they shop at the organic based stores. Not me - had my orange rubber sandals and my bags from Wegmans made out of some material that will far outlast mankind. Shopping was fun since I could combine it with sightseeing, I got online which was not too long. I noticed behind me was a mother with a  young child and a baby, old enough to walk strapped in her cart. I asked her if she wanted to go ahead of me, but she smiled and declined, saying she would be OK. The baby was at that evil age - not that the baby was evil, but you KNOW what I mean. They're all screaming and hands, what ever you want them to do, they don't. The moment she said this the baby bent it's little legs in the cart and like Sampson, broke the bonds that bound her in the shopping cart. It started randomly grabbing while the sister danced around the cart. I very politely said "are you SURE you don't want to go ahead of me?" The nice thing about not being in a hurry is you can be kind instead of looking at your watch and you can let the person with the exploding baby go ahead of you. So we switched places and I was very pleased to see the cashier call someone over to help her get the groceries to the car too - people can be very kind, can't they? I stopped at a yarn shop but did not buy anything, I saw yarn I liked but would have had to buy a bunch to make anything- and I really didn't want it. I saw the client who's mother was aghast at how far I had to drive until the Dad asked me how my shopping was going - totally lost the sympathy vote. Did not shop the way home, but found a great graveyard to have lunch in. My gas light went on so I did what most people would do, took a picture and posted it on Facebook. I managed to make it to the gas station - my tank takes 13 gallons I think and I pumped 12.67 - hooray me! I'm back to knitting my socks, I did the heel on the second one in the car and when I tried it on last night it was way too short so I had to frog it all back - yuck!

So It Passes.

It's been a pretty slow day around here, the weather is quite lovely this weekend. I spent it hanging out with the dogs, did a little shopping yesterday but not much. I continue to work in the woods, if I don't keep up clipping the growth back the paths I've managed to clear over the winter quickly revert to Deep Woods Status. I used our old patio chairs back there, recycling them to be seating for reading - I take my ereader out there. I sit in my little wooded alcoves while the dogs pretend they are Wild Savage Things. Since I have a few chairs we can change the area so all the wildlife is equally harassed. Reuben has gotten quite stealthy, the other day there was a woodpecker not paying particularly close attention to the world's finest and almost lost his tail feathers. It was pretty close and I doubt he'll be that neglectful again! The rabbits continue to tease them, the usual. I have been plagued as of late by unexpected bouts of grieving. It's not very bad, but it's like the other day I was driving home and all of the sudden all I could think about was our dog Pearl and how very much I missed her. Or last night while reading a part of the current trilogy one of the characters passed away and there I was, with tears pouring, just wanting Mikio and Setsu back, if only for a short time. I'm not sure if that's a result of age - or not. As we get older of course people close to us start passing away, aunts, uncles, grandparents - and it's not the fact that they die that bothers me so much. I'm going to die too - not a newsflash, we all come to the point (of course with me, my enormous yarn stash will keep me here through the millennium...). But the part that bothers me the most - is the alone part. When people and pets die, it's so awful at first - it gets better, but it never quite goes away. 90% of the time it doesn't bother me, usually it's pleasant memories but there are those times when it truly stills my heart. And the grief is so tangible, such a solid thing you can almost place your hand on your chest and feel it. Then today, it passes and I'm left feeling a little drained and at loose ends - by tomorrow it will be gone. In the meantime I keep busy which will help it pass, I scrubbed the basement floor, cleaned out the fridge, play with the dogs in the woods. David is still on hiatus so Molly and Reuben are enjoying sleeping in the bed, they flop down like their bones have melted. I have a busy week coming up at work, but that's fine. I am still enjoying the whole thing and better yet my health benefits kicked in today! I am no longer a risk. Since I have vision I can get new glasses, I lost mine a couple of weeks ago for good - I have the pair from last year so I can see but I can use a new pair anyhow.

Logistics.

My dentist's office called the other day to schedule an appointment and I told her I'd call her back next week. This morning I was thinking about it, I might need to get a new dentist. Working in Pittsburgh makes having appointments a bit of a challenge - I leave around 7am, get home between 6 and 7pm so that doesn't leave a whole lot of time for anything else during the week. Some of it I can work around, my car gets serviced in Waynesburg so if I work late one day I can leave a little earlier the next. I worked half a day Saturday so I was able to leave early yesterday to get new tires. Mine were balding and then last week the back one started a slow leak. Waynesburg is sort of on the way home so it's do-able. My doctor has weekend hours and the glaucoma specialist who is also in West Virginia - well, for him I'll just have to take a personal day. My eye appointments I generally can't drive anyhow and even when I worked in West Virginia I would have to take the day off anyhow. But aside from that stuff - and most of it is workable, it's not too bad. I've been doing a little bit of exploring around the area too, Pittsburgh can be very surprising. One of the things that surprised me is what a green city it is - there are organic stores all over, lots of biking, jogging trails and parks. When I shop I bring my own reusable bags - and in most of the store they'll ask if you need one at all. I'm still wending my way around it but spend more time (sort of)knowing where I am as opposed to not a clue. I'm getting there. Things are a bit slow at home as you may have guessed, the house in Clarksburg remains on the market - I think the one in Bruceton took about 3 months to sell so no widespread panic in the streets yet. David has started gutting the Fairmont house - he's putting off buying major supplies until we have a buyer for house #1. We're actually playing around with keeping house #2 for a rental and then borrowing against it for the next round. This is a work in progress, we started off living in them and moving, then we lived in one for awhile before buying the next one. Then we bought one big one that we did NOT live in, now we have two that we do not live in, on and on. Right now we're at the yucky part where all our money is out and mine is the only coming in. But I make fairly good money so we're OK for awhile. This part stresses David out so he has been put out to pasture for a week - part of the problem with being your own boss is you don't get paid vacation. Unless I make him take it, he doesn't stop. On the knitting front I'm on the second sock - I will be knitting either another shawl or a blanket next, have not quite decided. I've filled up my ereader with summer reading books and I've cleared quite a few paths in the woods we own. I put some old chairs out there so while the dogs dork around and harass the local wildlife I can sit and read for the summer.

Not Everyone's Cup Of Tea

Most people that know me know that I'm crazy about Vizslas - when I met David years ago he had a 9 month old Vizsla puppy named Lady and a 15 year old named Pooka - and I've never been without since. People that own this breed tend to be the same, we have friends on Face book and their pages are lousy with dog pictures too, what the dogs did today, etc.., if you open their wallets they'll have more pictures of the dogs than the kids. My two are incredibly photogenic and will work for biscuits. But as much as I love them, I would not recommend them to everyone. On the pro side they're loyal to a fault, non aggressive, playful. They aim to please and incredibly smart especially if it's something they enjoy. Molly knows that when I get the orange harness out she's going to the park and she leaps and twirls with great abandon, when I open the kitchen door she heads right to the back door of the car, even remembers to sit in the back. They're excellent companions, always up for a car ride, a walk - if you take a nap they're up for that too. They smell good - none of that "doggie" smell and they clean up nice - never met one that did not like a bath. Very sociable, our guests are their guests and if you don't like dogs, you most likely will not enjoy your stay with us. They're hard to discipline as they tend to be so funny you can't bring yourself to do it. Love to play, they start from the second they get up til they pass out at night and two will play constantly. But the cons - they NEVER leave you alone. You will be followed from room to room, if you go out to get the mail, Molly and Reuben will stand at the door crying until you come back. Because you ARE coming back - aren't you? They tend to be quick and if not well disciplined can take off before you even realize they're gone. Ours wear electric collars at all times outside because once they're off and running they can cover a corn field in no time flat. When I was out yesterday I turned my back for one second to stir my BBQ and looked up to see Reuben (gasp!!) racing down the road - he was ousting the neighbor's beagle mix from the yard. Molly is a counter surfer extraordinaire and can down an entire loaf of bread and be back on the couch before you blink. They need constant attention and exercise, if left alone for what they consider too long they'll dismantle your house rather cheerfully and take the fifth when you come home. But all in all, I wouldn't trade them for any other type of dog - even though they can drive me crazy for the most part I love them to death. In other news, the house in Clarksburg has been shown a million times but no bites yet. We are debating dropping the price as opposed to the watch and wait. I continue to work on my socks, one is almost done and the other of course will be started right after to avoid the Second Sock Syndrome. I went to the Sheep and Wool festival in Waynesburg last weekend - just for an hour. I bought yarn (of course) and apple butter, but it was not that great. Not as many vendors and no, I didn't enter anything this year. I did two years in a row and both times it was far more trouble than it was worth, especially the one year when I had to drive over to one of the organizers house and pound madly at her door to get my shawls back - after two weeks of calling and leaving messages!!