Lucky Luna

We are now back in Tucson for the winter and so I headed off to Costco shortly after our arrival.  As I zoomed around the store trying to find everything, I happened to walk by the dog beds...and, of course, I was sucked in to see what they had.  I was so impressed with one of their beds.  It was best for a dog up to 50 pounds or so.  Another lady came along and was also looking at the same bed and as happens when you get two dog lovers close together they start to chat.  It seems she was going to pick up her new dog at the local shelter and needed a new bed.  She had already seen her new dog several times as she is a volunteer at the shelter but she wanted a special bed as her new dog is shy.  This particular bed had sides on it with a very comfortable cushion and I commented that most dogs like to nest and this bed with sides will add a feeling of security.  She exclaimed that, "oh yes, nesting is exactly the right term and "Luna" will love it.  She just glowed and I thought of that lucky little dog who is going to such a good home.  

A reminder

Many years ago I created this bit of crewel work. It's small, just 5x7.   I gave it to my mother as a gift and she kept it in her kitchen.  I hope it was a comfort and encouragement to her through the years.  After my mother died this sampler returned to me and I have had it on the bookcase in my bedroom ever since.  So many times when I walk by I glance at it.  Somehow it has taken on special significance since two members of my extended family are now battling leukemia.  It has reminded me anew of what is really important in life...and that this life is short.   It's not to be wasted and as I get older,  I hope even more that God will use me to make a lasting impact somewhere and with someone.   It's also a reminder to me of where my source of strength comes from in difficult times past, present and future.    Life may be fragile but the Creator of it is not...and that is beyond comforting.

Anniversary

Our anniversary comes so close to Labor Day.  Another reminder of how fast the summer has gone. And this a year without the boat and it still seemed to fly by.  Number 44 this year.  It made me realize anew just how fast LIFE goes.  I have been married longer than my parents...however, my mother went on to have a 22 year marriage with a second husband!  Lets see...44 plus 22...that would make me 88 and BJ, 97. Yeah, we aren't planning on that but you never know.  Hope we are off the mountain by then!  :-)

Guideposts

I have been reading Guidepost magazine for years.  I read every one cover to cover.  I find them amazingly inspirational.  This month, there is a short article titled "Bench Buddies".  A child and his parents were investigating schools in Germany in anticipation of a possible move there.  On one of the school's websites, a special bench was seen.  Kids who felt lonely sat on it to signal that they wanted an invitation to play.  The family did not end up moving but when the child, Christian, started second grade, the family bought a bench, painted it and put it on the playground.   After explaining its purpose to the students, a kid does not have to sit on the bench for long before a buddy asks him to play.  Now schools across the country have their own buddy benches....buddybench.org.  It got me thinking that what if there were benches for things like....I just lost a spouse....or...I'm going through a divorce....or... my teenagers are driving me crazy...or....how long before I stop missing my dog.....Most peoples' issues are unknown and maybe if we had benches we could react quicker and use our past hurts to help others get through a tough time.  I think they also call that empathy.  

Kindlings Fest 2014

This 4 day annual event at our church is wrapping up.  I don't really have the words to describe Kindlings Fest other than that it should be renamed, Kindlings Feast.  We are filled to overflowing.  We have had two guest presenters stay with us this week,  Bruce Herman and Walter Hansen.  It's been amazing, our breakfasts together and all the events of the week.  We provide them a place to stay and they leave a permanent place in our hearts.  Our lives are the richer for hosting participants each year.  This event brings artists together with the common bond that they all love Jesus and want to make Him known in their worlds.  Many of them work and live in very liberal worlds and they bring a feast to the table with their talents.   One of our repeat presenters is Malcolm Guite. He is a poet, priest and academic living and working in Cambridge, England.  I could listen to him speak all day. 

One of my favorite poems that he presented this year goes like this:

Singing Bowl

"Begin the song exactly where you are,
Remain within the world of which you're made.
Call nothing common in the earth or air,
Accept it all and let it be for good.
Start with the very breath you breathe in now,
This moment's pulse, this rhythm in your blood
And listen to it, ringing soft and low.
Stay with the music, words will come in time.
Slow down your breathing.  Keep it deep and slow.

Become an open singing-bowl, whose chime
Is richness rising out of emptiness,
And timelessness resounding into time.
And when the heart is full of quietness
Begin the song exactly where you are."

Transitions continue

Along with our house and boat for sale, not to mention the loss of Hank, other transitions are taking place as well.  After nine years of use, we parted company last week with a crib/toddler bed that we bought second hand when we first became grandparents.

It has held all of our grandchildren in one state of assembly or another.  Most recently, Nikolai used it last week.  I sometimes wonder where have the years gone??!!  Now I have a 9 year old grandson who can hike 4 miles with me in the park and never hint at being tired.  A 6 year old granddaughter, whose artistic imagination is every day a new wonder of amazement and a 3 and 1/2 year old who tells his mother, "you look beautiful" before leaving for church.  As I said, WHERE do the years go?  Certainly a lot faster than when I was raising my own two.   We were able to give the bed to the local second hand children's store in town as the owner said she knew of someone who can use it.   Second hand, third hand, may it continue to create memories for all the future little sleepers.  It has certainly served us well.   

Hank - August 24, 2003 - June 11, 2014

I always knew this day would come but I didn't quite know how hard it would be.  Our dear Hank died suddenly this morning about 9:00.  He had not been 100% for some time and we had him in to see the vet twice in the last couple weeks.  We are still waiting to get the results of his valley fever test, a fungal infection common in the desert.  But this day is tough.  My heart is heavy and the tears won't stop.  I have thanked God for not letting him suffer long....one of my prayers as I saw him go through some difficult days.  I'm also grateful that he died at home in his own bed with no artificial intervention.  He has been an amazing dog.  Smart, funny, beautiful.  He loved car rides and was the best traveler.  It didn't matter how many hours he was in the back seat when we traveled and he was content in any hotel room.  Going to town in BJ's truck was always a highlight and recently I started taking him more often in my car as he just seemed to enjoy it so.  He loved putting his head out the window and always on the lookout for deer.  The joy he exhibited after our travels didn't matter if it was a couple weeks or a few hours.  After some of our longer trips when he was at the sitter, we were always so very excited to come home and see him again knowing the welcome we would receive.    He loved carrots.  He would come over to the counter when I started peeling them and wait patiently.  We eat them every night before dinner and he always got a couple.   These pictures have been in my blog before and were taken on his tenth birthday.  Oh Hank, the joy you gave us.

There was always a quest to find sunshine

We wrapped him in a soft blanket and buried him on the property this morning near the cedar trees in light of the morning sun.  Thank you, Hank, for all the sunshine you brought into our lives.  

Lacked a little luster

So if you are not a horse enthusiast, you probably did not write yourself a note yesterday and leave it on your kitchen island reminding you to watch the Belmont later that day.  This is the last race in the quest for the Triple Crown.  This has not been done, by the way, since Affirmed won it in 1978 so I was very hopeful...and I wanted to see it live if it happened.  California Chrome (CC)was the winner of the Derby and Preakness and was favored to take this, the longest race, at a mile and a half.  I was so hoping this would happen as (CC) was bred for only $10,000, pittance in the horse racing world where most contenders are in the millions somewhere.  The jockey, before the race, said "he had no plan" which bothered me a bit...I mean, a jockey knows best whether a horse is a quick starter, fast finisher or neither.  Maybe he just did not want to broadcast his intentions to the other jockeys.  As it turned out, CC finished a close 4th.  Yes, 4th.  One of the owners, you could see was heart broken.  My heart was still pounding so I can only imagine his physical state.  Then, as often happens after a loss, he was angry.  His poor wife was trying to calm him down but he began to rant how unfair the racing system is.  Here his horse has run in all three big races and the winner only came on the scene yesterday, all fresh.  His argument...whatever horses are eligible for the Derby, have them run all 3 races and see who has the best record for all three, since all three are different lengths.  When he was done ranting, I had been swayed as well.  Seems like a most logical comparison and the most fair.  So now another year must go by while we wait for the next contenders to show their stuff.   Hope one of them is good enough for me to write myself another reminder note to watch the 2015 Belmont.

Real time

One of the advantages of being retired is the opportunity to see news in real time.  Yesterday, as we sat with our fruit and morning tea we watched the dedication of the 9/11 memorial in N.Y.  It was incredibly moving and BJ and I both said it's a place we would like to visit.  It's hard to believe it's been almost 13 years.  It's one of those events like the Kennedy assassination where one remembers exactly where you were when it happened.  It also made me think that many of the victims' children were just tiny when this happened and perhaps have no memory of their loved ones.  The memorial has last voice recordings of calls made to family and photos of every person who was killed in NY, Pennsylvania and the Pentagon.   It's almost too much to comprehend.  One of the most moving stories was of a young man who always carried a red handkerchief and made repeated trips escorting people out of the building.  He was eventually killed when one of the towers collapsed.  He was only 24 and one of his red handkerchiefs is in the museum. The ceremony really focused on the good of people, not the evil that caused such a catastrophe.  Apparently there are kleenex boxes placed everywhere at the memorial.  We needed our own box watching the dedication in real time.  

Transitions

At my age I am not necessarily afraid of change and have moved often enough to know that new friends are just people I haven't met yet.  But nostalgia...now that's a different story.  After being in AZ this winter and having the need for some very specialized health care, BJ and I have both realized how comforting it is to be closer to medical care as well as just all the other conveniences of life.  As we are aging....yes, hard to admit...we are prompted to contemplate what is best for both of us going forward and being here on the mountain alone is not in the cards.  We know that day will come eventually, the aloneness, and we want to be somewhere where either one of us would feel settled enough to not have to make a move.   So to get the process moving we put the boat up for sale.  Seems like a simple decision but also an emotional one as we reminisce about all the amazing cruises we have had on Kaviar.  Hard to believe a material possession could evoke such feelings of separation but it is what it is and we are grateful to have had the experience of going to Alaska...a HUGE stretch to my comfort level!!!  But I'm glad I was stretched and able to see parts of our world that few others ever will.   

Next big decision is the house which officially went on the market on May 5.  Since it took our neighbors 3 years to sell their house we are not expecting to be out of here anytime soon but the purging has begun.   So you can see we are trying to simplify our lives and reduce assets. Good to do while we can still choose to do it and not have to do it.  

But I still will miss you, Kaviar.   

Offline

I have spent the past week without internet after returning from Arizona.  The frustration of working with the phone company to get the issue resolved was a confirmation of how much our lives revolve around instant communication.  I have just finished catching up on my favorite blogs.  Grandchildren learning to ride bikes...visiting prospective puppies...my daughter's mother in law in China and her incredible experiences there...and a wee family member battling leukemia.  Talk about variety.  But I love my blogs...they make me feel like I am acutally sharing in other's lives.  It makes the whole electronic way of communicating richer in color, emotions, and all the ups and downs of life.  And it's how we learn quickly the best way to support and encourage each other.   So keep writing all you bloggers.  You make my life richer for sure!

Time to move on

It's hard to believe it is time to leave AZ.  We have really enjoyed our time here.  We have made friends, found a wonderful church, made some improvements to the house, had a few guests and have just enjoyed the sun, mountains and cacti.  Oh, yeah, did I mention we don't have to get on a ferry for anything????!!!! The cacti, by the way, are now blooming big time.  I can't believe the variety of flowers and size that come out of some of these plants.  Considering we have not had rain here forever, it's amazing to me that a cactus would have enough moisture to create such a stunning bloom.   Wish I had a good picture to upload.   We have also had a few health glitches while we have been here so the proximity to excellent medical care has also been a huge blessing.   I'm so glad to know that spring has finally arrived for our family in MN after a horrendous winter.  Happy Easter everyone! 

Wild for Wildcats

Who would have thunk we would spend the winter in a town where the local university has a hot basketball team.  Some of you know from previous posts that I am a bit nutty for basketball.  Is there any more exciting sport in the world??  I think not.  Anyway, we have gotten to know all the players from the Univ. of AZ (the Wildcats)  through the local newspaper and watching almost all their games on TV.  They have been ranked number 1 in the nation for much of the year.   Now they are in the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA tourney and last night clobbered Gonzaga.  They played the best game we have seen this year.  We hope they can keep up their momentum when they play San Diego State on Thursday.  We'll sure be watching so if you try to call on Thursday night and can't reach us due to our phones being turned off, you'll understand, right?.  :-)

Number 5...got it!

I sat in my car yesterday ready to leave a parking lot when I saw a lady wandering with that look...you know what I'm talking about....the "where DID I park my car look."  I have worn that look many times and have decreed that any new car I get should be neon orange.   I always make a mental note when I park so I know where to begin to look.  The shopping area I frequent has a huge parking lot but this one has all the rows numbered.  Do you know how helpful that is to folks like me??!!  Maybe the numbers are there because there are so many folks like me down here.  But today my row was number 5.  Now I can still remember A number...it sticks like glue when I'm shopping and when I come out of the store I stride confidently and purposefully to my vehicle surely impressing all the other old farts around me.  Yup, yesterday number 5 was a good number.

12 Years A Slave

We are really getting with the movie scene here.  Last night we saw at the theater, 12 Years A Slave.  This movie is based on a true story written by Solomon Northrup in 1853.  Solomon was a free black man in NY who was kidnapped and shipped off to Louisiana for 12 years as a slave.  This movie is not for the faint of heart nor is it for children.  We saw two leave.  Hollywood has not glossed over this terrible time in our nation's history and the acting and directing are phenomenal.    If you have great sensitivity to nudity, (not in a sexual way) then you may struggle with this movie, but like I said, it brings the reality of slavery and all it's inhuman components to a world today that needs to be reminded that we are all created equal.   Thank goodness for the compassion of one man who helped enable Solomon to regain his life.  I can only wonder if I could have been that person.  There was not a peep out of the audience when it was over.

An interview????

I drove out to Camp BowWow yesterday to check it out for possible boarding for Hank.  I took a tour of the facility and I must say, I was quite impressed.  Very clean and the dogs have access to play areas most of the day inside and out.  I decided to sign Hank up as a "camper" on the spot but was then informed that he would first have to come in for an "interview".  They will put him in a room with a female and another male to see how he is socialized before they accept his application.   I don't think my mother filled out as much paper work when I went to camp when I was nine.  Anyway, I'm glad we have been taking our walks in the neighborhood as long as we have as Hank is doing much better sharing the street space with other dogs.   So next Tuesday he goes for his interview and then I can leave him there for a few hours if I want at the staff's suggestion so that he will be a little more familiar with the place before we have to leave him there.  I guess they are assuming he will pass his interview as one of the staff said, "well, he is a lab".   They also require twice yearly bordatella which I see as a good thing with so many dogs in one place.  I'll keep you posted on the interview outcome.   Thought you would get a kick out of seeing the camper application.   

I went to the dermatologist today

I went to the dermatologist today and I did not have to get up at 4:30, catch the "red eye" ferry, run around like a mad woman doing Costco, Target etc, rush back to the ferry to sit in line for two hours waiting to catch the ferry that will get me home at 6.  All this for a 15 minute appointment.  Tucson...you gotta love it.

Movies and shows

We are slowly catching up on some movies we have wanted to see.  Last week it was "Philomina" in the theater and two nights ago it was "The Life of Pi".  Both were extremely well done with good messages which I always love.  The Life of Pi was full of incredible special effects that kept us asking, "how do they DO that??"   A couple weeks ago we got tickets to see a live performance of Mama Mia at the Univ. of AZ.  What a fun time with all the great Abba music.  It's just hard to not sing along.   I finished a good book, called Lionel and Charlotte, by Stanley Weintraub.  These two were part of the Jewish Rothschild family, or I should say, dynasty during the 1800s.  Very interesting as a family how devoted they were to each other.  Marrying outside the family was very rare and frowned upon.