The Calm Before the Storm

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I complain about living in Southern California, especially in October, when the heat has gotten old a month ago, and you are just longing to wear jeans. Then by this time of the year, the temperature doesn’t know what the heck it wants to do; it will be 60 in the morning, and pushing 90 by noon.

I think spring and fall are my favorite seasons. You don’t have the extremes of winter and summer. It’s March 30th and everything is bright green, as if our backyard has woken from its winters’ nap. The birds are chirping and there is a breeze. Despite all the Claritin I will go through this spring, I guess I am fortunate to live here. Especially when there are still blizzards on the east coast.

Margaret Elizabeth Tharp, June 6, 2005-March 21, 2017

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As soon as Dad got back from the vet, any mementos of Maggie were put away. For now… Things like her bed, made by Serta. Yes, Serta. It was made for arthritic dogs, with memory foam and a short step up.

Her bed was next to the head of mine. That’s why I needed my white noise machine. If she were human, Maggie would definitely have needed a C-PAP machine! But last night: Silence.

It was almost eerie. I kept thinking I saw the shadow of something stocky. And I could swear I heard snoring.

It’s funny how your mind plays tricks on you. I had accepted the fact that my daughter was gone, but I guess my heart hadn’t.

Here is a post from “Pizza and Peonies,” my sister’s blog. I’d like to introduce you to the extremely goofy/quirky/sweet/devilish Maggie. Actually, there are tons more adjectives depending, on who you ask. Not all post appropriate!!

Call Me Old Fashioned…

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Today we live in a world where convenience is king. McDonald’s is open 24 hours (does anybody get a Big Mac craving at three in the morning?), Target is basically a grocery store, and smart phones rule our lives.

I never go an hour without the internet! My parents know that it goes out for ten minutes, I have a conniption!

But we all did okay without these new-fangled things. Remember snail mail?

When I was in elementary school (late eighties/early nineties) I had several pen pals, which I acquired in various ways. Jeanne from Wisconsin and I were matched through an American Girl magazine pen pal program. She was my age (nine or ten). Michelle and Karen were from Dublin. I had actually taken the reigns, addressing the envelope to “any school, any city, Dublin, Ireland.” Definitely a different time!!!

I had so much fun picking out the stationary and pens! Bonus: it was an excuse to go to my beloved Farrs’s Stationers.

E-mail has replaced most handwritten communication. Convenient, yes. The most fun, no.

Thanks, Sarah for the post inspiration!

They MUST Have Dogs in Heaven

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I’m expecting to get lots of comments for this post as the subject is religion based and it’s a controversial topic. You don’t agree with me? That’s perfectly fine. Maybe we can start a dialogue. You list your reasons against and I will list my reasons.

Maggie’s health is rapidly declining. She has always been prone to skin issues. She went to the vet with yet another skin issue a couple weeks ago, but the vet couldn’t identify it. On the blood work, though, he found something else. My sweet dog is in liver failure.

I know a vet’s goal is to save animals, but when he found a problem with her liver, he had a huge list of treatments. Maggie is eleven! After my soul searching by me watching her, my parents and I have decided that it’s time for the one last trip to the vet L. But it’s for the best. Besides the skin issue, she hasn’t been eating and there has been a stinky mess in my room when I wake up almost every day this week.

With all of our pets, it is Dad who always gets that job but he’s on a business trip right now. It will have to wait three or four days—just enough to spoil her rotten.

Now my question to my readers: Do dogs go to heaven?

 

My opinion? Heaven is paradise where everything is perfect, right?

 

How could a place be perfect without our canine friends?

 

So, it will probably be in fifty or sixty years (Mom’s side of the family lives forever), but I know I’ll be reunited with my sweetheart.

Daring the Devil

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Sometimes, being disabled, at least being in a wheelchair, is almost like an E-ticket ride. Taking walks with Pippa (Maggie has gotten too old), it’s a good thing that my chair is sturdy. The maintenance of the sidewalks in Corona is almost nonexistent. In their defense, we have lots of old trees with massive roots that tear up the sidewalk.

We have taken several vacations that make those tree roots look like child’s play. When we visited Sarah in Arizona three or four years ago, we went to Sedona. As I “bumped” (the word “bump” is putting it mildly) along, my wheelchair tipped from one side to the other. I almost toppled on numerous occasions. I was having so much fun. Sarah was in tears.

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Not our actual trail, but close!

On a trip to Hawaii, my dad rented one of those beach wheelchairs. You know the ones: they’re plastic and have huge tires. There was a tag distinctly saying that the chair should only be used in six inches of water. Come on, what wave in Hawaii is six inches tall? This time, it was my grandma crying as she watched from the beach.   As she begged my Dad to go no deeper, a massive wave immersed me again. It was the time of my life.

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Not actually me. I was about another ten yards out.

I guess I have always been a daredevil. Before I got sick I wanted to ride the Stratosphere, that roller coaster probably 300 feet in the air. I guess I really would have risked my life either way. If I didn’t die on the roller coaster, Mom would have taken care of it.

Thanksgiving in February

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Last week I received this card from the people at Free Wheelchair Mission. Just out of the blue. Some of the employees have become friends, but I was so surprised, especially since my last donation was in November.

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The sweet boy on the card looks thrilled. He must have just received his wheelchair. His life has done a complete 180! I don’t know how he got around before, but some of their recipients have spent their lives crawling on the ground. He now can go to school, later open a business and provide for his family.

I’m getting ahead of myself; of course, I’m just excited for him. But there are 100 million people just like him. But they don’t have wheelchairs. 100 million!

Being disabled, and having cheated death a few times myself, it highlights what’s truly important. And here’s a clue: it’s not what our politicians have been squabbling over.

Our priest says something that is so true: “If you were born in America, you have already won the lottery.”

If you are disabled, that goes double.

Three Little Words

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I ordered something from Amazon on Monday. Because I have Prime, some of the order was here Tuesday, and the rest arrived this morning. What was ordered is quite boring (a few board games), but it was the box it came in that intrigued me. A white box with the words #LoveIn3Words. That was perfect post inspiration!

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Family

Understanding, patient, giving

Sarcastic, hilarious, belly-laugh inducing

Generous, kind, loving

As you can see, I couldn’t narrow it down to just three words so I settled for three lines.

I don’t know what I’d do without my family. Actually, I probably wouldn’t be here! I hate the expression, but they are my rock. I might not always show it, but I appreciate every measly task they do for me. It’s not much, but a huge THANK YOU!

A Change For The Better?

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Sorry readers, I am so confused about something I have been seeing everywhere. I can see both sides, for and against. You get to be my third party as I lay down pros and cons. It is my hope that I’ll have a solid opinion after this post.

My dilemma: The recently-released American Boy doll.

Pro: With all the negative influences young boys have, it would be nice to have a positive one.

Con: I discovered American Girl when I was seven or eight. It was Samantha, who lived in 1904.   With the name “American Girl” I felt so special. These were only for girls!

Con: What the boys are wearing. I know that’s the style, but the one I saw looked like a thug, wearing a gray hoodie pulled over his eyes. Wouldn’t you think parents would want him to be better dressed?

Con: It’s part of their “diversity collection.” Code for politically correct.

Pro: The books taught me that anything was possible for a girl. Every kid needs to learn that.

Okay, that didn’t help. I’d love to hear your comments! And can you continue my lists?

A Valentine’s Day to Remember

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You say the word “wedding” and I have some expectations: The flowing white dress. The flowers. The church. Yes, I’ve been to probably four or five weddings and they were pretty much the same. The doors open, the crying father walks his daughter down the aisle, while the groom is white as a sheet. “Dearly beloved…”

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d share with you a different kind of wedding happening today. I saw it on the news last night and I just had to do a post. So all I’ll say is that the couple in question exudes love, and isn’t that what February 14th about?