So much has happened in the last week and a half!
This will be a l o o o o n g post, I think!
Let’s start with March 31: Happy Birthday Tom!
And move on to the rest of that week, when one kid had half days, the other full days, I was “on vacation” from Mother’s school. A couple of sunny days in a row, and the soil dried out enough to work. I planted the pansies that had been waiting for a couple weeks and weeded a bit, and the front garden under the medlar and fig looked much improved. The plum tree began to bloom in earnest. I didn’t get a whole lot accomplished in the house, other than to get the dining room cleared out a bit to receive my grandmother’s dining room furniture.
Wednesday, the little dog was feeling great! She walked around the yard, sat in the sun, enjoyed the weather immensely. Even followed me down the the back of the wooded area in our yard to speak with a neighbor. Thursday, the little dog was languishing. Not eating, not moving much, not anything. I held her in my lap a lot. She was cold, cold, cold. Was she suffering from an infection? A virus? Accidental poisoning? I didn’t know. In the past when she has “gone off her feed” she has recovered within a day. So I wasn’t too worked up about it.
Friday, I called the vet as soon as I was up and realized the little dog was still feeling rotten. REALLY rotten. So rotten she wouldn’t stand up, rotten. It was eight in the morning, and already ALL the appointments for the day were full. I was NOT going to drop off a severely ill, elderly dog to be seen “whenever” — it just wasn’t right. Especially in light of her age and our belief that end-of-life needs to be not prolonged — if I wasn’t going to be in town to speak directly with the vet, it didn’t make sense to take her at all. So I held her as much as I could, spoke with my mother on the phone (Mother would care for her while we were gone) finished packing and cleaning, pushed the remaining items (with stidkid #2’s help) into the office or the bedroom to make the house at least look neat when we got home, and off we went to drop off my sick puppy with Mother, collect stidkid #1 from school and start our first whole-family vacation in a couple years.
I won’t keep you in suspense. The little dog is still with us. A bit more frail than before, still sleeping a lot, but now eating solids again. She languished a bit over the weekend, but on Sunday she took a little broth and egg, and was able to walk out on her own a bit.
Back to the vacation. Did you notice I hadn’t mentioned the big dog? He came with us. It was a long drive. He doesn’t like even short car rides. But he was happy to visit with my friend Michelle’s dog Rosie for an hour on the way down (and again on the way up), after a couple hours in the car. Then on we went, stopping only once to get a late supper. We stayed at the Econolodge just north of Ashland, Oregon.
It was the first time we tried staying in a motel with “the galoot.” He wasn’t too sure about the small house we were staying in, but seemed comfortable enough once we got everything into the room and settled in. In the morning, we took him with us once we got going… he sat in the car while we visited with my grandfather and his partner.
YES! We visited my dear grandfather Bert and Nancy, his partner. We had a good talk for a couple hours. We had also decided to catch a couple of plays. So after walking the galoot around the cemetary near their home we jetted off for… the DOG PARK! Never knew Ashland had one, and it is certainly well hidden — but a real lovely park for the dogs who meet up there. Lucky was so happy to run around with his artichoke, sniffing at the other dogs who were also running rampant. We tired him out, then dropped him off at the motel and went off to see The Clay Cart. If you can get to see it, do. The stage was well-thought-out, the costuming lovely, the lines well delivered (could both hear and understand everyone) and the play itself engaging and funny. Not Shakespeare, but Sudraka, a king in India 2000 years ago! There is an online transcription of the play at Elfinspell.
Then to meet up with grand folks for supper (at an Indian restaurant in Ashland — I think it was Three Rivers), then back to the dog park for a quick run and I stayed at the motel with the dog while Tom, Bert and the boys went to see A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Yes, that was Shakespeare! I am told it was a highly innovative presentation, with “leather” fairies, a microbus that transports flowerchildren for the troupe of actors headed by the ever-popular Bottom… but I needed to rest, and it was good that Bert got to see a play with the children.
This is Bert, in a thoughtful moment in the small garden behind their home:
Sunday was completely unscheduled. We rolled out of bed a bit later than we had intended, stopped by the dog park, and ate a lovely french toast brunch lovingly prepared by Nancy and Bert. YUM!
Then, a game of Scrabble. I teamed with Grant (and toward the end Tom), while Nancy and Matthew played their tiles alone. Though I did catch Nancy helping Matthew a couple times… It was great fun. Grant ended up winning, with the other three players clustered about thirty points behind. I think we have a new tradition!
Then a visit to the fabled Bert’s Garden… This year I had the fellas take the pictures, so I have more to share. This is a community garden that Bert started with some of his friends from around Ashland. Other coordinators and helpers come and go, but in my mind, this is BERT’s garden. His spearheading has kept it going and growing. This year, he tells me, ALL the available space is already spoken for. I am so proud of him!
Pics of the garden in Ashland…
Then I spent some time resting again (allergies had attacked, and I really didn’t feel well) with the dog in the motel room for a few hours before Tom came to get me and we all took Bert to Standing Stone Brewery for supper. Pizzas and calzones from a wood-fired oven, lovely microbrewed beers (I had the India Pale Ale, Tom was driving — I still didn’t even drink the entire half pint I ordered). Very yummy food, great company and conversation.
Then Bert to home and we to the motel for a last night’s sleep.
A quick review of the motel. It is very nice for the price. Smallish rooms, but quiet enough and clean, on the edge of town (currently next to a large field perfect for the middle-of-the-night dog needs), with a lovely morning continental breakfast. That they allow dogs up to 100 lbs is very nice for us. Lucky is 86 pounds… It’s not that far into town from its location, though the roads are a bit confusing in the dark. I would plan to arrive in the daytime so you can clearly see where the road is compared to the ditch!
The only problem we had was the final night, when a smoker was in the room below us. It filled our bathroom with putrid smoke all night long, making the “necessary” trips very unpleasant in the morning. Next time, we will ask for a ground floor room and won’t have that problem!
Monday morning. We got the car packed, ate a quick light meal at the motel and sped over to Bert and Nancy’s place for one last visit. I do love them so! They are open, engaging, interesting people with a real love of life. In their 70s and 80s they continue to explore and grow, to learn and play in the very best ways. They remain engaged with life and living. I hope I shall be so as well.
Here is everyone together, minus the photographer, left to right we have Stidkid #2, Tom, Nancy, Stidkid#1, Bert:
Soon enough, it was time to say good-bye, to visit the dog park one last time… to head North again.
And one VERY long drive later, we pulled into our own driveway, exhausted but happy. A good adventure, and a pleasant family outing.
Finally, some of the furniture from my grandmother’s dining room. I loved her house so much, as a child and as an adult. It was comfortable, just neat enough, and always radiated love. Her walls were always white, and her dining room was larger, but I think we will get it to work out eventually. The tall hutch now has my vases and the nicer china pieces I own. The shorter (but wider) sideboard will hold linens, toys for children who may visit, and a few serving pieces that need a home. The table is still to come, but you can see the chairs on the right-hand side of the pic.
This week, the children are off school. Two days of unscheduled quiet (Tuesday/Wednesday) and two days up skiing with their father — I will stay home — and the weekend, and school and schedules start again. I have pictures to add to this post, and will get them up later… so as not to overload your newsreaders! I added seven pictures to the original post later the same day…
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