Feeling blue.

Taking a rest, recently

This afternoon, we said goodbye to Smitty. He came into our lives, from the city pound, 15 years ago (this past July) and was a great little dog. He was, as we say, house trained from the start, and didn't bark until he'd been with us for months. We thought he had no voice! He wasn't afraid of being hit, if we picked up a broom or newspaper, but didn't like big boots. He didn't shed, which we thought was a big plus though we didn't realize that until much later.  We weren't planning on keeping him, I was just getting him out of the pound to rescue him from certain death, but within three days, he charmed us with his bouncy fun personality and cute face. He wasn't sure about being picked up or held on a lap. He'd keep his legs out stiff. Gradually, he realized he was with his pack, and truly became our dog.

Studio Portrait 1995

I'm feeling sad but it was time. We had to make sure. We didn't want it to be about us, the constant cleaning up the kitchen floor from accidents, or the inconvenience of not being about to take a trip, but rather about his quality of life.

On the porch, snoozing

Our veterinary doctor was wonderful. She was so sweet to him and to us. We're sad, but it's okay.

Taking a stroll

My pup

A week ago Monday, my pup, Smitty, got his monthly grooming. Doesn't he look a bit "shell-shocked" in this photo? The fur on his head is standing up all fluffy and light.  A few minutes after the first photo, he moved over and fell fast asleep in this position. He was exhausted from the experience. Smitty, to remind you, is very old. We got him from the city pound 15 years ago. It was thought that he was over a year old or more. He's very thin now and sleeps a lot. He has doggy dementia but still recognizes his people.

This past Sunday, he went out onto the porch to get some fresh air. I put those upturned pots there so he won't fall off the edge of the porch.

My pup and some nature.

My old dog was so tired out by his visit to the vet that he just lay down on the kitchen floor and went to sleep. He's on an antibiotic now and some blood work is being done just to get a picture of what's going on for him. Notice how nice he looks? We have this really nice groomer who arrives at our door in her van. Smitty is really nervous about being groomed but Serena of Serene Grooming, is great with him. Even an old dog likes to look nice.
Chuck found the birds nest on the window ledge by our air-conditioner. It was abandoned by the dove. It's so loosely built but amazing how the tiny egg sits in the twigs. The tulips are in front of a house on the next block.

Some images...

For some reason the photos of the irises and the tulips, which were taken using my cell phone, look somewhat like watercolours. Spring has sprung. The tulips are all over my neighborhood but I've only seen one iris in bloom so far. The ones in the vase came, alas, from Trader Joe's (yes, I finally made it out to the far west end of my city to shop there, and quite honestly, it was worth the drive.)
Ryan, our 8 year old cousin, was visiting for Passover, and made this lovely addition to Smitty "bedroom." I don't know how much Smitty dog likes it, but we sure do.
I'm showing you my old, and only bicycle, which has a flat tire, but will soon be put in working order. My neighbor wants to take me on an excursion. He'll be fixing up my bicycle in preparation. I've been to the gym 3 times in 2 days to ride a stationery bicycle to get myself prepared, since I haven't ridden my bicycle since I broke my arm 3 years ago this coming June. Here's the thing, the bike had nothing to do with my breaking my arm. What accounts for my not riding my bicycle since then? Fear? Could that be it? I'm going to over-come it and see where my neighbor leads me. I'll keep you posted on this.

A Valentine

This afternoon, my doorbell rang, and when I opened the door, there were four happy faced little girls smiling up at me. Adrianna and her sister Sage, and their friends Odessa and Isadora, had walked around the corner to deliver Smitty's first (probably ever) Valentine's day card. Is this adorable or what?! I wish I'd taken a photo of the girls holding the card but I was just too much in awe of the situation to grab my camera. Adrianna has been taking Spanish since she was in Kindergarten (she's now in second grade) and she knows that I'm studying the language, too. Smitty showed great interest in the girls, which probably was his appreciate for the card, though I'm not sure he understands Spanish.