This and That!

Poosa

It has been quite a week!  First, Happy Pride Weekend to all who celebrate!  My rainbow flag has been rehung with a new bracket and it is flying proudly in my driveway.  Anyway, the last couple weeks have been unusually eventful for me.  My sinus surgery went well, according to my surgeon whom I saw yesterday for my first post-op visit, although I'm still stuffy, wishing I could blow my nose, tired and exhausted, etc.  But he found a bone growth which he removed and it proved to be benign and the sinuses have been cleaned out, etc., so hopefully this will all make a big difference to my health.  I still have the splints, but those come out next Friday.  So that's the update there.

Oliver, Daphne, and Poosa

Meanwhile, Oliver is settling into our family beautifully.  He is still very skittish, but he definitely is learning the routine and I've noticed that he is willing to explore more in his new yard and that seems a very positive sign.  His new dog bed arrived yesterday and he absolutely loves it.  A friend on Twitter had told me about For Your Dogs Only and I had previously gotten two nice beds for Chauncey and Poosa which they like a lot, so I had no trouble ordering up one for Oliver.  It is a bagel style bed, and he hops over the edge of it and then burrows down and obviously he finds it safe and comfy.  I suspect that Oliver will turn out to be more curious than the other two once his fears are calmed.  This morning he actually came into the outdoor shower with Chauncey and me while I was bathing Chauncey.  He just wanted to check out what we were up to.  Poosa doesn't come within 50 ft. of the shower when it is running, and Chauncey would also have bolted if his leash hadn't been fastened to a hook.  Without a doubt, Oliver is happiest when he is close to me.  As I type this he is at my feet sleeping happily and wherever I go, there he goes also.  Poosa does the same so I'm always accompanied everywhere.  Chauncey waits a bit to see if I am going to return soon as he is definitely getting slower and he has to have reasonable motivation before he stands up and shifts location.  

Poosa, Oliver, and Chauncey at Breakfast

On other fronts, Eric ran another 100 mile race last weekend and it was fun for me that he was running it near where one of my blogging friends lives so she could update me on weather, etc.  I think he did really well, coming in 60th/115 finishers in 29 hrs., 51 min. 46 sec.  And then he posted a photo of his new gorgeous green Brooks running shoes which he'd worn the weekend before when he visited me.  The shoes were totally unrecognizable after the 100 mile trail run!  Today Kelly, his wife, is running in the Seattle Rock and Roll Marathon and I hope she will also do very well.  Personally, I get tired just thinking about that much activity, but they love it.  And Pamela has texted me several times and I'm learning about the life of a conductor.  It is wonderful to hear from her and I am now trying to be much less cell phone challenged, sometimes with more success than others!

Oliver and Daphne

This has made me think how our communication has changed over my lifetime and especially how it has changed in the last few years!  I do, as I've mentioned before, like the internet and they forms of communication and interaction that are available there.  They suit me for a variety of reasons.  I love how with both Twitter and Texting you can be right in the moment, sharing feelings, capturing instantly what is happening.  It is quite lovely!  And I'm definitely connecting with people, making new friends, etc.  It is lovely, and I now have friends all around the globe which is a first for me.  But of course, the best part by far for me is hearing from Eric and Pamela and learning what their lives are like and what they are doing etc.

Oliver in His New Bed

Oliver Loves His New Bed!

Ok, back to the last week or two.  We had another power outage last night, the second in a week and I have no idea why as there were not storms, winds, etc.  I was in bed reading when the power went out last night, and Oliver was definitely not pleased!  The generator is right outside my bedroom window so when the power goes out, 18 sec. later the generator kicks in and then the panel in the laundry area makes a loud cracking noise, as most of the power kicks over.  I had to get up and close my bedroom window and eventually Oliver decided nothing horrible was going to happen so he returned to his new bed.  But I'm with Oliver--the generator is loud and sleeping was difficult.  Three hours later the power returned and that is a much quieter process.  The panel box does no loud cracking and the generator merely turns off.    And there was no loss of power for 18 seconds.  I haven't found out why we lost power last night.  Last weekend we had a similar outage (when my vet was here to check on Oliver) and that time I called the utilities to find out it was a downed tree.  Again, no storm and no wind! But last night I did not have enough curiosity to get out of bed, find the phone book, and work my way through the cumbersome menu to find out the reason for the outage.  Anyway, I can't wait for my power backup for my computer to arrive as I don't like the way the power outage takes the computer down!  My electrician has had me order a protector box with limited battery power so that the computer will never realize that 18 sec. went by before the generator kicked in.  In any case, we normally don't have power outages at this time of the year, but it has certainly tested my new system and it is working perfectly so that is comforting even if Oliver doesn't like the noise!

Butterfly Feeding

I've been enjoying all the activity in my yard.  I cannot believe how many hummingbirds, crows, juncos, black-capped chickadees, and butterflies I have!  I have planted more flowers, but even so, I suspect they were always here, but I just wasn't in a place to notice them.  My haiku writing has trained me well to stay in the moment and observe what is going on around me.  This morning in my shower I had fun watching a couple slugs.  At first I thought there was just one and it was really a swift mover, but then I realized that there were actually two.  It was lovely to watch them waving antennae and exploring their world.  Then I was amused by three crows around my backyard pond who obviously were enjoying the day.  Soon a fourth swooped in to join them, as a butterfly drank from the flowers surrounding the pond.  It was really very lovely.  The dogs and I then went out to pick strawberries.  I love this time of year because I can get a handful or more of fresh strawberries each morning from my strawberry patch.  Last year they produced all the way through until nearly November!  Anyway, it was lovely picking the strawberries while watching the dogs capering around the  front yard.  These are precious moments and I'm glad I've gotten to the point where I can notice and enjoy them.


So that's the update from Vashon!  Our island is perking along well overall and we also are doing fine.  I hope everything is lovely for you wherever you are.