New Page-new Day

I learned something new yesterday. Dogs have tonsils. Who knew. Cricket's are enlarged and inflammed. I was concerned about a cough she had and took her to her vet. Maybe that is why she snores,too.I fogot to mention this to the doctor .Poor baby.  I can only think that our pets are becoming more like us. I  hope she doesn't get anything else that we humans have picked up along the evolution way.

I know that some dogs are obese and I have a friend who gives her dog valium. I think she does " a little pill for you, and a little pill for me". Dogs have allergies, and heart conditions. What have we done to our pets. We love them to death.

Poor Cricket.She got a shot of antibiotics and some oral meds .She's asleep right now and when she wakes up, I'll give her some chicken soup. Wait, that was supposd to be for me, she eats kibbles. But It's  never too late to keep on spoiling her .Maybe I should carry her on her next walk. I wonder if she wants noodles or rice with her soup.

Yesterday I spent the day with 2 friends, all of us being Birthday Girls. I gave Bob instructions that he was not to leave the house while I was gone. I told him that if the house caught fire, he was to go down with it. Do Not Leave The House. You might remember that the last time I went on a girls day out, he decided to walk to down town Venice. He ended up in the ER.  

We birthday " girls " talked of many things and one was what we would do if we won the mega lottery. We would all make large contributions to favorite charities, some of us would set up foundations, and they decided that I could buy my own Good Will. I thought that was good. I would be so rich that I could have someone learn Hebrew for me . The possibilities are endless when you are playing make believe.

It was a great day. I was with friends who care and share, my husband was safe at home, and I did some unnessarsary shopping. 

It's never too late to just relax, enjoy the moment, take that breath of contentment, and say once again , just how lucky I am to have reached this day.

I have another thing to add to my to do list for the New Year. That is to take a walk after dinner. When we have Lucky, the dog, visiting us, I go with Bob to walk both dog for thir last walk of the day. It is always so pleasant that I wonder why I don't do it every evening.

We see a sky full of stars, the air smells sweet, there are no squirrels around and the dogs do their thing. And because Lucky sets a faster pace for Cricket , we don't dawdle .

I take both dogs for their day time walks by myself. It isn't a problem, unless Lucky sees a squirrel. He can climb trees .Cricket is awed by this. The best Cricket can do when she sees a squirrel is stop, stare and sit.She's just not into squirrels . 

I really like being the morning dog walker and now ,I might add the evening walk . It's never too late to appreciate this quiet time that  I can have   with my husband and our two chaperones .

I'm late with my entry today. We have our favorite dog guest,Lucky, and I just got too involved with doggies.

Feeding time has to be orchestrated. One dog goes to the kitchen and one dog goes into the bedroom. Everyone is happy.I just have to remember to pick up empty bowls when I let each dog out of it's private dining area.

I noticed that Cricket became more agressive when we approached familiar dogs. I wonder if she was telling them that Lucky belonged to her. Or did she always want to growl and bark at these dogs and Lucky gave her confidence. I will have to observe this new behavior for her.I don't appreciate this new power play.

Having two dogs in the house is easy for us. Espcially when the second dog is Lucky.Lucky was a rescue dog and that can always be a challenge.Right now, Lucky is majestically asleep on our white couch. What was I thinking when I bought a second hand white couch.?They sell slip covers, don't they.

It is never too late to yes when our friend asks us to keep Lucky. It's like having a grandchild around. You spoil them for a few days and then they go home.

Today is my day of rest .I always look forward to this day. It's the day that I do whatever makes me happy, and don't do whatever I don't want to do. Everyone needs a day like this. It's my mental health day. It's free, it doesn't hurt anyone , and it rejuvenates me for what is to come for the following week. There is a rhythm to this. I notice it first thing in the morning. It just feels different, even out on the block when I take Cricket for her first walk. There is a calmness and a quiet feeling. I don't live in a community that observes the Sabbath on a Saturday, but it feels different to me. Maybe it is in me that makes it feel less stressful, but I like the feeling.

This feeling, for me, starts when I go to services on Friday night. I notice that I start yawning half way through the service. I am not sleepy, I am not bored, I am on board with what is going on, but I can't keep from yawning. I mentioned this to a person sitting near me, and she said that she does the same thing and she thinks it is because she is now completely relaxed and in a very comfortable state. That sounds good to me. 

Today will be a good day in Paradise. We plan a trip to a state park, where we will just stare out at the marshland and breath in the rhythm of the day .Sounds good to me. It's never too late if you want to join us .

Cricket is doing what she always does to us in the morning. She wakes us with her kisses. if we are up before  her ,she hears us and quickly jumps on the bed and smothers us with her kisses while creating a draft with her helicopter tail. Then she goes to the foot of the bed, and falls asleep. 

Usually not a problem. But this morning, we were sleeping off a rough night with her and we were not ready to wake up. She was restless duing the nIght and we spent time letting her out onto our patio, then letting her in, again and again. We finally just left the slider and the screen opened and let her come and go. But that wasn't all. She kept coughing as if she had something in her throat. So now, we are concerned about her trachea. Small dogs can have collapsed tracheas . Now we really have something to worry about . After soothing her and pointing out to her that she needed to go to sleep, we all did fall asleep. Her internal clock didn't reset itself and she was up and bushy tailed at her usual time. We feel like  zombies .

I'll call the Vet later and have her checked. I can expect a large bill. A friend once told me that Vet's have two prices and one is $300. I believe her. That doesn't matter, we do what has to be done. I hope the cough isn't serious.  This is like being a parent of a sick child. Your kids grow up and you transfer all of this care and concern to your pet. I'll have to check if our kids are jealous.

As soon as the Vet's office opens, I'll be on the phone with them. Then I'll plan a nap. It's never too late to look ahead to catching up on some missed sleep.

I was wondering what I would do if I had a few days just for me. I would have to leave town, that's a given. Should I go to my favorite place in  Playa del Carmen ? A single woman probably wouldn't have much fun there.  Should I go to NY. for a few days? But I have kids there, so I wouldn't actually be by myself. And it is cold there. 

I could go to NO. But who would I eat with. And I do have family that I would want to be with.

This is getting to be stressful. Maybe I  should go to a Spa. But I don't want to spend all that money to be denied treats and be forced to be healthy.  I can be healthy on my own time,   and snitch a brownie from the freezer, if I want too.

Maybe I should just stay home where it is comfy and warm. But I am feeling like I need some R&R.

The year is winding down and I guess that makes me feel as if I should also wind down.

 I plan on rewinding on January 1. It's never too late to stay home, eat another brownie, look out at our blue sky ,feel the sun, and just be content. It really doesn't get any better then this .

I never thought that I would be knitting anything for a baby, so I gave away all of my knitting patterns for those things. Now I know someone who is actually young enough to have a baby. 

I know this person from my orchestra. Her husband also plays with us. It's a Brady Bunch family and now they are all going to have a baby. I love it. I hope they continue with the orchestra and bring the baby to rehearsals.

I am already thinking of the sweater I will make . I think I will go for yellow. That should cover all genders. 

Probably a casserole dish would be more appreciated .  but not as much fun to make.  I learned to knit when I was about 10. The first things I made were baby booties. That seems a strange thing to learn on, but that was it. Most kids start with a scarf. I don't know why booties were my  first project , but I learned a lot of different techniques making them. And thinking back, I didn't know anyone having a baby. What was I thinking? Who even taught me? 

My Mother was not " domestic" , so it must have been a neighbor. My Mother did make us cookies once. They were good, but I don't think she ever baked them again. 

It's never too late to get back on track, find a pattern and start knitting to welcome another future violin player.

I am reading a book called " Sacred Therapy", by Estelle Frankle. I felt the need for therapy and I want to explore spirituality. I may be able to do it in one reading. !

I am not comfortable with some of her writings ( I am only on page 46 ) but I found this passage thought provoking. In her therapy practice, many of her clients suffer with " perfectionism " They are unhappy because they put too much emphasis on being perfect.She advises the clients to let go of that. 

I feel like a winner already. Being perfect is not a problem for me. It would be nice, but  I already know myself and I don't mind if I sometimes miss my goal. Why else would I keep trying new ideas , taking on new challenges, making mistakes . 

She lists some of the symptoms of the perfectionists. They include: depression, anxiety,defensive negativism, hiding in your protective cacoon. Overachieving! Procrastinating !

I have figured out that real life can be messy. I would like to be an achiever, to not procrastinate over stuff that I don't want to do, to not get anxious sometimes, but that, too, is what life is about.  

I'll keep working on this book, skipping the stuff. I don't care about but gleaning some insight into me. So far, I learned that I pass the perfectionism part. I'm not.

it's never too late to try and make me better. I figure that I have another 30 years to work on it.

I feel the need to apologize to family and friends who do not live in Paradise. 

i just can't keep from asking them how their weather is . I can hardly wait for them to finish telling me , so I can tell them how wonderful ours is. 

I do ask them to visit. Our visitors calendar is filling up . That's fine with us, because we sure aren't going to visit them , right now.

I have become a wimp when it comes to the temperature. When we lived in the mid West , our mantra was " You are cold in the house , put on a sweater". Now, we turn the heat on. Maybe that is an age thing too. Warm is good. Even Cricket  likes it warm. Not hot, warm. She is more particular than we are. It also has to be dry for Cricket. Come to think about it , she doesn't like sand, wet grass, rain, thunder or the hot sidewalk. There were days this summer that she refused to go out. Her bladder is remarkable. We were the dumb ones, willing to go out in the noon day sun. 

It's never too late to once again think how fortunate we are to be living in this Paradise. A few cold fronts confirm it. And sorry guys.

Yesterday, Our community orchestra played to an audience . We sounded pretty good. At least my bow was going in the same direction as the player next to me. That is a good thing.

Our conductor reminds us that we have to breath together . That makes so much sense when 17 people are playing in harmony . It's something to remember every day.

If I can be on your " breath line" I could understand and feel what you are experiencing. I like that . 

Music is universal. You can trace history with it. It can tell how old you are, too. I know words of songs that no one sings any more. When I was in grade school, every morning we met at the flagpole to raise the flag, Pledge Alligiance to the flag and sing patriotic songs. I can still picture it. With all of the rules and regulations in todays' world, this might not be allowed today.Too bad. I won't have anyone to sing with.

It's never too late to keep playing the music and remember to breath together. Peace.

I have always wanted a dog ( preferably a small , friendly one) to follow me home. Since I am almost grown up, I wouldn't have to ask anyone if I could keep it. But, it's never happened. I just read an email from someone who found just such a dog, in a parking lot. I'm willing to find a dog, but I never see abandoned dogs just waiting for me to bring home. I know that I can always adopt a dog through rescue places, but I want to find one.

This is important to me. It is something that I forgot to put on my bucket list.

Cricket is happy with our present arrangement. She likes being the only  one . She came from a home with many dogs, and we had Charlie two when she came. The day she became our only dog was a day of celebration for her.  She didn't even pretend to miss Charlie.

I guess some things are meant to be and maybe I am not meant to find a dog. It's never too late though to really want a small, friendly dog to follow me home. 

There is that catchy saying, " life is short, eat dessert first". I have a friend who decided to do that , every day , at lunch. She is a very disciplined person and always measured out portion size for her sandwich at lunch. What she really wanted was 2 Oreo cookies and a glass of milk. 

So that is what she did. Now , for her lunch, she doesn't eat a traditional lunch, she has 2 Oreo cookies and a glass of milk. She is none the worse in terms of weight,her hair hasn't fallen out,  and nothing unhealthy has happened to her. She may have found her secret to a good life.

I admire her courage. She is a problem solver. I wonder when she will get tired of Oreo cookies. 

My late brother in law ate a tuna fish sandwich every, every work day for over 20 years.He probably   exchanged matzoh for the  bread at the right time, but how boring. He was a government worker.  I bet he would have loved to  have exchanged that sandwich for a coke and a Hershey bar( our combo of choice in N.O.) 

I like my friends approach, eat dessert first. It is about making yourself happy, even if it only for lunch time. Think out of the 3 square meals, plus 2 snacks a day mind set. Dare to be different. 

It's never too late to hope that she invites me to lunch . I'll have to tell her that I like my Hershey bar cold from the fidge.

I am going to try something new today. This will be my designated day to do nothing. I haven't checked my electronic calendar, so I am not absolutely sure that this can be a free day, but I am hopeful. My mind is a blissful blank. No doctor's to visit, no grocery store to go to, no meetings. This can be a no check list , no to do list day. 

I will celebrate by buying one of those fat magazines that are full of Christmas joy that I saw yesterday while I was in line at the grocery store. Everything looked so appealing. And that was only the cover. I may even make some cookies, but I won't save any for Santa. But I would have to go to the grocery first to buy the magazine, to pick up some more butter and maybe some nuts.

I'm thinking now that this is defeating my do nothing day. It's hard to do nothing. How can some people do it ? I'll give it a try, but I don't think that I am going to like it.

It's never too late to try something different, even if it hurts.

You know what happens when you are retired ? You remember what day it is but not the date. You don't have a reason to. You don't write checks anymore because everything is automatic withdraw, so you don't need to date a check. You seldom write a letter because you can text , or send an email, so you don't need a date. 

About the only time to  really need a date is to  remember an anniversary or birthday . And maybe when your books are due at the library. And even those reminders come via electronics.

I try to remember birthdays. Some are etched in my head, like my kids. I have to confess that I have to write our Grandchildrens birth dates down. Then, I am sorry to say, I have to send belated greetings . It is a guilt trip when the youngest grndson says, " grandma, do you know what yesterday was?" 

Bob used a computer early . He was the first person that I knew who had and used one. He had some early bells and whistles on his and he programed it to have signifigant dates pop up when he turned it on, every morning. We can't figure out how to do that again on my very smart computer. That will be a project for the next time a grandson visits.

In the meantime, I will have to check my wall calendar and see if I am at the right place on the right day. Life in retirement does have its challenges.

I was reminded of a song that I sang with my favorite cousin when he was a baby and I was his baby sitter. I was 10 when he was born. He was the first born of that generation where their Dad's were in the service. His Mother was my first cousin. I loved that baby. He was beautiful.

I was just old enough that I was always available to baby sit. There weren't any places for his Mom to go to during that war time, so I spent my time ,walking him around the block in his stroller. I called it baby sitting , but later when his Dad came back from the Marines and they had two more boys, I was ready to take on the job.

But this baby was my special baby . We taught him to say ""always" and we would sing, " I'll be loving you " and he would finish it by saying " always". We performed on que. Everyone thought we were brilliant.

I don't know what brought this up. Today he is a retired oncologist. I wonder if he remembers. I always will.

It's never too late to have flash backs of really simplier times. It does the heart good.

When I was a teen ager, and I belonged to a high School Sorority, I some times had to call a  boy for a  date to one of our events. I hated to do that. There were only  two boys that I alternated between, and I had been in school with them since sixth grade, but I dreaded calling. I would write out a script. There were no cell phones or answering machines and some times a parent answered. That was the worse. 

I still know one of the " boys". I was his first date after he got his drivers license and the family car. A double date to the " drive in movie". We spent the evening driving over the speed bumps. It was fun. I don't think that there are " drive in movies" any more. Too bad. I know that there are drive ups for flu shots. The movie was more fun.

I still don't like the phone. I don't write out a script any more , but I do perfer it when no one  answers the phone and I can leave a message. Get in, get out, get to the point. I think I was intimidated by a phone at birth.

It's never too late  to return those phone calls. Especially if it is a boy.

Yesterday was Dec. 7 , and I didn't even think once about the significance of that date until I was watching the National news that evening. I can't believe that it has been 72 years since Pearl Harbor. Most of our population wasn't even born . When we Jews say " Never again" do you think our grandchildren and our greatgrandchildren will know what we mean ? I can only hope so.

There are a few historical  events that I usually remember .Pearl Habor, Franklin Roosvelt's death, Martin Luther King's assasination, John Kennedy,and Robert Kennedy' asssination,The Seven Day War.I pretty much know just where I was when these events happened.

I should probably remember when Israel signed its declaration of Independence. I know the date, but it doesn't resinate with me like the events that took place in my " back yard".

It's never too late to hope that no more sad events happen that are dark memories, but that we have the good dates to share wih our progeny .

As usual, I met my dog walking friend as I walked cricket. My friend had a song running through her head , she couldn't remember the words,or why this particular song was the first thing she was conscious ofthis morning. We both worked on remembering  the song's name. I recognized the melody, I could picture  the song. Before I got to my drive way, we both remembered "The day the music stopped". 

Now we needed to answer why that song was in her head.  I know. She had watched a TV program "The Sound of Music". The music did stop for the Von Trapp family . The music stopped for millions of people .

It is interesting to me how my friends mind connected the music to the reality of what was in store for this family . My friend isn't Jewish, she probably doesn't spend much time thinking about Hitler or what happened. But something in her soul knew. Her soul knew.

It's never too late to have people remember, even if it   is through a TV  sugar coated production . It should always be Never Again.

I like blank books. Note books, journals, loose leaf binders. When I travel, I often buy some kind of blank book at my destination.  I have a short pile of note books and journals with a lot of empty pages. I can tell you where I bought most of these books. 

The best store for these books is Estes Park, Co. They have the nicest stationary shop. You can browse, buy a cup of coffee and a scone, read greeting cards. I have one journal from them that has suggestions of what to do in calamitous situations. Like, if you need to jump out of a plane . I use this book for special recipes. 

I have one black notebook that I use as a travel diary . When I reread  the pages, I can remember details that I have forgotten . Like the Argon oil I bought from a woman's co -op in Morocco .I can picture the women, so proud of their road side stand, being  independent, running a business. Good for them.

We have notebooks with designated contents. There are 35 years of weather notebooks from our years at our cottage. I have NB's with special recipes,I have a few that have one page written on and the  rest are just blank pages. 

The moral I am thinking is that I have pages yet to fill and these blank pages are just waiting for my next adventure.

It's never too late to be ready to fill those pages .

Was it fate that the essay I just posted had a mechanical problem and it didn't go through. Was it meant to be that I shouldn't have complained and whined about the time I wasted at a Ladies Lunch and Fashion Show? 

I asked to be reminded of how restless I was. I should have brought my knitting. I would have had 3 hours to work on my project.

Oh well,  on the positive side, I was with 7 ladies whose company I enjoy.

It's never too late to be gracious , eat my lunch and be quiet.