Here’s how I like to remember Carmel.
We had so much fun together. It was a real blessing to have her in my life, and she’s the thing I missed the most during all our years in Massachusetts.
Downs and Ups
Day’s Verse:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9
In the movie Clue, there’s a scene where, after all sorts of craziness, Colonel Mustard says, “I can’t take anymore scares!” as the chandelier crashes to the floor inches from him.
This pretty accurately reflects where I’m at right now. On Monday morning, Dad sent me an email early, asking me to call about Carmel — not a good sign. When we talked, he elucidated that Carmel couldn’t use her right hind leg, and he planned on calling the vet when they opened. My spirits plummeted. A couple times I’ve dreamed Carmel died, and woken up both times crying, tears running down my cheeks. If that’s how I reacted in a dream, how much worse is it in real life? I’m not ready to find out! Especially not with already having the emotional burden of Grandpa dying at Easter, Ben’s memorial service just on Saturday, and my dear friend Rachel moving to Fresno in a couple days.
All Autosuggest, All the Way
I wrote the following post entirely using the swipe feature on my phone, accepting all the autosuggestions. Good luck.
The best on posts is sure to the fact that we’ve had an exceptionally long, hard, and fussy week. Benji has not been slurping ad much lately, but he’s been made up for it by talking up the crying – I’m upgrading it from “fussing” bad on the peeing of time we see his Ibiza – all the extra time he’s not sleeping.
Fortunately, we still love him anyway, for some inexplicably reason. I think is because this morning, while I was changing him, I smiled at him… and he smiled right back at me, a big happy smile. Then he smiled out a judge squirt poo all over the towel we keep under his bottom for just that reason.
Rain Garden Green
Day’s Verse:
The more talk, the less truth;
the wise measure their words.
Proverbs 10:19
I continue to find the growth of our rain garden plants fascinating and thrilling. They seem to thrive despite my usual lack of plant mojo. Today, while weeding the garden (grass keeps wanting to populate it; I can’t blame the grass, as that soil is super-nutritious and must be deeply appealing to plants) I thrilled to find that a couple of sword ferns I’d written off as goners had, unbeknownst to me, produced some fiddleheads.
Carmel
Day’s Verse:
Another story. “God’s kingdom is like a pine nut that a farmer plants. It is quite small as seeds go, but in the course of years it grows into a huge pine tree, and eagles build nests in it.”
Matthew 13:31-32
It may seem like a waste of time, but I brought Carmel over… and then vacuumed the house while she was here. This time of year, Golden Retrievers convert from being dogs to being dog hair-generating factories. Regular brushing barely begins to mitigate the hair. Also, they tend to smell, well, doggy due to the fact that every time they go outside, they get damp. That’s not to mention the other biological functions involved, of course.
Twin Falls Hike: Photo Impressions
Day’s Verse:
When down-and-outers get a break, cheer! And when the arrogant rich are brought down to size, cheer! Prosperity is as short-lived as a wildflower, so don’t ever count on it.
James 1:9-11
Dad and Carmel on the Twin Falls trail.
I meant to do this.
Nothing like a hike for getting out in NATURE.
I liked this leaf.
Dad gets credit for snapping this partially-submerged shot of Carmel.
Trying out the waterproof claim of my camera.
Check my Flickr photostream for more pictures.
Tiger Mountain Hike
Day’s Verse:
Look! Listen! There’s my lover!
Do you see him coming?
Vaulting the mountains,
leaping the hills.
Song of Solomon 2:8
A last few pictures of Carmel from her short stay with us. If I sit cross-legged on the ground, she immediately comes and sits in my lap.
In the kitchen the other day, Carmel was vacuuming for us, Hoovering up food scraps from the corners. She twisted her head and stuck her snout under the oven to get something, and Ian said, “Oh, look, she comes with an edge attachment.” Which nearly caused me to snort tomato soup out of my nose, let me tell you.