Time Marches On

Maggie is doing much better, not 100% yet, but certainly 95%. She has been spoiled by all the attention, and now, if she doesn't want to go into the barn or the stall, she just flops down and gives you this soulful look. We are still giving her pain meds, as she is still favoring that right hip, but less so as she now runs and plays with Raven, runs to us, etc. The only real thing I've noticed is that she won't climb the stairs to the upper porch, but Raven doesn't like to do so much either, what with her awful hip dysplasia. They are both getting TriFlex which seems to help them both in joint flexibility. If they continue to stay off the upper porch, maybe I can risk putting the new cushions out (whoo hoo).

I got a new camera today! It is a Nikon D40, my first DSLR. I have a Sony point and shoot digital camera, but I have always preferred the controls of f-stop, aperture, and speed, and it is hard to work around a fully automatic camera and still come up with the photos I want to make. So hopefully more photos here, henceforth.

I am continuing to lose weight, and hopefully my cholesterol/triglycerides are going down as well. I really miss eating breads, so I indulge some of the time (dfffffffffr =cat paw on keyboard) with a sandwich or hot dog bun. I still have plenty of weight to shed, and then the life-long struggle to keep the weight off. Inside, in my own mind, I'm still the size and shape I was in high school, mirrors not withstanding. But when I look in the mirror, I see my mother. Only 5 inches taller. My cousin, whose mother was my mom's twin sister, looks like my mother too, more than her own mother, who was very frail. I am still fighting the passing of time, with regular appts. for hair color and cut, and trips to the dermatologist (thank all the gods that I stayed out of the sun, even during all those years in Miami), and to the manicurist. I won't wear old lady clothes (polyester brightly printed blouses, elastic waisted pastel pants) but pretty much stick with jeans and a t-shirt, or designer silk blouse, vest, suede blazer, etc. for more formal wear. When I worked, no one cared what we lab rats wore as long as we wore a white lab coat over it. It was a big day when I threw out all my lab coats, sort of like the day we burned the mortgage.

My daughter wrecked her car, and got it back last week, after having to drive a rental for a week. They gave her a Chrysler PT Cruiser. What a piece of junk! Every time she got out of the car a panel for the seat fell out; the thing had the get up and go of a sewing machine, and handled like a farm tractor. It wasn't cleaned either, stank of cigarette smoke (despite being told all their cars were smoke free -- maybe they meant smoker free?) and she found, among the trash in the door pocket, a set of keys on a caribiner. I once found a Mont Blanc meister*** fountain pen in a rental, under the seat, so I told her to check, you never know what will turn up. Anyway, she is way more careful driving now, so her insurance rates don't go up.

This is a pretty lame post, with no social redeeming value, but I am determined to do one post a week, minimum. I have found many of the blogs that were written regularly have either disappeared altogether, or go for months without a post, much as mine did. I understand how something new (hobby or whatever) sort of just fizzles out after a while, like I did with golf, mainly because I suck badly at it (12 strokes for 2 hits -- I CAN'T EVEN HIT THE DAMN BALL!) But writing is something I still enjoy, and if it sounds too banal for you readers, just pass on by. You won't hurt my feelings (much, sniff).


My last birthday.

Bumper sticker for the day: As long as you're on the phone, call your mother!!