Dreary Tuesday, but…

We had a 7am walk this morning, and, if I must speak for the both of us, it was a good one. It, however, was overcast, and is due to stay that way all day. Kasia, taking a cue from a pup acquaintance in Wisconsin, said,” Good day for a nap.”

I am intrigued by the fact that I am eating from a summer menu; that is, I am making a ton of salad and lighter fare. Again, work has come between us and the dietician again, but I am not worried. Common sense has helped me drop a few more pounds. It’s a good thing, too. I had a Ortho appointment yesterday for a ” mild” case of cellulitis. Evidently, with hardware in your knees, it doesn’t take much to attract bacteria to your system. A gnat bite, something as simple as that can get you. The first time I had it, down here, my doctor said it’d be an asset for the hardware to drop some weight. Well, evidently, catching it early, along with ” the stars in alignment, got me the mildest treatment. Two and a half weeks of antibiotics, hopefully, will take care of it. Two summers ago, I took levequin until, what seemed to me, when the cows came home.

So, summer is doing ok so far- I am hoping it stays that way!

Summer’s Back

We had company over the the weekend, so now, it’s a Kasia and Mom morning. We are getting back to our schedule, as Mom does the laundry and walks Kasia to keep her on her schedule.

We had a beautiful weekend with low humidity.The air has been delightful and the windows have been wide open and the air-conditioning has been off.

Not today…

We were up early so before the humidity crawled up too much, we had a good walk in. We came back so both of us can have our breakfast, and then I get to start my chores. I am just not looking forward to walking for about 5 minutes outside and then feeling like a wet washrag.

Stay cool and hydrated if you are in the same boat as Kasia and I are in. Most importantly , enjoy the company of your friends and family.

After all…it’s summer!

Hydrangea Envy

I have been nursing a hydrangea plant for the past three years.

It was a plant I got when my neighbor moved away and invited up to dig up the rest of her lawn.

My hydrangea is in our backyard, in full sun most of the day, and unfortunately, some damn bugs attack the green leaves every year. I have been spraying a natural cure on it and the leaves get a little less eaten every year. Hell, I almost fainted last year when I actually had two little flowers come up of the leaves. I will keep trying-hope springs eternal.

Hi…Party of 2?

I decided to let Kasia lead our walk this morning. Note to self:not a good idea when the morning humidity is 1,ooo,000%.

So we walked and walked, and surprisingly, she recalled a route I last took 3 years ago with Zush and Kasia, and Kasia was taking me down to see the bay. In the old days we would have been able to be on the bay, but in the new socialist government here in”Amity”, dogs aren’t permitted beachside between 10-4. Others are having pups on the beach. Me? I live here and don’t want the BS of fighting a ticket.

So this is as far as we got: we managed to get some sea air and see folks all around and watch me melt in the humidity. The view, however, usually is good for the soul.

So I guess I’ll keep letting my girl step up as her mom’s personal trainer. She seems to know what she’s doing.

Summertime Blues

School is over and now the dilemma begins.

What’s for lunch?

Jim has different hours so I have to figure out what will keep our calorie counts in line. Summertime blues equal salads and lighter eating and what can I put in for Jim’s lunch that travels well. What also gets my goat, outside of friends of You-Tube,is that on cable there are shockingly little cooking shows that are geared to summertime lighter eating.

We’ll be trying to work our way through the season…stay tuned.

Catch-Up.

School is finally over and vacation started for me on Wednesday.

Unfortunately it was the type of vacation where I must have picked a GI bug up from a student and spent two days sick as a pup. This evening is the first night of “vacation” where I am not perking a 101-102 fever. I feel rather decent and am taking it easy. I figure tomorrow, waking up chipper, I’ll resume my daily schedule of home life.

I started slow housekeeping after our morning walk and breakfast. Robert Shaw and “Jaws” kept us company. Kasia and I had gotten soaking wet during our morning walk. It was a light drizzle when we started: half way in, it changed its’ tune. We had a decent afternoon, and we are trying to savor relatively low temperatures while they are with us.

Gardening has been at a slow pace, as we have been getting a lot of rain. That makes me a bit sad, as I know my tomato plants will pay the price. I know heat is due back as of the weekend, so we will see. Our diet is keeping par for the course: as more fresh vegetables come in, I know I’ll be diving in with more vigor.I know our lettuce is thriving right now.

I can’t wait!

Last Day

Mrs. C is almost out of the building!

Today is my last full day of substitute teaching until next term, and, appropriately I have 6th grade, who graduate middle school on Thursday.

It has been an awakening for me. Substitute teaching has made me realize that I can help students, and, overall, they appreciate the help. I say overall, well, because doesn’t 6th grade know everything?😂

I know Kasia will be glad I am off so we’ll be back to being walking buddies and partners in crime.

It’ll be nice to stop and take the moments in and appreciate them.I am not going to lie: it’ll be nice sleeping in too!

Thanks for staying with me on this part of the retirement journey. There’ll be more coming!

Beat

It was a full day for me today with second graders. It was wonderful and exhausting all rolled up into one.

Sure, it is t minus 8 days until the last day of school, yet the class I had was always up for a challenge. I twisted multiplication tables every which way and it was intriguing to watch the minds at work. I chuckled to myself when I heard two of them tell a classmate in the other second grade that “Mrs. C. makes the time tables fun.” Go figure.

I am due in tomorrow for a full day with special education students. It is good because I get to figure out the best ways to get the material to them in which they stand a good chance of understanding it.

Kasia can’t wait for the end of school, so Mom can go back to giving her undivided attention. I am looking forward to getting our walks in around bumps in daily humidity so we both can be comfortable. We had been walking a different route once in a while, and I get the chance to add a little more to every walk.

I can’t wait!

730

That’s what it has been. Seven hundred and thirty days since I was able to hold my Bestie, my Zush.

Life has gone on without my Zush. Well, not really. I still, especially when quiet, can feel her by my feet, or glance over to her spot on the floor and see her quickly in my mind’s eye. It is a truly bittersweet sensation. I have become a firm believer in the Rainbow bridge, as many of my friends have tried to extend their sympathy in telling me the story of the Rainbow Bridge and me meeting Zush again there again one day. I just pray to God I’ll be able to do that. If I don’t get a chance , well,…I shudder to think about it. Believe it or not, there are times in Church where a hymn is sung and my eyes well up. It reminds me of hearing the same hymn during a time in the later part of Zush’s life, where I prayed to God to keep her with me as long as possible. Feeling her by me, I guess God answered my prayer.

Don’t get me wrong. I love Kasia; truly I do. Zush is still my heart. We have gone through a ton together. She was the best psychologist in town, and she kept all her mother’s secrets. Sometimes, I swear, she’d wink at me to say it was all going to be ok.

So tomorrow, seven hundred and thirty days after she has physically left me, I will spend the day cherishing my buddy’s memory. I will take Kasia for some good walks , spending Mom and Kasia time together, and I know Zush will be with us.

She was ALWAYS the best.

Vote Early and Often

It’s that time of year here in the Garden State. Tomorrow is Primary Election Day.

Jim and I will both be working the polls tomorrow morning: 5:15am is our start time and the polls are open until 8PM. Talk about a really LONG day. New Jersey does this as the Garden State. They make sure that farmers, up with the rooster anyway, get a chance to vote before they start their day.

The ” big” election is 2020, naturally, as that is the presidential election year. Tomorrows’ primary is basically for local and New Jersey state seats and will end up being really slow.

From Philadelphia, where I hail from, former politicians would jokingly say ,” Vote early and often.”

If you are in Jersey, please vote. We’ll be sitting watching paint dry if you don’t…😂😂