March Skies

Ahhh...that was lovely—the time away.

Last evening, while lying flat on my back icing my foot, I noticed the familiar March skies in evening light. No matter that it was now the 7th of April. It was the first time in days that I wanted to take a picture. I have noticed that sometimes it's the taking of the picture, the priming of the pump so to speak, that begins the blogging process.

One must really look up these days to see any beauty at all. Everything is brown and ugly with sand strewn in the streets and on the lawns. The garden looks dead with leaves that must be raked after all. The trees are standing like dark sentinels with no softening green yet. The temperatures have been blistering cold and spirits are more than ready for some warmth. Perhaps today a hint of spring will come.

In other news, the foot still bothers and I find myself praying that it is not
my "new normal." On our little excursion yesterday, I worriedly counted the folks who limp about and they are legion.

Two weeks ago today, we said goodbye to our little Molly. We had been talking about it for several months. She became quite ill at Christmas time and our understanding vet propped her up to get us over that time. When it became apparent that it was the right thing to do, that no amount of "propping" would make a difference for her... You can imagine all the emotions tied up in this as Molly was my mother's dog and the last promise I made to my mother was to care for Molly. I suppose that all this could explain my absence as well. Anyway, you know me, I like to think of them together again now.

Thank you so much for all your kind comments and sweet emails. You're the best!

TGIF

And I usually have no reason to say that being a stay-at-home gal. However, this has been a challenging week.

We've got ourselves a sick poodle and a sick poodle is like a sick child requiring lots and lots of attention. Yes, she's been to the Vet and we have meds and all manner of treatments. The Vet thinks, and we agree, that Molly made a leap from furniture that she couldn't handle and fell hurting herself. She's been very lame and she wails terribly about it. It's enough to wrench my heart out. The last three nights we've been up several times tending to her. Mercifully, this morning, she seems to be more perky. Poor thing. If she doesn't rebound, we certainly won't allow this to continue.

So, yes, I'm glad that we've made it thus far. Where did I last leave you? Oh, right, I was looking for a tutorial on a double oven mitt. You'll not be surprised to learn that I found one right *here.* Anything can be found on the web these days. I'll pop in a picture when the sun gets a little higher.

Last night, I made supper for the first time in over a week. Really. How do I get away with this laxity? Anyway, I made the salad that Cheryl mentioned *here.* It was yummy and we both said we'd have it again tonight. (We won't, but it was that good.) Cheryl is doing a series on summer salads each week so check for more great selections.

I also made Kim's Krispy Lemon Cookies (or whatever they are named). They are very summery and tasty. If you visit Kim, she'll probably share.

I remember my telling you once that I am highly suggestible. My father always asked me, "If everyone else is jumping off the bridge, would you, too?" Plug my nose and call me a cannon ball; in a word, y.e.s. That's why I make the recipes you make and why I listen when you tell me that things last longer in canning jars.

Thanks, Janette! I'm hoping that my salad will stay fresh longer than usual.

Let's see...anything else rolling around in this old noggin of mine? Nope, I think I've shared all I have for today. You have a good one!

Edited to Add:

Thank you for the good thoughts for Molly. As you can see, she is resting comfortably all tucked up against the piano bench right behind me. She prefers to be where I am.

Sorry about the light blowing in the windows... This is what we are calling Molly's Staircase as it shows our current sofa situation. One cushion has been placed on the floor to create the first step, the second is Molly's bed, the third, and *gasp* the fourth up there on the covered arm rests. The fifth is off-limits, but probably the point from which she made her leap. I hope that we don't have to live like this for long. (We do have purchased doggy stairs that are not safe in my opinion.)

And the double mitt made from scraps since it was the first time out. I don't know about these. Do any of you use them? I'm not sure how safe they are either.

Dr. Doolittle Lives at My House

My friend Donna has a delightful blog at Cottage Days and Journeys where she shares her travel and life adventures. The most recent adventure is of her trip to Alaska to see the Katmai Bears. *This post* tells all about the patience of one persistent bear named Otis. Check out the story because it's such a good one and complemented throughout by amazing photographs. (If you enjoy the story and the photos, please let Donna know.) 

Now Donna has a little device she uses in the telling of her stories where she stops to ask her reader to imagine the "thought bubble." This makes me laugh every single time and sometimes I can even come up with a fun one that gets both John and me laughing. 

What does all of this have to do with my little video? Let me explain. At one point in the absurdity, Molly the Poodle turns to me with such an expression on her little face that you can easily fill in the thought bubble. If you know what it is, let me hear it. (Please pardon the White Balance set to the "warm" setting...the cozy factor is off the wall...and the tv on. I'm learning all the time.)

***

This clock has nothing whatsoever to do with anything other than that I was practicing again and time's a' wasting. One thing about this clock...it's always 3:30 pm on a sunny day. ☺ Oh that sometimes time would stand still such as when I'm supposed to be getting ready to leave. (John's eager to be on the move.)

~my personal favorite~

Oh I'll toss in one more thing I learned. I set up the tripod and camera taking three pictures of the same subject—the clock. I set the automatic timer, used different settings for each photo, and then used photomerge in my photo editing program to create one final photo. It's an interesting experiment.

  

The first three (l to r) are of the individual photos. The final picture in the lower right corner is the compilation. I'm sure that the real photographers out there can explain the reason for ever doing this; although, even I can figure out that it adds a depth of layering and more facets to the photo.

Someday, I'll get back to baking or crafting or something more interesting for more folks. Sure! Have a great day...