Spring 2012

Lilies beside the driveway, nice and green, but not ready to bloom yet. 

 Garage lights that need repainting or replacing, pronto. 

 Peonies, just about ready to pop.

 Rain barrel still upside down, and the bushes overgrown hiding it. 

 Beautiful irises!

 The view from the end of the sidewalk.

 Irises again; I must have taken at least 20 pictures of them.

 Gabby, enjoying the outside.

 Miss Attitude, with her look that says it all!

Sit

I promise, I did not make him sit like the dogs.  lol He had been having fun helping me get the dogs to sit and shake for their treats, and just happened to squat down at that time. 

From left to right in the canine family we have Macy and Pearl (mine) and Sparky and Casper (mom's.) 

 Another "sit", although this time he's reading along in a book while listening to the tape that goes along with it.  I found a bag of Pinocchio tapes and books at a consignment sale.  Naturally he had to have a couple of blankets to get cuddled up with too.  I completely understand that!  I love being cuddled up in my bed or in a chair with a comfy blanket. 

(Check out that lamp, will you?  My mom got it at an auction.  Love!) 

Tubby

I have had these tubs in my garage for a couple of years now, adding more as I cleaned out more stuff from my house.  If you don't have the stuff, you just don't need the containers! I took these to my mom's house last week so she could use them for her yard sale.  If no one in my family wants these, I'll probably just sell them at the yard sale as they empty. 

My garage is emptying of extra junk I don't need anymore.  Woot!

Buggy

Can you see it? 

I've circled it in this picture.  It's in the lower right hand corner.  Mr. GV and I came across this one afternoon in our front yard.  At first we wondered----Could it be a hummingbird?  It hovered just like the hummingbirds we have here.  But we quickly threw that idea out as we were able to get a closer look.  And then I started on the internet search.  It took a while and I had to put in some odd search terms, but I finally came across a picture and name:

It's a nessus sphinx moth!  I've lived in this area of the country for all but 2 of my nearly 40 years and this is the first time I've ever seen this creature. 

Roasted Roots

We have an excess of root vegetables right now, namely beets and carrots.  And so I've roasted them twice in the last couple of weeks, because they are just so delicious that way!  I added sweet potatoes, onion, and white potatoes I already had, plus rosemary and olive oil.  Yum!

March 17th

March 17th used to be St. Patrick's Day, the day to wear green and remember the fact that some of my ancestors were Irish. 

March 17th used to be the day Callie the cat was born, in a box in our one bedroom apartment in Atlanta, one month after we adopted her mom Sophie. 

March 17th is still those things, but now it's also the day that my dad died.  I don't want that fact to be tied to that day.  It's been 2 years now. 

Last year my husband was off work, my mom took off work, and both my sisters and my nephew were able to come in and visit.  And we all spent the day together.  We planted a tree, but it appears to not have made it. 

This year it fell on a Saturday, and Mom, S, and I went to a neighboring town and played Bingo at a charity event for the Humane Society that I had adopted Pearl through 2 weeks earlier.  We had a good time, and we laughed.  I bought my mom a bouquet of flowers, and I bought another bouquet to put on my dad's grave. 

And that was enough. 

Dogs dogs and well---dogs!

An update on the dogs in my family:

Casper the friendly pitbull had to have a lesion removed from the top of his head.  The vet thought it likely was squamous cancer, so it needed to come off. Apparently that is common with white cats and dogs.  He had a few stitches and wouldn't leave them alone so out came the lampshade. 

The vet applied some tape to the rough bits of his previously used (by him, the last time he needed stitches) collar.  Poor guy!  But this time he did surprisingly well with it, unlike last time when he was constantly taking the thing off.  Oh, and it turned out not to be cancer, but a wound of some sort.  It looked very nasty though, so had to be dealt with at any rate.

 Macy is getting used to her new sister.  As long as Pearl figures out all toys belong to Macy, she is good.  Pearl has been insistent though that all BONES do not belong to Macy, and doesn't mind growling to let her know she is a bit too close to her treat.  She never growls at a human though, no matter if you take something from her mouth or put your hand in her bowl when she's eating.  So as far as I'm concerned, it's all good.

 Pearl is learning to follow Macy around the backyard.  They have managed to get into a bit of mischief together already:  digging holes and rolling in the putrid remains of a dead mole which I am sure Gabby killed.  Thanks Gabby.  Did I forget to mention that in your job description it also reads you are to DISPOSE of them? 

 Pearl has been to her NaNa's house 2 or 3 times now.  She is a great traveling companion.  She lays down in the back and goes to sleep, and that's that. 

 She enjoys sunning, just like Max used to, whether it be on the deck

 or by the front door.

 Wherever I am, she wants to be.  I've moved a dog bed into the dining room because that's where I do some of my computer work. 

I don't have any pictures of my mom's dog, Sparky, on here, but rest assured he is doing well.  K just gave him a summer haircut and I know he is much more comfortable now.