Whatever doesn’t have a home elsewhere (mine has my outerwear, a unit with Nelson’s feed and other stuff and family pics / genealogy stuff).
What a beautiful girl, cookie!
Up, caffeinating, breakfasted and fixing to do KP. A load of laundry and cleaning the bathroom is on the agenda today. Other than that, I plan on getting more photos sorted than what I usually do.
Stay safe and healthy y’all!
Good morning.
It’s 54°F and partly sunny. We’ll have partly sunny to sunny skies most of the day, and the expected daytime high is 78°F. We slept with the windows open, and left the window open in the great room, too. It feels wonderful. I’ll probably put on shorts and a tank top in a couple of hours.
Okay, so I stopped to start working on creating pictures to share here. It’s taking a minute because I uploaded a lot of pics. It’s still uploading the pics. Anyway, stay tuned for pet and garden pics, I just know you’re sooooo excited. 
I did some rollsucking and other tidying yesterday, but I need to finish the stairs today. I’ll probably bust out the tiny thin brushes to scrub the edges of the baseboard and floors today. They look grungy.
Other than that, nothing on the agenda. I thought about going someplace today, but I keep putting off certain chores, and I need to get a start on them because they’re becoming this big, looming wall of sucktitude. I built this wall on my own, so I need to dismantle it by getting those things done instead of finding something less…I dunno, BIG. The big thing is washing the walls and baseboards, which is tough to do with two active pups.
I still haven’t found a birthday present for my husband, and his birthday is this coming Tuesday. I need to hop on that, too.
Okay, I need to get my day started. I slept late today, so my sanctioned (i.e., less guilt-inducing) goof-off time is closing.
Take care of yourselves.
Started Typing: 9:09 AM ET
Clicked Reply: 11:50 AM ET
Happy birthday, Pilot! 
I can’t thank y’all enough for the compassionate words and expressions of support. The last 24 hours have been surreal. I do have the urge to write about it, but this is gonna be a super long one – and I know that a few Mumpers are still smarting from their own pet loss and/or are sensitive to this topic – so I’m using a drop-down in order to let those who’d rather skip it do so more easily.
Putting Bailey in the car yesterday morning and driving to the vet for the 7:40am appointment was the hardest thing I’d ever done…until I walked her down the hall to The Room. That’s when I started crying, and I didn’t really stop until after I left; luckily, though, I didn’t ever blubber/break down. The vet immediately agreed with my assessment that it was time to let her go, and after determining that I was ready for it to happen then he took her in the back to put a line in one of her veins (so the sedative and euthansia drugs could be more easily administered) while one of the staff came in with a form: I affirmed that she’d never had or been exposed to rabies, and chose whether to have her ashes returned to me (at first I thought I would want them, but sometime in the past week I realized that I actually don’t). They also had an option of providing a plaster cast of one of her paw prints, and I did ask for that.
The doc brought Bailey back in the room, and I sat on the floor in front of her. He asked if I was ready for the sedative to be administered (he was awesome, and offered to give me as much time as I wanted between each step), and I said yes. Once she was sedated he helped me scoop her up, and for the first time since she was a puppy I held her fully in my arms…she never would have tolerated that without drugs! Heh! I couldn’t see her face, which was probably just as well, but I was able to lay my head against hers with her body pressed to mine and I could feel her breathing. Then he asked if I was ready for the final injection, and even though my heart screamed “no!” I knew I had to press forward. After the injection he listened with a stethoscope while I held her, and I swear I could tell the exact moment when her heart stopped; our eyes met at the same time.
He helped me lay her on the floor (on the blanket they’d prepared), and even though she was clearly gone it was harder to leave her than I expected it to be! He said I could stay in the room as long as I wanted, but again I knew that I needed to keep going so after looking at her one last time I went to the lobby. They didn’t collect any money yesterday: they’ll call me when the paw print is ready for pickup, and that’s when I’ll settle my final bill. They said it usually takes about a week. Whenever I go I’ll return some cans of prescription dog food, and give them her leftover medication.
The animal hospital is very close to home, and when I got back at around 8:30am I was surprised by the urge/need to remove a lot of Bailey things. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about her stuff, at least at first. But right away I couldn’t look at the washable waterproof pads anymore, so I bagged them all up. Next thing I knew I was also moving her primary dog beds out of the home office and into the third bedroom (with her backup dog beds), rolling up the recently stained hall rug, putting her bowls in the dishwasher, moving her feeder into the third bedroom, etc. I also threw away the gloves and knit hat that I kept by the back door, for taking her outside in cold weather: they were covered in fur, which I know would never completely come out. I’d rather buy new ones this winter. All of that took less than 30 min.
After the cleanup spree, sending an email to some family/friends, and posting about her death on FB, the next surprise was the urge to work; turns out I needed the distraction. I logged on around 9am and managed to get a few things done, and the cleaners came at 2pm (usually they come in the morning, but I’d asked that the team not arrive until after 12pm). I’m glad they were able to remove a lot of the visible fur and clean the newly-uncovered kitchen, home office, and hall floors. They finished up around 3pm, by which time I was exhausted and quit work for the day. Moving to the living room prompted an “I changed my mind! I want my doggy back!!” episode, but luckily it was brief and hasn’t recurred.
Brains are weird: the whole evening 99% of me was hyperaware that Bailey was gone, but every time I had to pee and started to get up from the couch 1% of me thought she was just asleep down the hall and briefly wondered if I’d find her on the bath mat in front of the tub.
Going to bed without her in the house was bizarre. The only other times I’d done that were after coming home from a trip, when I knew I’d be picking her up from boarding the next day; last night felt totally different. Before watching my bedtime episodes of Frasier on my iPad, I brought up her photo album on Google Drive and looked through a lot of pictures and videos. I cried for the billionth time, but by the last video I actually felt better: reminding myself of how much more mobile and happy she was even just two years ago helped solidify that I’d made the right decision.
While of course there will be grief and difficult moments for a while, and I will love and miss Bailey forever, the biggest adjustment might be that now I’m alone. I moved out of my mother’s house 31 years ago: I spent just one of those years living with another person, but I spent 27 of them living with a pet. Put another way, I’ve been happily single for the last 10+ years but I haven’t been alone for nearly two decades. On the whole I’m glad about this change – I absolutely am not getting another pet while I’m still a renter, I want the freedom to travel more easily, etc. – but it’s a biggun and I can already tell that I’ll have to fight off some spells of profound loneliness. I’m grateful that there are 9 months left on my lease here: I’ll have time to adjust to living alone before I start looking for a new place (with less yard and more room for Lego grownup furniture).
If you read all of this, thank you! Writing it really was cathartic.
I definitely wanted to spend yesterday and last night at home, but I have plans this evening: some professional jazz musician friends who are either frequently on tour or don’t live in the area anymore are getting together for a rare show, at a DC venue I like. I bought my ticket back in June, and will head to the Metro station at around 5:30 – by then I think I’ll be happy to get out of the house. 
I’m likely to run into several other “jazz friends” at the show, which will be alright (if somewhat interesting as I’ve distanced myself from that scene), but I’m hoping to mostly sit quietly at the bar the whole time. It’s an early-ish show, which is alright with me. I look forward to catching up with the band members before/after the set, and to having some sweet potato tater tots and a slice of cake!
I love it when I buy something that winds up not being quite right for what I had in mind, but turns out it works perfectly for something else!
I’m looking forward to that moving becoming available on streaming; I just watched the special (Downton Abbey Celebrates the Grand Finale) on Peacock last night!
!
September birthdays are the best! 
I’m getting nuclear radiation detector ads on my Farcebook feed. It’s… disconcerting.
Maybe to test for radioactive shrimp.
Don’t come to my house - you’d be aghast at my baseboards. I ignore them unless I’m ready to paint them…
We rode down to the marina - they finally got the travelift moved. We talked to the woman whose boat is in the slings - it was supposed to be a quick haul and they were going to go away this weekend. Nope, not happening. At least their boat wasn’t damaged. And maybe our boat will finally be done this coming week.
We made a quick stop at Aldi and now we’re home. I need to clean the ice maker. When I helped FCD clean his shop, I got a new (to me) toolbox for the house that will live in the garage. That way, I don’t have to hike across the yard if I need a screwdriver or a wrench. I’m going to sort and organize it, so that’ll kill a little time.
We got an email from our marina manager - we can get a complimentary pair of tickets to the Annapolis Boat Show next month. I’m waiting for FCD to decide if he wants to go. We’ve been there so many over the years, it’s really not a biggie for me, so I’ll let him decide. Other than that, not much going on here.
Oopsie, I read both your obituary and what you wrote in the dropdown. I teared up because it brought back so much for each of my losses. But I know how cathartic it is to write it out. I couldn’t touch Polar’s stuff for a while, and left it where it lay, but eventually, I moved his stuff. It was the same for all my other pups (Captain and Brandi). Each new pup receives its own new leash, collar, etc. But I keep the old ones; for me, they’re the final touchstone for my departed pets. We all grieve and deal with it differently, and we all do what works best for us.
I’ve posted links to a couple of albums. I can’t seem to capture good pics of Buster and Maisie. If they’re still, it’s because I’m sitting down, and they’re usually on top of me. For the garden pictures, they range from May to about a week ago.
Happy Birthday, Pilot!
When we were driving to the marina, FCD was talking about being conflicted regarding a dog. On one hand, he really, really wants one. On the other hand, he got to thinking about everything involved in having a dog (or really, any pet) and he’s just not sure he wants to take that on. It’s like when Daughter was born - suddenly all spontaneity goes out of life, because you have to plan around the child/dog/cat/turtle. Day trip? Vacation? Long day shopping? Really, anything that keeps you away from home for more than a few hours requires extra consideration.
Can you take the dog, or must it stay at home or be boarded? Do you need someone to look in on, feed, let the dog out and back in? If you take the dog, do you need food? Water? Bedding? Leash/harness? And will it really be welcome?
BTDT many times over the years, but now he’s questioning whether he wants to deal with all that again. Frankly, those are a large part of my disinclination to have another one, but I no longer voice my opposition. He knows how I feel and he admits that is part of the calculation. I feel like the reality of life with a dog, especially when he’s to be primarily responsible, is starting to sink in.
So, the internal debate goes on. Watch this space for future developments!
We were shorthanded today, I loaded about 8 package cars worth of stuff, over 4 sets. I’m a little tired. But this gin&tonic will help.
Hopefully less mud and malaria than where the namesake served.
< waves but declines an apology when nothing wrong was done >
At least better than what Wisconsin is suffering through. God didn’t smite Pharaoh this hard.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY PILOT!!!
Oopsie, yeah pet grief is discombobulating. {{{{hugs}}}}
Well, swampy did got to 
Wally World this week.
S.M. had to change around the schedule, so tonight is my Long Night shift. Bah. It’s uncomfortably warm (mid 70s … hi @LSLGuy ) but at least Monkey worked off his zoomies and cabin fever last night, while I laughed my ass off at his glow-in-the-dark attempts to hide from me.
Another drive by post. Sorry!
< waves but declines an apology when nothing wrong was done >
Yes, all this. We 
you @TokyoBayer plz stop apologizing!
Rereading my post, it sounds like I got a shiny new soapbox and lgot carried away. I’m sorry. 9/11 may have affected name differently because I spent the day with kids–stunned, scared kids. The entire morning I had the same frosh class because Civil Defense said we had to keep kids in the building, and passing periods would’ve made that impossible. Teaching it as it happened was…an experience. It was the biggest, worst event in my lifetime, and I remember JFK’s death, the Challenger explosion. Also, I’ve always believed in the importance of kids learning how historical events affected the people to whom they were current events, part of my secret time travel agenda.
Yesterday was nuts. I only had Ms. Dog for a long walk instead of overnight, but immediately afterward, I had to take another dog for a long walk. The rest of the day was spent answering the flotsam and jetsam of calls and texts.
Oopsie, I thought of you sporadically all day yesterday. I’m sorrier than I can say. Bailey was a Very Good Dog.
Baker, I hope it’s not too late to send hugs. It’s rough to have to relieve a tragic loss every year.
shoe, LOVE the light-up collar! It’s so bright and secure, and Monkey is stylin’ in it. I had something similar for my black lab, as she and I ran before dawn. I kept wishing I could hang a light on her tail for the cars coming up behind us .
sticky, forgot to say earlier that the ramp is great. ALL ramps should be in bright colors like that. Hopefully you’ve started a trend.
Whoa! I’m impressed! By my rough calculation, around 60% of your days this year have involved a concert. I salute you.
Hey, we gave you folks carcinogenic tobacco. What more do you want? (I miss fireflies.)
GodBod, so any DB songs still running through your head?
I knew that Gen Z followed Millennials, but yesterday I learned that the generation born in 2010 or after are called Gen A. I guess we’re going back through the alphabet now.
Geez, and here my grandmother used to say, “Chew carefully. Your stomach doesn’t have teeth.” But she’d only be 145 years old now, so the poster person is undoubtedly wiser.
The principal once came to me and said I was getting a student who tended to, uh, masticate in class. He wanted me to keep an eye on him, as in bending over now and then to see what he was up to. I said no, I wasn’t going to act like a pervert. So I didn’t check, but every time the kid smiled, I got nervous.
pilot, you could cover up the shiner with a pirate patch. International Talk Like a Pirate Day is Friday, so you’d be just a little early. Besides, the ladies like a little swashbuckling. Shutting up so I can retrieve my mind from the gutter.
This ties with cleaning the fridge as my most hated housecleaning chore.
Cookie, Sadie is adorable!
Happy Birthday Pilot!
Busy day here at casa Paint. Mowed, patched some small dog sized gaps in the fence, re-strung the zero-g deck chair, some serious dog time in the yard, cut down a bunch of little walnut tree shrubs. Now I’m tired.
pilot Hippy burp-day!!!
shoe Add me to the list that digs the light-up harness thingy.
And we tried to get Ms Peach’s nails done, but the sliding doors at Petsmart were too scary.
Howdy all. Soccer is completed for the day, only had 3 of my 7 littles at the game this morning so had to borrow from the other team, then after pictures I had to referee my U12 game because no other ref was available. I hate to do that as I am almost always harder on my players and the game was very physical to boot (we lost 3-5 because the other team had one fantastic player). So as I am leaving I see the U10 girls on the next field don’t have a referee and since I was dressed for the occasion…so about 90 minutes of refereeing in 85F heat (and not many clouds) have left me a very tired rat. Will watch some college tackleball and in general perform sloth at swampy levels.
Quick run-though of the 20+ messages so far…
J-Bats, poor man never knew the pleasure Dubble Bubble provides…
boo fae, enjoy the music tonight.
Sensei, sounds like the kids are behaving…like kids.
swampy, pity you don’t have a TV hookup you could watch from your pool…
Pilot, enjoy the (mostly conjugal) visit… 
And Happy Birthday!!
FCM, glad that FCD is at least during some serious thinking about getting a dog and the responsibilities therein. And yay! for finding profit in the shop cleaning.
Cookie, lovely pic.
Taters, good luck on the B-Day present, when in doubt, Gift Cards are always available. And great pics; those pups have really grown!
Oopsie, I’m to big and ugly to cry, but your heartfelt posting made me. All the {{{{{hugs}}}}} you’ll ever need. Hope the jazz music helps heal the wounds.
shoe, hope the long night isn’t too long.
nellie, 9/11 with a bunch of confused, scared kids will leave lasting memories I bet.
VanGo, that’s a pretty solid day’s work, you have good reason to be tired. Take care and rest awhile.
And need to take the referee uniform off now and get down to some serious slothage. Take care now.
Happy pilot day!
The writing class I taught this morning went well, and now I’m working on the last half of the last chapter. Once that’s done, I’ll add major stuff to the MS (for example, foreshadowing), then send it to my readers by tomorrow night.
Thank you one and all for the well-wishes!!
My dad lost use of an eye to retinal cancer at age 55. Post-treatment it didn’t look horror movie awful but it didn’t look right either. He tried the pirate patch for awhile, then settled on tinted glasses that made it hard to see either eye clearly.
Funny but today I was wandering through a mall and saw a 50-ish manager dude in a suit. Wearing wireframe eyeglasses where one lens was clear and the other was opaque black and included little side pieces to cover the top and sides completely. It must either have been tremendously oversensitive to light or more likely badly deformed / damaged.
So yeah, a pirate patch has occurred to me. Gutter and all. Arrrggh! Ye lusty wenches! Beware me swash and buckles.
The good news is now, 5pm-ish, the lid is much less swollen and so I can easily see out of it. Yesterday the lid was so heavy with fluid it was mostly closed. The skin is much less pink and is now yellow becoming brown on the way to dark purple. So cute. For now my own clear wireframes hide a lot of it; but it’s going to be real obvious by tomorrow or Monday.
Just found out I train for 4 days next week. Hope the pay day ( every 2 weeks) is soon.
Church tomorrow.
Happy Birthday, pilot!
I hope training goes well, Coppertone.
Thank you, Oopsie for spoilering that information. I could not read it as the loss of my boy, Bubba, still weighs heavily upon me at times. Still sending many hugs to you.
I’ve just been having my IEP fest off and on all day. Lots of things that I don’t know because they’re school specific. But practice makes perfect, right? I think I hear some ice cream calling me…
Buster and Maisie are cutie pies and your garden is a glorious riot of color!
Happy birthday pilot!
oopsie, hugs to you. While it was time, it’s never easy.
Laundry has been achieved! Then I got busy and made stuffed calabacitas for supper. I usually do that with zucchini, but Sis suggested calabacitas because they didn’t have as much water in them. They have a slightly more buttery taste than zucchini and worked wonderfully.
Now to chill.
