Tracker's Back; that's Tracker the Great

Yesterday, I go outside. I see Tracker hanging around Fischer who is leaning over a cotton-tail and picking through some red meat. (No pictures.) That was early in the day. By the time Dad gets home, all that's left is a rabbit's leg on Fischer's bed.

Tracker has switched from "catch and release" to "share the hunt", and Fischer seems to have perked up since his period of freedom when the invisible fence battery died.

Jury's still out on whether Fischer's a very smart dog or a very dumb one. He knows that the (remote) collar that shocks and sometimes vibrates a warning is associated with something I sometimes wear around my neck. The other day I forgot to put on his collar so I just went outside waving the necklace. That was enough to make him forgo street life.

Knee update: Sunday the Kelleys, Dad, and I walked at Reflection Riding. It was my first serious walk since October. The knee was sore at the end, but fine the next day. Catherine has proclaimed me healed!

love you guys,

mom

BIG Snow

A few pictures on January 10: We woke up to about 6" of snow, and it just kept coming. Estimate 8 to 9" total. It has been very overcast and below freezing, so there has been almost zero melt as of tonight, Tuesday, January 11.

There we no getting out, so Dad turned the dining room into his home office.
Lula Lake Road was only barely passable.


Trees were beautiful.
Tomorrow's errands and travel plans for Thursday are still on.

We'll see!

Just got a call from Sarah.

Guess one should not be surprised that this little girl is good on the phone.

At two, Sarah was spied in Mother's Day Out. She was pushing a toy vacuum with a baby doll on her hip and a toy phone at her ear.

So now on the phone she knows to speak up for her hearing-challenged old grandmother and to carry her half of the conversation.

(Fortunately she wasn't vacuuming when she called, I'm sure she knew exactly where her baby doll was... probably taking her morning nap. shhh...)

Sarah is making envelopes and stamping them with stickers her mom gives her.

She has been to vote with her mom but cannot vote herself... yet.

Thank-you Lord for my grandchildren.

A Knee, an MRI, and a little cut

The saga of my knee and what I have learned since my MRI two days ago.

Today Dr (David) Bruce gave me a cortisone shot which was scary for me and turned out to be totally no big deal.

He says it should keep the swelling (and therefore the pain) down for 4 months... but we have scheduled arthroscopic surgery two months hence.

The same thing is wrong with this knee that troubled the other one in 2002... torn meniscus.

There is the start of some arthritis and other degeneration, so treating it sooner rather than later makes sense.

And I am eager to stop taking so much advil.

The MTW Area Retreat, this time in Mexico, where once again I run the nursery, is October 6-12. The week of Oct 11 Dad will be hosting out-of-town visitors, and the week of Oct 31 he will be in Germany. So, by scheduling the surgery on October 19 I can cash in on some TLC.

And if all goes well, by Thanksgiving, when we hope to visit Debby and Jon, I should be doing very well.

The 2002 surgery was a breeze. Even post-op pain was much less than what I experienced pre surgery.

I know I cannot take for granted the same result, but I am very optimistic.

Thanks for caring, and I love you guys

Super Supper Club met at our house tonight.

We did lots of planning and cleaning beforehand, and we had a fun time with friends.

now if I may borrow from a poet,

I have just one thing to say (or quote):

After the Party

by william wise

Jonathan Blake
Ate too much cake,
He isn't himself today;
He's tucked up in bed
with a feverish head,
And he doesn't much care to play.

Jonathan Blake
Ate too much cake
And three kinds of ice cream too--
From latest reports
He's quite out of sorts,
And I'm sure the reports are true.

I'm sorry to state
That he also ate
Six pickles, a pie, and a pear;
In fact I confess
It's a reasonable guess
He ate practically everything there.

Yes, Johathan Blake
Ate too much cake,
So he's not at his best today;
But there's no need to sorrow--
If you come back tomorrow,
I'm sure he'll be out to play.

Fixing Leaks

Our water is off and our plumber, Eston Henson, is digging up the front yard. I am happy that the break is coming into rather going out of the house. We knew about a leak as we had a small marsh/wetland in the center of the front yard. Then Dad dug into the wet a few weeks ago to see where the water was coming from. Then we had a large birdbath or small swimming pool. Eston fixed the leak then found a 2nd one, so the job got much bigger.

I'm happy to say that I filled up containers with filtered water and also filled a couple pans with water. Finally, I keep a gallon jug of water under each bathroom sink. So I'm fine for a while.
I have my 1x/month cleaning ladies coming on the mtn instead of the river because of Super Supper, our supper club that will meet at our house this Saturday. They (cleaning ladies) are due in 30 minutes. They'll have to start with vacuuming and dusting; then we'll see!

Alysia certainly has it worse. On his vacation Bruce is digging up the Murphy field line in Maine. He's a great guy and a good sport but this is over the top. Word is that the Wilson kids are out of clean clothes and very dirty.

We're both having more of those moments that are not dull.

Back on the mountain, Dad, and for a while Debby are/were eating out of my test kitchen. For Super Supper I decided on Chicken Cordon Bleu, which is chicken breasts hammered thin then rolled around deli ham and gruyere cheese. We have tried three different versions, and we will be eating the leftovers for a couple more dinners. I'm afraid that by Saturday there will be nothing special about this dish for Tommy. Anyway, I'm sure it will be a fun time.

love you guys

Fischer and Tracker

There's this yip yip yip.

What's Fischer up to?

He wants to get something that's behind a bag of mulch;

He goes from one side of the bag to the other.

Tracker very quietly sits on the stone wall... watching, waiting.

Eventually a chipmunk dashes across the patio.

Tracker is faster.

Fischer continues to go from one side to the other of the bag.

"How can I get that chipmunk," wonders the dog.

"Cats rule, dogs drool," Tracker responds.

love you guys,

and, Debby, thanks for the dog. Yes, I forgive you for bringing him home a month before you left for college.