Incredible that I lived on a street that was wonderful for Halloween. We threw parties, had hoagies, beer, sofas and other beverages. It was an awesome time.
It is now 5:35pm and Kasia is at the window waiting for folks who probably will never show up.
How sad😞
So to Jay,Angel, Frankie, Molly, Catherine,Charlie ,Steve,Claire, Tom, Joanne and everyone on Rochelle Avenue…. I am missing you guys big time tonight! Have fun!
The tourists are just about gone. The day is warm with a chance of rain later on, so what’s a Mom to do?
We went to the beach and got our paws wet.It was almost high tide, as our seagull friends let us know.
It was unusual to see the pilings in the bay without being able to see the bottom:it didn’t stop the gulls though, as they were waiting for their fish special for lunch!
We almost walked a mile and a half, not quite, but it was good for the three of us to be together while Jim tried to sleep.We love walking during the tranquility of the morning and thanking God for getting us on all 2 or 4 paws in the morning!
If you have followed this blog with any regularity, you know I have an interest in the story of the Halloween gale of 1991.This is the storm that took the lives of many in the Northeast part of the country, including the crew of the Andrea Gail, a swordfish boat out of Gloucester ,Massachusetts.
Ironic that Jim and I went for a quick dinner to the Lobster House in Cape May. You really get a sense, since being down here, of the lives of commercial fishermen. Our neighbor, Nate,commercial scalloper, is gone out to sea a lot. We look out for him, and pray for his safe return.
So with today being the twenty-fifth anniversary of the sinking of the Andrea Gail, let’s all be mindful of “they who go down to the Sea in ships”…and keep a good thought to all who risk their lives to bring food to our table.
Here is what one tired girl looks like.
We have been out walking in our “balmy “30 mph winds today and totaled up a little over two miles. We walk at the pace of the Bataan death march, but regardless.it is walking.
We were at the bay this morning and windy was not the word. It is funny how the bay mimics the ocean on days like this.The whitecaps we seldom see here all of a sudden appear. Even when we were down there, the girls gathered close to me as if they were afraid of blowing away!
In all, a really good day for the three of us!
The girls and I managed to get out for a couple of times walking before the rain came.
We had been doing pretty well until the rain came. We managed to get out a few times and visit some friends, but then, we came in about 2:30pm and within a half hour, the heavens opened up. We are going to try to get out before it gets too dark, because I think the girls look forward to it as much as I do.
So we may tip-toe through the raindrops, but we will go out for one last trip around our neighborhood tonight.After that, I think it’s safe to say we are all kind of sleepy, so we won’t be worth too much.At least us gals can snuggle together! What a treat!
This morning’s walk took a little bit of a different turn.
The girls didn’t want to go to the beach today. I couldn’t say I blame them, as it was a little nippy this morning.However,just because frost is on the pumpkin doesn’t mean there is any flames out in my girl’s hearts.They wanted to see Kale, Zush’s boyfriend and Kasia’s “wanna be” boyfriend.You could imagine the chagrin when we walked over to Kale’s house and saw he was in the front window, looking rather mournfully out at the girls.We talked to him and promised we’d come back and see him.
Zosia seemed no worse for wear, and was enjoying her walk regardless.
Kasia had other thoughts on her mind.She wanted to get back in our house and plan an escape plan to get Kale out:after all, that’s what little devils do, right?
I felt my Dad with me while I walked my girls on the beach. The Sea foam in the picture my Dad would always call soap suds.It was almost as if I could here Daddy in my ear.
I wanted to get Zush and Kasia out on the beach before it gets too chilly, and of course, in my heart, I wanted to make memories with Zush.After all, she was the reason we ended up here. If you recall a past post on Sea glass, well, we didn’t score any on our walk, just shells and stones.
In all, we had a good morning, and suffice it to say, we are relaxing this afternoon.
My buddy, Belinda, first introduced me to the beauty of sea glass about two years ago, when she was staying over at Reeds Beach and we all went up to see them. It made such an impression on me, that when I got back, I started collecting it with a passion.
The hard part,though,is that in order to get the end result of beautifully polished glass, you need a tumbler for the stones.I have yet to get to that part: it is definitely on my to-do list.
This is a shot of a bud vase that I filled up with sea glass that I actually purchased when my buddy Juls was down visiting.I have always been a pushover for blues and greens, so I chose these stones for a calming effect when I am standing at my kitchen sink.I also have a large rectangular vase on my kitchen counter that I have filled with glass that I have actually found while walking the girls on the beach.It isn’t quite as pretty as the blues and greens in my bud vase, but the memories and potential of the polish to come is heart-warming.
I hope to eventually get a tumbler to get my stones polished and bring out their full potential.It’s my deepest prayer that both my girls will be able to walk the shore line slowly with me, and keep filling up my vase.
I guess that if it is sometime in late October, one would assume that autumn is already here.
Down here it has been more like Indian summer then actual autumn.That was, until last night when the weather front came through. Gone is my uniform of T-shirt and shorts: long pants and hoodies have actually come out. I am not complaining actually because fall is my favorite season.
The girls were hanging with me outback on the deck this afternoon. I know Zush appreciates the change in temperature,as her coat is thicker than Kasia’s. As I post this blog entry the girls are with me in the bedroom all snuggly nice and warm with all the windows closed in the house.After all, there’s fresh air and then there is 3 blanket weather.
Here’s hoping for a nice crisp autumn for us all!
Remember the still ongoing fiasco with my cellulitis and eczema chaser?
Hah!
I got the “Explanation of Benefits” statement from the insurance company today.I opened the letter and oh,what a shocker, I found out I owe $396 and change to the laboratory who ran the blood work that was drawn from me in the Infectious Disease doctor’s office.It would seem that although the technician who pulled the blood was participating, the lab was not.
I collected my thoughts, counted to ten, and called the insurance company.
Explaining to them that they had my long recent referral trail, the fact that I had to go IMMEDIATELY to an infectious disease doctor would constitute an emergency.The physician wanted lab work done and said that he could do it there, so who am I to argue? The insurance company agreed, and long story short, they will either pay the lab or cut me a check so I can pay the lab directly.
If you NEED to get lab work done, my friend, take it from time. As the song goes, “The times, they are a-changing…” Assume nothing. Do what I am going to do EVERY time from now on. I want to know if the lab is in my insurance network.
My Dad would have been 96 today, or I was thinking that he is gone 21 years from me.Technically, in one of the lighter moments I had today,I thought he wouldn’t get carded in heaven today as he would get a draft of Pabst Blue Ribbon.Then my mind went back to my matter at hand, Zush.I bartered with everyone in heaven so my girl would hang in there.
We finally worked on a chicken broth and pedialyte mixture with a little bit of ground beef done in a non-stick pan chaser.
It warmed my heart to see her actually have an appetite.Now, for the rest of the night, it’ll be a long one. I have to make sure everything is ok.It is really funny, how I wasn’t able to start work on time because of illness.They say God does everything for a reason.Obviously, I am meant to be here with my girls.
Zush and I want to thank everyone for their prayers and good wishes.Those who knew us in our prior life know Zush is the best, and I appreciate your never-ending love and fondness for Zusher.Those who only know of her through either me or the blog, well, thanks. It helps lighten my heart.
Please forgive me, gentle reader, if the blog as been falling by the wayside of late. Zush has not been feeling good and of course, that has hit me at my core.
You can’t telll what is wrong. I offer chance to go walk, or go to the potty.After having three days with issues, I spent a good bit of my morning crying.Part of it is frustration at not being able to help her. Part is not being stupid and keeping in the back of my head the eventuality is there and hopefully, it’ll be in the offing. The melancholia stays with you,but you go back to what’s at hand: keeping my girl comfortable and going.
Please keep us both in your prayers, as we sure can use them.As for me, I have to go barter with God.
We went to the Cape May Lighthouse tonight after Mass.
It is the New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge weekend, and back in the day, we would have participated, but as we are slowing down a little, I thought that a moonlight climb was a pretty good deal.
We got there just a hair over sunset, but I still managed to get some colorful pictures of the bay as the remainder of the sky was still on fire.We were able to appreciate the change in the light, as we also managed to get some great shots of the full moon overlooking the ponds of the Cape May state park, which is where the lighthouse is located at.
The only other lighthouse to offer a night climb, which is usually when it is a full moon during the lighthouse challenge is Barnegat Lighthouse.That is located roughly 60+ miles away from us.It truly offers you a new perspective on the ocean when you reflect on the reflection of the full moon on the water.
I was glad we went and participated:it was fun!
When my nephews were younger, my brother would take them to Ocean City, New Jersey to spend their vacation.It was a new experience for me, as I had always been a Stone Harbor/Angelsea/Cape May type of girl.
We would do bikes on the boardwalk, later on rides and the beach, breakfasts and bakeries with donuts and sticky buns, but one thing haunts me to this day.
Jim and I were coming back from the doctor’s office in Somers’Point, and decided to go to Ocean City. OK,when someone says that,I think,”Johnson’s Popcorn”.
I am sure everywhere on the Eastern seaboard is a popcorn stand that professes to have the best popcorn of all varieties.Johnson’s has been around since 1945.I absolutely adore their caramel corn.The biggest rub is that my local grocery story, where I worked last spring for a brief interlude, carries their popcorn and actually, it was fifty cents cheaper.
When you go to Mecca, er, the Ocean City boardwalk stores where they make this, you show up with your $12 for a FRESH,large tub of the caramel corn, say you need a bag, and to leave the lid off.The excess popcorn that gathers in the bottom of your bag is at least two dollars more, and, in our case today, we nibbled on it as we were headed down the Garden State Parkway to get home to the fur girls.
Even after the delicious memory is gone, I recycle the container to either use the next time we go up there, or, in the meantime, to make Christmas cookies I want to hide in.
Thanks, Matt and Greg! #GOODTIMES
Back in July, I hired a company called Zoom Support/Knightsbridge which allegedly had quite outstanding credentials in cleaning up Mac computers.They serviced me in July and the computer was going well. Now it is time for the next quarter clean-up, they had started it last night, and evidentially never completed it.
Nice, eh?
Now I get a call this morning that they need to finish it, and SURPRISE! My computer can not access any of their sights.Big shocker.
Once I get through this, I think I will see if I can get in with Jim under our Geek Squad plan,Stay far away, if you are in the need, from Zoom Support, It’s not worth the effort and aggravation.
So, rather than giving in to pain, I got up at 6:30am this morning and, as a result, had a heck of a lot more time to do things during the day.
The girls got a few walks, everyone who needed medicine got it, worked in baking an apple cake and a pork tenderloin, and also did a little bit of wash.
As I haven’t been back to work yet, I figured I’d try to get some older clothes together and bundle them up for charity.The week will end up on Friday when I have to go back to the infectious disease doctor for an update.I would assume that after that, I’d go back to the orthopedic doctor one more time for a sign-off.It is an assumption, because realist that I am, I KNOW that anything that CAN go wrong, will.
Today, however, was a Blessed day.
It is always good to be here with the girls.
What is hard is when one of them isn’t feeling well.
My girl , Zush, is off of her food. Don’t get me wrong: if I cook food for her she’ll eat. It is as if she just doesn’t feel like eating her dry kibble anymore. Both Kasia and Zush grew up on Pedigree, then Beneful, and once the recalls started,we went to Nature’s Recipe. They seemed to both like it: we switched to it a year and 1/2 ago.
So it goes without saying, I’ll be cooking and trying to entice my gal to eat. If you can throw any prayers or good mojo out for us, we surely would appreciate it.
As I mentioned in a prior post, my buddy Juls, Julie March, specializes in equine and canine massage.
While she was here this weekend, she gave Zush two treatments and gave me advice on how to keep my BFF going. At first,Zush was a little apprehensive, as she never got massaged before.As Julie explained to me, the idea for massage for my 14 year old arthritic pup like my girl, is to get blood flowing so she doesn’t hurt so much.
It was funny and heartwarming at the same time, to see Zush’s reactions.As she got accustomed to Julie’s massage, she relaxed and even stretched out her legs for us.
I highly recommend massage for pups, after seeing how Zush picked up after her sessions. I want to thank and send love out to Juls, because her heart is so big and I know she loves the animals and wants them feeling better.
It is good to know there is something and someone to help the pups feel better. We are going to keep on doing it!
We’re on our best behavior.
My pal Juls is coming for a visit this weekend and it means a familiar face for all of us. We last saw Julie and her crew over the winter, and although it is technically fall, this would be her annual summer visit. We can’t wait.
Juls took a series of classes and is certified in horse and canine massage.She has started her own business and is quite successful at it.She has two horses of her own and two pups of her own. Zush is hoping that Aunt Juls will work some magic on her! The weather is due to be rainy tomorrow, but hopefully the weather will be ok enough for us to get out a little and for me not to be on my leg too much. We were due to start knitting together, but the yarn I ordered hasn’t arrived yet.
I know a visit from Juls will help move me along the road to getting better.It’ll be good to see her!
It’s the scary time of the year, and I am not referring to Halloween.
As I type this, Governor Rick Scott of Florida is issuing an update on Hurricane Matthew, including housing, mandatory evacuations, traffic, gauging, …I could go on and on.I am working my prayers for all concerned down there,as I can’t even fathom what is going on there.
In the meanwhile, things are kind of quiet here** knock wood**.
You can tell it’s October because I managed two things.
I managed to get Kasia and Zush to both sit for a picture with the pumpkin.
I also managed to get my mums.
Stay safe where ever you are!
My buddy who normally cuts my hair, imagine this, had to have her knee replaced. Joke’s on me, right?
I have had a pretty nice haircut ever since I’ve been getting my hair done here.No complaints. But when you are used to someone who knows your head, someone reading off a card has no clue.She made my bangs look like a little Dutch boy.The idea was I have a long face. I don’t need to look like I have a fat face.I like my hair short and tapered. This cut I got today will have me running somewhere else in 3 weeks to get it fixed. I had texted my buddy and the only words of comfort she could give me is that it’ll grow back. **sigh**
Brown bag, anyone?
Well, we spent the morning in Somers’Point, where I had an appointment to see my infectious disease doctor, who had told me to stay on my antibiotic and the ointment that he had prescribed for me, and wants to see me a week from Friday.If there is no significant improvement, then, I am assuming, that the hospital bag I have packed and taken to the past three appointments which I never used might actually be opened.It goes without saying that I am hoping against that.
I am supposed to start walking” a little” to try to get my legs used to getting out there again.I was warned that there was to be no excess, or I might end up back at square one.That’s just what I need…NOT.We have all been playing the price for being stuck in the house, or should I say all of us but Jim.
The overcast day was an appropriate match for my mood.I had been around the block enough that I KNEW there was a chance that I’d have to be admitted.Thanks to the creme he told me to put on, the creme lightened my knee so it wasn’t the scary shade of violet that it was. Now my knee looks almost normal, but a little warmer shade of pink.As per the doctor’s directions, I started walking a little outside in order to get rid of my sea legs and get them working back to the state that they were in at the beginning of last month.
Two of my nurses can’t wait to accompany me on my walks.
After the stretch of rainy weather we’ve had this past week, it was a pleasure waking up this morning and seeing a beautiful sky and being able to get up and do laundry and hang this wash out on the line.
I used to laugh when Yankee Candle came out with a scent in their line called “Clean Linen.” Uh, hello? Everyone knows how great it is to fall asleep on clean, fresh, line dried sheets. Jim laughs because I always announce when I make the bed with clean sheets,” line dried sheets…”
Nothing like it in the world!
I am sitting outside with Zush. Jim and Kasia are out walking at the bay. Yes, the rain finally stopped and things were pretty good until 4pm.
What’s with a 4pm witching hour?
Our power is out. No hurricane, no severe storm warning …our power went out! It would appear a utility pole was run into by a car.The guys Atlantic City Electric sent to fix that, well….I guess they figured it was a good time to put the whole area out. Allegedly Atlantic City electric claims power will be back by 7.
Here’s my bestie,Zush, keeping Mom company while I read and listen to Ryan Howard’s last game as a Phillie and read my book.
Emergency candle, anyone?
We have had a ton of rain over the past few days.
The girls are living together,but I have learned I put a four-pawed mother’s instinct out and make sure everyone is working and playing well with others**insert Kasia’s name here**.
The one thing that I find amusing is that Zush’s foster mom, Kathy,suggested to keep a squirt bottle to help break apart any future altercations. Whenever I would get down with them to the beach,Zush is always the swimmer. Kasia would go into the water to chase something, and is was if she realized her paws and legs were wet, and out she instantly came running.A water bottle, I hope, will help keep us in a status quo situation.
Something I am a little sad about is that the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi is coming up and I had missed the announcement if my parish is blessing the animals.Of course, I realized it today when the parish office was closed.For the past two years, I managed to get the girls down there and they got blessed. If, for some reason, we can’t make tomorrow or they aren’t having it, well, I have some holy oil and holy water, and I guess I’ll ask God if it’s ok for me to do it.I know He has cut me a lot of slack, but in the light of the past month here, I think both the girls need it.
Keep some prayers and through some good karma this way.Peace, in my lifetime,would be marvelous here.
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