For once, somebody wins the good sister award besides Tracy.
I have been moving Riley's kennel into the living room during the day for light and air and a change of scenery. Jasmine normally sleeps on my bed all day, but for the last two days, she has camped out on the couch. Awww, what a good sister.
Patti, my awesome coworker, says that my eyebrows are perfect (!) and my haircut is cute, but she wants me to try blow drying my hair. I didn't roll my eyes or anything! What?
How am I going to nap, take the dogs out, and clean up before Jody comes over to bake cookies? I'll figure it out, but I'd better get going.
Well, I was supposed to go to bed after that, but instead I was wandering around online and finally went to close all my tabs and what do I see hanging out on Facebook? An ad for The Night Guest available on Kindle from Amazon. Jesus, that was fast! If only we could take all that money spent on advertising and do something useful with it.
Already bought the book, guys. Your newest effort still fails, but hey- bonus points for being creepy!
My days are kind of lonely. There are lots of nice people at work, but then I come home and need time to be quiet, but I also miss all the people I'm close to.
Riley is hurt. The good news is that there's no signs of arthritis or breaks, but she's on 24 hour cage rest for a week to let her shoulder heal. She is not happy about so much confinement- she thinks she's done something wrong. Tonight, we sat outside for a while in the grass. I think that will become a more regular thing for her as she gets older.
I spent a lot of money at the vet yesterday. She's got some meds and I also found out that she's got an enlarged heart. One of the volunteers told me today some nice information. He also volunteers at the SPCA and said that one very knowledgeable lady there told him that something like 70% of dogs have an enlarged heart. There really isn't anything to do about it. I've decided that it just means that she is full of love.
The good:
The foam at Joann's was 50% off, so I got her the perfect sized 3-in thick piece. Her kennel was too small
so I went to consult my trainer at PetSmart. She is a huge help to me on all kinds of dog problems, and helped me pick out a better kennel.
Not that Riley's happy about it.
But a new kennel was cheaper than anything I found on Craigslist, plus it was available immediately.
Here's the video I took of Riley yesterday morning.
I went to work, called my boss, and explained the situation. I asked if we would have coverage that afternoon so I could take Riley in for an appointment, and she told me that they'd cover me as soon as I needed it. I was able to get an appointment set up and my coverage arrived on time and told me, "Go take care of your baby." This morning, both my boss and J called to ask how Riley was. Then, later on, the vet's office called to check on her and answer any questions I had. They asked me call them with any problems and to check in after the week was up to let them know how she was.
I was all melancholy this evening, but I talked to Shannon for a bit, did some laundry, and walked Jasmine. We had a nice walk in the cool evening with remnants of a beautiful sunset. There's a shortcut behind some condos that always reminds me of North Carolina: all damp and dark and cool with deep green grass and lots of shady trees. There are giant hyacinth bushes (I think), and their scent is a tractor beam that drags me right over to them. I roll my eyes at how good they smell.
So I tell myself to stop thinking about what I'm missing and ask what's good.
Well, North Carolina, for one. The nice, solid red on the curb in the evening light. The delicate purple of the hyacinth. My bright magenta shirt. Sprinklers. This lovely bathwater evening and a crescent moon, slung low as if it has slipped down, relaxing.
I thought about things like this: I like my haircut. It feels good to walk. I had a nice visit from the ergonomic folks today, and I got to go chair shopping in the physical therapy department. Shannon is coming to visit. The book I bought new, at full price, is lovely both inside and out. I'm not broke. I took a nap with the kitty earlier. I keep getting compliments on what a wonderful dog Jasmine is. My neighbors call her Jazz. They ask about Riley.
While I was walking through North Carolina, I thought about my apartment- about walking in there for the first time. The trees filtered the light, and the living room carpet was covered in a beautiful pattern of sunshine and shade. I had this reactionary soft gasp as I felt the energy of this place. I knew this was it. It is.
