Snippets

A little while ago, someone in the blogosphere mentioned the term "email bankruptcy" - when you are so far behind on your emails that you declare bankruptcy, delete them all and start fresh.  I think I am going to declare "blogger bankruptcy".  It is a month since my sister's Celebration of Life and I still haven't posted much about that, nor any updates on my critters, nor about a baby robin, nor about Sasha's visit, nor Georgi and Sadie B's visit, nor about the garden, nor about two (not one, but TWO) glorious hikes on a trail I hadn't taken since 2009.  I have photos - thousands of them - and ideas by the bushel, but for some reason little motivation to write, blog, or even keep up with cyberfriends' blogs.  Must be something in the air - the few blogs I have read lately mention the same phenomena.

So, in the interest of moving on, I'm declaring - well, not exactly "blogger bankruptcy" but maybe  "blog liquidation".  I'm going to give you a quick rundown, with a few select photos, of my life with the critters (and other things), consider myself all caught up to date, and go from there.  Just snippets.

May 5th.  The celebration of my sister's life was moving, inspiring, funny, amazing, touching, bittersweet, loving, incredible.  Bev, my sister's partner, had made wonderful posterboards of each phase of my sister's life - her childhood, her school years, family, photography, careers, special occasions - photos and mementoes and awards and treasures, and integrated into the afternoon  many special moments that Carole would have loved. Many people shared their stories of Carole, giving us all a glimpse of the varied parts of her life - work colleagues heard about Carole as a child, family heard about Carole at work, stories told from all perspectives, many of them evoking much laughter and head nodding - 'that is SOOOO Carole!".  It felt good to be there, among family and friends. The following day, we scattered her ashes at her favourite lakeside park and released balloons into the sky.

Releasing balloons
(Thanks, John, for this photo)

May 10th   As a writer for the Chemainus Valley Courier, I attended a concert at Crofton Elementary School entitled "Voices of Nature".  If you click on this link, it should take you to the online June edition(it may take a few minutes as it is a pdf file) - scroll down to page 17 where you will read my article about it and see one of my photos.  And if you check page 16, you'll also find our regular Crofton Corner column, which I co-write with my friend Liz.  (Liz did most of this month's - I only wrote the stuff on the concert and environment).  It was, as I note in the column,  one of the best concerts this town has ever seen.

Voices of Nature
(Photo cleared for media publication by school principal)

May 17th  Two of my sister's school friends (from the 1950s and 60s) came to visit.  They had been unable to attend the Celebration of Life, and I invited them to join me in sending the last of Carole's ashes off into the sea as my sister-in-law had asked - Carole loved the island and loved all beaches.   We walked down the trail through the beautiful Osborne Bay Park, sat on a log on the secluded and beautiful beach, shared a bottle of wine and our memories, and then scattered the ashes on the waves.   A hike back up, hugs all round, and we all went home with smiles on our faces.

Gordon and Judy say goodbye to Carole at Osborne Bay

May 30th  Sasha, one of Crofton's sweetest dogs (and the canine companion of my friend and co-columnist Liz), came to spend the day with me while her humans headed to Victoria.  She is a delight and we all had a good day. She makes herself right at home, clambering up into my lap or onto the other armchair.

Checking the weather -
shall we go for a walk?

Oh well, a snooze in the armchair is good, too.

Sasha,  May 2012

June 2nd and 3rd  Sadie B, whom you have met on this blog before, came to stay, along  with her canine sister Georgi, while their mom worked the annual SPCA garage sale.  They were both great guests.

OMG, she's gone and left me in this insane asylum!

Allie: Ya better watch out, dog, or I'll close the door-
 and bolt it permanently shut!
I gotz power tools!

On the 3rd, my friend Margaret came over and we took Sadie B and Eddie for a hike up the west end of Escarpment Way, across the side of Richard's Mountain heading to Duncan.  I recently wrote about the hike from the east end, heading to Maple Bay.  The following week I did the west end trail with  Sadie B and Gail, and I knew Margaret would also enjoy it.  It offers gorgeous views of the Cowichan Valley and surrounding mountains.

What I found interesting was how many more flowers were out on this second hike than just ten days earlier  - from a few daisies to masses of them, as well as masses of other colours - yellow broom, blue camus, a purple ground cover, and more.

Camus lilies

Daisies

Purple flowers

There were lots of other interesting flora and fauna to see:

Oyster mushroom

Red-headed Sapsucker?

Slug eating mushroom

It was truly a marvellous hike - both times!

Margaret walks Eddie while Sadie B waits for me

Hurry up, camera lady! Let's go!

This is so much fun!

I forget which day it was, but I got a call from a neighbour recently about a baby robin that was caught in her garden netting.  She was able to free it, but it hung around the back lane for hours and hours and hours.  The parents fed it from time to time, but it didn't seem able to fly more than a few feet. Yet it didn't see injured.  Just before dusk, I had a closer look - one wing, though not injured, was noticeably shorter than the other.  No feathers were broken or missing - baby birdie apparently had a birth deformity. It hopped away into some brambles and we decided the best course of action was to let nature take care of its own, especially as the parent birds had been nearby.  Either it will fly or it will become a meal for one of the many feral and semi-feral cats in the area.  Sometimes you can't save 'em all.

Baby Robin

And now it is June 7th.  Eddie is doing well, Sadie is doing fair.  And Petey is moving on.  Sometime in the next week, he is moving to another foster home, this time in Victoria.  He has been with me for almost six months, and although he is fine when I am right by his side, and negotiates my house and yard well, he cannot be left alone without nonstop barking which has now developed to hysterical crying, peeing himself, and trembling.  This not only upsets my Sadie, but on top of his other problems (deaf, blind, chronic bronchitis, hernia, and eyes that need daily care) makes his likelihood of adoption questionable.  And, as I rather bluntly put it to the rescue, it also brings into question the quality of his life.  By moving him to another foster home closer to the directors' location, the rescue's directors will be better able to assess his situation as well as being able to utilize their own vets.  It will be a difficult transition for him, but is a necessary one - for his sanity and for mine.

We'll soon be saying goodbye and good luck to little Petey

So..... now I'm caught up.  This morning Georgi arrives  for a ten day stay while her humans are away (Sadie B is being looked after by other friends, though I'm the back up plan);  and this Sunday.....oh....wait.....that's a surprise - wait till Eddie and Sadie see who is coming to visit!