Thanksgiving

Fifty years ago, I gave birth to my first child, a girl, on the Monday before Thanksgiving. She came out fully developed and about the size of a child of 2 months. I named her Michilinda as I loved the melodic sound of that name (Michael-linda is how we pronounce it) and it went perfectly with her last name. She was quite alert and tuned-in to her surroundings and I was so thankful for her birth as she had been due at Halloween and decided not to show until T-giving!

Thanksgiving morning, we brought our little baby home to meet her father's parents and brother, John, and enjoy her first holiday feast.  We passed her around from grandma to grandpa to Uncle, then to her daddy and finally to me for a diaper change and a nap.  Once she was settled into her crib, we all gave special thanks for her safe arrival and enjoyed our turkey dinner.

Once Mindy went to college at age 17, I didn't get to see her for T-giving as she was far away enjoying her college years, and then, after receiving her BA degree, she moved to PA and later down the road married her first husband.  I always missed my "little girl," but most especially on her birthday.  I tried as often as I could to be with her on her birthday, but as distance has a way of doing, I couldn't be there every year.

And the years rolled by as they have a way of doing. Mindy gave birth to her son 21 years ago and circumstances allowed me to be with Jack for part of his first 6 months, but then I relocated to accept a job and the distance interfered with our being together.  However, I tried as often as I could to be with Mindy and her family either at T'giving or at Christmas, but it just wasn't the same.

This year, however, I asked Mindy what she wanted for her birthday and she said she just wanted her people with her.  I told her I could make that happen, went online for a plane ticket, and packed my traveling bag. This was the best birthday ever, the big 5-0, and Mindy did it her way. We had a wonderful time together just chilling and then going out and about a bit, even to see one of the biggest "tacky" Christmas tree light displays in Richmond, VA.  Mindy brought me a piece of hummingbird cake, so I was in sugar-rush heaven.  On "the day" Mindy took me and her husband out to a really special dinner that featured good food, good wine, and good fellowship.  I had already given her her gift when she was out here last month, the 50-year ring my children gave me for that milestone birthday, so I didn't wrap any presents and just gifted her with my presence.

I could not have enjoyed anything more than sharing this special milestone with my first-born. This will always be a memory of joy and love for me and I know my daughter feels the same way.

Sad Day

This morning, I took Daisy to the vet and had her put to sleep.  It was a difficult thing to do, but coming on the past several weeks, it was the best decision I could make.  So, why am I bawling my eyes out and feeling absolutely rotten?!

For the last few months, Daisy has been going crazy and attacking Cinnamon--viciously, often when Cinnamon was on my lap or under my chair.  I thought it was a phase Daisy was going through and that she'd stop.  Wrong on both counts: Daisy's attacks intensified until this past week, when Daisy picked Cinnamon up by the head and jaw and shook her until I thought Cinnamon's head was going to come off.  The whole time Daisy was growling and completely out of control and I was in the middle of the attack, trying to protect Cinnamon while hopefully getting Daisy to let her go.

This past week has been intense, with me never knowing if/when Daisy would attack, so I isolated Daisy outside in the back yard, leaving her kennel and food/water out there with the gate firmly locked.  I hated to do that to my beloved dog, but I knew that Cinnamon would die from Daisy's attacks and I didn't want that to happen.  Yucheng didn't understand the intensity of the attacks until this past weekend when Daisy came after Cinnamon and Yucheng realized how dangerous Daisy was.  I told Yucheng that I was going to have Daisy euthanized, and he was reluctant to agree until he was part of this last attack.  He realized that "our" Daisy was gone and an evil spirit had taken over her body.

I went into the backyard to get her for her final ride in the car this morning and it was the "old" Daisy, cuddly and the sweetest dog in the world.  However, as I brought her through the house, she saw Cinnamon and starting pulling on her leash and growling.  I knew then that for whatever reason, Daisy was gone and the dog who had taken over her body was far too dangerous to live.  I called the vet, explained the situation, and they told me to come right in.  They gave her a sedative, then let me into the room to say goodbye, and administered the final injection.  Daisy was peaceful and gone in a minute. The tears started to flow as I really loved Daisy, but I knew in my heart that I had made the right decision.

The vet told me that sometimes the dogs get a parasite that can cause their personality to change. She also said that there could have been some kind of brain tumor or issue that altered her behavior and we'd never know why she went from  such a sweetheart to devil-possessed.  I have to leave this Wednesday for my trip and couldn't go without resolving the issue first.  I'll let today be my crying day and then we'll get on with life the way it used to be, before Daisy became a dog we didn't know and could no longer love.

Addendum:  Cinnamon has been out from under my bed and sleeping peacefully next to me on the couch for the first time in about 2 months.  Since Daisy made Cinnamon her target, Cinnamon's life has been hell.  Confirms my decision.

Doggone Good Decision

When I was told that the vet recommended Sparkle's leg be amputated, I was flummoxed!  I've never heard of a fractured bone leading to amputation, especially in a dog, so I decided to take some time to think the decision through based on Sparkle's use of her leg.

When Sparkle first came into my family, she was limping almost all of the time, and carrying her leg high up when walking and running.  I thought about what I might do to change that and decided to massage her leg and hip where the bone had been broken and healed without treatment.  Sparkle liked the attention and stayed quite still while I was treating her, so I got in a good 15-minute massage each day, and some days, twice a day.  I noticed that her holding her leg up wasn't the issue it was at first, and within a couple of weeks of the message, she was mostly walking on all four legs.  She still held the broken leg up when she trotted or ran, so we had some work to do.

I've been massaging Sparkle's leg for about a month now, and she seldom holds it up, even when she's running.  She has a nice firm stance and isn't favoring the leg at all.  I'm convinced that there is no need for an amputation and will continue to massage her leg/hip until she uses the leg when she runs. She is such a joy in our lives and I want to do what's best for her, which seems to be helping her to regain complete use of her injured leg!

A Star is Boring

I went to see A Star is Born and didn’t like it at all.  The movie dragged its way through a weak storyline that lost all the zest and zip of past versions of the story. Bradley Cooper over-played a dirty old man, rather than a washed-up singer who is drowning his lousy life in booze and pills. He looked far too old to be with Lady Gaga, and she looked too young and naive to be attracted to him. 

I cringed when they were in the love scenes, especially since the word “fuck” was the primary vocabulary of the movie.  Gaga's character had gone from naïve to salty, and I just didn't buy the changes she made to be with Cooper's character.

I finally turned to my movie buddy and told her I was out; she quickly agreed and we left the theater. Outside, we both agreed that this movie just didn’t have any spark to it, and we were disappointed--especially after reading all the reviews and seeing how highly-rated Rotten Tomatoes listed it.

As far as Oscar-worthy, I say nay—unless there is a new category for “Most Often Used F-word.”

Music Cities Tour

When the announcement of a "music cities tour" was made on my website, it sounded like a lot of fun, so I contacted my travel buddy and we decided to join. It was a good decision as the tour was excellent.  We began in New Orleans, moved to Memphis, and ended in Nashville.  Along the way there were little excursions that were both informative and entertaining. I don't remember everything, but can highlight some of the places.

In New Orleans, we went to a culinary school and had a chef prepare food for us (like a TV show, with the demo on screens so we all could see what was happening).  Along with the food he prepared, he talked about how the food in New Orleans reflects both the history of the city and it's diverse population, which gave us a feel for how the food developed as the people came into the city and made it their own. We went to a "dive bar" called Daisy Dukes, and had excellent food that was as good and diverse as our culinary guide had described! We also went to a jazz bar for live entertainment and found out that New Orleans is alive and well 24/7!  The streets are packed with people who really cut loose at night.  There was a lot of construction in the French Quarter, which made it challenging to get where we wanted to be. The night of the jazz club, it was raining buckets, so as we made a dash for the hotel, I misjudged a curb and ended face down in a huge pool of water.  I was able to get up and slosh my way back to my room, but I was totally soaked, with a couple of boo-boos on my shins and knees. And my brand-new umbrella was trashed!  I had just bought it that afternoon because we were warned it was going to rain, but I fell on top of it and it was too flimsy to sustain the fall.

Yes, we went to the famous Café Dumond and had beignets, but they were just folded pieces of dough with far too much powdered sugar piled on top.  Across from the Café, we went to a "French" street fair, but it was just like the well-known street fair locally in Palm Desert. We also saw the famous cemetery and learned how the deceased are stacked up in huge vaults, and when the vault is at capacity, the next person to come in comes into the oldest vault, where the remains from that vault are dropped into a holding area at the bottom. It sounded weird to me, but our tour guide let us know that was why there weren't a lot of remains unearthed during Katrina: they bury people in vaults.  Good to know.

We also took a swamp tour while we were in New Orleans and it was great! We saw lots of 'gators and learned about the swamp while we toured it.  At one point, the tour guide held up a baby gator and let those of us who dared touch it.  I held it in my hands and was amazed at how soft and supple the skin was.  I also was surprised to learn that for most of the swamp, if your boat had a problem, you could get out and stand up as the water is only about 5-6 feet deep.

In Memphis, we got the whole Elvis experience, beginning with our stay at the new Guest House at Graceland, which is a new hotel and huge.  We did visit the Graceland property, including a walk-through the mansion, and then we went to the entertainment park, which was mostly empty of people.  It's mostly static displays, no rides, and some very pricey "park" style food, so nothing to entice anyone to go there more than once.

We did a lot of tours of the city, but one stop proved to be memorable: we went to the music studio where Elvis and his buddies recorded tracks.  There is the Steinway piano Elvis played (I have a picture of me on the bench of it), and while we were there our group gathered 'round a microphone and sang Dream Lover.  Little did we know that we were being recorded--and we were given a copy of the disc for our memory book.

In Nashville, we toured the original Ryman Theater and then went to the new locale of the Grand Ole Opry, which is so much bigger than I ever dreamed a venue could be!  We were there on a Thursday, and the venue was packed with audience members. We watched as the radio show personnel kept going through the short breaks, and had a great time.  The funniest person I've ever heard was Gary Mule Deer, who did a short set of hilarious comedy.  I did not know who he is, so my buddy told me she's heard him in the desert before, and, sure enough, he's going to be here next week, on the bill with Johnny Mathis, which seems like an odd pairing. The other big stop was at the Hall of Fame Museum, which was, again, a very large venue.  There is too much to see and too many people to see much at all. After fighting the crowd for about 15 minutes, I retreated to the lobby coffee shop and took my coffee and cookie outside, where it was much less stressful.  As I was sitting there, I saw the "float" style tourist bike, with 6 people on each side pedaling, loud music blaring and passengers singing along at the top of their lungs.  It may have been homecoming for one of the colleges in Nashville as the streets were filled with young people partying their butts off.

It was a good trip, lots of fun, and very informative. Our tour guide talked us through the bus trips with interesting info about people, places, and events. Somewhere along the way to Nashville, we stopped at Belle Meade plantation and had docents in costume tell us about the house and its history.  As I was leaving to find our bus, I saw "mending wall," with the rocks stacked and parts of it in disrepair, and I had a flashback to many, many years ago when my daughter took a picture of a stacked rock wall she came across, and then my son typed up Robert Frost's poem, which is still one of my favorites, and they framed it for me.  It's still on the wall of my office, where I see it every time I'm at my desk.  It's a treasure to me, and I enjoyed seeing the wall in person (although the wall my daughter photographed is a different wall) after all these years.