Scout — Page 2

Day Three Hundred Thirty-Two

February 8, 2021 at 10:27 am by Claudia

• Sunny, but very, very cold out there.

And we’re getting more snow overnight and into tomorrow. Maybe 6 or more inches. Crap.

Don is happy. I, on the other hand, appreciate that we already have 2 feet of snow on the ground in very cold temperatures which ensure it won’t melt, so we don’t need more.

February is a pain in the tush. It looks like we’ll have very cold temperatures for most of the month.

She said, trying to be positive, “At least it’s sunny today!”

• I finished the C. S. Lewis puzzle:

And started on the new puzzle, which is much more difficult. I knew it would be. The grid puzzles are fun and a nice respite from the more difficult ones. The C. S. Lewis grid was my last puzzle of that kind, so I’ll probably have to order another one soon. But I like a challenge and the Opera House cover of The New Yorker is definitely a challenge.

• Finally, today marks the fifth anniversary of Scout’s transition.

She loved her pillow.

She loved to pounce.

I loved to watch her sleep.

Here she is, talking to me.

And howling. How we loved to get her to howl! All three of us would be howling.

Do you see why we fell in love with her?

She smiled all the time and never met a stranger.

Family portrait when she turned sixteen.

We toasted her this morning and told her how much we missed her. I cried. There isn’t a day I don’t miss her presence in this house. She was pure joy. She taught us to live in the moment. She was fun, she was smart as a whip, she was our baby girl for the sixteen years that we had the honor of being her parents.

We miss you, little girl.

We love you.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

Day Two Hundred Seventy

December 8, 2020 at 10:11 am by Claudia

Boy, I had a bout of sadness this morning. I’d been thinking about Scoutie and Winston and Riley. Don and I were remembering how much Scoutie loved to be in on the opening of gifts and that Winston used sit in front of our San Diego fireplace staring at his stocking because he could smell the rubber/vinyl of the toys that were hidden inside. He’d sit there for an hour – staring.

Then I thought about my parents and brother and how much I missed them.

Sometimes it comes over you in a wave.

Last week, I was chatting with my favorite dealer Sydney, of Fox Run Antiques. (Source of the egg cup cubby, the vintage dollhouse in the kitchen, many butter pats and countless other things including putz sheep.) I asked her if she had any putz sheep this year and she said she did but she wasn’t going to display them because they’re fragile and people steal them. They are indeed fragile. But stealing? So sad.

She sent me some photos of them and I picked out two, which she dropped off at a local antique barn where she has a booth. I paid for them over the phone and on Friday morning, Don waited in the car while I ran into the shop, picked up the bag, said hello to the owner, and immediately ran out again. I haven’t been in an antique shop since March and oh, how I wanted to wander and look and pick up things – especially at Christmas time!

But I didn’t stay. Because that would be foolish. Sigh. Someday.

You know I love to rescue things and both of these sheep have some damage. They needed a home.

A petite putz sheep, with a little stain on the fleece, and the ubiquitous broken ears – that happens a lot with putz sheep. They can break quite easily. My friend Helga, who lives in Germany, actually repairs and replaces parts on her putz sheep. She has a large collection of them, including putz goats and black sheep!)

The other is now the tallest sheep in my collection.

He has a wonky back leg, his fleece is stained, his ears are broken, and the beautiful eye you see has worn away on the other side of his face.

Some of my sheep are in fairly pristine condition. Others are damaged and worn.

All are welcome.

I’ll try to take a panoramic photo of all of them on the mantel above my desk.

We have to do a bit of work outside today. I’m hanging our outdoor lights, we’re storing more things in the shed, and I have to empty a few more pots that now hold dead plants.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

Four Years

February 8, 2020 at 10:08 am by Claudia

Turns out I didn’t need to buy a copy of Jane Eyre; Caroline had a copy all along. I could have borrowed hers. That’s Anne of Green Gables (the very same edition my mom had that is now on my shelf) to the right of Jane Eyre.

It’s very cold out there today but it’s sunny! We’ve had so much rain and wind and dark skies this past week that I’m going to enjoy the sun today. From what I’ve read, there might not be much of it this next week. We had high winds yesterday (this is becoming a broken record) and they went on into the night. It’s still quite breezy but much better than last night.

I finished Transcription last night and I quite enjoyed it, though not as much as Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie series. It’s about WWII Britain and MI5, spies, and all of that sort of thing. There’s an interesting twist at the end. Atkinson is a wonderful writer. There’s always a great deal of dry humor in her books, even when the subject matter is quite serious.

I am moving on to The Snowman by Jo Nesbø, which I started this morning.

Other than that, I’m taking it easy this weekend. Even though I threaten not to watch the Oscars, I’m sure we will. It’s too much fun, even if it’s maddening. We’re cheering for Renée Zellweger and Brad Pitt. Did you know that Don worked with Brad when he was very young and just starting out? It was on a television show called Freddy’s Nightmares. I’ve seen a recording of it. Brad looks like he’s about 16. Anyway, Brad, according to Don, is a very nice guy. That’s not the reason I’m cheering him on, necessarily, but it doesn’t hurt. He’s a very good actor and he’s often underrated because of his looks. It would be nice to see him acknowledged. Other than those two, I have no favorites. It will be interesting to see what happens.

Today? Cleaning the bathroom, something you know I do not like. But it must be done. Maybe some work on the dollhouse, though I seem to have a problem getting motivated lately. Definitely reading.

We lost this magical creature on this date 4 years ago. I was working in Hartford at the time. We made the decision while I was home on my day off. I could see that she was failing and that it was time. Don, who had been taking care of her, had a harder time seeing it because he was right in the middle of it all. I had a little distance because I’d been away. But Don knew in his heart of hearts that it was time.

We miss her so. There’s less magic and joy around here nowadays. It’s there, but not as strongly as when my girl was alive. She taught us so much. She loved adventure. She was always joyful. She scolded us when she wanted something. She was smart as a whip. She made everyone she met happy. She was our magic girl.

We miss you, Scoutie. We miss you, Winston and Riley.

And no, it’s not time for us to adopt a dog yet. We’ll know when it’s time.

Happy Saturday.

Day Three Hundred Thirty-Two

Day Two Hundred Seventy

Four Years

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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