The sun is out.
It came out at the very end of the day yesterday and is shining today. Of course, it’s colder. I guess that’s the price we have to pay.
I was so desperate to post some photos other than the many I’ve taken of this apartment, that I ran outside yesterday after rehearsal and went to the park. I came up with these. Goodness, it was gloomy out there.
The city sets up an ice skating rink that lasts through the holidays and a bit beyond.
As I walked back toward the apartment, I saw the grassy areas where Scout loved to go when she stayed with me here in the apartment in the autumn of 2014. I must admit, I got very, very sad and that feeling stayed with me the rest of the day. I miss her. I wrote about it on Facebook and Instagram, so I won’t repeat myself here. Hartford is full of memories for me, and many of them – in the apartments, the hotel and the park – revolve around my girl.
The sun came out late in the day (after I’d taken these pictures, of course) and we were treated to a lovely sunset.
That’s the gold dome of the Capitol in the distance and the pond that’s in the park.
I saw two birds flying toward the sunset:
If you look closely, you can see them.
My little nephew, Z, called last night. He cannot figure out why I am here and not at home with Don. So he always says “Hi!” and then immediately follows with “Is Uncle Don there?” I explain that Uncle Don is back home and this statement is greeted with “Why?” And then another “Why?”
Meredith has Z alternating his nightly calls between his Uncle Don and Aunt Claudia. He is fascinated with other languages at the moment. He said “Talk to me.” So I started yammering on about my day and he quickly interrupted with “No. Talk to me in a language.” So I said a few words in French, which he repeated and he offered some words in Spanish that he’d learned in school and we discussed how to say hello in Italian.
He is very smart.
Then, the best part of the call. He gave me butterfly kisses on the phone. He even took off his glasses to make it easier. Mere said he’s never done that before. Can you tell this Aunt was positively glowing? Yep. I sent some butterfly kisses his way, as well.
Hearing that voice on the phone makes my day.
Happy Thursday.
Butterfly kisses, how sweet. Hope your sun shines today!
Thank you, Shanna!
The pink clouds in the sky are so beautiful! Cold I can do. However, I do tire of the gray skies and gray days. I can relate to missing Scout. My sweet Simon died suddenly in May. I still miss him. New Year’s Eve when the fireworks were going off, I thought of him. He had a love/hate relationship with them. I kept telling myself he was seeing them from a different view.
” Grief is like the ocean, it comes in waves, ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim.” (Vicki Harrison)
Sending hugs –
Thank you, Lori. Scout hated fireworks! They really scared her. In the last couple of years of her life, when she couldn’t hear as well, they no longer bothered her. I’m sorry about your Simon. Sending a hug your way.
Hello Claudia. In a previous post I saw you had All The Light We Cannot See. After you read it I’m interested in your opinion of it
Thank youca
I’ll let you know when I get to it, Carol. I’m ever hopeful, but there are always books to review that I have to read first!
Oh those little one’s can just take any day and make it shine! Butterfly kisses!! I haven’t seen my Grands in several days but hopefully this weekend. I’m feeling a bit better each day and trying to continue to rest and get my energy back. Take care and big hugs and butterfly kisses!!
I’m so glad you’re feeling better, Linda. If you take it easy, then you’ll be all set for the Grands on the weekend!
It’s wonderful that you and Don get to talk to little Z every night. I’m sure he looks forward to the calls as much as you do. It got a little cool here in Central Fl last night but is back to normal now. I never got the chance to ice skate but I love watching the skaters, they look so graceful. Hope you have a good day Claudia!
Thank you, Janie! It was a busy day, but a good day.
Little Z is a treasure! He would make me want to learn how to say hello in seven different languages! And, Butterfly kisses…Sweet! ;)
He is funny and very bright, Donnamae!
Hello I from Idaho, stop in from Cheap Trick. I sure know about cold it hasn’t been above 10 for a last few days.
It been ages since I been ice skating.
If you fine the time stop in for a cup of coffee
Thank you for stopping by Dora!
Little Z is such a sweet treasure sure to brighten up anybody’s gloomy day! He loves his Aunt & Uncle. You are both treasures for him as well!
Melanie M
He is such a doll, Melanie, and he never fails to make me laugh!
How very sweet. Butterfly kisses are the best medicine.
I spend the morning looking at family slides from the 60’s. My niece is home from college and this was one of the things she wanted to do while on break. So much fun and filled with so many wonderful memories. On the flip side it has me filled with melancholy thinking of those no longer with us. My father is filling us in with stories as we shuffle through the cartridges.
We have some of those slides. Full of memories but also an awareness of who has moved on. I understand.
I know you miss Scout terribly, Claudia. However, I hope the memories will nevertheless bring a smile to you. I’m sure Scout would want you happy, as she was with you and Don.
Those nightly and semi-nightly calls with LZ are a highlight of your day!
After a few days of rain, the sky is clear and there are so many birds in my garden. The damp soil must be yielding fat worms and tasty insects. I have never seen so many birds in my backyard before. I won’t go out yet to clean up the yard, I don’t want to scare off the birds from their morning foraging.
Oh, they bring smiles to me at times and tears at others. That’s the nature of loss, I guess. I love those calls from Little Z. He is the best!
Such pretty pictures…I like the birds flying in the beautiful sunset…I do remember how much Scout loved to go to that park…she had such fun there…I think it is wonderful that Z is showing interest in other languages…maybe he will be an interpreter some day…I would take a butterfly kiss from that little sweetheart any day…
She loved it there – so many scents and, other dogs, and people. Z makes up languages as well!
No matter how cold it is, seeing the sun just makes it the tiniest bit better. Although sometimes if you are inside and enjoying the sunshine, when you step outside, reality smacks you right in the face!
Hope you had a good day today! Fun fun talk w/ Little Z last night! What a great way to end your day.
It’s very cold here today! I could really feel it when I came home from rehearsal just now.
Talking with Little Z is the best prescription for a good day!
When you describe one of your little Z phone calls, it makes me miss those totally honest, totally “in the moment” conversations I used to have with the kids in my first grade classes, and especially my own niece & nephew, who are now both in their early 20s. You’d never know what topics would come up, but it was always fun – and usually pretty hilarious too. Kids little Z’s age are invariably honest as the day is long & funnier than any comedian could EVER hope to be. Now I find myself wishing I’d written down some of these exchanges, because they’d be too much fun to re-live & enjoy now. PS – I bet Scout is around when you walk through the park these days. That’s probably why she’s been on your mind so much. 💔
I know. Kids are so honest and they almost always make me laugh. It’s so refreshing, isn’t it? I wish I’d written down conversations with my sisters when they were little and with my nieces and nephews! At least this one got written down via the blog!
I hope she’s with me – I can’t say I feel her presence but I trust she’s around.
I absolutely could not do what you re doing without a lot of complaints, Claudia. As in being away from my husband and home and all things familiar. But this is your work and you are a true professional. I admire that.
I feel bad for that melancholy sadness you have when you visit places in Hartford where you took Scout. Please believe that if turning the tables on your immediate thoughts, you’ll know they were great times for that cute little fluffy guy. I find that to be the only way I can live with the many dogs we’ve had and lost over a thirty year span. Those sweet dogs that have sat on my back porch waiting for that treat. They were all special and all huge losses. Very sad but at some point we really do replace the sadness with very good memories. For what it’s worth, from one dog lover to another…
Happy New Year to you, my friend!
Jane
I know. It’s hard. I have good memories and sometimes I even laugh remember some silly thing she did. But it’s not yet been a year and we have no other dogs at the moment. So it seems especially lonely, you know?
Thank you so much for your kind words, Jane. Happy New Year to you, as well!