We had some pretty snow late yesterday afternoon. Maybe about 2 inches? I quite enjoyed watching it fall. I talked Don into having some hot chocolate with me and our cozy cottage wrapped its arms around us.
Today, however, it’s raining, so it’s quite messy out there. This has to be one of the strangest winters I’ve ever seen. Very little snow. Abnormally warm temperatures. Then, suddenly, 20 – 30 below zero wind chill. Then temps in the fifties. My head is spinning.
The living room on this gray morning. Ever since I got my upgraded iPhone, I find myself grabbing it to take photos more often than not. It’s so much more convenient than hauling out my Canon. It’s not as good as the Canon, to be sure, but sometimes convenience trumps excellence. I like to take good quality photos, but I am not a blogger who has to have magazine-worthy photos in every post. Good lord, the constant hauling out of the tripod and arranging ‘vignettes’ (you know I’ve come to hate that word) and waiting for the perfect light would drive me nuts. Life’s too short. Sometimes, the tripod and light and the right lens are exactly what I want to tinker with on that day. But since I blog every day, that ain’t gonna happen on a daily basis.
My succulents are sending out appendages of new growth. They seem to be thriving on the kitchen table. (That’s an empty CD container under the pot – I use what I have!)
We brought Scoutie’s ashes home yesterday. Don didn’t want her waiting for us on a shelf at the animal hospital. It was very emotional, of course. Don and I sat in the car and cried. She’s home now with her brothers, Winston and Riley. We were also given a round piece of clay with Scout’s paw print and her name etched below. It’s on the sideboard, where it will have a place of honor in our cottage.
Don is going into the city today, so I will be facing my first full day alone here. That’s something I need to do. For a girl who tends toward solitary, this is a tough one.
Happy Wednesday.
Still crying with you as you mention dear Scout. What a precious memory to have her footprint forever.
Hugs to you both. By the way, your living room looks beautiful!
Thank you, Patricia. It’s lived-in, that’s for sure!
Yes, what a great memory to have Dame Scout’s paw print. Love your inside and outside photos. We didn’t get the snow — just drizzle all day long with temps hovering in the 30’s. Today more rain and temps at 60 or more. You are right – this is the craziest winter yet. But think! Spring (or the “official” first day of Spring) is less than a month away now. I am ready. Hope your day goes ok Claudia – I’ll be thinking of you.
Thank you, Vera. I find I’m really looking forward to Spring. New growth, new life – just what I need right now.
I’m wishing you a day of peace.
Thank you so much, Sue.
Bless your heart! Sending you hugs across the miles. I hope your day turns out well. This has been a crazy winter! After a warm, spring-like weekend, we are having a blizzard today, 8″ snow and 50 mph winds forecast and it seems like the forecast is correct!
It’s insane, isn’t it? Stay warm and safe, Debbie.
I’m sorry I haven’t been around for a day or two. Still playing catch-up on blogs and spent the day yesterday with a friend as their driver for outpatient surgery. What was supposed to be about 4 hours ended up as 8 1/2. A long day, but he’s home and all is well. I have read your past posts and continue to pray for you and Don as you adjust to a home without your beloved Scout. What a sweet thing to give you her paw print! I hadn’t heard of that before. You were exceptional parents to her and I know that SHE knew just how much she was loved by the two of you. I’ll be thinking of you throughout the day today.
Blessings,
Betsy
You were a good friend, Betsy. I’m sure your support helped your friend so much! Thank you for your support today, Betsy.
Love the snow photo and the one of your living room. Your house just beckons to me, to sit and read, sip a hot beverage, be at peace. I hope you find those things today.
That makes me happy, Karen. That’s just how I want the house to be…a place of respite and comfort.
You will be in my thoughts today.
Love your iPhone pic – shows the coziness of your little cottage.
Thank you, Regina.
Your living room looks inviting in any light. Yes, today will be a tough one for you. Grieving is part of healing. You can do this!
That’s why I told Don to go ahead and make the trip into the city. I need to do this. Thank you, Carolyn Marie.
I love it when it’s cold and dreary and you can just enjoy the warmth of your home. Your house looks so cozy.
Hugs to you on the ashes. I know how hard that is. I still have my dog’s ashes near the spot where she used to lounge.
We’re trying to decide where to place all of the ashes. We have Winston’s ashes, Riley’s ashes, and now, Scout’s ashes. Right now, they’re tucked away in my china cabinet.
Home is so comforting but at times lonely. I’m glad Scout is home and for me it was a healing process to bring Charlie home ( I also got a paw print in clay, made me cry). The sun is shining here but the wind is blowing like crazy! I need to take some photos of my fun finds from yesterday. Today is my Sara’s birthday, she is 34 which is impossible because I can’t be old enough to have a daughter that age! Thinking of you today.
hugs,
Linda
Happy Birthday to your Sara! Can’t wait to see your finds, Linda. We cried when we saw the paw print, too.
wishing you all peace. sometimes it is hard to imagine, hard to find, but you will get there.
your living room looks cozy and a great place to be – the proverbial “soft place to land”. hope you have extra cups of cocoa on which to sip and plenty of good books to read there.
hugs and prayers,
Kathy in iowa
I do. Thank you, Kathy.
I love the picture of the snowy day. Take the day to do just things you enjoy Claudia and take care. Doris
Thank you, Doris, I will.
I have my kitties’ ashes on my dining room credenza, along with a basket of their favorite toys, their tags, their kitten teeth we found when the milk teeth fell out, and the whiskers they shed that we found all over the house. Finding a place of honor for your children is important. They become once again a part of your cottage and daily life. I hope you are having a gentle day in the cottage alone, Claudia.
I’m trying, Wendy; just going to be quiet today, I think. We need to find a place for all three of our babies.
It is dreary and very windy here today. I lit a candle this morning in the dining room, and thought about you. One more step for you to take today.
The living room picture looks like a grand place for a cup of hot chocolate and a good book today. Every living room I see in blog-land, I think about that. So many are SO WHITE and silvery looking rooms and I always think I could never relax and read there. Do you think there are those out there who don’t consider that? ?
I hope you find something of joy, and moments of peace in your day.
I think there are those who are all for ‘the look’ and sacrifice comfort and ease for something pin, magazine and/or blog worthy. Too sad.
It’s a very windy day here today. Your living room looks so warm and cozy…perfect place to spend a day like today. Grab yourself a cuppa something, and a good book…and let your home surround you, and comfort you. ;)
I will, Donnamae. I’m upstairs in the office now. But I’ll most likely go back downstairs to read later.
Stay warm while Don is away – you, like me, don’t mind your own company now and then, and you always stay busy even during quiet times alone.
I love the idea of Scout’s paw print in clay, such a sweet way to have a memory always close by.
Hugs – Mary
It’s really lovely. That didn’t happen with Winston and Riley. A friend of mine just told me that he had been given his dog’s paw print, so I was very happy to see that we had been given Scout’s print.
My husband hasn’t been able to deal with his little dog’s ashes yet even after 2 years, so I have her in my craft room with a picture of her and an angel figurine. It was really difficult at first, but now I find comfort in having her there and part of me still feels like I’m watching over her and taking care of her. We too are having quite a lot of rain today. While it is quite gloomy, it is better than the 30 plus inches of snow we had not long ago. The picture of your recent snow looks so peaceful. I’ve always enjoyed pictures of your cottage and I felt calm just looking at the picture of your living room.
Susan
Thank you, Susan. I stopped and patted the container last night and said good night to Scout. Told her I love her. xo
I was more than a little sad to see your living room without Scout sleeping on the sofa, and I know your pain…I remember the emptiness of my house when I lost my Rottweiler…he had such a huge presence besides just the physical kind. He’s been the only pet whose ashes I had returned to me; I kept them for maybe a year, then one dark, windy winter day I scattered them on the hill behind the house where he loved to be, now where he’ll always be.
That’s lovely, Moggie. I can’t quite bring myself to scatter any of my pets’ ashes. I guess I need them near me? My parents’ ashes were scattered over the Gulf of Mexico, which was what they wanted.
You’re house plants always look so nice. My inside plants are so so. I am ok with just a handful of different inside ones. I do much better planting vegetables and flowers outside. My green thumb seems to turn a greenish brown when inside. I did take the end piece of a celery stalk and put it in a bowl of water and I placed it in the window and it really is growing new stalks! When Lucy passed, the emergency vet that we took her to had sent us a card and they had enclosed a pink clay imprint of her paw print with her name on it. It was so very touching. When Scout passed I was wishing you had a paw print. I am so glad you have one.
Hugs to you and Don and Maggie sends hugs also
Thank you, Nancy. I’m glad we have it, too.
I’m glad they are all together with you and Don. The clay paw print, is very touching.
On another note, I was laughing about your comment on waiting for the right light. I find myself doing this too quickly with just some random knit object on the kitchen table. What was supposed to be a quick “progress shot” with iPhone before going to work becomes an occasion to fuss, with pulling back curtains and various tall and short and side to side angles, ha! Your photos are great that first one in the snow today is magical.
Thank you Ellen! Light is tricky and there are certainly times I give up until it’s better, but I’m impatient and if I want a picture, I usually want in NOW. Thank you for your kind words.
the iphone pictures look very professional, I cannot tell the difference. I covet from afar that coffee table. We can’t have one in our living room because of our daughter but I love that one. I have been copying you and trying to keep my geranium alive through the winter so it will bloom on my deck in the spring. So far, so good.
Same here. It’s still hanging in there. Which reminds me…I have to water it.
How lucky you are to have your dogs’ ashes. Back when my family had dogs [50s through early 80s’], that kind of thing just wasn’t done. I don’t even think it occurred to people that they might want it – it was just never mentioned. Humans yes, animals no. But it’s really nice that you have them now. People have realized that “love is a multi-species thing…” ?
Oh, I know. We didn’t have our dogs’ ashes when I was kid, either.
Your snow picture is so lacy and pretty.
I’m writing this under air conditioning, hot wind blowing a gale outside, very low humidity and 85 degrees. I cut my errands short because I just got too darn hot. We are several days/more into this SoCalif heatwave now and we’re to stay this way for at least another week, for as long as the National Weather Service will forecast in the short term. I don’t like it. We had new tulips which forced very fast, fried coming out of the gate. So much for this year’s tulips. I should have MY succulents inside the house; mine outdoors in containers have suffered in the heat, which is odd.
It’s late in the afternoon now, where you are. I hope you got through the bulk of the day okay.
Well, even succulents (though they don’t need as much water as other plants) will suffer when it’s too hot and dry.
So sorry about your heatwave. I got through the day okay, but I missed my companion, who was always by my side. By the time Don got home, I was weepy.
It’s so hard. Not alone, but lonely. For her.
Very lonely for her.
Your photos are always charming, but today I just think of your beautiful girl’s rugs and cry. Sending you hugs and strength to get through another day.
I know. She should be on one of those rugs. It breaks my heart.
We are having thunderstorms here!..I am glad to hear that Miss Scout is home again…that’s what she would want..the paw print is a treasure….
We had really big thunderstorms that went on for hours, Nancy. Very unnerving.
Once again reading your words and crying…looking at the empty spot in your living room…and crying. Thinking of you often and wondering how you and Don are doing. Problem is I know how you’re doing. All I can do is tell you I’m sorry ,I truly understand and pray for you to find peace again.
She should be on the sofa or on that rug, Marilyn. It’s empty here without her. Thank you so much for your prayers and kind words.
I remember when I had to go back to the vet’s clinic to pick up my cat’s ashes, at home I wrote the request on a piece of paper to hand the person at the counter. I didn’t want to have to choke the words out while crying. They also gave me his paw print in clay. Shadow boxes are great for their mementos. Blessings, Mary
We asked that they bring them outside to us. We didn’t want to stand at the counter in a waiting room full of people and their pets. Too hard. They were lovely about it and brought her outside to us.
Claudia, I’m hugging you and Don across the miles. The thought of you two in the car crying and you there alone for the day just tugs at my heart. We grieve with you, but are glad that Scout is home to rest.
Our weather in Florida has been goofy, too. One minute we have the heat on, and the next minute we turn on the AC. Today is supposed to be sunny and warm. I am meeting an old friend (who is here visiting) and her significant other for kunch. Not sure whether to wear a sweater or shorts or both. ;-) I wish you were here to go with us. She is a vegetarian, too, leaning toward vegan and a huge animal lover. Vassar graduate. Hilariously funny. Speaking of which, I spent yesterday listening to a favorite comedian online. I love how he celebrates the little things that many people overlook and finds such humor in them. I laughed till my sides hurt. I highly recommend doing this as laughter is good medicine, especially when your heart is sad. It always helps me.
Loved your photo of the living room and the snow shot. Thank you for sharing with us. Hopping up to turn on the heat so I can shower. It’s cold in here… for now! ;-)
xo
Sheila
We had terrible, frightening storms last night, Sheila. The weather is definitely strange for this time of year. Don and I watch reruns of Frasier every night because it makes us laugh out loud. We’ve been doing that for a long time – since before Scout’s death – and we’re continuing to do it now because we need to laugh.
“Fraisier” is one of my favorite shows, too. Thank goodness for the re-runs because I miss the sophisticated humor of that writing team and the fabulous cast. And any given episode is so good that I don’t mind watching it over and over. I really never enjoyed “Cheers” as much, though I know Fraiser was a character on that show. In my mind, “Fraisier” was one of the best sit-coms ever!
I hope you stay safe from any more storms. They are so unsettling. The weather here is tricky today. My friend and I switched from having lunch to dinner, and I am enjoying a full day of sun. It is pouring through the windows. But the wind! Claudia, it was so bad earlier, it knocked over my next door neigbhbor’s giant pot with a tree in it. I thought of picking it up, but then I thought better of it as the wind might break the pot next time. So I will wait till it subsides a bit. You think it is calm, and then it pucks back up.
I read something today that made me think of what you’re going through of late. It mentioned that life after loss is unsettling because it goes back and forth from the ordinary, everyday routine to extraordinary grief. But a pendulum eventually reverts to a more normal rhythm after the far swings following an earth shattering event. The person mentioned that writing her way through it was the way she was coping. I am so glad you are doing this. As well. Your ability to write will help pull you through it just as Don’s singing and acting will help him. Plus I’m glad you have each other.
xoxoxo
Sheila
Thank you, Sheila. That makes sense. Right now the pendulum is swinging wildly, but I trust it will settle down in due time. xo
Sorry for the typo. I really need to get a laptop in lieu of this IPad as I have great difficulty seeing the faint print.
I am glad she is home with you, that is where she needs to be. I like the paw print idea. I love you,
Mere
I love you, too.