There will be Spring!

I found this scene while walking Sunny early one morning and was impressed with Life's intention to live. Everywhere I've seen things coming up, budding, and blooming. Even on grey days here, nature is stunning. There WILL be Spring.

I had fully intended to make an entry monthly in my blog, but March got away from me. It's my birthday month and takes a full month to do all the celebrations. All the affairs were wonderful and I have gained 4 pounds. Looks like April will be bread and water.

I'm now 83. I never dreamed I'd be this age, not ever! I remember when I was 18 my doctor was an ancient 34. I was sure he had one foot in the grave! People often ask what it feels like to be 83. I always check, look inside and try to find the feeling. It seems to be the same as when I was 3, 21, 40...there's no specific feeling. There is one difference and that is that I am paying closer attention to my body than ever before. I always thought having a body was a pain in the you-know-where--such a nuisance (or nusums as Dylan used to say). But now I realize what a remarkable thing it is. After all, it gets me around. It was my body that so enjoyed all those celebrations; my body that carried and birthed my babies. So I am making regular appointments with the accupuncturists at Bastyr University. (I go to the teaching section. My sessions cost $15 and I get to interact with darling young students who are supervised by agreeable doctors.) I've made an appointment with my Western doctor for my yearly check-up. I'm eating well (sometimes TOO much so) and am content. I have the most marvelous family anyone could ever want, and that source of joy feeds my soul. I have lovely friends, live in a beautiful setting, do work I love--what more could anyone want.

Thank you for checking in with me. That means a great deal to me. I am not good about making phone calls so really appreciate it when you take the initiative.

Sunny is fine. Still sticking close. Still funny and sweet. She sends her greetings, or at least I think that's what she's meaning by sleeping right here beside me.

Sunny

As my intention with this blog is for my family to see inside my life--get to know me better, how I live, what I do, who are the others in my life, etc--I need to share Sunny with you.

Sunny needed a home. The people who owned her moved into a senior retirement home that did not allow pets. They had a friend who knew me. "You need to take this dog," my friend said and I did. The dog's name was Sunshine, but that was awkward and so I call her Sunny. She was about eight years old and although settled in her ways, she soon made her ways mine. I think she's the cutest dog in the world. She thinks she's a bloodhound. She's a mix of Llhasa Apso and Shi Tzu, mostly black, but with some white markings. We have a good relationship. I feed her and scratch those places she likes to have scratched. She walks me and loves me. She also watches me like a hawk. Don't ask me how, but she can tell if I'm going out. She then stalks me. If I decide she can go (she loves the car) I ask her, "Do you want to go?" Her ears lift and she gets tense. When I say "Yes," she leaps about and makes funny little yelping sounds. Other than that she only barks when the doorbell rings. She loves to have company. Even the UPS guy is a big event. I let her race down the hall and greet the elevator. Then she brings whoever it is back to the condo.

She's a good sleeper and often has dreams in which she yelps, cries, and moves her legs. She also comes in the middle of the night, sits beside my bed and makes a little 'please' sound. I get up, pick her up, and dump her on the bed. I guess she's here to stay.

Internet Village

If we were living in the same town, we'd drop in on each other, have regular get-togethers, and know and recognize our favorite spots. In other words, we'd have a pretty good idea of how our lives were being lived.

We may be scattered geographically, but on the web we are neighbors of one another, as close as a click away.

I now regret not knowing more about my parents' and grandparents' lives--what they did, where they went, who their friends were. I don't want to make that mistake with my children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. And so, I am going to blog in a way that lets my family see what my life is like--things Sunny (my dog) and I do, the people I spend time with, where I go, etc. This is not a public blog--it's VERY private, just for my family and extended family.

Hello, world

This is the beginning of my blog.