INVASION!

No it’s not ants, or spiders, or cockroaches.  It’s not the Martians, or the Body Snatchers, but it might possibly be Teenagers From Outer Space!! 

Just kidding of course.  I have the best teenage and pre-teenage grandkids that any grandma could ask for.  The two from Portland, Anna and Bekah, arrived today and the two Eugene girls, Cailin and Emilie will be joining us on Wednesday afternoon for a 10 day sleep-over.  Somewhere in there I need to work in a couple of grandsons too.  If you don’t hear from me for a couple of days, call for help.  They have either locked me in the attic or I have locked MYSELF in the bedroom.  Next time Sue and Mo go on a winery tour, I think I need to go with them!!  Doesn’t matter that I don’t drink – I could always start!!

I’ve been keeping my eye out for the announcement from Canon regarding their new mirrorless camera, with interchangeable lenses.  Rick Doyle has blogged about this a couple of times and explained the technology behind the camera.  The announcement came out today and it sure looks like a fine camera.  HOWEVER, for the price I think I will just stick with a middle of the road point and shoot.  As Rick pointed out to me in an email, he’s tired of changing lenses for different conditions, and I think I am too.  If I want to do that I can always break out the D300. 

So, since my camera developed some kind of scratch or chip in the lens, Russ went to Costco and got me a new Panasonic Lumix ZS19.  I am not committed to it yet but am going to try it out for a few days and see what I think.  The advantage is, it is just a newer model of what I already have so there is no real learning curve and the same battery fits so I will have a spare. It doesn’t have a lot of the special effects that some of the cameras have but I don’t use that stuff anyway.  I can always add any effects I want in post production.  I just want a good easy to use lightweight camera that I will carry with me and use.

I tried it out on my flowers tonight just to see what it could do.  Unfortunately, my flowers, like myself, are beginning to show signs of old age.  I tried to tell them all that sun would surely fade their beautiful  youthful bloom but, sun-worshippers that they are, they didn’t listen to me.  Now they are each day becoming more faded and wrinkled and brown.  Sad, but true.  Anyway, here are some of my blooms.  How many can you name?  Answers are at the end of the blog.

Okay boys and girls, here are the answers.  I hope you didn’t cheat!!
1.   Balloon flower
2.   Mint
3.   Hosta
4.   Mint ( yup again, did I fool you?)
5.   Ya got me!!  I can’t remember so if anyone knows what this is, please let me know.  It is a bush and it is perennial.
6.   Star gazer lily
7.   Star Jasmine (and its ant)
8.   Yellow snap dragon
9.   Pansy
10.  Petunia
11.  Geranium
12.  Crocosmia (I hate this stuff – can’t get rid of it.  My lawn guy did me a BIG favor and planted it for me in my garden without telling me, bless his heart!)
13.  Martha Washington geranium
14.  Calla lily
15.  Violas
16.  Snapdragon
17.  Violas again!
18.  Viola (I love these little guys)
19.  Gladiolus

So there you have it.  May you bloom where you are planted, or wherever the big wheels take you!

We Had a Great Day

We had such a good day yesterday.  Friday night we got a call from Allen and Lolita.  They recently sold their home in Corona, CA are on their way to make a new home in Canada. They would be passing through Eugene on Saturday.   We have met Allen and Lolita a couple of times before and had a great time with them.  When they asked if we wanted to get together we were ready!

A couple of weeks ago we missed a chance to meet up with some other bloggers.  We were still reeling from recent losses and could hardly complete a coherent sentence without becoming emotional.  I was so sorry to disappoint but I think they understood.  I am happy to report that we are both doing so much better.  We brought Rusty’s remains home on Thursday, and although that was difficult, we feel better knowing he is at home.  Someday we will scatter his ashes beneath his favorite tree in the backyard but I don’t know when that will be.  And though my life is changed forever with the loss of my sister and my best dog ever, I know that life goes on and we must go on with it.  To do otherwise would be like trying to walk through quicksand.  The loss will always be there but so will the good memories. 

My 12 year old granddaughter, Bekah, posted something on her FB page a couple of days ago..  She said “Sometimes I ask myself: why me? But I realized that if we never went through pain, we would never know the happy feeling of knowing the pain was over... And that you got through it in one piece.”   So wise for one so young.  I think maybe she is going to be a philosopher like her Daddy (John) ha-ha.

So yesterday we decided was a good day to start the rest of this journey called life on a positive note.  We met Allen and Lolita out at the RV park they were staying in so we could see their new home.  They have a new Bighorn  fiver and it is beautiful. Only a very poor photographer would get the kitchen faucet in front of the subject – mea culpa!!



Their sweet dog Lilly is still getting used to this life on the road and she was a little nervous with our presence.  I couldn’t get a good shot of her but she seemed to be asking her Dad, “What are these people doing here?”


This is Russ and Allen outside the rig.


Since it was a very warm day, we decided to adjourn to our shady backyard and allow Lilly a chance to be off leash and get a little exercise.  I think she enjoyed the backyard and she even did a little running.  Poppy spent the afternoon napping in the bathtub so Lilly had the yard all to herself.

I had been to the farm that morning so I had some fresh green beans and baby Yukon gold potatoes that I cooked up with bacon and onion.  We also had some farm fresh corn on the cob to go with our Costco steaks.  Pretty tasty for a quickly thrown together meal, if I do say so myself!!  Allen and Lolita brought a lovely veggie tray and some Napoleons for dessert.  We all had to save our desserts for later as we were stuffed plumb full from the meal.


Thank you Allen and Lolita for the lovely anniversary card and gift card.  We will put it to good use!


It was just perfect in the backyard, well maybe just a little too warm for me but then I think 70F is warm enough!!  Remember those impatiens I planted around the tree back in May?



They have done real well and now look like this (weeds and all!!).


The snails and slugs are taking their toll on the hostas and petunias but I am fighting the good fight against them.  I think I’m going to pull up all the hostas and just plant impatiens next year.  The snails don’t seem to like them.


The next two weeks here are grandkids weeks, then a slight rest before our family picnic on the 25th of August.  After that we are planning a trip to…still thinking… but we plan on being gone for awhile!  And that’s all the news from Eugene, OR.  Hope you are all having a wonderful day. 

Bloom Where You’re Planted

I just can’t help it, I love flowers.  Last year Russ requested that we take a break from yard work so we did not plant one thing…not a petunia or a snapdragon or an impatiens.  Although our lawn guy put in a couple of tomatoes for me, I planted NOTHING! 

So now we are home and will probably be here for most of the spring and summer.  Therapy is tucked away in her little cabin and we have been working on getting her spic and span for our next trip, whenever that may be.



I just can’t go without flowers two years in a row! So for the last two days we have begun to work on the flower beds.  We almost missed the peony blooms while we were gone but there are still a few that aren’t totally spent.
I love these bold and showy blossoms but they sure don’t last long.  


We planted 51 flower starts today…and that did not even finish one bed!  Yeah, we got a ways to go yet.  But we’re getting there.

Thankfully I had some volunteers from two years ago.  These snapdragons are supposed to be annuals but they just keep coming back, for about three years now.



See all the dead leaves and crud around the plant?  That is what it looked like all around the sweet gum tree. 



This is what it looked like today after we finished planting.



In a few weeks, hopefully, we will have a nice bed of pink impatiens…with a few snapdragons thrown in just because I like them.

It’s probably been more than 25 years ago now that we were visiting Russ’s parents in Mill City, OR.  They lived in a mobile home park and Russ’s Dad was always busy mowing all the neighbors lawns and the common areas.  They always had a big garden and his mom managed to always have some colorful flowers as well.  As we were leaving their house after our visit, I admired some little plants that were fighting their way up through the gravel of the parking area.  I didn’t know what they were but Russ’s mom went and got a baggie and dug up one of those little plants and I carried it home in that baggie.  From that tiny little start, this large shamrock plant has grown.  It’s an old fashioned plant and some may not think it is worth much.  But it means the world to me because of the kindness of Russ’s mother on that day.  Each year it grows bigger and as the weather warms it becomes covered with tiny pink blossoms that open up each afternoon.  The bees love it and I like to think it provides delicious nectar for their honey making enterprise.  Russ’s mom has been gone for many years now but this plant lives on as a constant reminder of how a little kindness can go a long way – and can even outlast your lifetime.



By the way, I have always called it a shamrock plant but I’m really not sure.  It doesn’t look exactly like any I have seen pictures of so if I am mistaken, please let me know. 


So for a while we will not be using the picnic table for al fresco dining!  Russ looks a little worse for wear, doesn’t he?  Poor hard working fella!!



I think we might have a small problem here.  There is something not right about this photo of the patio cover (yea, I know, it’s filthy.  Pressure washer will be working overtime soon!)



But still, there are some parts that are looking pretty good!



Wherever you go in this journey called life, always remember to bloom where you are planted!

Dilemma

This is the Eugene, OR that I love.  This morning was a bit overcast and cloudy, but most of it burned off by early afternoon, leaving only a few puffy white clouds to break up the wide blue sky.  With temperatures in the low seventies, this was my kind of day.

We spent several hours working on Therapy.  After a week living in the MH with two dogs, a thorough cleaning was in order.  I have practically every surface in the MH covered with blankets or throw rugs and even covered the entire living area with a room sized carpet.  Still, Rusty managed to find the very small uncovered space on the bedroom carpet, and that is where he lost his lunch!  As he was trying to get outside when he finished yakking on Poppy’s bed.  All this was several days ago and was cleaned as best I could under the circumstances.  Poppy refused to lay in her bed for a full day until I did some additional cleaning of it!

So today all the throw rugs came out, all the blankets, pillows, sheets, towels, dog beds, dog blankets…it all came out and is in the process of going through the washer and dryer.  Windows were washed on the inside (outside, tomorrow!!), vents and screens vacuumed, mirrors and flat surfaces cleaned, floors swept and vacuumed and mopped.  We are not quite finished but we made some great progress.  We got too tired too soon!!

In the meantime, Poppy was enjoying having access to her favorite napping spot.

Yes, she likes to sleep in the bathtub.  When the fireworks start, as they will any day now and continue for a full month, we turn on the fan to block the noise and she feels safe in there.  I think she likes it also because the tub feels cold on her back.

And Rusty was participating in one of his favorite activities…trying to catch the bubbles from the pump return in the swimming pool.


When he gets bored with that, he continues to try and find a way to get into the pool without using the steps.  A nice, gradual incline would work well for him…he likes to know where the bottom is.

As much as he likes the water, he will not get into the pool.  He fell into the deep end when he was a young dog and I had to rescue him.  I think that did it for him.  Even when a raccoon jumped into the pool to get away from him, Rusty was smart enough to stay out of the water.

So, here’s my dilemma.

Rusty clearly loves his home.  He can come and go as he pleases through the pet door.  He can chase squirrels and birds, play with the pool, sleep on the sofa (or one of his many beds scattered throughout the house), and try to intimidate the cat.  He is never tied up and only needs a leash when we go on walks.  His food can stay down without someone stepping in it, and he has a choice of several water bowls.









These are photos I took of one of my rhodies before we left.  I knew the bloom wouldn’t last long and would probably be faded before our return.





Poppy really doesn’t care about the freedom to go in and out so much but she does like her “safe room” and her bathtub.  BTW, we do have three showers besides the bathtub so we are able to keep ourselves clean without using Poppy’s tub LOL!!!  There are no campfires here (well, not very often anyway and she can always hide in the tub), she can take a nap on our bed when she gets tired of the tub and she has several other beds she can use.  She can have dry food down all the time and lots of water bowls. 

I really love my purple Lupine.

When we bought Therapy, one of our reasons was to be able to travel with the dogs.  I think we should have consulted with the dogs!  Poppy clearly loves to go on short rides and is a great traveler, but she misses the comforts of home.  Rusty is a reluctant traveler, but still very well behaved.  He just wants to be with me and so he travels in order to do that.  All in all, he would rather be home and unchained, and able to go in and out at will.  Rusty gest a little car sick and so eats very little when we travel.  He never knows when the house is going to start moving and so his stomach is never really settled.









This rhodie is actually even more red than it appears here.  The other flowers are some I rescued from the trash at Wal-Mart last year.  I think they’re lovely and deserved to live!




I don’t think the dogs want to travel like we do.  I think maybe I have been selfish in taking them with us.  I love to have them around and perhaps if they were younger, they could adapt more easily.  But Poppy is 13, and Rusty will turn 14 next month.  That’s pretty old for dogs.  Since we are not full timers, we have a few options but none of them are really fun to think about.

We could stay home with them until their lives are over.  For Rusty, I have a feeling that won’t be so very far in the future.  He just doesn’t feel well most of the time and has lost a lot of weight this past year.  The vet says he is fine but we haven’t run a lot of tests on him other than the usual annual tests.  It’s more a matter of he is just getting old.  Poppy has separation anxiety so she would like that staying home option just fine.

We can take Poppy and leave Rusty since she is the better traveler.  But that is not a very happy solution either.

The purple rhodie was not quite all the way open before we left.  It looks better now but I haven’t been out to get a new photo of it.

We can leave both dogs at home.  We are fortunate enough to have my nephew as a pet and house sitter.  He is not a kid (he’s 24) and he does a great job, but he is not “Daddy or Mommy”.  He doesn’t spoil them like we do.  The dogs love him but I know they miss us from their reaction when we come home.  Chris is a college student and piano teacher so he is not here as much as we are.  Yes, my dogs are spoiled, but they are old and they have given us many happy hours and all of their love and loyalty throughout the years.  I feel I owe them the same.

How can I think of leaving them?  It’s a hard choice and one I have not yet come to grips with.  We have a 3-4 week trip to Yellowstone and the Tetons planned for this fall and I just cannot see having two big dogs cooped up in the motorhome for that length of time.  Yet leaving them for that long seems untenable.  I know they will be better off at home and we would be freer to enjoy the places where dogs are not allowed.  I just don’t know what to think.

I know a lot of you have dogs…of all shapes and sizes.  Some of you have larger rigs and more space than we do.  Some may have a smaller space.  What do you do with your dogs when you want to go to a museum or a movie?  Most parks say don’t leave the dogs unattended inside the rig as they don’t want to deal with barking.  Leaving them in a car for long periods of time is not an answer, especially in the summer.  What do you do when your pet no longer wants to travel?  How do you deal with aging pets who are happier at home?  Does anyone have some advice or words of wisdom here?  I know ya’ll are not shy about expressing your opinions so give it your best shot – I asked for it!!