At my brother’s, I cooked, gardened, and cleaned. It was hot and dry and, unlike here, SUNNY. We watched a lot of TV, too. It’s kind of one of my jobs. Was happy to turn my brother onto Shetland and Justified. Last visit it was Vera.
He was feeling so much better than last visit that he was episodically downright chatty. The old Billy. Is it too much to hope that the fevers and abdominal pain are over for now?
The drugstore on Eagle Rock Parkway was closed when I went to pick up some meds. American life at its worst: a young store clerk tried to apprehend a shoplifter and was shot and killed. There were balloons and flowers and Jesus candles lining the sidewalk. People huddled in grief. It was hard to be too upset about the inconvenience of going to the place on York Boulevard, three miles away, with a clerk who could barely ring up items, meaning it took an eternity to get through the five people in front of me. Okay, so I got annoyed in spite of the tragedy.
Zooey, the 15 year old black dog, does not seem to be in pain but is bladder challenged. She has trouble getting up and can barely walk, so there is a constant race to launch her toward the rear door and get the slider open. She needs to go A LOT. Three times during the night, often. A whole other layer of caregiving but also a lesson in survival. She has sooo much personality.
I doubt I’ll see her again.
Delilah is the other dog, mentioned before. A right lioness. Formerly anxious (still anxious with fireworks) and now dignified and mostly calm. I’d take her home if I could!
Because of the Covid-surge, I’m not sure when I’ll be back. There’s much more to say about everything but I have other writing to get back to. I hate it when I lug my laptop on a trip and don’t even open it! This time I edited six chapters during my flight home, so at least there was that.
More about ravens tomorrow. Talk about chatty!
hearts to you all there – humans and dogs and flowers and hills. great photos. glad Billy’s feeling better – fantastic! I think hope has no upper limits 🙂 Let me know if you want me to come pick you up in my new car. Could be a fun month to drive x-country through the Rockies. We’d just have to avoid the fires? Sorry, just kidding – hey, unless I quit my job… stay posted.
Never have made that cross country trip. In the next life maybe?
We have been considering that drive, but going in the opposite direction. Still not ready for that though.
There is so much in this post Dee. A very bittersweet sense here. Glad you were at the Rite Aide far after the fact. Such a sad story. Your photos are beautiful, almost with a 1960’s feel to them.
Glad you could visit/help with your brother…and the dogs.
Every time I’m in California, I think of you more often than usual.
Love those shows, LOVED the pics, hope your bro & pups will be ok! Thank you for sharing, Dee!!
Thanks for stopping by Jen. I’m watching Justified again. Start to finish.
Lovely to see your brother. And his dogs. So sad about the young clerk being shot just for doing the right thing. It won’t help his family…… sigh.
I know. So many lives impacted.
Wonderful to learn that Billy is doing so much better. Each time that you are there, you leave behind the love, care and attention that only a sister can give. I know it is a balm as well as a blessing to him for time spent together, watching TV, talking, cooking, gardening, cleaning, quite simply, are acts of love in action.
Been watching a bit of telly as my British son in law would say here as well. Before my daughter E left for her home in CA, she bought me a subscription to Britbox, an early birthday gift. I am an anglophile and practically everything I watch on PBS is British. Now, at last, I will be able to watch Vera. I love that I can set up my own watch list on Britbox and I just finished watching one of the most gripping mystery dramas, Line of Duty. After many years of watching British mystery dramas I’ve gotten pretty good at guessing outcomes but this series kept me guessing all the way through the six seasons Next up will be an Irish drama, Mother’s Day, a true story of the tin the 90’s in Ireland. One Irish mother, one British mother and to my surprise and delight, two of the actresses in Line of Duty are the featured actors.
We’re enjoying Line of Duty and based on your recommendation, I’ve just started Mother’s Day. Twenty minutes in and it’s already heartbreaking.
Beauty, healing and sadness. Glad you were able to go, and to come back home. Have heard of folks being stuck in California. Flying across country in October, trying not to get anxious ahead of time.
It’s hard to know what things will be like in October. I felt fine flying recently and back in June. Not sure how August will be. I’ll go get a Covid test on Thursday just to be sure.
So many emotions here .. best of all that you made it there. Spent a good deal of time with your brother .. and that you made it home safe. So much happens beyond our control with much of it overloading our already overloaded selves. Love all your pictures .. sending Blessings 😘
Thanks for the blessings. I was reminded of the practice of saying Metta yesterday and will pick it up (again). First for myself (always) and then for others. May I be peaceful. May I be free of inner and outer harm. May I be cared for gently as I walk upon this earth. May I know joy, wisdom, and compassion.