Sobering thoughts

Another day—another appointment. This time it was for the girls. Let's just say the day was traumatic for all. 

It started with them going outside to discover that a rabbit was in the backyard. However, the rabbit was quicker than they were and scooted under the fence. But then the big investigation started. Why was that rabbit in the backyard? Was it digging a nest? And so on. 

MOM -- that rabbit was here! 

Right after the walk, it was time to get in the car. The girls hardly go for car rides, but they think it's the best thing, so I have zero issues getting them in. For the last few years, they have only gone to the vet! 

MOM - We love the car!

We arrived, and handling the two was not fun, but we managed. I wish I had pictures of what Murphy did, but I don't, so I can only describe it to you. First, a new technician—a young man—is kind and helpful. As I tried to get one of the dogs on the scale, he took Lexi, as they were too hyper. 

Murphy puts her big butt on the scale and proceeds to cleverly put a back paw on the floor! What? That little scammer - she was trying to cheat on her weight! I was laughing so hard, I don't think I even noticed if she had gained weight. I think she's about the same. 

Then it was Lexi's turn, and she popped onto the scale - what? She can't be that weight. And then we realized that Murphy had her paw on the scale! What a dog! It was hilarious. 

We popped into the exam room and waited for the staff to organize things. Both of the girls were pretty well-behaved. 

MOM - Are we getting treats? 

As I waited, I talked to them to keep them entertained, and well, it was a good bonding moment. When the vet came in, she commented on how cute my chatter with them was. Hey, they are my family, and I would chat to my child the same way. People miss little moments like this because they are on their phones! 

It's a new vet as well, and she's young. The girls were disappointed because the old vet gave them lots of treats. They didn't get treats! 

Murphy got taken into the back to get her blood taken, and I did hear her squeak at one point. So much for being the big, brave girl!

When she returned to the room, it was Lexi's turn, and they gave her all her shots, which she did NOT appreciate. They have to muzzle her because she doesn't like it. I was keeping Murphy quiet and under control, because as much as she "hates" her sister, stuff was happening and it wasn't good! Then, when they tried to get blood, it didn't go so well. After the third attempt and the third leg, everything was good. They were happy to be free! 

Maybe they won't be happy to get in the car next time, although I doubt that!

Speaking of nature, here's what one day can do! Look at that leaf!

The unfurling of the leaf

I popped into the thrift store to look for a pair of denim stretch jeans to rip apart. Oh boy --- men's jeans are $16 - $22 and this pair had a big rip in the crotch!!!! I say they are expensive, but they aren't, but you have to be careful, as some stuff is a bit overpriced! 

Men's jeans are expensive at the thrift store

I couldn't find what I wanted, so I didn't buy a pair. But I found this crazy blanket - a biscuit quilt. I did not buy it! I must take my missing book list because they have a lot of older books, and I want to see if there is anything there. 

A biscuit quilt

Then it was time to get to work, and I accomplished stuff, which was good! I was quilting a quilt, and I use painter's tape for my marker, which I frequently lose. Why and where? It gets stuck to my jacket! Now I know where to look for it!

My missing tape marker

Here's the quilt I finished. 

Customer quilt - DONE

I love my CNC technology. While I was working on the quilt, the embroidery machine was working on something else. I must "run" between the two machines to keep them threaded and change bobbins, but it's excellent for achieving steps! 

Working on two machines

The next quilt is loaded on the long arm and ready to go. I had to piece the batting for it, as it's a community project quilt. 

Piecing the batting

So, a good and a bad thing happened in the same phone call. Late in the afternoon, I got a call on my cell phone. I did not recognize the number, but it was a 306 area code, and I decided to answer it. OH MY GOSH --- it was a friend from high school. WOW!! That was a surprise. You see, there were five girls and we became close friends when I started going to town school in Grade Six. I don't remember how we got together, but we were our little gang of five. We even bought the same pinkie ring with our initials on it. I wore mine for years until I had to retire it about ten years ago. 

Here are the five of us at our high school graduation. I confess that after high school, I kind of lost touch with them all but visited sporadically with them over the years. 

The five friends at graduation

Marilyn (in yellow) called me yesterday to say Bernice had passed. NO!!!!! Bernice is second from the right. And Cheryl, who is on the right, passed away 1½ years ago. These girls are too young to be passing! And my date (my first boyfriend) also just passed away a month ago. All three of these people were in their 60s and way too young to die! 

The good news is that Marilyn and Lori (second from the left) and I will get in touch and hopefully stay in touch. One lives near my parents, and the other is near M. I will connect with both. But after I hung up the call, I got out my photo album, and it's not like it is today. I had a handful of pictures of us, but taking pictures was a whole different ballgame back then. 

Rest in peace, Bernice and Cheryl! The sad thing is that both families were riddled with illness. Cheryl's brother lived in the same building as my parents, but he passed a while back. Bernice's sisters and brother have passed, although her Mom lived to 97. Her younger sister died at 56. 

I guess the moral of that story is - you better live your best life NOW. And I don't even need my subconscious to remind me that when dealing with the clutter, I better ask myself -- would you rather read magazines that add ZERO to your life, or would you rather be chatting up a storm with the girls? Or whatever. Get rid of the clutter so you can enjoy your life NOW. Getting rid of the clutter is good -  you live the memories, learn how to cope, and your house is clean! 

Of course, when I was sitting outside earlier in the day, Miss Murphy was up to her old tricks! She threw the fish in the pond. She's pretty proud of herself for doing that! 

Ooops - the fish fell in the pond! How did that happen?

And thank goodness for the gazebo. While chatting with Marilyn, it started raining, but I was safely ensconced in the gazebo, and I didn't get wet. The weather got very weird as the sun shone brightly while pouring rain. Hmmmm

Nice and dry in the gazebo

Of course, Miss Murphy is outside enjoying the rain. There is a lot of leaf coverage above her, so she wasn't that wet. 

Mom - I'm not getting wet!

Well, there's another appointment today, and this time it's for me. I have a dentist appointment to have one filling replaced. Then I'm home and have work to do! Those appointments are time-consuming! But at least I can walk to this one. 

And I will have to break down and buy a new FitBit. This one has started to just lose power with no warning to recharge. It's lost power twice this week, so it's on its last legs. But I've had the darn thing for years, so it doesn't owe me anything. WAIT --- I just checked the blog - I bought this one in July 2020, so it's not as old as I thought. But still --- it's time for a new, more reliable one! 

Here's a sobering thought for the day, and one that I have trouble wrapping my head around. What would you do each day if you had one week to live? Yes - we'd spend time with our family and friends, but I'd also clean up the paper. Would I want someone to see this mess? More importantly, would I want someone to deal with it? And I'd be getting those UFOs together so someone could actually finish them! 

I don't want to do that on my deathbed, which is why I'm doing it now, while I'm physically and mentally able to deal with it! I'm also enjoying a clear, uncluttered life, which makes me happy! I'm learning that less is more, which also makes me happy. When it's time for me to go, I won't have anything but a suitcase of possessions! 

And I'm off!

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!