Flea Bitten

The weather was cold and wet and it seemed like a good idea to get out of the house this afternoon and do something different. "There's a home show out at the Expo Center," I told Heidi, and off we went. The half hour in the car was pleasant enough: the weather had kept enough people home that the roads were not too bad, and we listened to our audiobook about starlings and Mozart

A cold, hard rain began to fall in earnest just as we pulled into the parking lot, and umbrellas up, we race-walked through freezing puddles to get inside. I guess I was expecting decorating showcases and ideas, but I had misread the purpose of the event; it was for home renovation and remodeling with a heavy, heavy presence of window, roofing, and siding people, many of whom jumped on us like hungry fleas.

There were also a few upscale mattress vendors, some homemade dips and bbq sauces, a couple of cooking presentations, and a mud mat demo that was very impressive, but after an hour we left empty-handed, except for the free tote bag we got for our wet umbrellas, which we actually paid for in the time it took to say no, no, no to the many services the booth was selling.

Oh, and there's that free window-replacement estimate this Wednesday evening. Our windows are 35 years old, after all.

Missing in Action

Back to work today after three days on caretaker duty, the effects of so much time out of school are beginning to show. “We thought you were dead this time,” a student said with not a trace of humor and despite the fact that I explained my absence before leaving on Monday.

And I don’t think it was my imagination that the students seemed a little needy around the assistant and co-teachers. “Thanks for the help,” one guy told me. “To be honest? I only asked you because Ms. G. was so busy, but you did a good job.”

And then there was one of the most oppositional kids of the year, the guy who refuses any assistance offered, deflecting with ridiculous antics. “Where’s G?” he asked about the other teacher, calling him by last name only.

“He’s in a meeting,” I told him right as the bell rang.

“Too bad!” he scoffed. “Maybe if he was here I could have gotten some real help.”

The Devil's Workshop

Our patient is coming along quite nicely, and so my care-taking holiday from school ends tomorrow.

Heidi must be off for at least another two weeks and possibly up to six weeks to recover, but she is feeling well enough to be bored, and so the main risk seems to be that she will overdo it in some way because she is impatient to return to normal activity. Knowing how restless she can be, I was counting on her being tired from the surgery, but it looks like being profoundly anemic for most of a year might have altered her sense of fatigue.

Starting next week though? I'm going to schedule some home repair people to come and do a few little jobs that haven't seemed worth taking time off for. That ought to keep her occupied!

Lucy's New Routine

Heidi is allowed to walk as much as she can, but not with Lucy since any pulling could harm her newly-configured gut. So this afternoon when we ventured forth for a little fresh air, it was I who held the leash.

Oh my!

Despite the fact that I walk Lucy alone every single morning, the fact that Heidi was there, too, seemed upsetting to our dog. She looked back and forth between us and gave the leash that I always use (but Heidi never does) a very suspicious look. Once she was sure that Heidi had the treats, though, Lucy agreed to leave the house, even with those unexpected details.

The rest of the walk involved a lot of looking over her shoulder and crossing in front of us, almost as if she had never walked on a leash before. Who knew that our little red dog was such a creature of habit?

Not I!

We Are Not Getting Any Younger

The waiting area was comfortable and I had plenty to do, and yet I was feeling a little teary. Heidi was in out-patient surgery for a relatively straight-forward procedure, and I knew everything would be fine, but still.

"Is it awful being at the hospital again?" my sister texted.

"Kind of," I replied, realizing that the hours I had spent in hospitals over the last year had taken a toll on me. I had never once considered asking someone to come with me to wait, but I knew then that I should have.

In may ways I am stoic, like my mother. She understood that there are certain things you have to do and do alone, and I know that, too. In those situations, I lift my chin and walk, steady on, toward the unavoidable, like she did.

But those occasions are relatively rare; what I don't often do is ask for company when it would be welcome. Today, I learned that I should do that.

And the other side of that coin? Is to remember to offer my company to others in a similar position.

As it Happens, No

"Are you Vegan?" one of the students asked me this morning, and before I could answer she continued, "Yeah you are. You just look like a Vegan."

"What does that even mean?" I asked her. "What does a vegan look like?"

"Like you!" she answered.

Warm and Light

Another unseasonably warm day, this time with sunshine, made it a little easier to pack up the Christmas decorations. But although we are on the waxing side of the solstice, the daylight was still rather brief, and so rather than curse the darkness, we lit some candles. It wasn't too warm for that.