Day of the Dead

Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead, in English) is a Mexican celebration of one's ancestors on November 1 and 2.  It is believed "that the gates of Heaven are opened at midnight on October 31, and the spirits of all deceased children are allowed to reunite with their families for 24 hours.  On November 2, the spirits of the adults come down to enjoy the festivities..."  source

I bought this little figure at Target last month.

I take time during Day of the Dead to remember and celebrate the critters that have been part of our family and have passed on.  Each is precious.

Murphy, the gentle giant who taught me to love dogs.

Cindy.  Still my best Christmas present ever.

Amy.  Barn cat, turned house cat, born deaf ... and she never knew that that was supposed to be a handicap.

Emma.  The precious soul who started my journey into the wonderful world of Greyhounds.

Maggie.  My miracle survivor cat.  The friendliest cat ever.

Daniel.  The dog who picked me.  

Kimba.  The Queen of Hartwood.

... and Winnie.  What can I say about this wonderful little dog ... I adored her.

I gathered these photos of some of my precious critters, and each of them made me smile.  Better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.  I remember each of them with love, and joy, and I am grateful for their presence in our family.

On this final day of Dia de los Muertos, take a moment to remember your precious loved ones, whether they're human or otherwise.  Be still, and I'll bet you can feel them nearby.
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If you'd like to read a lovely, short article about Day of the Dead, click HERE.

2016 ... In the Rear-View

It seems appropriate, on this last day of 2016, to look back and remind myself of things that happened during the year.  Truthfully, I did this about a month ago when I was writing our annual Christmas letter.  I enjoy sifting through our calendar, condensing an entire year's worth of days and happenings into a single page to include in our Christmas cards.

This is what I wrote (with some additions and edits, because I always do that whenever I revisit anything that I write.)

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Welcome to our annual recap, where we try to remember and

relate to you some of the things that happened around here in 2016.

We did a fair bit of traveling in 2016, with Connie making more trips than Steve did this year.  Connie’s travel always has a plant theme, mostly related to her work with and love of roses.  This year, she had various trips around the country to rose speaking engagements, board meetings for the Heritage Rose Foundation, and some just-for-fun-trips.  One of those fun trips was a long weekend with her mom in April to Charleston, South Carolina, with the Southern Garden History Society. 

Mrs. Whaley's Garden in Charleston

In August, we had long-weekend working vacation at a greyhound conference in Wheeling, West Virginia ... the same conference that we attended in 2015.  We again shared a cabin with our friends Kim, Andy, Gale, and Chris.  The highlight of the trip was a visit to the racetrack to watch the greyhounds run and an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the racing operations with the track veterinarian!

Petting pups at a greyhound farm.

Our annual Thanksgiving week getaway this year was a trip to Las Vegas with our friends, Andy and Kim.  The weather was a little chilly, but perfect for visiting the desert and seeing the sights.  We went hiking in Red Rock Canyon to see petroglyphs, saw a couple of awesome shows (Cirque du Soleil’s Mystère and impressionist Terry Fator from America’s Got Talent), and spent time with Vegas friends and visited the Ethel M Cactus Garden decorated for Christmas.  The death-defying part of our trip was the “Slotzilla” zip line.  You launch from 10 stories up (114 feet) and fly face first all the way down Fremont Street (1,750 feet).  It was terrifying and amazingly fun at the same time!

Pausing for a photo while hiking at Red Rock Canyon.

The nervous smile of one who has survived what felt like a near-death experience.

  

July saw the passing of Maggie, our oldest cat, at age 15.   She was our miracle kitty that spent her life surviving and thriving with one should-have-been-terminal condition after another.  She ruled our household with her velvet paws, greeted all houseguests and insisted that they pet her, and was a huge presence in our lives.  She is greatly missed.

Maggie was just as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside.

Renovation projects continue as usual and there is never a shortage of items to take care of here at The Manor.  There’s always something to repair or restore when one lives in an old house!  Projects included continuing to transform one of our outbuildings into a studio, repairing the concrete fence around our front yard, and refining and expanding our gardens. 

The concrete fence around the front is an important feature of our property.  About 1/3 of it is now repaired and repainted.

The neglected, weed-filled Rose Field is well on its way to being beautiful again, as we clear weeds, redesign beds, and replant roses.

We hope that you have a very Merry Christmas, and we wish you health, happiness and the very best in 2017.

Winnie, Ruby, and me, captured by my trail camera, while on a walk back by our barn.

With love,

Steve and Connie

(and Alice, Dorothy, Ruby, and Winnie … the furry members of our family)

Maggie

We sent Maggie to Heaven last month.  She had been sick for about a week.  In typical cat fashion, she hid the extent of her illness ... that's okay, because we did all that we could.

Maggie was our miracle kitty, the world's most expensive PetsMart cat, surviving two life-threatening conditions (Immune-Mediated Hemolytic Anemia and Hodgkin's Lymphoma), and living an incredible life in the process.

Lounging on the screened porch, as a kitten.

Helping with laundry.

She ruled the other critters in our household with a velvet paw, gently (or not-so-gently) showing each cat and dog who was the boss.

Sleeping on Daniel's bed.

Taking over Ruby's crate.

"Excuse me, this is MY windowsill!"

Even Winnie little wasn't exempt.

She probably would have been happier as an only cat, since she was so people oriented, but she coexisted relatively peacefully with Alice and Dorothy (and with Cindy and Amy before them.)

Sharing space.

Poor Maggie wasn't used to Dorothy's type of snuggling.

Maggie loved her people most of all.  She was in the middle of everything, and a constant fixture in my or my husband's lap every evening.

I have come to accept that she's gone, no longer napping somewhere in a sunshine spot.

My favorite photo of her, with her personality on full display and her neck fur barely growing back after cancer surgery.

The last photo I took of her, on the way to the vet a few days before she died.

It's weird to be here without Maggie ... she was a huge presence in our family for 15 years.

Maggie.  2001 - 2016

Godspeed, Maggie.  Mama loves you.

Desperately Seeking Sunshine

The weatherman on TV says that we have had fifteen straight days with measurable rain.  Today makes sixteen.  It's so damp ... I feel as if I'm going to mildew.

In order to do what I can to make it through this till the sun returns, and to soothe those of you who are suffering along with me, I will share some recent images of sunshine.  At the very least, it will help me remember what sunshine actually looks like.

Our house faces east, so the rising sun lights our family room.

Looking the other direction, we have sunrise as seen through the windows of the family room bay.

As the sun rises, it illuminates our barn and the trees in the distance, slowly, spreading from top to bottom.

Our critters are accustomed to the sunshine patterns, and they know exactly where to nap to get the best sun.  One of the leather chairs in our family room is a favorite spot ... the following photos were all taken on the same morning, as each cat took their turn in the chair.

Dorothy

Maggie

Alice

Maggie is especially adept at seeking out and enjoying the warmth of a sunshine spot.

Morning sun on the family room rug.

Mid-day sun on a south-facing windowsill.

I often find Alice in the foyer like this.

As the day progresses, and the sun comes over the house, the dining room becomes THE place to be.  One afternoon, I walked in and saw this scene.

"They consulted counsel about it and found a loophole," said a friend when she saw this photo.

Whether it's sunny or cloudy, I often find Ruby at this window watching critters in the backyard.

Judging by the direction of her gaze, I suspect that she is watching a groundhog.

This wet, cold weather pattern MAY break over the weekend.  I hope it does ... not that I'm complaining, you understand.  All this rain has its advantages.  My garden is enjoying the grey skies and rain, and the grass ... oh my lord, you should see the grass.  It's very, VERY tall, and WAY too wet to mow.  I have roses to plant, but I need to wait to do that till the soil dries out a bit.  On the plus side, the saturated soil makes it really easy to pull weeds in my rose and perennial beds.  I have been getting out to do just that whenever it's not actively raining.  Not ideal, but I gotta do what I can to feed my need to be outside and get as much of my spring clean-up finished before rose season ... which will be here soon, whether I'm ready or not.  I'm okay with that.

A Post Full of Random Photos

The purpose of this post is for me to do something with some photos that have been hanging around in my Blog file for a few weeks.  Let's use this as an opportunity to catch up on some stuff.

#1.  I took this photo on the afternoon after we spent the day digging out from our blizzard, which I told you about in THIS post.  I intended to capture a normal scene, and to show how relaxed and happy Maggie was ... then I noticed my husband's socks.  He absolutely IS my Superman.

#2.  I recently had a meeting with the folks at Hollywood Cemetery.  After we finished, I drove through the cemetery to check on a few things.  When I saw this little angel with her Santa hat, I had to stop and take her picture.

#3.  I have had my '66 Mustang since 2002.  In all this time, it has had a radio but no speakers.  As a present to myself, I ordered after-market kick panels with speakers in them.  I also ordered a new dashboard speaker, which I will install when the weather is warmer.  Now that the little Pony has music, it's going to be good to have something besides the voices in my head to listen to while I'm driving.

#4.  I showed you my Amaryllis sprouts in THIS post from December.  Those little sprouts grew tall and strong, and I had beautiful red flowers on my kitchen windowsill for weeks.

I also have an Iron Cross Begonia, an Orchid, and a pot of Lycoris Aurea.

#5.  I'm still working hard to declutter, downsize, and organize around here.  In 2015, we donated 374 useful items to charity, just over one item per day, and threw out lord-only-knows-how-many useless things.  My goal for 2016 is to double this number and to donate TWO items per day this year.  So far, with five trips to the charity shop as of today, day #48, 199 items are out of the house and on their way to new homes.  All of this effort really makes a difference in how this place looks and functions.

#6.  Part of my winter routine is to avoid the cold and spend time sewing.  I have a few projects in the works ... I will show them to you later.  For now, I want you to see the sweet critter who keeps me company while I sew.

Alice loves her fluffy bed, on the windowsill by the radiator, with a tree full of birds to watch outside the window.