Peaks and valleys in July

Where are you?

I'm on a high plateau, doing pretty well. Where are you?

My jaw is scraping the floor looking at that photo. I want to be there. Right there beside that lake. There. Not here.

ETA: My peak so far, was a young girl who was at our hotel last night. She is an avid reader, the sort who reads far beyond her age and eats it up. We had a fun talk. I really want to send her some books, but I probably won't. I hope they come back though.

I'm not talking about any valleys. They are only annoying and I'd rather think about being in that photo.

Valley. Deep valley. Deep, painful, incredibly-sorry-for-myself valley.

Here, before I lose it, is the source of that photo:
http://www.summitpost.org/picturesque-peaks-and-tarns-above-bielovodsk-225-valle...

I'm not at the lowest point, I know that; but I'm beneath an overhang, where I can't see the top or even see up at all; and I'm worried about losing my footing. It's still a long way down.

One thing about being at the bottom is that there's nowhere to fall.

I was in the valley, deep in the valley. But I'm heading toward the first waystation upwards.

Bones are realigned and we are slowly coming into the sunshine...

And...if you don't care to be metaphorical, please just go ahead and tell us what your peaks and valleys are. I didn't intend to set any sort of limit on the usual ups-and-downs thread. This was just meant as an alternative to the hopeless task of finding a fresh pair of J-words for July.

Laying down in the valley, staring at the sky.

Since when did we have to start apologizing when someone else feels embarrassed or insulted about how they've hurt our feelings?

Seriously, think about it:  You do something that someone finds offensive.  You're mortified that they think you're some kind of -ist (I don't care what your malfunction is; that's your business), and yell at them for thinking such thoughts about you.  Then, to settle things down, they sincerely apologize when YOU are the one who did something wrong.

I've been on the ass-backwards end of this a few too many times in the past couple of months.  I ask someone to stop saying something because I do not find it funny, and I'm yelled at for being too sensitive.  I feel betrayed by someone's action, and they scream, "I thought you knew me better!"

Are my reactions always blameless?  Hell no, I am very human, and then I need to apologize for my actions.  Then since I saw a reason to apologize, they feel absolved of any line they crossed.  God help me, I need a vacation, but where would I even go?

If anyone else is in a similar situation, this video is for you: http://youtu.be/qc_XWlqURTg

Well, it's actually directed at transgressors, but you can share it and hope it gets back to them.  Maybe they'll wake the frak up.

Ooooh purty picture!

My current valley = back pain!

But apart from that I'm feeling OK this week :)

>8 Meredy: I felt like being metaphorical. :D

Cross posted from my 75ers thread:

I just found out a friend of mine died on Friday and I'm grieving.

I met Betty, 89, while working dispatch for WeCab. Whenever I would call her to let her know she had a driver for her ride or to confirm her ride request, we would talk for at least half-an-hour. She was a WWII war bride from England and still had a significant accent that was charming. Eventually, after numerous phone conversations, she said she would like to meet me and would I care to have lunch with her at the senior center? I was delighted to and that's how I got introduced to the people at the Gillespie Center. I've been going to Gillespie for a few years now. I used to go weekly but it's more monthly now. I may start going more often.

One thing I'll always remember about her is the plant she gave me. I was complaining about how I couldn't keep a plant alive - the light was too low in the house. She said she had just the thing for me and the next time I came to the Gillespie, she gave me a plant. I said, 'Oh! That's mother-in-law's tongue." She said, "No, that's (scientific name). I don't like that other name." I said, "But I'll never remember the scientific name! What if I call it Carole for my mother-in-law?" She said, "That will work just fine." Ever since then it never failed when I saw her that she asked me how "Carole" was doing. "Did Carole have babies (off-shoots)?" "How are Carole's babies doing?" "Does Carole need a new pot yet?"

Of all the riders I was in contact with due to WeCab, she was the only one who could make me smile with delight whenever I knew I needed to give her a call. She loved reading novels but wouldn't read any that had cuss words or sexual interactions stronger than a kiss. Sometimes it made it difficult to recommend books. I recommended The Rosie Project to her since I knew she would love the story but then had to take the recommendation back because because of the language! Some of her favorite authors were Debbie Macomber and Maeve Binchy. She would make me smile and laugh. She shared her sorrows and pains. She was so real.

She was a dear lady and I will miss her greatly.

My condolences for your loss, Morphidae.  I'm glad you found such a good friend in her.

I'm pretty near the top of one of the peaks. We went away on holiday a couple of weeks ago and had a very relaxing time. I'm realising (yet again) how very lucky I am.

My parents are due next week - could be up and down a lot ;0)

I had a great weekend. My husband and I participated in the annual cancer fundraiser bike ride. We do the 25 mile ride. We did it in two hours, eight minutes. Then on Sunday we enjoyed our local Summer Fest celebration. All this in 90+ degree heat.

And my day was made today at lunch. My friend and I were sitting next to a guy with a cute dog. My friend went in to order and I asked if I could pet his dog. We chatted for a couple of minutes and I went back to my table. My friend and I continued our lunch. As the guy was getting up to leave, he put a napkin on our table and said to Facebook him. His name was on the napkin. I guess I still got it. Oh, and I'm probably about ten years older than him. I was flattered.

Oh wow, what an INCREDIBLE photo! I want a vacation NAOW!

Morphidae, HUGS, I am so sorry. Nothing replaces a lost friend, but holding them close to your heart enriches your life, continuously.

I have some lovely peaks - WE HAVE BATS! finally, after ten years - put up a house for them, and they finally came. Amazing how few the mosquitoes, I am loving it! And they are fun to watch on entry and exit, and you can hear them talking and messing about with each other inside, if you stand close to the tree where we sited it.

Here is a little lift for any and all: Far Fetched Fables has done a professionally narrated podcast of my short story, BLOOD, OAK, IRON, and it is FREE!

Here's the link to this week's episode, featuring "Blood, Oak, Iron": http://farfetchedfables.com/far-fetched-fables-no-13-janny-wurts-and-gene-wolfe/

Enjoy!

>16 JannyWurts: I love bats! Congratulations on managing to lure them to your place.

Ditto! Hooray for bats!

No e-mail in or out, and an hour on phone with ATT did NOT solve it.

>16 JannyWurts:  My husband's family has played host to bats for years.  For some reason, they really love the fake shutters on the second story of their house.  They and their neighbors have sat out in the lawn at dusk, just watching them flitter in and out.

I don't mind bats too much, but I'd prefer it if they didn't sleep above my car or dive bomb me as I'm walking down the garden path. Though the time we had one in the house during a dinner party was amusing.

It's been a week of valleys--a month, in fact; nay, a year--but one high spot came yesterday: my family celebrated my birthday with cake and ice cream, and my husband gave me my first e-reader. It's taken me several years to work up to being willing to own one (and I still feel like a traitor), but the balance tipped.

I now possess a Kindle Paperwhite 3G version, without "special offers," and I am just starting to learn my way around it. I purchased my first e-book a few minutes ago. This will not stop me from buying and keeping physical books, but next time I go on vacation I will not have to haul twelve or fifteen pounds of reading matter.

I have mixed feeling about this, but I know I'll have fun with it, even if I have to grit my teeth and have fun grimly and with determination, in the best Puritanical fashion.

Naturally I've ordered a leather cover for it that makes it look like a book.

After a year or two of valley, things are looking up, at least for now. Mainly because the kid and I spent a week in a cottage on Chincoteague Island, and I didn't really think about computers or to-do lists or e-mail etc. And my cousin and her kid drove down and spent 3 days on the island with us, and that was great. She's practically my other sister, so it was a good visit. And she went shopping with me, which let my son off the hook. He was THRILLED.

On the funny side, I checked my e-mail on Monday. One of my late husband's cousins had sent me an e-mail the day after we left on vacation. The first paragraph was a general how-do and hope you get a vacation message. Then the e-mail stated they would be in MY town on the following dates for a conference and mini-family vacation and would LOVE to see us.. The dates were smack in the middle of my vacation. I had to call him to let him know I hadn't ignored his e-mail on purpose, we just had conflicting vacations.

Now it's back to work and to-dos and one more month before the kid goes back to school. Sigh--the summer has flown by.

A lot of ups and down at the moment but I am definitely on a peak today, although too much adrenaline was involved to get there.

We stopped and captured a thief who almost got away with 5000$ worth of cameras from our store. Now the sucker is well placed in jail!

I love when justice kicks criminals butt!

>24 LunaticDruid: - wow! Congratulations!

>24 LunaticDruid: Well done there! And good luck on surviving uninjured! (I can think of places where the 'sucker' would have shot at anyone trying to stop him.)

>26 hfglen: Fortunately armed thieves are rare in Norway. The most common thieves are small groups from East-Europe that use the "distract and sneak out" technique. One man tried too distract me from looking towards the exit while another walked out with a bag full of cameras. Fortunately our alarm system worked and when the thief started running he ran into the arms of a passing costumer who just happened to be a bouncer! They tend to know how to handle difficult people. We gave him a nice reward as a "thank you for your help".

Awesome! What a great story of goodness over... well maybe not evil evil, but badness certainly. The bouncer is just icing on the cake! The universe having a giggle at the expense of the bad guys.

>24 LunaticDruid: I'm glad that turned out well, and with no one injured.

Valley - Back Pain! I shouldn't whinge coz its pretty much self inflicted, every time I have a lazy day on the couch I end up with a sore back for the next week - & I LOVE my lazy days on the couch but this pain is icky!

Peak - I ordered a new couch a couple of weeks ago. La-Z-Boy comfort is coming!

Valley - New couch isn't going to be delivered until October because I wanted it in fabric instead of leather so it has to be made :(

>24 LunaticDruid:  That'll teach 'em to mess with a druid!

>30 Seanie:  I've been dealing with the old back pain.  It was good for about a year until I started working for myself, and I haven't been as active.  Plus, I think my bed is too soft.  One morning, my husband evicted me from the bedroom because he had a video conference (we had a full house, so there was nowhere else for him to take it), so I grabbed a pillow and headed for the couch.  The couch is nice and firm, and I vaguely recall a gentle chiropractic adjustment as I settled in for a couple more Zs.  My husband says that means it's time for a new bed, but I hate spending money when the bed still serves its function...

>30 Seanie: >31 justjukka: I've had quite a yucky month, with my wife away, and one of the worst parts has been trying (with great futility) to keep up with all the wonderful work that she does in the yard, with bushes, flowers, etc. Very hard on my back. The good news is that we'll be reunited next week. The mountain picture is very a propos, because she's been hiking the AT in Maine and will finish at Mt. Katahdin.

31> I'm pretty sure the bed is no longer serving it's function ;(

After quite a lot of days in the high nineties, the weather has taken a bit of turn to some coolness. Yesterday it was in the low eighties and today it's supposed to only get to 80. I'm loving the reprieve from the heat, but we also have thunder storms in the forecast. Which means the possibility of forest fires. We already have 15 fires burning in my state, so more will not be a good thing.

Valley.

Huge.
Deep.
Dark.



Larry's kidneys are failing. Final testing being done now then we can take him home. Not sure for how long. It won't be long enough, that much I know.

My heart is breaking into a million pieces. I can't believe that little light is going out.

They bring us great joy, but it's tough when they go.

OMG!
We might have a reprieve.
Doctor thinks his kidneys are salvageable. She thinks she can get them working again and that what's causing their failure hasn't gotten a serious hold.

We've got a treatment plan and will watch him over the next few days to see how he responds. Right now he's alert and drinking a lot of water. And some of the behaviors he stopped in the last couple of days are back.

Woo hoo! I feel like a stone has rolled off my heart. I know it's not like he'll live forever, but I might not lose him right now.

Oh, Bookmarque, I hope he is able to bounce back! It's so hard to lose them.

We've had at least five thunder storms roll through. Lots of rain, hail, and lightning. Hopefully the rain is helping the firefighters and the lightning isn't causing more. I've spent the day quilting and reading while watching the storms.

Bookmarque, all good wishes to you. It's so hard to feel helpless and so easy to love them.

>37 Bookmarque: I hope it turns out well for Larry.

>37 Bookmarque: Holding thumbs for Larry, and hugs to his hoomin.

>37 Bookmarque: Sending healing thoughts to Larry and hoping he has many happy days ahead.

Thanks everyone. I know you're all pet people and would understand.

Larry just stopped by for a cuddle. Now he's over by the backdoor in his usual spot. Am going to be a watchful mother today and hopefully this isn't just a temporary effect of the prednisone. Hopefully it's an infection the antibiotics are helping with.

But on another sad note, my father-in-law died last night after a more serious decline in his health. He's been in a memory-care facility for a year or so now and chugging along although suffering from Alzheimer's. Then about 2 weeks ago, another heart attack did him in. Lots of family came by and my husband saw him 4 hours before he passed, not sure if he knew Ken was there, although he did recognize him Saturday (and called him by name). In a way it was a relief - he wasn't himself anymore (old age is a cruel joke sometimes) and we hated to see him degrade further. He was 93.

So sorry for your loss, Bookmarque.

>43 Bookmarque: So sorry for your loss. Your father-in-law had a good run, but it's still hard for family to say goodbye. On a happier note, hope Larry continues to improve!

>43 Bookmarque: I'm sorry for your loss. What a stressful week you're having.

Bookmarque, so sorry for your loss, and I hold every hope for Larry - I've known cats with kidney problems that bounced back, totally, even elderly ones. Holding that thought for you both!

Sitting at the doctor's and posting from my iPad. Seems I have something called blepharitis, a staph eye lid infection. So I need to wash my eye lids and lashes twice a day and use antibiotic ointment. Unfortunately, it's a chronic condition that really never goes away but can be controlled. Bleh.

***

I'm sorry for your loss, Bookmarque, and am glad to hear Larry has a reprieve.

Thanks everyone. Yeah, it's been a stressful time. Mostly I feel really badly for the family. The grandkids were always very close to their grandparents and even though they all have their own families now (and great-grandkids), they still are. With Bumper gone (their special nickname for him) they have no grandparents and it will be a hard adjustment. We're going to need a boxcar of tissues at the service. We did when my mother-in-law died. One thing that is extra sad is that they both outlived most of their contemporaries.

It appears that Child #1 has Lyme Disease...or at least that's the doctor's best guess for now unless blood tests show otherwise. He's on antibiotics and will hopefully start feeling better soon. This is my computer geek kid who avoids the outdoors like the plague...but we do live in an area where it's endemic (DH and I have already had it).

>43 Bookmarque: >49 Bookmarque: I'm sorry for your loss. It does sound like you have some good memories to hold on to.

Best wishes for Larry.

I sympathize with everyone and join you in your sorrows: my mother died in Dec., my sister almost died soon after but has recovered ( yay!), my step-father passed away 3 weeks ago, and our best friend has a heart condition which cannot be fixed and has gone from strong woodsman to a man who cannot be left alone. And now our neighbour across the hall has gone off her meds so over the last few nights we have met several paramedics and police officers who take the poor girl away and bring her back in the same condition!

NEither one of us wants to answer the phone anymore, but we will deal with all these things as soon as we get some sleep.

>52 nhlsecord: My sympathy for your losses. You're certainly having a rough year. I hope things soon improve for you and everyone else. And you get some sleep.

Well it's the end.
Larry's treatment isn't working. He's in a weird limbo state, calm, but doesn't sleep. My heart is breaking and I can't stop crying. I know I have to end it for him. Why is this so damn hard?

>54 Bookmarque: I've been wanting to introduce you to our Solly-cat, who's 17 and, having very little kidney function, lives on anabolic steroids. Three years ago the vet gave him only 3 months to live, but he's still hanging in there. Demands and gets cream several times a day, as he can handle fats but not so much protein. And sleeps on top of me most nights, purring blissfully. Would any of that help Larry?

Oh Hugh, thanks. I don't think so. He doesn't actually move much now. No interest in food for days. Hasn't had water since yesterday. He doesn't even close his eyes anymore. I think the toxins are messing with him so much that he can't even sleep. He's shutting down, I just need to call the end. Today or tomorrow. We didn't even get him for 10 years, but what we had were great. He was quite the little personality.

I'm so sorry to hear the news about Larry. I'm sure he knows you're there for him, even though his body can't show it. I wish you strength in the days ahead.

thanks Sakerfalcon. He got up a while ago to drink and use the box. he was too weak to get all the way up the stairs and I had to carry him the rest of the way. He's resting quietly again, but there's no improvement at all, so we're preparing for the very end. I miss him already.

>54 Bookmarque: I'm so very sorry. *hugs*

>58 Bookmarque: What Morphy said. It is the drawback for all the wonderful years with a pet that we usually have to make that difficult choice at the end and say goodbye. Strength and comfort are hoped for you.

>56 Bookmarque: So sorry.

>56 Bookmarque: Bookmarque: I'm so sorry! Such a hard decision to have to make. Hugs.

>52 nhlsecord:, >58 Bookmarque: - sorry you are going through tough times. Strength to you, Bookmarque, with Larry. I know how hard that final decision is, and it must be especially so when you have had other tough things to deal with.

>52 nhlsecord:, >58 Bookmarque: Hugs to you both

I'm so sorry Bookmarque :(

Thanks guys. Today is the day. He's really left us already. He's so weak. This is no kind of life. Still, when I pat him he purrs. Breaks my heart all over again.

Hugs, bookmark! Know Exactly how you must feel - on seven counts!
Nothing to do but be grateful for every single day their little lights gifted our lives.
So hard -- tearing up for you and Larry. He loves you so much to still purr with your presence.

Sending you my sympathies @Bookmarque

So sorry Bookmarque. I can still cry for each of my precious - I can't find a word for a pet that carries the full weight, so I'll call them gifts - the creatures who let us in.

Thanks so much everyone. He was a gift. And a giver. Sociable, lovable and affectionate. Just an hour or so before his death, he spied the softest blanket in the house and, though wobbly, jumped up on it. He knew the good stuff when he saw it. He went peacefully in my arms.

>70 Bookmarque: Beautiful boy. My heart aches for you.

>70 Bookmarque: hugs. Losing a beloved companion is always hard, even when it's his time.

(((((Bookmarque)))))

A shallow valley: The water went off in the wee small hours this morning. Turns out that some eejit let the reservoirs in several areas including ours run dry. So they switched off the water quickly, and slowly started the pumps to refill the reservoirs. Then, they said, they would restore the water area by area, and "this could take several hours". The water has just come back on, more than 12 hours later.

Thanks folks. Luckily today I had an appointment out of state that kept me from dwelling on this. Now I have the other one on my desk next to me keeping me company.

Our entire family is slowly recovering from a nasty stomach virus.

RIP Larry - you brought much joy to your humans in your time here & will obviously be remembered well!