Well...

...I didn't really intend to take a week off from the blog, but that's what happened. Quite frankly, I can't think of a better week to be done with. It pretty much sucked, for reasons both obvious and not-quite-nameable.

We've had a week without our pup. I've stopped welling up at inappropriate moments. I guess maybe we do toughen up through repeated exposure. No decisions yet as to when we might adopt another. Perhaps summer. Thank you -- my true, deep, heartfelt thanks to all of you who have sent messages of support and comfort. I know it's just a dumb dog...but it's not...and you all have been awesome. This blog community thing is pretty amazing; you're all godsends, imho.

We finished our last week of block schedule for state testing. I've found I'm block schedule kind of gal, but most of our campus struggled with it, not having considered the changes in teaching and planning that would be required. Another good idea that will probably be nixed in the future because it inconvenienced teachers.

The AP exam is over. My students feel at least somewhat confident. They released the essay questions on Friday, so we'll go over them together in class in great detail. We're finishing up Ellison's Invisible Man (what an incredible book), finishing a film for critical review (can't go wrong with Michael Moore for rhetorical analysis), and I have to conference with them on their research papers as soon as humanly possible if I'm going to collect a final draft and actually expect to be able to grade it. I dealt with my six plagiarism issues, though I still have two more phone calls to make to parents for whom I had to leave messages. We did a thorough review of how not to plagiarize (thank God for Diana Hacker) last week, so if they ever do it again as long as they live, it will be entirely their own faults; my conscience is clear that I have done all I can to ensure that they know how prevent plagiarism. I think their eyes are opened.

Saw Prince Caspian on Friday night. Meh. It's a good film, OK; I know this. But I'm a book purist, naturally, and my first viewing is always consumed with fault-finding and unncessary-changes-pooh-poohing. I did the same for the first Narnia film. They really made drastic changes in Caspian. I'll see it again and try to like it more; there's a lot to like, but really -- did they have to make Peter so immature and ridiculous? It's wrong on so many levels. I think Jack Lewis would be doing some serious ear-chewing and smoke-blowing were he here today. My two cents.

Had progress reports due Friday. Graded again at school on Saturday. Went to church and a friend's graduation party today. And it's already time to go to school again. I'm ready for summer (our 90-degree weather isn't helping that, I'm afraid); I'm ready to begin my master's classes, though I don't know what classes I'll be taking as the program has not posted them yet (trying not to overanalyze what that might mean); I'm ready to do a lot of work this summer, on so many levels, on so many fronts. This will be a productive, creative, progressive summer for me. May this last month-o-hades fly swiftly and efficiently.

Madame X wields the red pen of doom; grading on Saturday

One of the blooming trees on campus

The jacaranda is reaching its point of ultimate glory.

The detritus of life

Summer sunset, through the window

The House is Quiet...

Yesterday afternoon

This afternoon
This afternoon

...without his collar jingling, without his heavy breathing, without his claws on the hardwood floor, without his lapping up half his water dish in a single sitting (and dripping it all over the floor and your pants). But he went quickly, and he is no longer in pain. And, as out of the main as the thought may be, I believe God will have our animals in heaven. (I'm used to being out of the main in things theological.)

Contemplatin' the nature of life; spring break last year

Sleepy. He was a leaner, and a hugger, and a paw-er.

Treeing the cat!

December 2006 -- we'd had him about two months. What a great white face.

He's our fourth Golden to have loved and lost. We do rescue. And I can't help it; I just always fall in love with the oldsters. They're always so cute, and so sweet, and so un-naughty, and so deserving. Our first oldster, a true saint, we had for four months before an undiscovered tumor took him. Our second developed seizures due to a cerebellar issue and died of pancreatitis; we had her for over a year, maybe a year and a half, during which time she went from being a coffee table to being a svelte red gal. Our third we had to let go of because rheumatoid arthritis finally caused his back end to stop working; I think we may have had him a year and a half to two years. And now we've had to let go of OldManDog, whose cancer recurred (this following two surgeries last year) and whose paw abscessed to the point where he couldn't hoist himself up anymore and had to be carried outside (this in the last two days). OMD is our longest tenure yet; two and a half years. We always swear we're going to get a younger one the next time, because this is just too hard. And then I go and fall in love all over again.

This spring break

Last spring break

Last spring break

I'm sure I'll tell you more stories about him in the coming weeks. Feel free to skip them if they get to be too much. But I'll keep telling them because it's the best way to keep him and his ball-playing goofiness alive in our hearts. We'll cry tonight and wake up puffy and headachey tomorrow. Thanks for making it this far through all the pictures.

Happy Mother's Day...

...to all the moms out there. We had a nice brunch on a nice patio, and nice conversation afterward at our house. Very mellow and low-key; just what we were all in the mood for.




In other news, OldManDog has taken a turn for the worse this weekend. We can't get the cyst on his paw under control; it continues to ooze, and yesterday he began limping on it. Today he could hardly walk; we had to help him up and even carry him a few times. Also, what we suspect is tumor in his rib area seems to be impeding his breathing. We're taking him in right after school tomorrow; I'd take the day off, but we're on special schedule and my kids take the AP exam on Wednesday. I've upped his dosage of pain medication this weekend.

We're pretty resigned to what tomorrow will likely bring. It's going to be hard to get through the day. My family said their goodbyes to him today after brunch, just in case. That unleashed the waterfall. I don't deal well with animal-related trauma, but I'd rather be sad than have him in pain.

More yard details

Can't decide which of the two flower shots I prefer.

Look at this precious muzzle! Isn't it adorable? I love kissing his old man schnozz.

Pics

Thanks to y'all for your kind comments about the Old Man Dog. We'll keep you posted as we learn things. My inexpert theory is that he has a tumor that's pressing on things inside, making it difficult for him to breathe. We haven't confirmed that with his doc yet. More as we know.

jo(e) talked about it looking a lot like summer in her neck of the woods. Well, here it IS summer. We've had a weekend in the 90's-100's. The fans are in full force, and we expect a couple more days of this before it mellows into the 70's. Lemme tell ya', it makes teaching (and testing) difficult. We're all ready to check out.

I owe you (and myself) some pics. I took a few today. The sun, at least, was cooperative.

In the Target parking lot today. The yellow tree; the clouds.

I call it soft-focus. This rose bush is kicking in for the season.

I call them her Mark Twain jowls. Aren't those fab whiskers? She's trying not to melt.

"Don't think I don't see you! I'm keepin' an eye on you, missy!"

"God, it's hot, Mom!"

Persian lilies

It was sunset, upon reflection.

The chore that could not be done in 100-degree heat.

Riveted by the sun

Through water-colored glasses

'Round the House

Depth, not breadth. It's the same approach I prefer to take my teaching. Do fewer things, and do them deeply and well. Really saturate, delve, get to know something thoroughly.

I've been having fun this year taking pictures around the house. I am reminded of how many things change on an hourly, daily, weekly, monthly basis, and how many different angles and perspectives one can use to look at the same thing and re-see it. Nothing is ever really exactly the same.

Of course, some of you, at this very moment, are thinking, The hell they're not the same! If I have see another picture of her damned dog...! Well, sorry to disappoint, but the wildflowers are still beautiful and the dog is still precious, and these are my two offerings for the day (and a make-up for yesterday).

The Grind

(and not the coffee kind)

(damn!)

We're back to it; I'm sleepy; I'm going to bed early. Our OldManDog seems to be ill; he's lethargic, slow, depressed, and seems pained. He's still eating and doing his 'dooty,' so that's good, but.... Couldn't get a vet appt. till Wednesday (grrr). I hope he's ok.

Back to school. The kids were cute today, at least. The week is mostly planned out, but I need to make sub plans for a couple of days each week for the next month! And they're all excused -- training, workshop, etc. Eek! And the AP test is fast approaching. Stress!

Isn't it amazing how quickly the relaxation of a vacation dissipates and melts away once you're back into your regular routine? I've looked at my spring break pictures every day since we've been back, in hopes of recapturing any element of that feeling. Pathetic, huh?

Dad's retirement party this weekend. Still have prep to do for that, along with some serious housecleaning; family coming from Bible Belt to be houseguests.

No pix today. I was rather coasting, casting about through this day. I'll make up for it later this week. Hope everyone had a decent Monday.

Pottering About

POM's latest projects -- for a primitive pottery class. These are not fired yet; she's burnishing them. ShopDog takes advantage of the cool garage floor on an 80-plus degree day.

Sunday...

...was a ridiculously gorgeous day! And while I took photos yesterday, I never managed a post. Busy was I with writing essays of my own, and avidly avoiding grading those I had assigned others. But these ones have been marinating for a while, and it was time.

I wish I'd had all day to shoot. While we did not receive the rain we were supposed to have on Saturday, the mountains got the precipitation, and yesterday saw some incredible cloud-and-snowscapes on the not-too-distant hills. The light was brilliant, the clouds were dramatic, and while the breeze was cool, the sun warmed us.

At about 3:45 p.m., I felt the deep need to nap. I slept for two hours, and as I did, I became conscious of thunder rumbling. When POM woke me to eat, she noted that it had rained just a bit with some lightning and thunder. So cool! We almost never get real thunderstorms. This was only a tiny one, but it made for a lovely nap.

Here are a couple of make-up photos to demonstrate the beauty of the day.

Pre-rain cloudage

Glowing old-man dog on sunny lawn

POM was especially creative this weekend; I think she threw all three days (Fri.-Sun.).

Not...

...up to snuff. Still. Feels like cold/flu hybrid. When will this go away?

No photo from today. Took the camera with me, but overcast morning prevented me from shooting; nothing inspired me.

Since I have spring break on the mind, I'll include a shot from last spring break in Mendo. We're going back again this year.

I'm off to write a test on rhetorical and literary terms. Then bed.

A Good Day...

...for a photo tour. But we're staying local. Today was another upper-70's day -- truly blissful -- so I stayed in what I wore to bed, added some slip-on shoes, and played in the backyard for a while. I was also taken by the bug to cook, so I did, heading out to the garden to snip or pick fresh ingredients, and grilling several different items on the grill (chicken, eggplant, elephant garlic).

Days like these make me long for summer and curse the fact that we're still in school.

I also opened up the house and lazed on the couch, reading. Take This Bread: A Radical Conversion, by Sara Miles, has proven to be food for thought.

Sun and purple flowers on the arbor

Veins of light

A face this mother loves!

Action shot -- itchy back, oh this feels so good, oh man i gotta do it some more!

Hahaha! Mid-shake. This one cracks me up, and I couldn't resist posting it, even though, by photographic standards, it's a terrible shot.

Gone wild, has the back of the backyard

I stood beneath the arbor, and lo, the arbor hummed.

Eggplant parmesan, whole wheat sourdough with red pepper and sundried tomato spreads

Not a great picture, no. But I posted it because, if you click it and make it large, you can observe evidence of the movement of the stars...and this was only about a 30-second shot. Does the earth really move that quickly? Wow.