Poofs and stairs in soft morning light

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.

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

Open House...

...turned not to be so bad, other than just being the end of an exhaustingly long day. Had the CAHSEE today, massive copying to do, a meeting after school at the district office, and then open house. Wow. Had a small turnout, but it's about what I'd expected; we've all had a very busy couple of weeks, students, parents, and teachers alike. Had some good conversations, met some parents I hadn't met yet, talked to a few I really needed to touch base with. Tomorrow is a late start day, but not for teachers, of course -- we have meetings and professional development, such as it is.

In other news, it's supposed to be wicked windy the next two days. Sigh. We kind of live in a wind alley, so we always get a stronger version than most other cities. Let the sinus blockage and snorting begin! It's been a rather excessively windy year so far, but if that's the tradeoff for all the rain we've gotten this year, I'll live with it.

In still other news, our lemon tree is blooming again, as are a number of other things, and the entire neighborhood is scented with floral perfumes. This ant agrees that the lemon flowers are the place to be. We hit the jackpot with this awesome tree; it blooms almost nonstop, year-round, and its lemons are exquisite. Bless it.

Make-up Photos #1

Let's try this again...again. Be my friend, o googleblogger.

This is the series I'd like assistance with. Which one strikes you as the best, and why?

P.S. Googleblogger is not my friend; I had to upload each of these individually. Grrr.