It Has, It Really Has Sprung

What a wonderful weekend! Sunny, warm..just beautiful. Phipps was jammed with people wanting to see the flower show, kids were out blading and scootering (is that a word?). I'm not sure which is my favorite time of the year...spring or fall. Right now, it is spring.
Health care passed on Sunday. An historic event, whether you are for it or against it. It seems those that are against it have become violent in their anger and frustration. People who have considerable influence are inciting people with no regards to the safety of others. Let's grow up, folks, is this the kind of message you want to give children? Throwing bricks, namecalling, targets on maps?
Enough of that! I took Ava to the vets to have her nails clipped and to talk to the doctor about heaving and upchucking digestive problems. I was watching people in the office waiting room. There was an elderly gentlman there with a collie mix dog. He was gently petting the dog and talking softly to him as they waited. So gentle. There was a 8 month old mixed lab who was full of energy, howling, barking, lunging. It was all his owners could do to contain him. Two yorkies to get annual shots. They asked the owner for her email address and she didn't know what that was. Then there was a man with a yellow lab, again, just talking to him/her and petting to try to calm the dog down. When the man with the collie mix left, I noticed the hind leg of the dog bandaged and the dog limping. I felt badly since the man seemed somewhat distraught. We become so attached to our pets even when they puke all over the house and it's sad to see them ill or in pain.
While I was talking to the vet about Ava (he suggested a different type of food for her, since she seems healthy and hasn't lost any weight) a tech came in and said something about the mix collie. The vet looked delighted and suggested that it was probably the reason why he was limping and he wanted to call the owner to relieve his anxiety. I mentioned that the man seemed very attached to the dog and the vet said that the dog was 14 years old and that he had been seeing the man and the dog for all of that time. He explained that the man's wife had died some years ago and the dog was all that he had left since the man's children all lived out of town.
Jackie, at Phipps, recently lost her dog and just got a new puppy, Madigan. Looks to be a beagle mix and what a cute puppy! Jackie knows exactly what to do with Madigan and is doing things I never would have thought of when I had a dog. She talks about socializing the dog to other dogs and to people. She has talked about taking the dog for obedience training, not because she can't do it herself, but because she wants the dog to learn to filter out noise while she gives a command. I am so impressed! She has stories to tell me every day about Madigan, and I love to hear them. Puppies are a lot of work, but they are also a lot of fun.
By the way, Ava loves her new cat food.
I got tulip bulbs from Phipps. They can't sell them because they are forced for the flower show, so they may not bloom again...but I'll try. At the very least, it will be food for the deer. I haven't seen the deer in my yard. I believe Ginger has seen them in her neighborhood. I walked around the yard yesterday to see if there was winter damange from the snow, and it appears as though most of the plants survived. The magnolia tree has large buds on it, which will probably burst open within the next several weeks.
Bird, Mippy and kids are headed south to visit family for Easter. I get to care for Oscar and Flurry, which I always enjoy. Kind of lets me have a dog for a few days.
Off to Phipps, which is amazingly beautiful and busy. Have a great day!

I Believe Spring Has Sprung

At least at Phipps. The spring flower show is spectacular. And I can see grass again in my yard. The buds on the Magnolia tree are getting bigger. Yes, another winter seems to have disappeared.
My floral design class is going well. I never knew there was so much to putting together a bunch of flowers. The people are fun and the instructor is great. It amazes me how she can take one flower, move it, and create a whole new look to the design.
My friend who was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer had a joint birthday party with her sister on Sunday. It was delightful. LM is doing well, looks great, has a positive outlook and can actually go back to work full time and go to the mall, which I know Sassy would appreciate. The party was so fun. A very nice group of people, from old co-workers to new co-workers. It is always fun to see people I used to work with and to catch up on gossip. The party was catered and the food...well, I gained two pounds, need I say more?
Another friend lost her brother yesterday, in a tragic death. Senseless.
On a lighter note, I don't like waking up in the dark. And I don't understand why we have to change the clocks. Oh, I know, it has to do with farming, kids walking to the bus, WHATEVER. Just keep it the same year round. I don't care which they do, daylight savings or the other, but just keep it the same. It is such a chore to change all the darn clocks...and I won't even go into changing the VCR.
For those of you who have pets, is there anything more annoying than having to get up in the middle of the night to tend to the needs of those pets? Ava, the cat, never gets sick during the day. It is usually at 4 AM in the morning when she begins the process of ridding her body of hair balls. It goes on for.......ummmm........about an hour. It echos through the house. And then she goes to her food and begins to voraciously chow down, which has me on the edge of the bed wondering if she is again going to heave for an hour. So, I end up with a very poor night's sleep. And a cat that stares at me as though to say "WHAT?" And yes, she is worth it...unless it is 4 AM.
I have been working out and have found that my lower body strength is very good, but my upper body strength is awful. I have also found that when I am on the treadmill trudging along I tend to see what the person next to me is doing, then I try to do them one better. I have this awful competitive streak that I can't seem to control. By the time I leave the gym, I am trying not to limp to the car since the wench woman next to me is watching me out the window that faces the parking lot.
Well, off to bed for me...I have to go to the gym early tomorrow. Have a Happy St. Patrick's Day.