random thoughts – Day 1,854 – (Monday) – memories and pangs

There was a thin coating of frost/ice on the recycle bin this morning when I stepped out to add some items to it, which wasn’t even surprising with it having snowed on Saturday. The reason I was out there was that I was finally separating myself from Moose and Winston’s veterinary records. It's taken me a while with Moose passing in 2021 and Winston in 2023, and they might have stayed in the file cabinet forever if I wasn't looking at moving again..

Winston and Moose.

Of course, first, I flipped through them and cried. The three-inch stack of paper covered the medical side of the 14 years we navigated together. Heartworm, allergic reactions, a skin condition, conjunctivitis, and Cushing’s disease in Moose’s file. A messed-up knee, skin issues, diabetes, and blindness in Winston’s. On my side of the ledger sat a breakup, a broken leg, depression, and a relocation halfway across the country to start over that my furry boys nursed me through with cuddles and kisses and making me laugh. I miss them both so much. Someday maybe I will finally deal with their sweaters, harnesses, leashes, and toys.

At work, there was a two-hour training session on LinkedIn for those of us being laid off. Now we are armed with tips and guidance for managing our LinkedIn profiles. Then there was the regular work.

After work was a trip to the local UPS Store to return two items to Amazon. It’s belly dance costume gathering season, and I ordered three pairs of Bangkok harem pants, hoping at least one would work. And that’s what happened – only one arrived as expected. The ones that appeared on the site as a gorgeous blue-purple with pink accents arrived in midnight blue-black with red accents. The multicolor patchwork pair was too short, but the dark teal with orange pattern are great.

The 13-panel skirts ordered from a belly dance supplier are now a couple days late arriving from Georgia. According to the shipping tracking, it arrived at a “regional origin office” on April 9, and the entry for the 13^th is “in transit to next facility” (vague) and “arriving late” (obvious, as it was due on the 12^th). I bet the early Pony Express was quicker.

Growing season.

The warm temperature was a lovely surprise when I went to UPS Store and when I returned, time was spent in the front yard beginning the flower bed cleanup. Green shoots flanking the rosebush are several inches tall now, surrounded by the dead leaves from last year. The rosebush looks like something has been digging under it. 

Some of the old leaves left from last year were hard to pull, a task I do left-handed. Today’s wrist healing reminder was the shooting pain down my ring finger, hand, and forearm when I grasped some leaves and tried to pull them. Fun time. What the heck, and how did my fingers get involved in this?