Thursday, October 19, 2006

It was supposed to be a day of reflection

Today is the second anniversary of my Dad's passing. I was planning on putting together a post reflecting on all that I feel about Dad, how much I miss him.
But instead of a quiet day deep in thought, I spent the day in my car.
(FYI: My car is not working, again, so we have one car.)
6:30 am: Alarm goes off.
6:59: I realize that I turned off said alarm and am now oversleeping.
7:00 to 7:05: Took fastest shower ever.
7:45-8:00: In car, driving Isabelle to dentist appointment.
9:00-9:15: Driving from dentist to home, to pick up Lorelei.
9:15-9:20: Driving Isabelle and Lorelei to school.
9:25-9:45: Getting shampoo, conditioner and cat food at the store.
10:00-11:00: Only time all day to sit and do nothing.
11:00-11:30: Driving to RAPTOR to pick up birds for afternoon program.
11:30-12:30: Chasing, packing up and stuffing car with birds. (And the car seats are still in there...again, only one car, and that's the small one.)
12:30-1:00: Driving from RAPTOR to preschool.
1:05: Drop off girls at home, grab RAPTOR book, etc.
2:00-3:00: Educational program.
3:10-3:40: Driving back to RAPTOR with girls and birds filling the car.
3:40-4:30: Putting birds back in mews, and keeping track of girls at the same time.
4:30-5:30: Driving back home with girls, no birds, trying to get there in time for Geoff to take girls to the Y for swimming class, through rush hour traffic.
And finally...
Home. Alone.
I cleaned the living room, which totally needed it. And then I laid down on the couch with Nellie and Boomer, and fell asleep until Geoff and the girls got home at 8:00 pm.
Whew.

Isabelle's dentist has "banana chairs".
Isabelle may very well be the best dental patient ever. She jumps up and down when I tell her it's time to go back to the dentist.
Above each banana chair, the lights are covered with a picture of a blue sky and clouds. And they have a million flavors of toothpaste, fluoride, etc. Very cool. I wish I could go there for my teeth.

I have been trying to get a picture of this sign for weeks. This is down the road from RAPTOR, a pet store called "The Animal House". They are advertising Wolf Hybrid pups.
Um, hello?
Now, I have met dog/wolf hybrids, and while they are beautiful, I wouldn't trust one with my worst enemy, much less my kids. Kathi, want to chime in on this? What's your professional opinion?
I found a neat photo of my Dad today, between all the chaos. This was taken in 1939, when he was about 9 months old. What a life he had...and how short it was.
When I am more mentally ready to post about him, I will.

17 comments:

NatureWoman said...

Susan, I'm so sorry, I didn't know about your Dad - big hugs to you and your Mom because the whole death thing stinks. Your Dad was a little cutie. I'd love to see more photos and read about your Dad when you're ready.
Hey, I wanna banana chair for my dentist's chair! And puffy clouds, bummer, kids get all the cool stuff.

Susan Gets Native said...

Thanks, Pam.
Hugs back at ya.
I will get to a post about him soon. I'm just not up to it today.

I am very jealous of my kids' dentist. Not fair! Not fair!

Mary said...

And with everything you did today in such a wild frenzy of activity, you had your Dad in the back of your mind, no doubt. I have been there and understand completely. My Mom passed 5 months ago and my Dad is on his way... Please talk about him one day when you have time! You'll feel so good about it. BTW - your birds are gorgeous!

Anonymous said...

You and your mom are in our thoughts tonight. Looking forward to Isabelle's birthday party! Any hints to what she wants/needs for her birthday?

The Swami said...

With a day that hectic, please double check that you did not lock the girls in the mews and that Geoff did not take one of the owls for a swimming lesson.

Dave Dorsey said...

Those mini-vans are looking better now I bet. WOW, what a schedule. Your like Super Woman.

Anonymous said...

I think my name is in your post, but the banners for "Cats Indors!" and "Fat Birder Web Ring" block part of the blog. I can read as far down as the photo of the cloud-lights, but the next picture is obscurred by the Web Ring ad and the words below are mostly blocked by the cats.

The banners always cover up last part of the newest entry, so I have to wait until you post something else and the current thing moves down one spot to be able to read it.

Why is that, anyway?

~Kathi

PS: It will be 19 years next month since I lost my Dad. I'm sorry to tell you, but it doesn't get much easier with time. I am welling up just typing this. I miss him as much now as I did then.

~K

Susan Gets Native said...

Thanks everyone.

Kathi,
I don't know what is going on with the banners. I haven't changed anything recently, so why they are blocked a post is beyond me!

Unknown said...

I'm sorry about your dad. I lost my dad when I was 12 and I will never get over it. (30 years ago this year) It takes time and I'm glad to see you are wise enough to give yourself time!

As for the banners issue -- maybe try another browser? I love Firefox and never have trouble with websites since I switched over on both my Mac and PC. Using IE or Safari seem to give certain websites fits.

As for Wolf Hybrid pups, no thank you. I've known a couple that were wonderful but still not for my family, thank you.

The Swami said...

Agree with -llm. Try Firefox. Download it free at: http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/



No Swami does not get a royalty.

Shannon said...

Hey Susan I hope that you considered Hooper in your wolf mix catagory. He is part wolf, part husky. This is one beautiful piece of fur that is loveable as can be. My heart goes out to you, Mom, and Steve. Hang in there baby, and remember I am always here for you ANYTIME!!! Love ya lots!!

Endment said...

Just trying to keep up with your list of activities leaves me breathless - guess I will have to sit and rest a bit :)
What a delightful photo of your dad!!! Treasure and Enjoy those wonderful memories! (when you get time)

Think I need to send my dentist your photo... I hadn't realized that the office is boring :)

Michelle said...

Sending hugs to you, perhaps it wasn't such a bad thing you were so busy.

My childhood dentist was named Dr. Dumbo and he had the whole disney thing going on in his office. I remember liking it.

LauraHinNJ said...

Hugs on a difficult day.

Susan Gets Native said...

Shannon: True, Hooper falls in that category...but he is in a class all his own. I think he is more husky (and doorstop) than anything else.

akajetison said...

I'm guessin' your dad probably made that contraption he's standin' in and he was probably on his way to work when this was taken. What a guy !

bob/s

Anonymous said...

Susan:

You asked my opinion of wolf-dog hybrids. Personally, I am against the general practice. While some hybrids can be good pets, I don't believe in mixing dogs with wolves or coyotes, domestic cats with wild feline species, or similar manipulations of the gene pool.

Here is a good web site for those with questions about wolf hybrids:

http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/newsletters/v5n4/5n4wille.htm

~Kathi, tossing in her 2 cents' worth