So It Goes

As I've mentioned, Olga went through a period a week or two ago where she seemed a little more lethargic than usual. She was still eating well but she just didn't seem to have much get-up-and-go. She was ambivalent about going on walks, for example, which is unusual for her.

So yesterday we took her to the vet for a checkup. She hadn't been in a while and I figured it couldn't hurt. The vet said she seems to be in good health. She did say Olga's joints seem a bit stiff, which we already knew -- she's already taking Metacam, an anti-inflammatory medicine. The vet said we could add another painkiller to Olga's regimen but between my making the vet appointment and our visit, Olga seemed to feel much better -- we went on our normal morning walk yesterday, for example -- so for now we're going to leave everything as is and continue to add paracetamol as needed. I mainly wanted to make sure she wasn't having any kind of adverse reaction to her Metacam.

In the afternoon we went to the cemetery, where we found a patch of daffodils already in bloom. To Olga, they were just another obstacle.

We saw lots of parakeets swooping around. They seemed very taken with the bark on this old dead tree. They must have been eating insects out of the cracks. This tree seems a bit hazardous to me -- it's right next to the chapel and if it falls it looks like it could damage the building. But I guess if the birds are using it as a food source that's a reason to let it stand.

The top photo, by the way, shows a mark on another tree in the cemetery. I don't know what it means but the tree looks like an old one. Hopefully the intention is to preserve it or get it pruned or otherwise looked after by an arborist.

And speaking of trees falling, apparently the winds of Storm Christoph last week knocked over an old willow tree that Dave and I often pass on our walks to and from work. I didn't take that route last week so I didn't notice the damage, and apparently now the beloved tree has been removed. The council says they'll plant something else but it's a shame to lose the venerable old willow. "So it goes," to use Kurt Vonnegut's memorable phrase.

When we got back from the cemetery I had a long Skype call with my stepmother in Florida, who I hadn't spoken with in a while. It was good to catch up with her, though she already knows what's going on with us because she reads my blog. It was mainly a matter of me learning about her activities. She's thinking ahead to cruises she's going to take once the coronavirus situation is past. We all need things to look forward to!

In fact Dave and I need to make some travel plans, too. We have several credits with airlines and tour companies that need to be used. We're holding off until we get the vaccine, but I've been amazed at how many people are still flying internationally. Dave has many students who join his distance learning classes from the USA, the Caribbean and even Brazil, where they decamped with their families over the holidays and have decided to remain while our lockdown is in place. It sort of annoys me that other people are enjoying exotic vacations while we're barely leaving our garden. Am I a chump for being such a rule-follower?