The foxgloves are fading now. This is one of our last nice-looking ones, spattered with rain. We're getting into the hot, dry days of summer. (And I STILL found a big ol' slug one one of my dahlias this morning! Argh!)
I spent much of yesterday reading "The Running Grave." This book is huge but it's GOOD -- I'm having trouble putting it down. Being able to focus on it during my air travel to Spain and back helped me put a serious dent in it and I'm on page 848. I ought to be able to polish it off today.
Olga seemed especially reluctant to go with her dog-walker yesterday. She's never thrilled about it, but this was next-level reluctance. She tried to sit down several times as the walker was leading her toward the door. Now, I walked her yesterday morning when we first got up, so she'd already had some exercise, and she was lying on her bed in the garden -- probably her favorite place in the world -- when he arrived. So I can see why she wasn't hugely motivated.
But I also don't want to FORCE her to go on walks. She's old enough now that they may be painful or uncomfortable for her. So we're going to take her to the vet on Wednesday for a checkup and also to have a conversation about whether we should just stop with the dog-walker. Maybe it's enough for us to take her on a walk each morning and then let her lie around all day and sleep. I need the vet's advice.
Here's a project I completed last week. These cacti and succulents were all living in tiny individual plastic pots on a windowsill at work, and had been for years. (Except the one at upper right, which I brought home and adopted a few years ago.) They were handed out to faculty and staff as gifts long ago, if I remember correctly -- everybody got one -- and I'm sure their original recipients are now gone from the school. They're sort of community property. Anyway, they needed attention.
I brought them all home and put them in this terra-cotta box planter with special cactus and succulent soil that I ordered online. It's like our own little slice of Arizona! I may take them back to work in the fall or I may just adopt them. No one will miss them, I'm sure.
Here's a peculiar scrap of paper I found while walking Olga. I'm not entirely sure what's going on here. A stuffed animal on a bicycle? If I had to guess I'd say it's a photo from a kid's toy camera. Google Image Search couldn't clear up the mystery. What do you think?
Oh, and here's a fun challenge that I picked up from an episode of "Friends" last night: Try to name all 50 states, and time yourself doing it. It's much harder than it seems. I got 45 of them in about four minutes, but it took me another two and a half minutes to figure out which five I was missing!
I wouldn't be able to name 50 states of US
ReplyDeleteI couldn't possibly name all 50 states without my atlas! I do know that Hawaii and Alaska are states.
ReplyDeleteI like the teddy on a bike picture.
I'd suggest only using a dog walker if you are both away from home more than a day and just walk Olga yourself once in the mornings. The heat might be too much for her now. The vet will give good advice.
Ha. I just saw that Friends clip, too, but haven’t tried it myself yet. It DID look like fun.
ReplyDeleteI love the collection of cacti. I used to create planters like that in California. I tried it once here on our balcony but everything immediately outgrew the space. Yours is a great design.
As for the peculiar scrap of paper. For some reason, I find it oddly creepy.
The star fish like cactus is not one I've seen before. I don't suppose any have ever flowered?
ReplyDeleteSteve, the saviour of the plant world's half dead and neglected. I haven't commented in a while so am making up - in volume - today.
ReplyDeleteI'd like you to know how much I enjoy your posts. They exude an aura of peace and contemplation, observations about the often overlooked details of the world around us.
And, yes, I can identify with your battle with the pile of The New Yorker - as enjoyable and intelligent a read they are. A friend of mine (American, California's finest, settled in England) gifted me a subscription years ago. Ordinarily she would pass her copies on to me but she does read in steaming baths which leaves any printed material warped. Can't stand it. Another pet hate of mine, I literally recoil when met with such violation, books whose readers will fold the top corner of the page where they have left off. Obviously, do whatever you like with your own books. Just don't borrow one of mine.
Worse, sorry, but you are a librarian so I feel safe crying at your shoulder, people borrowing from a library and underlining (in ink!) passages, making notes in the margins. I ask you, Steve. Do people have no consideration for others?
As to your occasional lament about books not returned to your school's library: Sometimes you just have to let go. Shrug your shoulder. Sigh. Gone with the wind. At least no one burns books any longer. Or so I hope.
Olga. I am touched how much thought you put into her needs as she wilts.
U
I think bringing the cacti home for the summer is like bringing the classroom pet!
ReplyDeleteNo body knows Olga better than you. You are able to intuit her needs, a vet can only validate what you already know. When Dex got so old and tired I carried him most of the way. Our walks were very limited. I understand pooches in buggies , now. They want to get out and sniff the world but sometimes can not walk well anymore. I need a buggy for my own self.
ReplyDeleteI may try that challenge, though i might embarass myself.
ReplyDeleteGood on you for listening to Olga; maybe she just wants to walk less ... or if it's hot ...
You are so thoughtful of Olga, Steve. How lucky she is to have you and Dave. It's good you are taking her to the vet as that will confirm your thoughts and reassure you. You always do the best for her.
ReplyDeleteI might be able to name all 50 states but I couldn't do it quickly!?!
I never heard of soil for succulents. I’m guessing it has more sand in it than normal soil.
ReplyDeleteI could not name all fifty states if you threatened me with imprisonment. Nope. My geography skills are nil.
ReplyDeleteI love your little cactus world. How did you move those things without getting stuck?
I have no idea what that creature on the bike is. It's all just weird.
Poor Olga. Of course she doesn't want to get up from her nap and take a walk. We old ladies have our limits.
I could probably name all fifty states but it would take me much longer than 5 minutes. I'd have to visualize each region. or I might miss a few. not going to try.
ReplyDeleteyour little cactus garden looks great. I'd just keep it if it were me.
Just catching up with your lovely Madrid photos , what an elegant city it is
ReplyDeleteOlga probably just wanted to be home with her people after your weekend away.
ReplyDeletePoor Olga's just getting old. My dogs don't get two walks a day, she'll be fine. She's got a lot of sleeping to do and you're just messing up her day:)
ReplyDeleteI think that Olga's making it clear. She's not up to it right now. The kind thing to do would be to listen to her. She seems to find happiness in her sunbathing and her walks with you.
ReplyDeleteThat little scrap of paper? The first thing I thought of was someone making up a little story featuring a child's favorite stuffed toy, and making little pictures to go with it. Little Cat hopped on his bike to go visit his friends... It gave me a grandma idea for Christmas. Thanks!
I already know that I couldn't name all 50. I get weird brain blocks when something is timed! I want to read that book too; I've heard it's excellent. The one before it was good but the exchanges on the gamer website got tedious and were hard to read on my Kindle.
ReplyDeleteI hope Olga was just "having a day" (or two) but I'm awfully glad you are getting her to the vet to give her a good check and make sure all is well. Older animals do slow down and you are wise to listen to her. She's allowed to be in charge and you're wise to recognize it!
ReplyDeleteNaming all 50 states could be used by a sadistic doctor in place of the "remember 5 words" test they give seniors at check-ups.
ReplyDeleteOf course, if anyone asked me, I'd be packed off to the memory-care facility in no time.
Olga might just want shorter walks. It is good for a Vet to check her over for wellness. Your cactus planter is lovely. It belongs with you as part of your decor. I can easily name all 50 states but not within time limits. The photo is just weird.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to have to try the 50 state thing- an excellent diversion from doing real work. Ha!
ReplyDeleteP.S. I named 39 in about 3 minutes, but it took about 10 minutes to get 6 more. Then I gave up & looked up what I was missing. But the coolest thing was when I started the list in Excel after a while it wanted know if I wanted to change the data type to geography. I said yes & when I clicked on each state it gave a little synopsis - governor, capitol, population, flag. Fun!
ReplyDeleteI'd like to take that geography challenge, but I'll have to figure out the best way to keep track of the ones I name while the timer is going. I think I mighty do pretty well on it. One of my brothers use to drill me on capitals, postals codes, etc. when we were kids.
ReplyDeleteI got 48 of them in 5 minutes. I left out Rhode Island and Connecticut. Those little states get me every time.
ReplyDeleteThat cactus planter looks great. You did a great job.
that photo is very unusual. It looks like a real composed photo surrounded by Hello Kitty details. Interesting find.
I second, third and fourth all the commenters who say "listen to Olga". We've spent the last two years helping our old boy wind down, and because we listened to him, he had a gentle, peaceful glide path to the end - and lasted happily considerably longer than the vet prognosticated. The vet check is a good idea too - in addition to listening to your good old gal.
ReplyDeleteThat cactus garden is delightful, if spiny.
Chris from Boise
I was a plant rescuer at school and then there were people who wanted to get rid of a plant and so I got it.
ReplyDeleteRoentare: I'm sure it would be much harder for anyone who's not American. The 50 states and their capitals are drilled into us in school!
ReplyDeleteRiver: We usually only use the walker when we're at work. But we keep him on in the summer to maintain her place in his walking group.
Mitchell: Funny that you just saw the same episode! I agree, that teddy bear thing IS a little creepy.
Andrew: I think it's a rattail cactus. Unfortunately part of it has broken off so I'm not sure how it will grow now.
Ursula: Thanks for your comment and commiserations! I also can't stand it when people use those little sticky tabs to mark pages in books, and then don't remove the tabs before they return the books. Honestly, people!
Boud: Ha! Yeah. There are many other library plants that stay behind all summer with minimal care.
Linda Sue: Yeah, that's true, but I need professional advice about the benefits vs. drawbacks of walking for such an old dog. If it helps her I'll keep the walker, even if she's reluctant to go.
Bob: I do think the heat is part of it, though it's not particularly hot right now.
Ellen D: It's always good to get a medical opinion!
Ed: Exactly -- it's very sandy and drains well.
Ms Moon: Oh, I got stuck, believe me!
Ellen: That's what I did -- I visualized the country and worked my way across, east to west.
John: It was very elegant! A great place for a visit.
37P: Yeah, that was part of it too, I'm sure!
Pixie: That's how it feels! I feel like she's thinking, "Oh, shoot, another walk!"
Debby: Wow, I'm impressed that little image gave you some ideas! Maybe you're right -- it could be part of a bigger story for a child.
Margaret: Yeah, a timer adds an extra layer of pressure that often interferes with memory!
Jeanie: Yeah, she's definitely getting slower, but she's still surprisingly chipper. She's always been ambivalent about the dog-walker because she hates leaving us, her "pack."
Marty: That would be a cruel memory test, considering most healthy people can't do it very quickly, if at all!
Susan: Thanks for giving me permission to keep the cacti! :)
Bug: Good job! Which ones did you miss? The five I initially forgot were New Hampshire, Vermont, New Jersey (even though I used to live there!), West Virginia and Nebraska.
Kelly: Postal codes?! You memorized ZIP codes? That's hardcore! We used to do telephone area codes, back when there were far fewer than there are now.
Sharon: Good job! I also initially forgot a couple of those little states -- New Hampshire and Vermont! I was thinking Maine connected to Massachusetts, for some reason.
Chris: But maybe the exercise benefits her enough to make her do it, even if she doesn't want to. You know? I'm sure it helps her appetite and keeps her weight down, which probably helps her joints.
Red: It's easy to get that reputation! Believe me!
Postal codes as in AR - Arkansas, AB - Alberta, AK - Alaska.... One of my pet peeves is when folks see mine (AR) and think it's Arizona. That's AZ!!
ReplyDeleteZip codes would be waaaay too hard! (though we all probably know more of them than we realize) I always used that map in the front of the telephone book to figure out area codes. Of course Google makes all of that simple now.