Ollie just wouldn't pose

Saying goodbye

We have learned lately that there is little limit to the amount of change that a day can bring. Less than twenty-four hours and our lives have been changed forever.

I used exactly this title five years ago when we had to say goodbye to Diamond, and now we lost have another beloved member of our family in saying goodbye to Moose. He'd been getting old, but the loss was still sudden. He woke up yesterday acting a little under the weather, and by midnight he seemed to be suffering from vertigo, but after an emergency vet visit first thing this morning, we learned that a cancer, which we weren't aware of, had caused sudden catastrophic damage. And again, as with Diamond, we found ourselves having to make the decision to let him go.

We had twelve wonderful years with little Moose, and not one of them would we trade for relief from the sorrow we feel now.

 

Perhaps

We opened the windows today, threw them wide to let in the fresh spring air. It was probably still a little chilly, but we just couldn't wait. Perhaps, just perhaps, it is spring.

We read, and cleaned, and played all morning. Calvin played with tangrams, created another Pooh scrapbook, this one for Owl, and then started in on the crafts in his new Highlights magazine. They're doozies—it's the April Fool's Day issue.

We did some chores, because the spring just calls for sweeping and straightening and storing and rejuvenating, then we spent the better part of our afternoon outside soaking up the sun and the breeze. We biked to the mailbox to look at the rain swollen pond, then to park to make use of the slides. It was wet after last night's storm and we have to get out to buy Calvin new rain boots before we can go hiking in our fields, something that gets number one priority this week, so today we stuck to the neighborhood footpath. We call it the bird path because this time of year we can go there to watch all manner of bird species flit about, sing, dance, and fill the world with life. We saw robins, sparrows, and juncos today.

Back at home we made tea and spread out in the sunshine on the floor to read. Calvin immersed himself in Mesopotamia, exploring The British Museum web site, while I tried to speed read through an historical fiction novel I have to review before Thursday. I looked up and every single one of us (except for the elusive Oahu) was in the sunshine somehwere—Moose and Iris in the front door, Ollie, Calvin, and I on the playroom floor, and Cookie on the window seat. It was that kind of beautiful afternoon.

And to top it all off, just before bed we went outside to view Jupiter and Venus in a brilliant spring sky. The Mesopotamians and the Mayans, Calvin reminds me, would have known when to see this special sight, too.

Monday—Ziggurat meets Mayan temple

Over the weekend Calvin attended a program at the library about healthy eating and living. It was presented by UofM's Natural History Museum, but had been poorly advertised and only one other kid showed up. The truth is, if we hadn't already been at the library for the book sale, we wouldn't have known about it either. As it turned out, Calvin had a great time at the program while I worked the book sale, and he came home with four different starter plants that he planted himself.

So Monday started with a little watering.

In addition to chocolate cherry tomatoes, ladybug tomatoes, green beans, and carrots, Calvin came home with a stuffed red blood cell that he won in a game of Bingo. He named him Mr. Red Blood Cell, of course. I had no idea such a toy existed, but apparently there is a whole line of these things, from brain cells to the black plague, so after breakfast this morning we did a little jogging around the Giant Microbes site (just watch out for the venereals).

Then a little Lego play with Mr. Red Blood Cell and the Ziggurat he and his dad built yesterday.

Ziggurat, meet Mayan temple.

Mayan temple, meet Ziggurat.

There was some nomadic hunter gatherer play, obviously set in the time before farming but after domestication of wild animals. Either that or this nomadic hunter is in serious danger.

Calvin did some cut paper art, and we read all our library books over again—lots of great story books about the evolution of farming, technology, and eventually civilizations. While I was on the treadmill he read The Enormous Egg, and while I was showering he watched a few Schoolhouse Rock videos.

I had a dentist appointment this afternoon (possibly my least favorite thing) while Calvin got some Gram and Grampa time. Then the store, a walk with Iris, tea with tangrams.

And a piano lesson for everyone.

Getting a little help

Iris has been with us for three wonderful weeks now and we have loved every minute. They've been productive weeks, too: She no longer surfs the counters for food and willingly (or at least obediently) stays in the family room while we sit in the kitchen and eat, she no longer yanks and pulls at the leash when we're out for walks, and for the most part she goes straight to her own bed at night without even trying to jump in with us. She has most certainly made life interesting as of late.

We love Moose and Ollie, too, of course. The difference being that Moose and Ollie are both twelve years old and are perfectly happy to sleep all day and hardly notice that we are here. Iris, on the other hand, is active and playful. She wants to be right in the middle of whatever it is you are doing. She especially loves to try and get in my lap while I'm playing the piano, and crowds into Calvin's space whenever he is on the floor researching, coloring, or reading. She likes to eat your ears. She likes to make you retrieve the ball after she chases it. She's exactly what we needed around here, especially on these dreary late winter days.

Plus, because she needs so much exercise, we've been spending way more time outside than we used to at this time of year, which is great for everyone. And because Dalmatians were originally coach dogs (bred to run alongside a coach for long distances), I've started to train her to run with me. So, as much as I hate the cold, I'm actually back outside running a little, which is great because the treadmill just isn't motivating.