~FIRST DAY~

Bubbles fell asleep watching me last night. That in itself is not a surprise. She usually does fall asleep watching me. For some reason, Bubbles thinks she cannot survive without knowing where I am at all times. If I get up and leave the room, she follows. It does not matter that she is in a deep sleep. She 'feels' my every move. 

Last night was different. She was spent from a day of doing her favorite thing. Well, one of her favorite things if not her favorite. 

It was the first day of swimming this season! So when I left the room for a minute, one eye cracked open for just a moment, then it was shut. I guess she figured her exhaustion trumped her need to track my every move.

 

Cemetery

There is something about Memorial Day that takes me back to a simpler time. It might be that the cemetery where we have our service that day is right across the road from where I grew up. I remember the cars lining the road on Memorial Day, and hearing the band playing Star Spangled Banner from my place on the limb of the big oak tree in our back yard where I'd sit and think.

Our Memorial Day service always gives me pause to think more about the sacrifice of all those who gave their life so that we could be free. It is emotional and you can't help but have a heart of gratitude. It is thoughtful and beautiful.

A day or so before I will first visit our local flower shop that the parents of an old high school friend owns, and I will buy flowers for my mom, dad, and grandparents. Then it's off to the cemetery to place them. I can look down over the hill and there's where I used to play tag, hopscotch, horseshoes, and other games with my siblings. 

Generally I forget to take the tags off of the flowers. How rude! Do you think Mom and Dad would care? I don't think so either. But I did remember to take them off this time. Just in case. 

Bubbles, Thoughts?

Yea. Can I take this cone of shame off yet?

 

SNEEZES

My cold feels a lot better today. Not 100% but definitely better. I was miserable this past week. On Friday I think I broke every record I ever had of total sneezes in one day. I do not exaggerate when I say I sneezed BIG SNEEZES at least 50 times that day. My head was running all over the place and I did not feel like doing anything. 

Bubbles, still in her cone of shame, was tolerating mediocre life well. She is used to heavy play throughout the day and she sure hasn't been getting it. Between husband and me both being sick at different times and her own very limited activity due to the cone... well... life has been dull for her.

GP (husband).  I like the initials. I think it adds mystery to his existence ;-) Anyway - GP woke up sick again today after being up all night. Oh no! Not again! My heart is heavy for him because he works so hard and he does so much. The pool is open and ready, thanks to his dedicated efforts to keep life flowing as smoothly as possible. Bubbles will be overjoyed to be jumping in that pool after a year of not understanding why no pool all of a sudden.

The last couple of days I've been giving Bubbles a break with the cone. All day without it, but then at night I put it on her. She is such a good girl. She jumps right up and offers her head for me to slip it over. She was truly heaven sent.

Bubbles, thoughts?

Gracie told me she has a lot of furrriends on here and that I should embrace the love and ... sorry guys... but she said I need to be a bit sassy to carry on in her absence. No can do, Gracie. I'm a lover not a fighter.

See Gracie's memory table in back?

I sleep now