Magpie Tales-Sotto Voce

voices whisper

in my dreams

some long gone

some just gone 

but none forgotten

cause me to smile

 and laugh

trying to catch up

 on the latest news

I awake

tears running

down my cheeks

then I remember

and smile

happy

C.M. Jackson 2011

 

This is a magpie tale--fly on over here for more!

Wild places

wild places

dry my tears

open spaces

fill my soul

erase my fears

wild places

let me hear

my heart beat

C.M. Jackson 2011

Godspeed Dear Friend

Max Sept 6, 2011

Today Mr. Jackson and I said goodbye to Max. He is free. No doubt Max is running in the fields of heaven, stopping only to charm food off of someone's plate...we were blessed to have him for as long as we did....we will strive to honor his memory by living as he did- with heart, compassion and joy.



Theme Thursday-Pets

Fish are beautiful but I can't pet them. Iguanas are interesting but I can't imagine walking them down the street. Snakes? Sorry. No offense to cats, I'm allergic. I am a dog person. Pure joy and love in one big furry package.

Today's theme is Pets--visit Theme Thursday for more!

Theme Thursday-Yellow

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

William Wordsworth

The color yellow makes my heart skip a beat for so many reasons...

Yellow is playful, silly and makes no excuses for being.

Yellow means unequivocal faith and trust















Yellow is ageless, evocative and oh so spring and summer ...here comes the sun...do di do do ...

It is Theme Thursday and it is all about ---Yellow--take a gander here! While your at it, stop by Magpie Tales , dance with the daffodils and see where they take you!

Snow More...

Snow Day Two. Can't remember the last time we had two days of snow--Max and I took a walk around the block to investigate. Just about 20 inches fell between yesterday and this morning. Snow squalls are taking turns with the sunshine. Here's hoping we get a thaw this weekend. Right now I am on the look out for a rainbow--perfect climate conditions.

Enjoy the weekend!

States of Mine-The First Year

It's been a year since I started this blog all because of conversation I had with a man who stopped by to measure my kitchen for new cabinets. Seven years later we are here still talking, in love, the kitchen finally finished and married three years in August. I feel blessed to have met Mr. Jackson and discovered Jacksonville. His keen wit and big heart has breathed new life into my frenetic work obsessed existence so that I can see inspite of and beyond it.  Entering into this once known and scary territory of marriage, I began to think, inspired about new beginnings and to reawaken many of the areas of my being--all of the places I have been, the steps I have taken and the people met. So I began another conversation. You are all a state of mine.

This rose is for you. Thank you for stopping by, for your wisdom and encouragement. I am just beginning and look forward to discovering what lies ahead.

Oldest Puppy in the World

Yeah, I'm still here...I walk down the driveway each night and I look left then right to see if my friends are walking down the block...nothing but these young pups ---Mason and Peaches are gone--Fiona goes back and forth between her two homes so I only see her every once and a while. Trixie is older than me. She can't walk so good so when I see her I am nice to her. All the other dogs can walk by my house and I just nod--no need to really get involved, cause I am old. Not when it comes to my owners,though--I will jump for food and do all things they have come to expect of me but when it comes to meeting youngsters, well I just don't see the need. They understand it. It's cool. I am collecting my social security. I am the senior citizen on the block.

The Oldest Puppy in the World

Max came home Tuesday night with a four page list of instructions regarding his care, seven medications and a protective collar that he has to wear for two weeks. I told his doctor that the meds were not a concern but the collar? Well, let's just say that nobody got much sleep the first night because Max was determined to figure out how he could remove it. Starting about 2:00 am, Max prowled the small area we cordoned off for him--he was on a mission, latching on to every kitchen cabinet knob and doorway, he was determined to get that collar off. Thank goodness for the effects of anesthesia because I believe he would have won, however around 5:00 am he dropped to the foot of the bed with a harrumph that signalled, "I give."

Our follow-up appointment was scheduled for 9:00 am. I woke up around 7:00 and brewed some coffee. Max and Mr. Jackson were sleeping as I read through the list of meds and proceeded to truly understand what we had been told prior to the operation. Max receives four different eye drops, each with varying frequency throughout the day in addition to his insulin, thyroid and 3 different pills. Hearing the sound of food being poured into his dish, Max woke up and we began what will be our ritual for the next two weeks.

The vet tech that met us prior to meeting with Max's doctor suggested a spreadsheet to organize his meds. Bless her. I came home pulled out my laptop and constructed a table that organized his meds. Wednesday we got through, Thursday we did better and by Saturday, let's just say it gets done without a thought. We can't say enough about the care Max has and continues to receive. Stellar. A lesson or two could be learned by people doctors as to how to treat your patient and your patient's family.

The amazing thing is that each day Max sees something that he hasn't in a year, he connects with it with so much joy and zest that is all lab. The clincher for me was when he followed a bird flying down from a tree and watched it land in our yard--the nose twitching and the body poised.

It's all good.

From Max's perspective--It's all good, except for the collar.

P.S.--The photo was taken of Max in September walking a beach in Long Island after navigating stairs to experience the ocean for the first time. He was blind and while a bit tentative going down the stairs, he proceeded to pull me towards the roar of the water. I can't wait to take him to the beach again and have him connect sight and sound.

Doctor my eyes...

Max undergoes surgery today for removal of his cataracts caused by diabetes.

Mr. Jackson and I won't be ourselves until we pick up 'the oldest puppy in the world' and bring him home.

We are told if all goes well,he will see us for the very first time in a long time when he wakes up from surgery.

Priceless.

“Old Age ain’t for no Sissies” –Bette Davis

Max and I came to be when I received a call from a friend telling me that a black lab pup with too many white markings would be put up for adoption rather than sold. When I saw him, he was in a pen, running back and forth the dirt flying as he raced to and fro. He was tiny but determined to get someone’s attention. When the gate was opened, he raced into my arms, barking “let’s get going!” It was love at first sight, happiness and gratitude, you're mine and I’m yours. Ten years passed like a flash.

Last year Max’s battery started to wear down. In March, his thyroid acted up causing a skin condition which required that he receive a bath not once but twice a week. Have I mentioned that I live in a small home with just one bath with an equally small tub? Have I mentioned that Max weighed at that time 85 some odd pounds because he was not only well fed but had convinced my husband that freshly baked bread from a nearby Italian bakery, was a necessary daily supplement?

Each bath required that a medicated shampoo stay on his coat for what seemed an impossible amount of time. Have I mentioned that Max hates to get a bath on a quarterly basis let alone twice a week? It wasn’t pretty but my bathroom was never cleaner and Max’s skin condition went away.

Memorial Day weekend comes and we enjoy a barbecue with the family. Max is the life of the party looking to swindle food from every family member. He succeeds but when all have gone home I notice he paces, just can’t get enough water and is unable to settle down for the night. By the time Monday night comes, I know that my dog isn’t himself and call my vet at midnight.

The result of the examination? Max is a diabetic. Even though he isn’t pure lab (hence the white markings and the funny paws), he has enough of the lineage to assure the disease prevalent in aging labs. He gets injections—we have worked up to 20 half units twice a day. Max lost twenty pounds despite eating everything put in front of him. His new diet isn’t exactly what he would like but he has gotten used to it and yes, he still gets a bit of Italian or French bread as a treat with the vet’s blessing. In last three months, Max’s eyes have developed cataracts as a result of the diabetes so he can‘t see very well.

The oldest puppy in the world has taught me a thing or two about ageing. I watch him as he negotiates around the house without sight. I marvel at his almost immediate submission to injections as a fact of life. I watch him as he cons my husband into giving him treats. I am thrilled as he walks our neighborhood , head high, feeling the wind in his face. There is joy in every movement and moment in spite of it all.