3.19.2015

spring-ish, and other things






















while officially it starts tomorrow, it has felt rather spring-ish around here for a solid week.  today it is cool and rainy, but we've had several warm and sunny days lately.  warm enough to wear short sleeves and have lots of snacks and meals outside.  to bring the seedlings outside for a watering.  to plant a bed full of greens and carrots, beets and parsnips.

the garlic looks great, the garden tools are being put to use…..
yes, SPRING.


she cuddles her favorite doll, Broccoli.  I think my dad bought that doll at the dollar store when Claire was maybe one and a half.  of course I initially snubbed it as an ugly cheap plastic thing but wouldn't you know it was the first doll she named and she loves her so.  others get loved on a good bit too but Broccoli is the one that has to be found before bed time and that has to come along on road trips and even came backpacking with us.

there is still rather a lot of cat-coaxing going on around here as I try to get Ziggy to eat.  something, anything.  I've never tried so hard to woo a cat.  I go to the store and buy a dozen different cans and packets and trays of various juicy bits that are really supposed to taste great to the feline crowd.  I even went so far as to get him that "cat milk" in the little blue box.  that he kinda likes.  if only he'd pick a food to like, I'd get him a truckload of it.  it looks (and, um, smells) a bit like a cat food smorgasbord around here, with probably at least 6 or 8 different little bowls and plates set about the house at any given time.  his kidneys just aren't cutting it anymore and sadly it looks like giving him fluids at least semi-regularly is our new normal.  he seems okay, if a bit tired and skinny.  we realize our time with him is limited and so we are loving on him as much as we can and enjoying him while he is here.  I am aware that in coming days it may become hard for me to see what is the reality, as opposed to seeing what I want to see.  so I'm trying to be conscious of that so that his best interest comes before my own desire to keep and hold and snuggle and pet and love.  you know?


there is also soft yarn, photo cards being shipped out to someone far away, sunsets out her bedroom window, and a bit of spring cleaning as we try (as we always are trying) to get rid of things we don't need.  certain things will stay, though.  I'm bad to gather 'treasures' while out and about.  feathers, seeds, shells, pinecones, creekside treasures….. they stay.  they have stories to tell, memories to nudge awake when I need them most.



happy spring!


22 comments:

  1. Sounds like a lovely week, I am always amazed at the things children treasure never the things you think they will. Spring is taking a little while to arrive here, certainly not warm enough for short sleeves yet.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. you are so right about what they choose to cherish- you just never know!

      Delete
  2. Sorry to hear that your kitty is still not doing very well. My parents cat was going through a rough patch (they thought he only had a few weeks left) when my mom starting giving him kombucha. He gained back a lot of weight and his health got better. Might be something to try...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. before we had to say goodbye to Zig I actually did try to get him to drink some kombucha mixed in with some water, and with that cat milk stuff (I tried after reading your comment here- I hadn't heard of it before then). sadly, it just seemed his poor kidneys were too far gone that just about nothing was gonna turn that sweet boy around.

      Delete
  3. I'm sorry about Ziggy. Our sweet girl lived with chronic renal failure for 10 years to the grand old age of 21. I found that she liked low or no sodium turkey breast from the deli, turkey or chicken baby food, and Hill's or Royal Canin prescription A/D canned food, and they seemed gentler on her stomach than other food. I also gave her a 1/4 tablet of Pepcid AC every day to help settle her stomach and, when we were really desperate for her to eat, a prescription appetite stimulant, both on the advice of our vet. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks for the encouragement and support- sadly we had to put him down last week. the vet actually prescribed the appetite stimulant when we first brought him in and even that made very little difference. poor guy's kidneys were already too far gone and not responding to fluids, meds, etc. :(

      Delete
  4. Your photo cards are inspiring!
    Whatcha cooking in the granola-ish looking bowl? Looks yummy.
    Sorry about the sick kitty.
    Happy spring!
    Bobby
    www.wheretheblacktopends.weebly.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. oh thank you! I do enjoy making them.
      that was baked oatmeal with pears and pumpkin seeds~ a' la Heidi Swanson's baked oatmeal recipe from Super Natural Every Day.

      happy spring to you too!

      Delete
  5. Gosh those photo cards are beautiful. And the sunset through the window, stunning! Spring has almost sprung here, slowly it is making its appearance known, and we are loving every bit of it.

    Happy spring!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. so glad that you liked them Kim! (and by now you know that they were being sent off to YOU!)

      ah, spring. if not my favorite season in and of itself (that would be fall), it is without a doubt my most anticipated season.

      Delete
  6. I so like your daughter's sun/gardening hat. It's funny what the girls get attached to, yeah? Mine are not doll fans. Bear Bears/Teddies are the most loved in this apartment. I like your idea for cards.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. found that hat at a toy swap for kids and I love it! so glad she does, too. I thought I was keeping dolls and stuffed animals to a minimum around here but somehow she now has a couple dozen and they all seem to be pretty special to her. I suppose I remember being the same way, though.

      thank you :)

      Delete
  7. love her hat and that doll, what a cute name :) I hope your cat loves something to eat so you feel a bit better. Happy spring!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sweet time with Ziggy. Glad that he has sun on his shoulders. Your daffodils and garlic DO looks great. Spring has sprung. My, how nice.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. he did indeed have the sun on his shoulders his last days- he was a happy and sweet guy.

      oh, Spring. YES.

      Delete
  9. That granola looks amazing. And the last picture of honey, yum!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. it was the baked oatmeal out of Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Every Day. I make it a lot and switch things around a bit according to what ingredients I have. yumyumyumyumyum.

      Delete
  10. It's crazy how quickly we transition from one season to the next. Just a week or two ago, the weather here was still a good bit gray and cold and now, it's as if those days were many moons ago. warmth is settling in on us. we are barefoot. the windows are open and we are even feeling hot when standing in the sun. welcome spring. i love your photo cards! and the wool -- what a luscious shade of rose. oh, and your new banner with the sunrise reflection is incredible.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. crazy, indeed. it was 24 here last weekend and now everything is green and we're running around barefoot.

      thank you- I used to sell them at the farmer's market and at a few shops and now mostly just send them out for swaps. I enjoy making them.

      Delete
  11. i absolutely LOVE that the doll is named broccoli!!! that is the best doll name EVER :) i am with you... i usually snub those things too... my daughter eislee has this "puppy" she loves. i thought it was the ugliest thing i had ever seen... some overpriced disney "garbage" in my mind... but she loves it so much... and i am finding it gets a bit cuter with age the more love she gives it ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. me too! and it was the first doll she named. the second one was named Toe, hmmm.

      I know exactly what you mean~

      Delete

thanks for taking the time to read and comment~