Updates for Thursday ...

  It has been four days of the Gabapentin and steroid combo for Charlie.  He also had his 2nd light laser treatment this morning [Summus Veterinary Laser <link].  It seems like it is all working and he is feeling better.  Being confined to the office with me while I work bores him, so I took him across the street to hang with his BFF Brenda for a few hours.

  Three more days of the meds every 12 hours, then he gets tapered off the steroids for another seven days.  I got the laser package because I wanted to be sure he was well healed, and we have four more visits for that.

  I may have to sneak in and have them give me a session on my right sciatica.  Toting 20# up and down the stairs multiple times a day so he can go to the bathroom and the vet visits are coming at the price of my already compromised lower back.  That may be something that won't change since he is at a higher risk of reinjury now, and the weakness in his hind legs is likely our new normal.  The need for a single-story forever home just went to the top of the priority list.

  We are now a house of seven.  I'm not sure if I mentioned Carl, the unexpected roommate who joined us in October, but he invited a classmate to come here when she arrived.  Chrishiel, (also unexpectedly) joined us in November.  ¡¡No más!!

  I realized what I want the last third of my life to include, and will be going back to school after the first of the year to learn ... wildlife rehabilitation!  Since there are no laws in WV permitting it wildlife rehabilitation,  I would have to move to another state to do it "legally." That single-story forever home and part-time wildlife rehabilitator life may have to be in VA or another nearby state that does allow it injured or orphaned wildlife to be rehabilitated and released.  Or... add to my list to fight for there to be laws on the books in WV that allow it wildlife rehabilitation!  [edited for clarity]

This Weekend ...

 ... has been and still is a roller coaster of emotions.

On the upside of it was seeing my sister and her husband, and this:

Spending time with my nephew and his girlfriend.

and my great-niece (which is more than just an extra confusing explanation of the family tree, she really is great, and I don't feel nearly as old saying that she is a GREAT niece as I do saying she is my great-niece).

Unfortunately, the downside of it was this little man, and why he is being carried in the last two pictures.  Something happened Saturday morning as we were driving, and there will be another vet visit in the morning to determine just how serious it was.

For some reason, his hind legs are not working properly, and I don't know if it is related to his fall down the stairs, or if it is something new.  He is now walking like he is drunk from the waist down.  Sometimes when his legs go all bullfrog on him and want to go in different directions, he just sits down and waits to be picked up and carried.  Since they only took x-rays of his lumbar spine and hip joints, I don't know if there was a cervical spinal injury that was missed or a small skull fracture that might have bled a little and created a mini-stroke.  So we will find out tomorrow, or this week if this is going to be our new normal.  I've recruited a Thirty-One tote bag (a home party shopping brand of purses, bags, and totes <link) to carry him up and down the stairs more easily, and after the first trip downstairs, he seems to like it because when I put the bag down and asked him to climb in for the trip upstairs, he quickly obliged.  I've also ordered gripper socks for his hind feet on the wood floors, and a hip lift assist leash combo for walking with him to potty or for therapy if that is what the vet suggests tomorrow.

It was good to see family.

But my 💔.

Thanks~living ...

  I've been following a woman on YouTube, Victoria Jazwic, The Soul Nurturer, [< link to the video I mention below] in my journey to heal my past relationship traumas.  Among many things, she is a (my term:) life coach and speaks of astrological things happening in the sky and how they relate to life.  She posted a video the other day about how Thanksgiving should actually become a thanks~living.  Changing our focus to express gratitude every day.  She has also been talking about "shadow work" and I've seen a lot on Instagram about that but didn't know what it was until her video clip the other night.  I've now ordered a Shadow Work workbook, and another one based on the book The Body Keeps Score that a counselor also suggested.  

  On this journey, I've been reading similar thoughts on gratitude, one of them a book [link>] by Kawaljit Singh called Thoughts to Heal ~ the Shri Guru Granth Sahib Way.  Which often prompts me to have thought-provoking conversations with Bipin.  Something I read that so far has had the most impact on me was this:

The spiritual ones treat everyone with equality, because they know that it is one soul of the universe that is running through everyone.  The ones who are out there to divide people in the name of religion are not spiritual at all in the true sense. Nature may manifest itself in diverse forms by giving everyone and every specie a different appearance.  But taken collectively, we are one big family.  The difference between human beings is because of the manmade parameters on which everyone is judged. [underlines, bold and highlight added by me for emphasis]

 I also purchased [link >] The Buddha and His Dhamma which was written by the Indian Statesman Bhimrao R. Ambedkar and is the faith that Bipin most closely relates to.  Much of what I've read, and many of our conversations, have confirmed something that Bipin once said, which was that it was essentially all the same, just worded a little differently from what the Christian Bible does.

  Tuesday afternoon, Charlie took a fall down the stairs that I didn't witness, but his body language told me later that it scared him a great deal.  To be safe, we went to the veterinarian's office early Wednesday morning for X-rays.  Nothing was broken, thanks given, but she thought he probably had a great deal of muscle soreness.  Anti-inflammatories were prescribed, and he is taking advantage of the extra attention and being carried up and down the stairs for now.  Weightlifting for strength was on my list of things to start in 2024, but carrying a 20# dog up and down the stairs was not what I had in mind.

  We shared turkey sandwiches today, and this weekend we will be going to see my nephews and sister.  But for the most part, it is going to be four days (well now three) of taking things slow and easy.  I want to be sure that he is not pushing himself too much with jumping down after I've lifted him up, or charging down the stairs.  I've ordered fabric treads to make it easier on him since it looks like we will be in this house at least until the end of July next year.

  I hope your weekend is restful and filled with gratitude.  ~ Ci

Unexpected surprises ...

 Several weeks ago, Chewy.com posted on several social media sites about how our pets can write letters to "Chewy Claus" and they would donate food to animal shelters.

Of course, my three insisted on writing letters.

Today a box arrived addressed to Lucy.

It contained catnip toys, a little hat, and an ornament for the tree.

And since I'm 1000% certain that Lucy would scratch my eyes out before letting me put the hat on her head, Charlie graciously (although a little unwillingly and confused) consented to model the hat.

Hawk Knob Cidery

 This morning I went to see some friends, and hear some awesome music at the [link>] Hawk Knob Cidery.

The weather was a crisp 50ish, and it was just beautiful there.

I'm sure that it was beautiful when the trees were still in color, but will now have to go back again to see it in all the seasons!

My brunch was amazing! Fried red potatoes with an egg and chorizo sandwich with (real!) cheddar cheese on a (fresh!) homemade biscuit!

Of course, I had to get me some baby time with Hazel, who in the picture below looks like she's auditioning for a remake of A Christmas Story movie!

Kristkindlmarkt

Saturday, Bipin and I went to the Kristkindlmarkt put on by the [link>] Clifton Forge School of the Arts which looks like an amazing place that I will need to look into further for classes!

This happy St. Nicholas greeted us as we came in, and Bipin was thrilled to meet the Santa that he had seen on television.  😄

I did get some homemade Stollen bites to nibble on before Bipin had vegetarian goulash, and I had a lunch of bratwurst, potato salad (German style) and sauerkraut.  Which was a good thing because I'd also gotten a cup of gluhwein and was not aware that it was spiked with brandy!  Getting giggly at 10:30a was not in my day's plan!

I picked up the one above for my friend Erica because she and her family (below) dress up like this for Halloween.  I love that family so much!

This is the one I got for me, and it is standing watch over my November tree.  They were made by a woman who grew up in Stuttgart and came to the US with her military husband.  Had the gluhwein not gotten me so giggly, I probably could have spoken more German to her than I did.

The RealWV

 

[link to article>] White Sulphur Woman Opens Her Home to International Students

Diwali celebrated ...

Sunday, Bipin and I celebrated Diwali.

Gifts were exchanged.

And the food was prepared and enjoyed!

This was Pakoda, and [link>] here is a recipe for it.

Diwali & Kukar Tihar

The more I learn, the more I grow.

"Diwali is a major Hindu festival that lasts for five days during the lunar months of Ashvina and Karttika (October–November). The name is derived from the Sanskrit term dipavali, meaning ‘row of lights,’ which are lit on the new moon night. The festival is celebrated to mark the victory of good over evil, light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance. It is a significant celebration of light, love, and joy. The festival is marked by four days of celebration, each of which has its own tale to tell. The first day of the festival, Naraka Chaturdasi, marks the vanquishing of the demon Naraka by Lord Krishna and his wife Satyabhama. The second day of Diwali, Amavasya, marks the worship of Lakshmi when she is in her most benevolent mood, fulfilling the wishes of her devotees. The third day of Diwali, Kartika Shudda Padyami, marks the victory of Lord Vishnu over the demon-king Bali. The fourth day of Diwali, Yama Dvitiya, is dedicated to the bond between brothers and sisters. The fifth day of Diwali, Bhai Dooj, is dedicated to the bond between siblings. The festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm and zeal across India and other parts of the world."

"Kukur Tihar or Kukur Puja literally means the worship of dogs. This is a mini-festival within a larger Hindu celebration of Diwali, the festival of lights. According to Nepalese tradition, one of the festive days is dedicated solely to the human's most devoted friend and guardian. In Hindu religion, a dog is a sacred animal, intended to have a special bond with a human, so as to accompany us on our way to heaven. 

During Kukur Tihar, the dogs are treated with special love and admiration. Each one gets a flower garland or "malla" placed around its neck. The forehead is painted with a paste named "talik" or "tikka" made from red-colored powder, rice, and yogurt. This marking symbolizes their sacredness. Dogs' favorite part of the celebration is to feast on various goodies ranging from fruit and cookies to eggs, milk, cheese, meat, and high-quality dog food. 

 Always 2nd day of Diwali."

As I'm sure you can imagine, Charlie is pretty thrilled about the treats part of it, but not so much the garland part of it.  Wait till he finds out about the yogurt on his forehead.

My first Diwali tree is a little bare, but I hope in future years it will fill up.

The mat under it is my improvised Rangoli because ... loose sand on the floor + cats = nothing pretty.

Under the lamp, you can see the Diya I made with clay.  In India, they would be filled with ghee (oil) and cotton wicks, but this is West Virginia, and setting the house on fire isn't on my holiday agenda.  I'm using just small tealights in them, and battery-operated candles in the holders under the tree.

WfW ~ a bird in the hand ...

This writing challenge was started by Delores a long time ago. Computer issues led her to bow out and now Words for Wednesday is provided by a number of people and has become a movable feast.

Essentially the aim is to encourage us to write. Each week we are given a choice of prompts: which can be words, phrases, music, or an image. What we do with those prompts is up to us: a short story, prose, a song, a poem, or treating them with ignore... We can use some or all of the prompts, and mixing and matching are encouraged.

Some of us put our creations in comments on the host's post, and others post on their own blog. It would be wonderful if as many people as possible joined in the fun, which includes cheering on the other participants. The prompts were [here] and were provided by Sean Jeating in October.

I'm wrapping up October a week late, then will be taking a step back from blogging for the rest of this year as I put my focus on getting some help for what I now realize has been severe chronic depression for over a decade now.  As much as I love writing the darker stories, they are very often a reflection of where I am mentally.  Those who might remember the David decade and my previous blog [before I deleted it after the divorce] might remember how dark it was ALL the time, not just for WfW.  So I want to redirect my thoughts to happy things and find my joy again.  I may pop in occasionally with just a photo or two, but if I can't write without it being from a dark place, then I don't want to put it out into the universe.

  She barely saw the flutter out of the corner of her eye and for the briefest of moments thought that she was running too late and didn't have time to stop.

  But something told her she must, and so she did.

  There among the leaves that had fallen in the sudden and unexpected overnight freeze was the tiniest hummingbird she had ever seen.  

  She quickly picked it up and tucked it under her coat and sweater, against her bare skin, where she thought she might just be able to keep it warm and hopefully alive.

  Today, of all days, for this tiny bringer of light to have come into her life was simply too much of an answer to prayers to be a coincidence.

  "Please take a breath," she whispered as she walked quickly to the subway, "please, I need you to live.  I can't deal with anything else this morning."

  As if in answer to her whisper, she felt the tiny bird move closer to where her heart was beating from the exertion of walking faster in the cold.  A calm settled over her, and it seemed as if the chaos in her mind suddenly fell silent.

  Even on the subway ride out of the city, her mind stayed peaceful and the noise in the crowded car did not increase her anxiety as it sometimes did.  As the train arrived at her stop she realized she could choose to stay on it to the end of the line.  She didn't have to face her enemy today.  That would happen soon enough.  Today she felt that a walk in the woods might be a nice thing to do for both of them.

  The doors closed.  The train moved on.  She exited the subway where it ended at the airport and walked up to the first counter she saw.

  "I'd like a one-way ticket, please, to somewhere warm with beautiful flowers.  Preferably a direct flight.  I'm in a hurry."