She's doing better...

Mom went into the hospital again last Monday and had 18 lbs. of fluid removed by Lasix treatments. She came back to the rest home on Thursday and is feeling so much better. The family is very relieved that there is still something that can be done to make her comfortable.
Her brother arrived on Wednesday from Susanville, Ca. She was so happy to see him. His two daughters drove him down here just to see Mom. They really enjoyed talking to each other and it was so nice to see our cousins again. It meant so much to Mom to see her "baby" brother ( he's 85 yrs old) again and I know it gave her a bit dose of "happy" medicine.

ON Thursday we got Mom settled in and Sis cut her hair for her. She was delighted with the haircut. She said it was really good to be "home" and..., "take a shower". We left her in good spirits. The doctor told her that he would see her again in a couple of weeks because the fluid will build up again and she will need more Lasix to help her body get rid of all the fluid. At some point this won't work anymore, but until then, they can help her. Mom is being so brave.

Sis decided to follow me home, yesterday afternoon, for the weekend. We drove into Sutter Creek for lunch today, but little else. The temperature is hovering right about 100 degrees . Summer has definitely arrived. I watered and "dead-headed" the flowers very early this morning. It was beautiful outside so early. Everything smelled so good. Only the sunrise and the windless air gave a hint to how hot it would be. This afternoon all the birds and even the lizards have found a place to hide from the intense heat. Annibel, our cat is stretched out in the garden, the dogs are in the house enjoying the air-conditioner and the goats are looking at us like we did something to bring on all this hot weather. They weren't happy when it was cold. They weren't happy when it was raining and now..., they're upset because it's too hot. Spoiled goats....

Tomorrow I will continue the saga of Carl's first trip to the Mokelumne River and, also, tell you about a special package I received in the mail.

The Long Road Home

Mom is in the hospital again. I'm leaving this morning . Will post "Pupster on the Mokelumne" when I return.

Imprints and Memories

"What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."


The roses in the garden have been enjoying the cooler weather and then we get a long day of sun and they bud out like they've gone mad with joy. Don't tell me that flowers have no feelings, no souls...

"No one can have a healthy love for flowers unless he loves the wild ones."


This wild beauty left it's imprint on my hand and in my heart.
The Queen Anne's Lace: or Wild Carrot is blooming down along the river. It stands high above the wild berries and poison oak; swaying in the breeze and beckoning all who drive by.
I remember fields of this flower on the road from Eugene to Florence Oregon; a trip I took a few years ago ,by myself, to see my cousins. Queen Anne's Lace was everywhere that summer. Every time I see this lovely wild flower I think of that trip...,looking for a new wild species of plants with my cousin Danna and her husband (both Botanists for a local university)..., my cousin Jeanne's beautiful garden and her cat that followed me through the berries as I picked them for lunch. Imprints and memories...

Yesterday the Prospector and I drove to the Mokelumne River, to introduce Carl to the beautiful water and wildness of this place we love so much. I have photos of Carl's first encounter with the river in tomorrow's post.

I Can Still Hear the Piano

This was a class photo of my dad (second from the left on top row). He was in the 4th grade in Napa, Ca. What a cute kid.

The two things he was most proud of besides his family was his time in the Navy and his work on the Grand Jury in 1978-79.

He loved wearing hats, taking long drives with his family and having get-togethers with his extended family where he could sit and listen to Mom play the piano and we would sing him his favorite song called Daddy's Little Girl....

You're the end of the rainbow,
my pot of gold
You're daddy's little girl
to have and hold
A precious gem is what you are
You're mommy's bright, and shining star.

You're the spirit of Christmas,
my star on the tree
You're the Easter Bunny,
to mommy and me
You're sugar, you're spice,
you're everything nice
And you're daddy's little girl.
(Repeat all)

You're the treasure I cherish,
so sparkling and bright
You were touched by the holy
and beautiful light
Like angels that sing,
a heavenly thing
And you're daddy's little girl.

I can still hear the piano and our voices and see the tears in my Dad's eyes. He had been gone 3 years now and he was a long way from us when he died because of Alzheimer's disease.
I still dream of being in our house on Rose Lane. There was happiness and sadness there, but I choose to remember the good things. One of those memories was the music and how he love to listen to my mom play the piano and have my sister and I sing to him. We were his little girls and we were his "angels that sing", and I know he still listens....