My husband hates this. He likes to nap and will sleep for a short time or a long time but he sleeps. I'll instead sit and play on my computer, or I'll watch tv. It's very, very rare for me to actually sleep. But today feels like it should be a day I sleep. I've got important things going on. It's going to be a girls night don't you know? A night where me and some of my girls go out for a drink somewhere and then for dancing. It's going to be a great night. I have been looking forward to it for weeks. We don't see each other that often so I cherish these special nights.
My blog got interrupted by the dog vomiting on the floor. Poor little guy must've swallowed a chunk of some hard cheese toy that my hubby got him as it came out with the vomit. I always worry about those toys. Glad to know my fears are not unfounded. The dog seems to feeling right as rain now that he's puked and gotten let outside to do his business.
We are so blessed to have him. He's so much different than the first day we met him at the SPCA. He's so lively, playful and loving. He's our dog and follows us everywhere. We actually took him out with us last night and kept a leash on him but didn't need it. He followed us to the car, jumped in and then followed us right back to the house again. He's shown a true aptitude for recognizing our house on walks too and even turns up the driveway when we make it home.
His name is Baxter. We know it in our hearts as he started responding immediately and it seems to suit him so much. He's small but long and fiesty. We had to go through with a cone on his head after the neuter and tried to keep him calm for as long as we could. We've come to discover that he loves to play catch and we've spent many hours laughing at his antics as he jumps in the air to catch the ball.
In other news, I'm headed to Manitoba at the end of the month. My dad and I are going to see my great-aunt. Sad to say it'll probably be for the very last time. She had some strokes over Christmas and spent some time in the hospital. She's had fluid on her lungs and we are both praying for her. She's been really lonely since her husband passed away and even more so since she lost her sister. My great-aunt is of Ukrainian decent and has a very memorable personality. She took an instant liking to James and used to flirt shamelessly with him. She's a tiny woman but has always liked taller men. My heart instantly loved her when we met nearly 20 years ago.
I know you ask, how could I have family reunions every year not meet on of my great-aunts until I was in my late teens. It honestly took my Great Aunt and Uncle some time to make the trek down from Manitoba in a Winnebago but they finally came to the reunion. My dad and my Uncle Ed hit it off instantly and my dad took a lot away from that relationship. My Uncle Ed was the youngest of his family and had a very sharp mind right up until the end. He was a bit of a jokester and had a very dry sense of humor. He told my dad many stories of my grandfather and what life was like for them growing up. My dad's own father had passed when he was only 8 years old so there was a lot for him to know and question over the years as he was moved around.
My Dad has recently started taking more of an interest in my family history project and has really wanted to go and see the resting places of our family members. Last weekend we went to the Mount Hope Cemetery in Hespeler to try and track down my great-grandmother and my dad's stepfather. We didn't find either of them but we did find my great-aunt Kitty and her husband William. Kitty was a very memorable Aunt when I was a child and I have many memories of being in her little house in Hespeler, admiring her silver tea set while she read my mom's tea leaves. We used to do a lot of visiting when I was a kid and were often over seeing people for tea or coffee. My Aunt Kitty had a boistrous laugh and we loved spending time with her, even if we weren't allowed to touch anything in her house. Just once I wish I could've been able to drink an entire cup of tea so she could've read my leaves. Just once I wish she could've been able to tell my future. I know it would be a memory that I would hold onto for all of my days. Instead she just sits in my memory.
There are so many people in my memory. Some are just faces, or stories. Some I actually remember interacting with and the feel of their skin when they gave me a hug.
Lately I've been drawn in by a Maya Angelou saying that I think sums this all up. I'll let her finish off this blog post.
