Riley Learning to Wait

A few weeks ago a friend told me how much she enjoys seeing Riley in the window when she drives by. She asked me if I thought he was still looking for Everett. I had never thought about it. 

It was a confusing time for Riley last November. Everett wasn't home. I was gone frequently driving to the hospital in CdA and coming back and forth from the hospital in Kellogg. People reached out to help Riley.  He did a sleepover at Carol and Paul's. He enjoyed runs with Paul to go see Everett through the hospital window. He went and enjoyed quiet time and classical music with my brother Bill. He also spent many days at home waiting for us to come home.

Riley was a trooper. He was well-behaved and I never found destruction when I returned home. He was always so excited to see me. All of us that are pet owners often wish we knew what our animals were thinking. What was Riley thinking when Everett never came home? What did he think when I appeared sad when I came home?

I know this. He loved sleeping next to me on Everett's side of the bed. He wanted to lie at my feet when I arrived home. 

He gave me love and support during that month of November when I needed it most. He sat by me when I cheered on the Zags. When Everett left us on November 30th I could tell Riley missed him. We both miss him every day.

Everett's Memory Garden

Everett's Memory Garden in late summer.

 When Mom died my sister and I wanted to divide or dig up plants brother Bill might not want in Mom's garden beds. Mom had dug up plants from Grandma Woolum's garden and she got starts from other gardens. She also had plants gifted to her by family members. When I discussed with Everett where we should put these plants, he came up with the memory garden idea. He build the raised bed to match the others and Mom's Memory Garden is right out my window to remember Mom by. It has flourished and is one of my favorite gardens.

Mom's Memory Garden in late summer.

The first gift was a rose "Walking on Sunshine" from my P.E.O. sisters.

When Everett died it was late fall last year. I didn't even think about a memory garden for him. As gifts came in, many sent money or purchased a plant in his memory. That was when I began to plan his memory garden. During the winter I pondered where I would place it and what plants I would use. When spring arrived, I had a plan. I knew I would include roses, his favorite flower. 

My brother-in-law delivered the tub and filled it with garden soil.

I decided to use another galvanized container like the two that came from Mom's . I purchased a round tub. I knew I wanted mostly perennials, but also some annual flowers for pops of color all summer.  I also ordered a personalized stone to honor him.  I chose some plants, others were gifts. 

Everett was always fascinated with these solar light water cans. It was a perfect addition to the garden.

The garden flourished with very little care. The variety of flowers blooms up until frost and it provided a beautiful container of color in the corner of the yard.

When the annuals came out recently, I added two other plants. I planted tulips to bloom in the spring and lilies to add color in the summer. They are two of his favorites.  Now the garden is ready to for winter. I look forward to watching it flourish next year.

Putting the Gardens to Bed for Winter

 

Everett's Memory Garden is cleaned up and ready for winter.

Tonight I have a sore muscles and my hands are chapped. I came in covered with dirt and was cold. Then I discovered the power was off. No hot shower yet.  That didn't diminish my feeling of accomplishment. I finally got all my fall garden chores done and am ready to spread compost on all my beds and put them to bed for winter.

I filled the troughs with the already used potting soil from my hanging baskets. This trough is now planted with lilies and tulips for next spring and summer.

Perennials to winter over. 

I began to plan a new perennial garden in the back corner of the yard. I purchased plants when they were all fifty percent off. They are planted in the raised bed for the winter.

The chives will stay over the winter.

Lots of weeds were pulled !

It was a difficult growing year. I missed Everett's encouragement, jokes, and companionship. I learned how to do many chores by myself. I did have help with heavy lifting, mowing,and clean up. Then the hot weather came. I had to rearrange all my containers to keep them alive. Then came to smoke from the wildfires. It was frustrating when the smoke was so bad I couldn't go outside. 

Until the wind came up today it was such a pleasant day to work outside.

Riley was there to support me each and every day I worked on my fall chores. He reached his limit today. This is Riley giving me the ,"It's time to go for a run" look! Since the power was out we went for a run and I charged my phone and got warmed up in the car. Then I got a text from my brother informing me the power was back on. Whew! Hot shower and heating pad were waiting at home.

Learning To Cultivate a Creative Life. a guest post by Carol Roberts

 Learning To Cultivate a Creative Life

By Carol Roberts

Christy asked me to do a guest blog post on her blog last summer.  At one point she suggested I share about the new venture my husband Paul and I are jumping into this month.

Everyone is born with creativity.  We all have our own unique way of showing creativity.  Creativity does not have to be a visual art, or music, or writing.

You can be a creative cook.  You can be a creative mechanic.   You can be a creative parent.

But sometimes we get blocked.  The flow of our creativity has stopped.  Maybe no one ever pointed out what your creativity might be.

Paul and I are here to help creatives at every part of their journey.

Maybe you have some creative ideas, but you have never really explored doing more with those ideas.  We can give you some tools to help nurture your creative spirit.

Perhaps you are someone who nurtures their creative spirit off and on.  You get bursts of creativity, but then you stop for a while.  

There is also the creative person who has got in the habit of nurturing their creative spirit on a daily basis and is creating some really wonderful things.

And maybe you have created some wonderful things, but now need some help and encouragement to send that wonderful creative goodness out into the world and share it with others.

Whatever stage you are in, we are here to help.

And we believe God, The Creator of all things, is here to help you as well.

Yes, God cares about your creations.  If you are familiar with the Bible, the first chapter of the first book, Genesis, talks about In the beginning…..

During the creation of each day, God saw the goodness in His creation.

God saw the light was good.

God called the dry ground “land” and the waters “seas”, and God saw that it was good. 

God saw that the vegetation on the land was good.

God helped separate light from darkness, and it was good.

God created the animals, and it was good.

God created humans, and it was good.

God saw all He had made, and it was very good.

So now, for some of you, this next part might take a leap of faith.  Paul and I believe it with our whole heart.

In order to live the true creative life, you must engage God, The Great Creator, in discovering, and for some, recovering your creative powers.

You might have to be a bit open-minded to accept this concept.

Because creativity is a spiritual path.  You need to allow yourself to experiment with the idea that there might be a Great Creator and you might get some kind of use from it in freeing your own creativity.

Creativity is spiritual.  For some, allowing yourself to consider the idea that there is a Great Creator and that you might get help from it in freeing your creativity might be a little strange.

For Paul and I, we are Christians, and we see The Great Creator as the Christian God from the Bible.

But we also believe that God is so big, and so loving, and so wonderful, that He can work through people who don’t necessarily see God the way we do.

We believe you can refer to God as the universe, or a good flow, or a Higher Power.  It doesn’t really matter.  Because God is real, and God wants to help you create!!

Paul and I are also gardeners.  We combine gardening and creativity and use the garden theme to share our message of learning to cultivate a creative life.

If this sounds like something that you would like to be a part of, join us at Grow Me A Story.  If you sign up to be on our email list, you will always get an encouraging email about living a creative life on Monday, Paul’s blog post on Tuesday, and Carol’s blog post on Thursday.  

Lessons from Trees

 

“Learn character from trees, values from roots and change from leaves” - Tasneern Harneed

In the fall of the year I always take quite a few pictures of trees. There is something about the turning of the leaves, the shedding of the branches, and changes that take place. I love to photograph these trees.

During difficult days lately trees have brought me peace. If you are stressed or troubled, take time to study fall trees. Hopefully it will bring you peace also.

It Is More Than Just a Pickup

 

The day we purchased it.

When I remember Everett, I have good memories of his pickups.In the time I knew him he had three different Chevy pickups. He loved having a pickup. He could haul stuff, we could go off the grid on mountain roads, he could load firewood, and he could pull a camp trailer when we headed to a campground.

It took us to many favorite camp spots.

In the last few years he didn't need the pickup as much. I remember him saying though that "every family needs a pickup".  We agreed to keep it and we parked it with another family member so it was there to use to go to the dump, haul stuff, and help out the rest of the family. 

He loved his co-pilots

About a month ago someone in the family asked me if I was interested in selling the pickup. At first I thought, "What a great idea." Then I did some serious thinking. It wasn't safe. It needed new brakes, I hadn't driven it much so I didn't know if there were other mechanical issues. I had trouble sleeping that night as I tried to sort out what to do. Some time in the middle of the night it hit me. 

A man and his pickup

It is more than just a pickup. That 2004 Chevy Silverado pickup represented Everett. Then it came to me. I couldn't sell the pickup. I wanted the pickup back at 514. I wanted to be comforted by his memories when I looked out the front window. When the discussion came up at family dinner I tried to explain as best as I could to the family that it was more than just a pickup. As I continued to grieve his death, I wanted something to bring me comfort in my driveway.

The pickup had to provide help to other family members before it could come back to 514. Close to the end of the week we were able to take it to Silver Valley Tire to get a service job and make it safer with new brakes. 

The work gloves I found in the pouch in the backseat.

I got the call this afternoon I was waiting for. Your pickup is ready.. I hadn't driven the pickup in a long time. I just sat in the driver's seat and cried. I drove it home and checked all the doors and other places that Everett used to love to stuff stuff.  I found two pairs of worn work gloves . a missing green winter glove, change, Tic Tacs. and toothpicks. I found a grocery list he had written. I held each of these items close to my heart.

No matter how worn out they were, he never threw out a pair of work gloves.

Then Riley joined me. He caught a scent of  Everett and jumped from the front seat to back seat, grabbed the gloves, and felt his presence. We drove up to our favorite running spot. It was a happy day.

Tonight I feel so much more at peace. It is more than just a pick up. It is Everett. We needed to feel his presence today and during the days ahead right in our own driveway.

The Meaning of the Mystery Cardinal

Wednesday I arrived home after an appointment and had this beautiful cardinal sitting on my porch. I have no idea who put it there. After I posted the picture this is what a friend shared with me:

 'A cardinal is a representative of a loved one who has passed. When you see one, it means they are visiting you. They usually show up when you most need them or miss them. They also make an appearance during times of celebration as well as despair to let you know they will always be with you."

I have needed him and missed him all week. Now I have a beautiful cardinal to comfort me.

The Pleasures of Ordinary Life

As I get older  I embrace the pleasures of ordinary life. I had a good teacher. Everett was a master at enjoying those pleasures.  We had "a long history. Connections that help render us complete.
Ties that hold and heal us."

I have loved to capture my ordinary life in photos. 

The Pleasures of Ordinary Life

I've had my share of necessary losses, Of dreams I know no longer can come true. I'm done now with the whys and the becauses. It's time to make things good, not just make do. It's time to stop complaining and pursue The pleasures of an ordinary life. I used to rail against my compromises. I yearned for the wild music, the swift race. But happiness arrived in new disguises: Sun lighting a child's hair. A friend's embrace. Slow dancing in a safe and quiet place. The pleasures of an ordinary life. I'll have no trumpets, triumphs, trails of glory. It seems the woman I've turned out to be Is not the heroine of some grand story. But I have learned to find the poetry In what my hands can touch, my eyes can see. The pleasures of an ordinary life. Young fantasies of magic and of mystery Are over. But they really can't compete With all we've built together: A long history. Connections that help render us complete. Ties that hold and heal us. And the sweet, Sweet pleasures of an ordinary life. Judith Viorst

Everett and Winnie Reunited

 Everett always loved cats. That is h how he earned the nickname "The Cat Whisperer". The cats knew how much he loved them and they loved him back. It is often hard to tell what cats are thinking, but I think the cats missed him when he never came home last November.

Winnie was one of the many rescue cats we brought home. She loved hanging around outside during the day, then came up from the basement in the evening for love and attention. Everett's lap was her favorite spot.  Saturday Winnie was running across the yard heading toward the gate. Riley was right behind her, She injured her leg on the gate trying to hoist herself over. She was limping so I took her to the vet in Pinehurst. The vet took x-rays and learned that she had a very complicated injury. She pulled the ligaments between her leg bones and a small bone was fractured.

I tried to listen the vet explain why it was a complicated surgery. It would require a special orthopedic vet to do the repair. She would have to be crated then kept quiet and by herself for six weeks. It would cost over a thousand dollars to get her leg fixed. The vet left me alone while she tried to contact the specialist. Fortunately she gave Winnie something for the pain.

As I sobbed alone I missed Everett so much. I needed advice. What was best for sweet Winnie? I prayed for wisdom and suddenly I felt a calm come over me. I remembered the words my wise   Everett always said when we had to make a difficult decision about a beloved pet.  "Christy, this pet has lived the best life ever with us. Will doing a surgery and all that follows be the life Winnie would want to live ?"

I knew the answer. No, Winnie would not want to live that way. Then it came to me. Winnie and Everett missed each other more than I realized. She was ready to be reunited with her Cat Whisperer. They are now in heaven together where all her pain is gone. My pain of the loss hasn't gone away, but I made the right decision.