Dog News: Just in time for Independence Day, Baby Missy went "home" forever this past Tuesday. Her new family, Marianne and Joe, already think she's the best dog in the world - and of course, for them, I agree! She's our seventh rescue, and while every dog has been very different, each one has brought such joy (and, I must admit, occasional moments of chaos bordering on hysteria). Little Missy was by far the youngest dog we've fostered, as our vet put her age at no more than 3, and probably closer to 2.
She is such a baby girl that even I couldn't resist putting a bow on her for the going home trip - which is quite unusual for me. Last time I had such an impulse must have been decades ago when Day Rose K. was a baby herself - and she's now a married woman in her 30's.
Missy's new dad is wheelchair bound from an old motorcycle accident, so Baby Missy is going to learn a few new helpful tricks, and be a semi-service dog. I'm sure she can do it. She bonded instantly with her new mom, as you can see by the photo.
Marianne was ready to take her home from the very first meeting, but wanted to take a week off work to settle her in with Joe, who works from home, so we all had to wait another few weeks till she could get someone to cover for her. And in between, they drove up for a visit (2 hours each way, this couple was REALLY committed to adopt this dog) which was lots of fun for us all, even though Joe had to patiently wait in the driveway by his van, as our house is not wheelchair friendly. But Missy graciously checked in on him whenever she was walking by, and stopped for friendly pets as well.
It's still a bit weird and too quiet here without a tail-wagging, nails-on-floor-clicking little furry pal around, but I am using the time to good purpose (the War on Weeds, which is longer than any other war as it is endless) and will be ready for another foster soon; just not till I get a few more mornings where I don't have to get up at 6 a.m. and let Missy out.
Garden news: After several weeks of too much rain, we've hit a dry spell. The formerly soggy terraces now have weeds that seem cemented in, despite my best mole imitation efforts to pry them loose. But some plants are happy in the heat - just look at our yucca!
When we first moved to West Virginia all those years ago, I was astonished to see yucca plants along the sides of the roads, as I thought they were only desert plants. But much to my surprise, they do well there, and equally well here, as you can see. Our bergamot (bee balm) is also bursting with joy in the heat, and apparently is going to continue to grow straight up to heaven unless I intervene. Each year the plants get slightly taller - and this shot is AFTER I topped off quite a few to bring in the house for flower arrangements.
They have what I think is a very nice garlicky smell, but the deer disagree and won't eat them. Thus, along with the peonies and irises, these are the ones we dare to leave down in the lower terraces. Unfortunately, not so with our sunflower starts. We got some seeds from our neighbor, and also from the monastery, and planted them liberally all over the property. The pots on the front porch are fine, and the one stand next to the back door is too, but all the rest are just sadly truncated stems. Having not seen deer for a while, Brian and I made the wrong assumption that they were not here. I guess they were just waiting for their favorite buffet treats...
Other new: Yes, there is a bit that is neither dog nor garden related. In March of this year I began teaching a beginning calligraphy class in Middletown, about half an hour away. The class was only scheduled for 4 weeks, which I told my coordinator could not possibly be long enough to teach an entire alphabet, but she said to just start and see what happens. So we did, and at the end of each 4-week session, I had enough folks really wanting to learn the entire alphabet to continue!
So for 12 weeks I have been teaching what is essentially a secret calligraphy class, as none but the first of four sessions ever made it into the official calendar. At the third week of each session, my happy calligraphy ducklings promised to go on line to register for the next four week session - and did! So we are now in our 13th week, and will finally finish the Old English capital letters by the end of this session. It's my first calligraphic employment in New York State! And while the pay is predictably disappointing (less than half what I used to get in SB), I have never had a more enthusiastic or hard-working group. They are just great, I hate to let them go and am plotting to recruit them for yet another secret class of perhaps Fractor or 16th Century Tudor, if I can keep them coming back. I dream of creating a calligraphic community here, with all the great things we used to do in SB: fairs, picnics, meetings (okay, not everything was so great, but at least at the meetings we all got to see each other).
And here are a few happy faces sharing their works - these were done after only the first 8 weeks, when we hadn't yet begun the capitals. Their final project will be the same quote, only this time with ALL the letters properly done!
And the next morning, most of us went frog hunting down at the pond. Hyla came prepared with her own net! Too much fun!
Not quite everyone went on the hunt; they also serve who sit and watch!
