Brand New World

Look at that tail go!  Who knew that mashed sweet potatoes could be so tempting?!  A Nor-Easter has hit parts of the east coast today.  They announced the cancelling of school today, yesterday as we were walking through the halls for dismissal.  Happy students and teachers all around!  This is a SERIOUS storm though.  I have a foot already, and more on the way!  Gerry was a Lucky Boy and found a pine tree to shelter himself while he went out this morning, but he’ll need some man-made help by this afternoon.  The snow blower will make him a nice path!

Having the luck of finding Gerry is a miracle that I will never question, but will only honor for the rest of my life, all the more now that I know how he will most likely leave me.  Had I not had the balls to divorce my ex-husband, Gerry and I would never have met.

Gerry has brought me friends, stronger bonds with older friends, and a sense of being important to the survival of another living being.  He has made me feel like I can call myself a mom.  I used to boast to my aunt that I was never going to be a mother, and she would relish in arguing with me; which i often wondered made me all that more adamant not to have a child.  I never thought I’d be able to take decent care of a canine, believe me…as I looked upon it as an honor…much like parents must feel when they want a child-human in their life.  I was no way ready to be responsible for a human child….not ever.  And that ‘s okay.  It’s at least far better than the children of the parents who thought “it was the thing to do without considering if they even wanted them once they got married.”

I couldn’t afford the taxes in Westchester county, New York on my own, nor did I even WANT to live there anymore.  After I divorced my husband and moved away, I first stayed in an apartment building close to my job, that didn’t allow dogs, and I KNEW in my heart of hearts that I would eventually get myself to a place for myself and my dream dog.  The first winter in my new house, without a dog yet, I took this photo during a snow storm that kept me home from school.  It was a glorious day.

The whole time I was shooting photos I was thinking to myself, I can’t wait to have a dog running through all of this.  That summer I had to have foot surgery and was CRUSHED because I couldn’t, realistically,  get a dog.  So finally, in the spring of 2011 I found my boy online, and he was coming to CT. in a week.  I met him, fell in love, had my brother meet me there and check him out.  My brother worked with dog trainers and groomers for a long time, and so I knew he knew what he was talking about.  He told me Gerry was a winner, and he couldn’t have been more correct in his whole life!

So! Mom wasn’t fooled by the short warm bursts of weather we’ve had here in the Mid-Atlantic states.  She told all her teacher friends we’d be getting snow by April Fool’s day, because it’s Mother Nature’s way; and Mom was correct!

I got to eat more fresh snow, and AMAZINGLY, Mom’s school distric cancelled the whole day.  They hardly ever do that, and on a Friday!! What an amazing day she and I had together.  Dad is away in Albany and so it was ALL about me!

Eventually, I got tired, then she got tired, and we both took a nice afternoon nap!  Then we took a road trip to the grocer, wine store, and CVS, where one of my my favorite things happened, I got a cookie from the teller in the drive through.  I LOVE when that happens!

I smell something good and I think Mom is boiling me sweet potatoes to mash and make ice cubes with the leftover water.  (note* Mom is. The pills he’s started taking (some form of chemo that I have to keep in the fridge and wear gloves giving it to him every 48 hours) directed me to let him pee often and also make sure he was well hydrated;  so I got ice cube ingredients.  I’m telling all of you to tell your friends, if they cook and have leftover chicken or veggie water, without salt, to strain the food and save the water to put in cube trays.  Gerry is getting spoiled and won’t eat “plain H2O ones, but I can’t say I mind!)

I had to start taking a new medicine today, but it didn’t bother my belly, and so hopefully it continues this way.  All these “spicy meatballs” I get (wet dog food with his pills mixed in) are delicious.  Mom is SUCH a good cook.  Tomorrow is Saturday and it’s my sleeping in day.  Wa-hoooo!