Old Times, New Times, Better Times

By way of "old times," the picture here is from the Sacramento State Reunion I attended a few weeks ago. From left to right are my college roommate, Joan, one of my two (not at the same time) college sweethearts, Ron H., me and our friend - and local "celeb" - Dann Shivley who works for KCRA Channel 3 in the Sacramento area. A great time was had by all at the reunion. As I look at this picture, I am struck by two things: first, time has passed so quickly (it has been 40 years since we were at Sac State) and second, the wonderful times we had and friendships we shared still matter after this long period of time. I was terribly distracted at the reunion because of Merlin's health crisis, so I didn't spend as much time talking with everyone as I would have liked, but it was great finding out what folks have been doing with their lives.

On the "new times" front, Dear Husband and I just returned from Ashland, OR where we saw "Macbeth" and "The Music Man." We both agreed that we are getting weary of Shakespeare performed in non-period costumes (what's up with the unidentifiable military uniforms that are passing for costumes?), but "The Music Man" was beyond words, over-the-top fantastic - as good as anything in the Big Apple, London, Chicago, San Francisco, LA. Really quite extraordinary. This musical was a real departure for the OSF, but the audience loved the performance and people left the theater humming the tunes, tapping their toes, and feeling ever-so-good. We had planned to come home tomorrow, but returned today instead, which gives me times to prepare for Phase II of the home dec project. YIKES! More tile and new carpet activities begin on Tuesday. Glad I have a massage and acupuncture on Monday. This will prepare me for another chaotic week.

While we were in Ashland, I visited a local quilt store and - of course - purchased some lovely fabric for an African-theme quilt for my best friend, Bobbie. She and her Dear Husband went to Africa last year and loved it. As they have just added a room to their home, they have wall space for this quilt art. The fabric is stunning; the colors are beautifully rich and lush. The technique for making the quilt is one I haven't used, so I'm looking forward to learning something new.

By way of "better times" news, Merlin is much improved and, as my sister-in-law would say, is acting pretty darn "sparky." We are going to take him for a very short walk tomorrow to see how well he does. He is still on pain meds and seems to have adapted to them well. I was hesitant to leave him to go to Ashland, but he did well with our pet sitter. He was very glad to see his Dad and Mom when we got home, however.

I wasn't able to skate last week and have no idea when I will this week, given the home dec schedule. I miss being on the ice. My new boots are ready to pick up so I will go down to SP Terri by mid-November for the fitting. Definitely won't have them broken in for the holiday show at the rink, however. Too bad. I really miss my best skating buddy also. She continues to prepare diligently for her November test date. Her discipline always impresses me.

Happy Halloween everyone! Onward we go!

Some Things Are Just Too Cute And Various Miscellany

. . . and this picture is one of them. I was taking a pic of a quilt I made for one of my dearest friend's daughter and DeeDee decided she just had to be part of the fun. She sat down just as I was snapping the photo, thus proving - as we are wont to say - she really is our Paris Hilton doggie.

Last week was pretty much a blur. It started on Monday with hardwood floor being laid in my sewing room (it's stunning) and ended with tile being laid in our family room and master bath suite. The tile project took four days, of nearly incessant dust, dirt, noise, more dust, dirt and noise, etc., etc. All this home dec stuff left me fairly well spent, so I looked forward to a wonderful Friday at the rink to catch up on my skating.

I had a wonderful lesson with Coach Chris who was truly in rare - and hysterical - form. He kept the three of us who were on the ice nearly in stitches. I can't begin to explain the antics that emerged, but I have never seen a skater literally perch on top of their toe picks, suspended in space, for such a long time. It was amazing, funny, and impressive! I kept saying, "Whoa, you've had way too much coffee this morning," but he claimed he hadn't eaten anything, which was making him totally hyper. We worked on the TF (again, and again, and again) and the European Waltz. Both were pretty poor, but he was being so funny that neither of us cared about what we got accomplished. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time.

At the end of the free style session, my friend Maddie arrived. I proudly suggested to Coach Chris that Maddie and I show him the Paso Doble we are doing for the Holiday Show and our annual Coffee Club Cookie Exchange and Exhibition. Big mistake, with the emphasis on "BIG." We were absolutely terrible. Coach C was very gracious (as was my best skating buddy (BSB) who was on the ice with us) and didn't say, "You ladies better improve dramatically or completely scratch both events!" He just got up, took the ice, and started doing the Paso, the way it should be done. Wow! That's all I have to say. It was very cool watching him. His edges are extraordinary, steps perfect, and expression exactly what the dance calls for.

Afterwards, Maddie and I were talking about what had happened. She claimed to have forgotten where she was supposed to be on the ice, but she was just being nice. I think I just blew the dance, both times we did it, although my BSB told me the second try was better than the first. No problem; anything would have been better than the first go 'round. OMG! I don't think I have ever skated the dance so poorly. Coach C gave us a couple of tips ("Don't rush the back progressives, slide steps, and footwork section") that we desperately needed and appreciated.

My BSB was on the ice doing her dances and looking - as always - like the perfect ice dancer. She has such great bearing and presence on the ice. Having legs that go on forever helps, but it is really her posture, poise, and technical ability that create the impression of confidence and overall loveliness. I caught some glimpses of her doing her TF and EW. These dances continue to improve. She will definitely pass her tests in November.

Lastly - but more important than anything in the scheme of things - is Merlin's health status. Some days are definitely better than others. I noticed he nearly jumped over his sister getting to his dinner last night and then again today. He certainly couldn't do this a week ago. But, he still cannot - or will not - jump up on his favorite sofa to sleep. And, I am fearful that his daily walks will be quite short or not at all. He will likely have to stay on the pain medications for the rest of his life. Dear Husband and I are in agreement that we need to keep him pain-free. The vet said the effects of the pain medications are minimal and he is tolerating them well (although they do make him a bit sleepy).

DeeDee spent the week sleeping upstairs with us. She loved it. But, as of today, now that the family room is put back together again, she is back to bedding down there. We think it is good for Merlin to have her with him also.

Dear Husband decided that he wants to have the living room done in the same tile treatment as the family room. Yikes! This means another week of the dust, dirt, noise routine, but it will look spectacular, I am sure. I have taken to practically living at Lowe's in Roseville, CA. I know more about faucets and other fixtures than I ever thought I would. We're only 50% through this project, so there is more fun (and frustration) ahead.

To cap off last week, as I was standing in the parking lot of the rink on Friday talking with Maddie, I was hit with a monster migraine. I hadn't had one in a long while, so this one was quite severe. I almost didn't make it home. Of course, I arrived to the continued sound of the wet saw going. This is not good for the noise sensitivity that is present with my migraines. DH took good care of me, which I appreciated. Saturday I felt completely wasted.

We leave for Ashland, OR for the Shakespeare Festival this week. We're seeing "All's Well That Ends Well," "The Music Man," and "Macbeth." I am really looking forward to what has become our annual fall mini-vacation. I will miss the doggies and worry about them (especially Merlin), but need some quiet time alone with DH.

Onward we go!

Merlin Update and Yesterday's Skate

Our Merlin is doing much better. Thank you for those of you who sent their good wishes for his speedy recovery. He needs strict rest for three weeks, as noted before. Because he is starting to be less painful, this will be very challenging. Keeping him away from his younger, playful sister, DeeDee, will be difficult also. But, right now, he sleeps most of the time because of the meds. Just what he needs and what the doctored ordered. Rest, rest, rest. He still has not tried to jump up on his favorite sofa to sleep, thank goodness. I'm not certain if he ever will again, but we will have to see. I suspect that pet insurance is in our future, as he is an older doggie with back problems which are likely to reoccur. That said, what matters most is that he is feeling better and has that twinkle back in his eyes.



I should have stayed home yesterday and skipped skating. Not a good skating day at all. My mind was totally pre-occupied with Merlin and I wasn't feeling well - very run down, scratchy throat, sniffles. Skated from 9:30 - 11:15, when the rain was pounding so hard on the roof of the rink (a perfect place for acustical magic) that I decided to flee the ice. Lesson focused entirely on dance. I could tell that Coach J was not happy with my efforts. At one point, I nearly screamed at her, "Well, I AM trying!" to which she responded, "I know you are," but the rest of the sentence was left hanging, as in, "You aren't trying hard enough." We worked mostly on the Swing Dance, European Waltz and Paso (last ten minutes of lesson). The EW was wretched, the Swing dance "sucked," but the Paso was pleasant and fun (thank goodness for one bright spot).

I watched my best skating buddy doing her dances and once again marveled at her ability, grace, expression and technical acumen. She will have absolutely no problem passing the EW and Ten Fox in November, along with her Silver Moves.

Like any other sport, some days just aren't that good for me and skating. Yesterday was one of them for certain. There are literally no sessions to skate tomorrow, so I won't be going to the rink. Time for the many errands and prep for our home decorating project that starts on Monday. Yikes, the house will be a disaster for a week, then a week's break, until the new carpet goes in the first week in November. This all seemed a good idea at the time, but with Merlin's problems, I'm not so sure now. Too late, however. All the plans have been made and products ordered for the house.

Onward, with something less than a skip in my step! :(

Our boy, relief and Friday's "high"

Dear Readers, forgive me for not being more constant in my posting. It was a tough weekend, but ended on a happier note.

Friday night, our wonderful boy, Merlin, pictured here, was in terrible pain. He was pacing, panting, could not get comfortable in ANY position, and was clearly greatly distressed. At 10:00 pm, I took him to the emergency pet clinic. He was examined, given a mega-dose of pain killers (an opiate) and we came home. He woke up at 3:00 am, wheezing, even more distressed, and unable to walk. DH and I took him back to the clinic, where he was admitted to the hospital for pain and medication monitoring. The internist saw him early Saturday morning. He called to tell us that Merlin had either a disc condition or serious soft tissue injury, that he was doing better (this was around 9:00 am), and was up walking. Praise God for answering our prayers! We agreed that he should remain in the hospital until 6:30 pm on Saturday night when we brought a very different looking doggie home. He was walking and even smiling. He was so happy to see his human parents (especially his Dad).

Yesterday I took him to our regular vet. She agreed with the diagnosis and added another medication because when she was palpating his spine, he actually turned around and snapped at her. Very unlike this mellow, happy fellow. He is now on four different meds, but is doing much better. The challenge will be the three weeks of total rest he needs. No jumping, no running, no walks. Yikes! Merlin LOVES his walks. As my vet said, right now it will be easy, but wait until five days from now, when he is feeling better. That will really test my ability to keep him rested.

Seeing one's pet in pain is so horrible, as many of us know. Merlin was actually crying (I do mean like human crying), with tears flowing from his eyes down his nose. It just broke my heart. I felt so helpless and scared. But to see him so much improved now is wonderful. Merlin, DeeDee and I spent the day yesterday in my quilting room. He sleeps quite a bit due to the meds but this is exactly what he needs. Please keep him in your thoughts and prays. He is such a sweet, old guy and we want him around for some time to come.



As for skating, Friday was a fantastic high! I had my ice dance lesson with Coach Chris. We worked mostly on the European Waltz, finishing the lesson with the Ten Fox. We had originally planned to test this dance in November, but I told Coach C that I wanted to wait until January, so I could be certain (as one can be in these ice dance matters) I would get a "pass" on the dance; I refuse to be given another "retry" on this one. While I only tested the dance once - when I was "invited" to retry - until I pass, I will not be a true Pre-Silver dancer. I am SO tired of being in the Bronze category. We did two really fun patterns around the ice. Coach told me that I was a completely different dancer than when last we had done the dance. "Yes!" - this is what I was waiting to hear. My best skating buddy and another skater were watching us do the dance and even asked us to do a reprise for them. The second time was as good as the first. This is progress. Let's hope it sticks.

Lastly, Sunday afternoon and evening I attended my college reunion. What a trip to see my old buddies and college sweethearts! Boy, we have all gotten really 'mature.' It was a nice party but my mind was really on Merlin, so I probably missed good chunks of conversation.

The first fall storm has arrived, complete with rain and wind. This is absolutely my kind of weather. The fire is going, the doggies are sleeping in front of it, and I will spend the day quilting (of course). Wednesday is a skating day and I am looking forward to it and seeing my best skating buddy. Oh, another skating friend passed her Blues dance test last weekend at the Ice Dance Weekend in San Jose. Congrats, Suzee! You are one awesome ice dancer.

Onward we go with Merlin in improving health.