Thursday, September 2, 2010

A little of this and that

We have been keeping our eye on the big hurricane out in the Atlantic, glued to the Weather Channel and listening to Wx on VHF.  It won't impact things here, other than to create some big surf and strong rip currents.  There will likely be big swells coming into the harbor, especially on flood tide. 

I don't like hurricane season, remembering all too well the mess that Hugo left here. I hope that friends in NC, Virginia and New England will be safe from the storm.  I know that there is a price to pay for living along the coast, especially on the barrier islands.  Building a house on shifting sands has its problems.

It may be a weekend on land because rocking on the boat at the anchorage isn't much fun.  It's also supposed to be hot tomorrow with temps around 96.  It's hard for the old "heart" dog when temperatures are above 90 F.  Back to summer temporarily, I guess.

On the dog front,  one of our girls, Clarabelle, has been sick.  It started as a cough but after extensive tests and x rays, there is fluid in the lungs and in the chest cavity, but no definitive diagnosis.  It could be congestive heart failure or pneumonia.  She is on diuretics and strong antibiotics. She is eating and drinking well which is good.  I am encouraged but still concerned.  She is a sweet heart. Our dogs are like our kids in many ways.
Clarabelle

I am waiting to close on Sojourner.  She is still up on jacks at the boat yard.  I am looking forward to doing quite a few things on her once she is out of the yard.  I'll be putting down new non-skid on the deck,  adding a coat of high gloss varnish on the teak interior, and getting a new dodger and mainsail cover made.  It will be a beautiful hole in the water that I toss money into.  That's okay because who doesn't like to spend money on a beautiful lady?

I'm going to go to the noon meeting today.  It is mostly pure Al-Anon at this meeting.  I have lately found myself gravitating to those meetings where Al-Anon is spoken and recovery in that program is strong.  I believe in our singleness of purpose and don't want to see our meetings diluted by those who don't carry the message.  I have read bloggers who write about fears that AA is being diluted.  I often feel that in those meetings where the message appears to be more AA than Al-Anon. 

After the meeting then I will get some more things done around the house.  The seeds are partially planted in the garden, but we will put more in today.  The garden is coming along.  It is exciting to think about having fall vegetables and making good things that have been shared by fellow bloggers such as Mary at Letting Go and C & C at My Recovery.  Think broccoli, kale, collards, turnips, beets, mustard greens, carrots, red cabbage, and lettuce.



And here are some photos from the back yard this morning.  The golden hour was too hard to resist.

Golden orb weaver web
American beauty berry
Cleome
Have a good day!

19 comments:

  1. you have an amazing garden!! wow it puts me to shame, this year we got one bucket of tomatoes, 1 zucchini and 2 cucumbers!! we put a lot of effort it but i allowed my honey to decide a lot of the ways to garden and i think that really hurt my crops.

    he thinks he knows how to garden, but he decided the soil was good enough without a load of compost, which we used last year, then he did not test until last month and found our ph levels were way, way low. then he told me that we only needed to water every other day, as the roots need the water and if the soil is a little dry the roots will then stretch and be stronger as they look for water?!? i know, because last year i did all the gardening and i watered for about 45 minutes a day and it was absolutely beautiful, but alas, live and learn. his rows of onion sets, those things just shriveled down back into the earth!!
    have a wonderful day my blogging friend thanks for mentioning me!! i am not doing a fall garden this year as it will require bug dust, last year my fall garden was terribly eaten away.

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  2. It seems retirement is agreeing with you. I can see why you have peace in you.

    Your writing sends a spiritual peace and your pictures show a physical peace.

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  3. nice. you hava wonderful back yard syd...you may be glad the boat is still up with this storm...praying for the best with it...and i will for your dog as well...

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  4. Ah- yah beat me to the pictures of beauty berry! Beautiful, all, Syd. I'm keeping an eye on that hurricane for you, too.

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  5. Your garden is lovely. So tidy.

    I hope that Clarabelle is okay.

    Have a great holiday weekend. I hope the hurricane causes no damage.

    Love you.

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  6. You, your well-considered share and the community you foster are just so EXCELLENT. Thanks again for sharing what is real and beautiful in your day's harvest...

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  7. I hope Clarabelle is feeling better soon. When I brought my puppies home from the pound one had pneumonia and then the other got it. The meeds helped quickly.

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  8. Hope Clarabelle gets better soon. I grew up with labs, such sweet gentle souls. Thanks for sharing your beautiful gardens, you really did hit the "golden hour" hope you have a peaceful weekend...

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  9. Sorry to hear Clarabelle is under the weather. Fluid in the lungs is not to be ignored that's for sure. Sojourner will bring you so much joy.I like that you will put down new non-skid on the decks. Thanks for sharing the pictures of the garden and the back yard. Just lovely.

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  10. I'll be thinking of Clarabelle! I hope she gets well soon!!

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  11. Syd, I hope Clarabelle gets better with her medication. Our old dog, Bob, had similar problems a couple of Winters ago and, I'm glad to say, he's fitter than ever now. :)

    I love the photos of your garden. It's so beautiful!

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  12. Syd, I agree with you about the singleness of purpose of the meetings. I remember when a friend and member of AlAnon told me she wished the big book were part of AlAnon literature and required reading for newcomers. I could understand her love of the big book (I was not yet in AA, but I still loved the big book). However, I expressed my feeling that the two programs are different and need different literature. ... I appreciate the care with which you approach your program work...

    Hoping your pup is OK. --G

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  13. I am in love with your living space. It is absolutely gorgeous. Prayers for your pooch for a speedy recovery.

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  14. Sorry to hear that Clarabelle is under the weather, hope it is not serious and that she will recover soon. You have many good things in your life at the moment and it is wonderful to see you enjoying them all so much. I hope the big hurricane blows itself away out of harms way.

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  15. Until you learn to turn the weather I do believe it best this one run up the east coast than through the gulf. There is still to much oil in the water to be pushed up into the wetlands.

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  16. poor doggy. I will think of her when I go see the relics.
    lovely garden. awesome cobweb. scarily huge :)

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  17. What a great garden! We have some tomatoes on the side of the house and a very nice apple tree in the backyard. But next spring we plan to plant a garden...we shall see. Best wishes to Clarabelle and ride that storm out.

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  18. beautiful dog, I hope she feels better

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