Spring Fever

 I know it's been a while, but there hasn't been a whole lot to blog about recently other than how utterly sick of deep snow we have all been.  Between the snow, the job, the pandemic...it is hard to find words that feel relevant and equally hard to find words that feel creative or interesting.  

All of the donkeys are doing well, though they are as sick of snow as I am.  Qilin continues to grow mentally and, most definitely, physically.  He is taller than Ben now, but still at an awkward, gawky stage.  His relationship with Cora (and dogs in general) is interesting.  He and Kaia were kindred spirits, siblings of sorts as they were born at nearly the same time.  They were quite fond of each other and played together all the time.  Qilin is good with Cora - now anyways - but does not have the same relationship with her that he had with Kaia.  I doubt that could be recreated.  He is totally accepting of my dogs and dogs he is familiar with.  Strange dogs on the other hand.....let's just say the dragon half of his hybrid soul comes out in spades and I'm not talking about the friendly sort of dragon.  

The mind of a mule is an interesting and many layered thing.

And, of course, there is Cora.  She is a blessing that has helped all of us cope with the loss of Kaia though that is a gaping hole that will never be filled.  Cora is a bridge over that chasm.  

She is very different from Kaia and yet, like most siblings, every now and then she does something so similar to Kaia that it steals my breath away.  

Cora is maybe a bit softer, not quite the bold, fearless adventurer that Kaia was but some of that is also that she has been as constrained by deep snow as the rest of us.  We have finally had a reprieve from that and she is able to really stretch her legs.  She just turned 6 months old and is suddenly realizing that she can fly.

Connor is very glad to have her as is Ian.  Border Collies and Whippets go well together.

Of course, she is also very naughty.  Happily, delightfully, maddeningly naughty.

And weird.  Windsprites are so endearingly weird😇😂😂😂😂😂

There are signs of Spring, my favorite season, all around.  We had a few really nice, warm days that wiped out most of the snow.  A huge flock of blackbirds has shown up at the feeder and we are all able to get out and stretch our legs.  The Spring Rush is nearly on us and we can't wait.  

Still Here

We're all still here.  The new job is intense, exhausting, interesting.  Hard but mostly good.  I talk to people who have been positively diagnosed with COVID all day.  Some have no symptoms, some have the sniffles, some are really, really sick.  Some can't talk to me because they aren't ever going to speak to anyone ever again.  

Mostly, the people who get tested are the ones who can afford it if they need to stay home.  They have sick leave and savings. Jobs they can go back to.  The ones who can't afford it are mostly doing what they always do - survive or die quietly.

This isn't the flu and everyone should have worn their Goddamm masks last March.

Morning "Walk"

 

A Donkey a Day

They say that seeing a donkey first thing in the day brings good luck.  Seems like we better start this new year out with lots of donkeys every day.  

Following Directions

I decided to teach myself how to crochet this summer/fall.  I choose crochet over knitting because I had a lesson in crochet when I was maybe 6ish from a grandmother I've only met a handful of times.  I figured that made me close enough to an expert and I should just dive in.

Anyway, the yarn I found on sale for cheap suggested that I make a sweater.  Who am I to argue?

The Real Story

What Santa's helpers and his sleigh would really look like.....

And Santa's busy little helpers...

Such helpful little elves.

I Got Work

I got a call the day after election day asking if I was still interested in a Contact Tracing job I had applied for way back in April.  I said yes and it has been a bit of a whirlwind ever since.  Last week, I got a promotion.  Nearly 20 years at the hospital and not only did I never get a promotion, they actively prevented me from moving away from my position because they did not want to lose me from that position.  Their lose.

I like the new job.  It is interesting, fast paced, I'm working with good people and......I GET TO WORK FROM HOME!  I hope I can keep working from home forever!

I know the blog has suffered extreme neglect and I would like to say that will change, but with this new job - something had to give and the blog took the big hit.  All of the critters are doing well and everyone was quite happy right up until we got 44 inches of snow dumped on us.  They are not to impressed with that.  I'm not too impressed myself, especially as, not only did the snow shovel fall apart today, but the snow blower went into complete system failure.  The electric start broke, one tire came off the rim, the auger quit turning and then the engine started smoking and all the oil spewed out the back.  I shut it down just before it started on fire and, in retrospect, I think that was a mistake.  

But....it is OK because I get to WORK FROM HOME.  YIPPEE!