My thoughts lately are pretty much going the way of the winds ... every which way. I haven't been able to sit with my laptop and write, because Nikki is no longer at my side. She was my shadow and followed me everywhere. So when I'd sit down in my favorite chair, or snuggle onto the couch, Nik would be at my feet or right next to me. Her blindness didn't stop her from being a part of my everyday life. She'd sit patiently and listen as I read my blog posts out loud, always my first audience and always approving of every word. So how can I write without Nikki there?
Shani is trying to pick up the duties Nikki left behind. She comes to my side for a few minutes of petting, but she has naps to take in her favorite spots and those aren't anywhere near my computer. As for listening to me reading my blog posts out loud, well, she gives me a funny look and goes off to a quieter place to sleep. Shani prefers to sleep belly up and without a care in the world. She only goes on duty every now and then, looking out the front windows to make sure we're not "under attack" from squirrels, the black cat across the street or neighborhood dogs out for a leisurely walk.
Today the winds are truly blowing every which way. It's chilly enough to need long pants and a sweatshirt, but I'm still wearing my hot-pink, rhinestone dotted, flip-flops. Yep, in Florida you can wear silly flip-flops like that and people actually ask where you got them and tell you they're "cool."
I sat outside today and read on my Kindle, a literary biography of James Fenimore Cooper. I just finished reading his five "Leatherstocking Tales" and decided it was time to learn more about one of our first American authors. I read the books in the order in which they were written/ published: The Pioneers (1823), The Last of the Mohicans (1826), The Prairie (1827), The Pathfinder (1840) and The Deerslayer (1841). However, if you want to follow the life of Natty Bumppo in chronological order, then you need to read them as follows: The Deerslayer, The Last of the Mohicans, The Pathfinder, The Pioneers and then The Prairie. Reading the stories in either order is a wonderful journey.
Reading is the way I escape, the way I bury the sadness of missing my dogs. Maggie passed away a year ago last Saturday, on November 13th, 2009. At 10 years old she led a happy, healthy life until the last few weeks when she was diagnosed with Hemolytic Anemia and Cancer. Less than three weeks after the diagnosis she was gone.
Nikki passed away only a month ago last Sunday, on October 14th, 2010. As I've already said of Nik, she was diabetic for the last 2 1/2 years and had to endure two shots of Vetsulin a day. Though she didn't like the shots, the "treat" afterwards helped to compensate. Her eyesight diminished soon after, due to cataracts. For a year she still had peripheral vision and for about the last six months no vision at all. But a happier, sweeter dog never lived. Up to her last morning on this earth she kept her sweet doggie smile and rotary wagging tail.
So I spend a lot of time reading and a lot of time thinking. My thoughts drift back and forth. Some memories are happy and others are too sad to stay there long. The gray days of fall have settled in with the accompanying winds and rain. Today is gray, gray, gray. But then you don't have to look far to find those wonderful fall colors of golds, oranges and reds. So I went outside and took some photos of the beautiful colors, which I'll add to this blog post.
Tomorrow we may have sunny skies again. Florida has a tendency to do that at this time of year. A few days of dreary wet followed by a day of brilliant sun and cerulean blue skies. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind the gray days as they provide a contrast to the awesome days that follow. So for today I'll let my thoughts go the way of the winds.
