Sweet Rosie is a my constant companion. Her lack of ability to ambulate on her own means she comes with me every where I go around the Manor. Her separation anxiety is pretty intense so if I am going to get things done without upsetting her I have to keep her with me. In the summer heat I have to be really careful with her exposure. Among the list of health challenges she has… Rosie’s little body does not regulate temperature correctly. In a matter of minutes she can develop severe heat stroke symptoms. The first time it happened, thank goodness, I was at the office the holistic vet that does acupuncture on the Misfits and she knew right away what was happening and how to cool Rosie down. Day to day we manage by keeping her out of direct sunlight, always keeping a fan blowing on her and a cool pad underneath her when we are outside. These little battery powered fans they sell at hardware stores are awesome…not terribly heavy and the battery lasts for quite a long time. I even put this one in the back of her stroller when we go to the park.
Back in spring Bret and I decided we wanted to use the newly found time on our hands for putting in a vegetable garden. The Manor has a lot of rose gardens and a large herb garden…the only thing missing was a veggie garden. We tore out a useless portion of the black top driveway and installed a raised bed garden to get the job done.
We had so much fun with veggie garden and it produced more vegetables than we thought possible! It also proved to be a joyful distraction from the stress of everything else going on in the world right now. There is something so grounding about playing in the dirt and watching nature make its magic. We are hoping to add more gardens next year.
We both love to spend as much time as possible outside…and so do the dogs. This was the first summer since Bret and I were kids that we have had so much time to be outside “playing”. We even set up a pickle ball court in our driveway…Rosie is our line judge!!!
There has been so much more time this year to just “be still”. I am as type A as they come and relaxing just doesn’t come naturally to me. This year has been different though. I believe its because there are so many things happening that are completely out of my control…at some point I just accepted that all I can do is shrug it off and take a break. I realize any notion of control is only an illusion anyway…but there is no illusion this year…its been a year of acceptance and trusting that the universe has my back.
The Misfits always prove to be the best teachers. Spending so much time relaxing with them this year is therapeutic. They just don’t worry about anything. They savor every moment…whether they are napping, playing, snuggling, snacking…they enjoy each moment in the moment. It has been so nice to be at least a little more like them this year.
Today’s big project is making a few batches of zucchini bread with the fresh zucchini from our garden. Its starting to cool down here so homemade bread sounds perfect.
I hope this message finds you well. Fall is such a wonderful time…preparing to settle in for the winter…all the colors and festive feeling of the upcoming holidays…I just love this time of year!
On the journey,
Nancy & The Misfits
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