rain falling on the sunshine

The rain continues to fall… but what the little poem about April showers fails to mention is that they also bring bright green grass. There was a faint hue of green over the lawn this morning when we deeked out between raindrops. Yes, certain areas were definitely dabbed with Spring’s fairy’s magic brush. 

There was no more putting it off… I could tell by the way Spike was shuffling around in a depressed way that he needed a haircut. We got everything set up then tricked him over with the temptation of a ‘bedtime snack’, in other words, a chicken heart. The ruse worked and I hoisted him onto the table. 

For his whole life I’ve been able to clip him by myself although sometimes used Carm’s help for his face. Something happened in the summer and now I need Carm to hold him for the whole haircut. We manhandled him for his face, then started on his feet. By the time his front feet were done he was in a state and it was clear that we couldn’t continue without causing a lot of distress. Luckily I still have some of his anti-anxiety pills so stuffed one down his throat and let him down from the table for a few hours. 

I still needed Carm but the grooming went much better and we got him done. Spike was clearly less stressed and even gave me a few licks when I was hunched over him. He’s already perkier even though he’s a bit drugged up. Hurrah for trazadone...

I think part of the problem is that he has little ‘warts’ all over his body which get nicked by the clippers. I made a few bleed today even though I was being careful. So the whole grooming experience has become a horror for him. 

Meanwhile, while we were waiting for Spike’s drug to take effect, we changed the tires on the car! I should say that Carm did it as I played Vanna White’s role and just handed tools to him and tried to look beautiful in my baggy grey track pants and 32 year old red sweatshirt.

Two yucky jobs out of the way! I think we’ll celebrate with the rest of the prosecco doctored up with some beautiful orange Aperol.

Since there isn’t much to take photos of I thought I’d poke through the piles of slides that I scanned years ago. Some of them are backwards but the idea is still captured. The photos today are from my great grandparents gardens. Mom and I were talking about them the other day - they must have been impressive as I have a dim memory of them even though I was quite young. That’s me in the photos.

I’ve always loved yellow houses and have one myself. It is the colour of home. Could my love of the colour harken back to my great grandparents home and the love I felt there?

He had a huge vegetable garden as well but I couldn’t find a photo.

Headline tonight: Ford Says Ontario Will Be Extending The Emergency Act For Another Month. Over 586,866 cases, with 23,621 deaths in the US. There are a total of 25,680 (24,292 yesterday) cases of Covid-19 in Canada today, with 780 (713 yesterday) deaths to date.

“Is the spring coming?" he said. "What is it like?"...

"It is the sun shining on the rain and the rain falling on the sunshine...”

~Frances Hodgson Burnett