Tuesday, March 27, 2018

A Mix of Things


The knee aspiration went normally, not very painful.  The result: no bacteria present.  So it’s not an infection that is making my knee hurt.  It is apparently just taking more time to heal than usual.  I’m to be patient – a virtue I’m seriously lacking in.

I’m in the final stages of planning a big Easter dinner for eight, which is an excellent number.  A spiral-sliced ham is the featured dish, and we’ll wind things up with cherry pie a la mode.  I’m braced for a sigh when I step on the scale Monday morning, but it’ll be worth it.

I saw a robin on Sunday.  He wasn’t singing his complex territorial song, but his wary cry – not the bark! Bark! Bark-bark-bark shout of danger nearby, but the in-between warble mix.  He was sitting in a sunbeam on a high naked branch, his orange breast glowing.  Probably just passing through, on his way to Canada, though he was alone, not with a mob of males.  His appearance is another sign of early spring, along with a stronger sun, some budding on the trees, snow banks shrinking, and a “soft” feel to the air.

Yesterday I bought a toothbrush for our cat.  I didn't know there were such things, but PetSmart has them.  And Java chewed on it when I showed it to her, a good sign.   It came with a little tube of cat toothpaste, which she licked a taste of off my finger, another good sign.  I wonder if she really will eventually allow me to brush her teeth?

4 comments:

Linda O. Johnston said...

Seeing robins is one thing I miss, having moved from Pittsburgh to Los Angeles years ago. And I don't know what it's like to brush a cat's teeth but for our dogs it's easier if two of us work on it together!

Monica Ferris said...

I guess the Sunday robin was a harbinger, because this morning their song is everywhere. Many years ago I had the curious experience of a male robin patiently, line by line, teaching me his song. Years later I could still evoke an explosion of replies by whistling it out in the yard.

Betty Hechtman said...

I missed seeing robins, too, but then I discovered there are robins in L.A. when I saw some in my backyard.

Monica, you description of the feel of spring reminds me of when I lived in Chicago and that soft feeling was so welcome.

Here spring comes with the sweet fragrance of orange blossoms in my backyard. The fragrance is amazing.

Monica Ferris said...

I've always wanted to experience the smell of orange blossoms, the traditional brides' bouquet. Up here, the spring smells are hyacinth and lilac, both short lived but delectable.