March Thoughts

For my thoughts this month I'm going to meander along in no particular direction---free-form thinking, the method my brain is most comfortable with. I've taken some photos which are nothing spectacular, just interesting sidebars to the ramblings.

It's been a very blustery month, with lots of wind, though not much rain, for a change. Spring flowers are just beginning to bloom, buds on the trees, sprigs on some Spring shrubs, etc. It makes you feel that eventually things will all be green and lush again. I live in anticipation that this year we might actually have a Summer...after two years of not. Spring, by it's nature, is so filled with possibilities and hope, isn't it..??

[Before anyone tries to correct my capitalization of Spring and Summer (Alan), I totally think the seasons should be in caps and have always done so, regardless of spelling rules].

So, now on we go...into the rambling:

My dear neighbor, Morag, gave me the most stunning Amaryllis bulb for my Christmas gift this year (well, last year to be accurate). I planted it the very same day, and have watched it grow since late December. This week I took these photos...and talk about a gift that keeps on giving...!! It's truly an amazing sight, with 7 flowers on 2 stalks...the best Amaryllis I've ever had.


These are the most beautiful blooms imaginable, and as usual, the photos do NOT do them justice..!!






In my "Catch Up" blog last month, I mentioned that Lorna and Derek (across the street neighbors) had gotten a new puppy, Harvey the Boxer. I saw Derek out with him the other day and dashed over to snap this photo. I will take some better ones, maybe in their backyard, as the sidewalk looks pretty crappy, but still...is he sweet, or what..?? That sorrowful look on his face is so adorable, especially as he is so happy and playful, which is at such odds with this look. He's getting a bit gangly now, though has a long way to go before growing into his feet..!!


And, speaking of dogs. We decided to take a drive yesterday out to Crieff, which is normally about an hour's drive from Edinburgh. I wanted to take some more photos of this place outside Crieff where we'd taken my sister when she visited. It's just a lovely, peaceful valley, with the mountains in the distance, sheep grazing, and lots of green fields and old farms. When we left Edinburgh it was a sunny Saturday afternoon. After getting stuck in the endless flaming roadworks that abound in Scotland these days, we finally got to Crieff about two hours later, and just as the storm clouds came roaring in...sigh. I took photos, though they didn't come out very well, nor look as dramatic as reality. Then we couldn't find a place to have lunch (don't ask), so it's an hour and a half drive back to town. Naturally, Ozzy being the traveller he is (NOT), by the time we pulled into the driveway, Alan and I aren't speaking, and Ozzy has thrown up all over the back of the car. Here's a picture of him before we left...and what a happy creature, huh..?? I don't have a photo of him after we returned from the ruinous drive because a) I was too busy cleaning up the car, and b) he went under the bed and didn't come out until later in the evening..!! Cripes, sometime I can't help but wonder: Why do I bother..??


This is a cool Spring thing, and something that seems very British to me: daffodils planted in the lawn..!! They just appear out of nowhere, and look so wonderful. I took these photos at the Manse, which is where the minister of the Cramond Kirk lives. When the flowers are long gone, with just the green stalks left, it's about time for the first lawn mowing, then they get cut right along with the grass. I love how they look, springing up in big clumps like this.



I took this shot last month, in the drearyness of February. This is one side garden of the Manse, and looks like every other piece of barren ground in the area at this time of year.








This is a photo, taken last week, of the same plot of ground. It that great, or what..?? Just huge bands of yellow where last month there was nothing. In the far distance, just to the left, you can see another large swath.








This is the opposite side garden of the Manse, with the Kirk in the background, and more clumps of daffodils just sprouting away in the grass. With the rest of the garden still bleak and bare, it's wonderful to see these glorious, bright yellow flowers everywhere.








My last thought for the day is about the very sad demise of Natasha Richardson. At first it seemed like such an odd, and rare, accident...I mean really, falling into the snow and within hours being brain dead..?? Then I read that in just America alone, 50,000 people (yes, 50,000) die of this same thing every year. So much for our skulls being natural helmets for our brains..!! It makes life seem so fragile, doesn't it..?? We go along, falling, tripping, stumbling, and never really think that at any given moment we could accidentally do ourselves in. Mortality, what a drag.

February Book Review

I seem to be in a "series" mode these days, and it's been brilliant..!! I've discovered several new authors (new to me), and they've all had loads of previous books so I've been able to start at the beginning and read book after book, without interruption. There's nothing worse than coming to the end of a book and having to wait a year or more to find out what happens next..!!

It would be way too convoluted, and lengthy, for me to go into much detail with all these stories, and I know most of you nod off quite early into my reviews, so I won't labor here with particulars.


Christine Feehan

The Dark Carpathians series
There are several books in this saga, most of them totally entertaining, though somewhere in the middle I started to lose the plot (or Christine did), but then she came back with a vengeance and I fell back in love with all the Carpathians.

Basically, they are a separate immortal race from us, though they live among us as human. The series starts with the Prince of the Carpathians, and each book thereafter tells a different tale of another member of their society. Lots of action with the bad guys who want to kill them off, love interest stuff, and great plotting. I lived and breathed the Carparthians for about 3 weeks and could hardly move on when I'd finished the last in the series, though thank goodness there are more books in the works.


Catriona McPherson

Dandy Gilver Murder Mysteries
So far there are 4 books in this series. These are very quaint stories, filled with Scottishness and in locales I am familiar with around Edinburgh, which is always cool. Dandy is English, though has married a Scottish guy, and lives outside Perth in the 1920s. She's sort of a grown up Nancy Drew, with lots of humor, weird friends, and her most lovable Dalmatian Bunty. She stumbles into crimes and mysteries, often without a clue...literally. The best part of these books, to me, is life in Scotland in the 1920s. Catriona McPherson has done an amazing amount of research into the era and it's delightful to read about.


Karen Chance

Cassandra Palmer series
There are 4 books in this series, with a fifth book that ties in, but stands alone as it's own story. Cassie is a clairvoyant who can also communicate with spirits. The ghosts aren't usually dangerous, but they sure like to talk..!! Lots of mythological and legendary characters abound in this series, with loads of humor and a tough, smart heroine. Fairies, vamps, dwarves, trolls, etc. It's sort of the adult version of Grimm's Fairy Tales with some laugh-out-loud scenes.


Kresley Cole

Immortals After Dark series
I totally love this series..!! There are 6 books so far, and I can't stand that I have to wait until November 2009 for the next one...aarrgghh. Each book ends in a cliffhanger about the next character's story, so it's been most enjoyable (and deadly for getting anything else done in my day) to finish one, and immediately pick up the next.

Again, it's about immortals, which seems to be my obsession lately. The stories are filled with Valkyries, vamps, werewolves (who live in the Highlands of Scotland no less), and various other creatures who go bump in the night. There are hilarious bits with Nix, the Valkyrie who can see the future but only in riddles, plus lots of action, chaos and mayhem. The plots are fab, with great suspense and characters. Yum, what a super series this is..!!

January Book Review

Now that I'm just catching up with my blog postings, it's going to be difficult to write reviews on books I read nearly a month ago, especially as I've read a multitude of great books recently. So, this will be an "edited for television" book review (which no doubt will please some of you no end..!!).

Marianne Curley

Guardians of Time: The Named, The Dark and The Key
This trilogy is about 16 year old Ethan, who discovers he has the ability to travel back in time. The plot concerns Ethan learning to use his skills to intercept the dark forces intent on unraveling history for their own purpose...of course, an evil purpose. At the same time, Ethan is a normal high school kid, with all the problems associated with being a teenager, without adding in the "save the world" bit. It was a good series: complicated, tense, exciting, with lots of action and suspense.

Alison Croggon

Books of Pellinor: The Gift, The Riddle, The Crow and The Singing
This was an amazing quartet. It was supposed to be "young adult" reading, but heck with that. The plot was very intricate, loads of passionate, inspiring characters, really thrilling, scary moments, a vividly described world of monsters, magic and Darkness. All 4 books are nice and thick, too, so I could really get absorbed into the story. Maerad is a young slave woman who gets accidentally rescued early in the first book, by a mage, Cadvan, who discovers she is magically gifted. Through fair means and foul (good guys and bad), it's determined that Maerad is the only one who can restore the balance in the Seven Kingdoms. The quest involved is to find the Treesong, the only thing able to defeat the Dark. Everyone thinks Maerad is the one to do so, though she doesn't have a clue what the Treesong is, or where to find it. The 4 books roam all over the Seven Kingdoms, and the longer the quest goes on, the more Maerad learns, not only about the Treesong, but about herself, and her abilities. This was such a wonderful, lengthy, great read. I was really sorry when I finished the last book.

Christopher Ransom

The Birthing House
I'm not sure what I think about this book. The writing was excellent, so I kept reading, though wasn't too sure where I was going. It was a surprisingly creepy story about a couple, Conrad and Jo, who move into an historic Victorian house, looking for a new start. Conrad is given an old photo album with pictures of the early Victorian inhabitants of the house when it was used as a home for unwed mothers. Things start to take a Stephen King turn for the worse at this point when Conrad seems to recognize one of the women in a group photo: his wife..!! My only complaint was the ending. I swear, either I'm losing it, or my brain functions on a different level than other people, because damn, I didn't understand the end at all. According to the book jacket: "The Birthing House grips from the first line to the terrifying final twist." That's all well and good, and yes, the end was really scary and twisted, but the deal is: I didn't get it....!!!!!

Catch Up

Apparently I am no better at keeping up with my blog than I am with my handwritten journals...!! I don't know how the time has flown by since my last posting---it's hard to believe it's mid-February already and I'm just sitting down to write again. Life has a way of interfering with the best of intentions, doesn't it..??

I thought I would just recap some events that still stick in my mind from the past 6 weeks, then in another blog I will do my January book review. That will pretty much get me back on track, I hope.

January

Barack Obama.
Alan wanted to watch the Inauguration, but after 8 years of the Bushwacker, I just couldn't be bothered with anything to do with politics. Somehow though I ended up watching anyway, and honestly, I can't believe what I would have missed..!! His speech was the epitome of what we need in a leader: honesty, compassion, realism, and a faith that as Americans we can do anything we set our minds to, no matter the difficulty, or what has come before. I felt, for just a shining moment, that here was someone to believe in. Finally. I have always been a proud American, but that day I was a hopeful proud American.

Watching that war mongering, greedy bastard Bush flying out of the Capitol, and out of our lives forever, was the second shining moment for me. Ah, it was such a good day....

Birthdays.
January is also birthdays. We got Ozzy some toys for his 6th birthday, he had some extra treats for dinner, and I tried hard not to yell at him for his hysterical barking...which didn't work. Even birthdays can't prevent me from trying to stop his maniacal behavior: at the mailman, other dogs walking past the gate, birds, or anything that apparently offends his delicate sensibilities...!! I swear, if a pin dropped 4 blocks away, he'd have to bark about it. He's so adorable, loving and brilliantly intelligent, I drives me nuts that his one unredeeming quality is so blasted annoying. He guards the front door (because we all know mail is lethal), he guards the garden (because birds are enemies of epic proportions), he guards the gate (because all other dogs are possible interlopers), and he guards the front living room window to better keep track of his domain. Honestly, he takes his job WAY too seriously and I wish he'd just retire and go fishing..!!

For Alan's birthday we went out to dinner with some friends to a new restaurant, Bar Napoli. New to us, not the city. Because it was Naples food, I thought we could pretend we were back in southern Italy for a few hours. The plan wasn't bad, and the food was great, it was just the 20* wind chill and freezing cold that ruined the illusion..!! Still, we had fun, and it was great to see Jack and Alice and share some vino and food.

Alan and Morag share the same birthday, so as usual, I baked a birthday cake, cut it in half, and Alan and Morag each get a half. I've been doing this for some years now, and it's really fun, plus Alan and I don't need to eat an entire cake ourselves---not that we're not tempted..!!

I also thought about Tyler, and wished him a Happy Birthday though he's no longer here. He would have been 36 this year, and I still miss him so much. I used to always give him a great new book for his birthday, and even now after several years, I find myself thinking "Tyler would like this one" when I'm in the bookstore. Sigh. Wish you were here kid.

February

I don't know what happened that February came so fast. The weather here in Edinburgh gets really crappy in February, and this year was no exception. We've had endless freezing temps, plus last Monday we got snow. I liked it at first, but it would sort of melt during the afternoons, then snow again, then freeze overnight, so walking Ozzy was totally treacherous and definitely not fun. There's nothing like that first day/night of snow though, is there..?? It's so beautiful, and quiet. Course, after the first day it's just rude and annoying and a pain.

I spent lots of time reading (natch), and would have watched some television if there'd been something even remotely interesting to watch. And, don't you wonder how there can be 500 TV channels, and still there's nothing to watch..?? How can that be..?? Good thing I love to read more than anything, and luckily this winter has been filled with a great array of books to escape into.

Valentine's Day yesterday was good. Alan and I decided to send each other email valentine cards, which was funny. It saved some money and we each had to troll through lots of ecards to find the right ones, so it was just as meaningful as if we'd spent the time and money at the store. I made a pear tart (his favorite), and we had a romantic dinner at home, and enjoyed ourselves immensely. And that's all anyone needs to know about that...!!

Poppy, Morag's wee dog, has been ill since Wednesday, causing all kinds of concern from those of us in the neighborhood who love her (or I should say them). The vet can't seem to figure out what's wrong, though today when I saw her, she does seem a bit better. It's really dreadful when your dog is ill and there's no discernible reason for it. Today Morag brought Poppy over so I could help give her one of her pain pills. It didn't work, though Ozzy managed to snag the damn cheese (with medicine inside). Cripes. Oh well, my abiding hope is the pain meds will kick in, knock Ozzy out, and I'll have a peaceful afternoon...!!

Lorna and Derek, across the street, called us over this morning, to meet their new puppy. They recently lost their wonderful old Westie, Callie, and wanted to get another dog as soon as one became available. I thought they might go for another Westie, but they once had a Boxer and wanted to go that route again. So, over we go, to meet Harvey..!! And good grief, if he isn't the cutest pup I've seen in ages..!! He hasn't had his tail docked, or his ears ruined, and honestly, it makes the breed so much more attractive to see one au natural, rather than cosmetically altered. He's 10 weeks old, and too cute for words, though judging by the size of his feet, they'll have to change his name to Godzilla before too long..!! I don't think I've ever seen a Boxer puppy, and they are just wonderful. He's all gangly legs and twitching tail and butt, and just as perky and happy as can be. A great wee pup, for sure.

Well, there goes Ozzy, tearing down the hall to bark out the living room window at some offender or another. Time to yell, get a cup of coffee, and grab my latest book. Feels good to have caught up with things, so a good Sunday afternoon's writing and I'm off for now.

December Book Reviews

I didn't read much this month, mainly because of Christmas, New Year's, etc. Still, I managed to wile away a bit of free time with some great books.

Alexander McCall Smith

I absolutely adore this Edinburgh writer. I have read nearly everything he's written, and enjoyed every book. My favorites are The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency series; I eagerly await each new installment and usually read the books in one sitting.

La's Orchestra Saves the World
The story is about a woman leaving London on the brink of World War II, to settle into a small English village in the countryside. She forms an amateur orchestra of local musicians and men from a nearby air base to stage concerts while all around them their country is fighting for it's survival. Friendships are forged, loves lost and found, and through it all: the profound power of music. It's a wonderful tale of the indomitable spirit of people, against the backdrop of war, to find meaning in their lives.

Nora Roberts

I don't normally read "romance" novels. I do, however, like Nora Roberts. She writes well, and if you overlook the steamy stuff (which in her newer books isn't so...well...steamy), they are quite worth the read.

The Sign of Seven Trilogy
Three boys, on their tenth birthday, accidentally unleash an evil at the Pagan Stone, a place in the forest near their small town of Hawkins Hollow. The history of the stone goes back to the early settlement of Hawkins Hollow, with witch trials, puritanical zealots, and the beginnings of the evil. Each book relates to one of the boys (now men), first with Blood Brothers about Caleb Hawkins, followed by The Hollow about Fox O'Dell, and concluding with The Pagan Stone and Gage Turner. There are lots of scary bits, things that definitely go bump in the night, and three women (these are "romance" novels after all) who also have a part to play in dealing with the evil. The storyline reminded me of Stephen King sometimes, especially the parts when the guys were boys (Stand by Me comes to mind). Good stuff.


Phil Rickman

There are 10 books in this series about Merrily Watkins, parish priest and diocesan exorcist, which all take place in the Hertfordshire village of Ledwardine. Many of the stories involve people and events over the border in Wales, with lots of local folklore and history.

To Dream of the Dead
The books are continuous, so really, you must read from the first book. In this story, there is a killer December flood, the village is isolated from everything, and with the unearthing of a prehistoric pagan monument which flies in the face of some staunch religious villagers' beliefs, all hell is breaking loose in Ledwardine. Great atmospheric rendering of village life, the trials of being a woman priest, having a pagan teenage daughter, and balancing it all with the changes happening all over England with land development burying the past. Love this series.

Emily Barr

The Sisterhood
A creepy, dark, but gripping read. There's witty "life in London" dialogue, and a great finale that really makes you glad you know exactly who your own sister is. Elizabeth, living in London, has just broken up with her husband. She has a miserable one night stand, and natch, gets pregnant. Meanwhile, across the Channel, Helen, who lives in France, has found some hidden documents belonging to her mother and discovers she has an unknown sister. She decides to go to London to find her. And therein lies the plot. Elizabeth is enchanting as she struggles with her pregnancy and new life, while Helen is...well...something else. I won't go into any further details, as telling too much would totally spoil the suspense. Well worth the read.

Shortest Day, Longest Day

On this very dreary day, approaching the shortest one of the year, I can't help but think back to the longest day of the year---actually, just a few weeks past that June solstice day. Alan had taken me to Italy the first week in July, for my birthday. It was hot, sunny, romantic, and the best holiday either of us had ever experienced. I'm going to take a few minutes now to meander down that memory lane, with some photos of that glorious time, far away from this wintry day....

We left Edinburgh on a typically miserable Scottish summer's day. I was freezing in a sleeveless dress in anticipation of heat when we arrived in Italy. I wasn't disappointed. Our plane landed in Naples on a brilliant, scorchingly hot afternoon. We were picked up by a driver from our hotel, and an hour later arrived at the Hotel Corallo in the small village of Sant'Agnello, on the outskirts of Sorrento.

The family-run hotel was more than we'd ever expected. Not only was it beautiful, but our sea view balcony room was fabulous, with the most stunning view of the Bay of Napoli, Vesuvius, and the cliffs running into Sorrento. This is actually the back of the hotel, and faces the sea.

The view from the hotel's front entrance, with the mountains looming, and a tiny glimpse of Sant'Agnello village.

Looking towards Sorrento from the hotel. The heat haze makes it look cool and misty, but it was hot, and wonderful...!! The cliffs were truly amazing, with all the buildings just hanging on the edge. This view was to the left, off our balcony.

It was about a half hour walk into Sorrento from here, though the first time we walked the cliff route, which took us nearly an hour. We eventually found a shorter route, wandering through a little park, past an enormous orange grove right in the middle of Sorrento.




A closer shot of the cliffs (picture above). There are caves and passageways and ancient Roman steps, in fact a whole secret underground world beneath the buildings perched above.

Vesuvius, floating in the heat haze, in the Bay of Napoli. This view was to the right, from our room.

We had breakfast every morning on our balcony with these extraordinary vistas. I fell totally in love with fresh, hot, strong Italian coffee, served with a pitcher of steamy, frothy milk, and delicious little breakfast breads and biscuits.

This building, once a Capuchin Monastery, was almost directly off our balcony (balcony rail in the foreground). It was a ruin that Alan and I decided we could buy, fix up and live in---hey, we were on vacation, we can dream.

We found out later that it's owned by the Grimaldi family (yes, those Grimaldis). There's some kind of inter-family squabble going on over the property, so it's just been left, forlorn and abandoned.





Sorrento is famous for the wonderful drink, Limoncello, which we sampled often..!! The lemons are enormous, and though you can't tell from this photo, the "regular" lemons on the left are bigger than the average lemons. Honestly, the limoncellos were about the size of grapefruit. Needless to say, we brought back several bottles of this yummy drink, some to share and some to keep. And don't get me started on the Limoncello cookies...my mouth is watering as I write this.

Leaving Sorrento to cross the Med to Capri for a day trip. After all the heat, it was terrific to feel the coolness of the water misting around in the wind from the hydrofoil.

The headland on the left shows the Hotel Corallo, with the monastery hanging on the edge.

Entering the harbor at Capri. About midway up the hill is the actual town of Capri, and further up (several hundred feet), along a very narrow and winding single lane road, is the village of Anacapri, which was very cool.

In Anacapri you could take a chair lift up to the top of that mountain in the clouds. The view was absolutely spectacular, a 360* view of islands, the Med, and down the mountain to Anacapri and Capri. It was one of the best experiences of the whole holiday. Plus, being up on the mountain was so refreshing, in the cool mountain air, after the heat below, I just wanted to stay there permanently..!!




After leaving Anacapri and coming down off the mountain, we wandered around Capri and ended up having a most delicious pizza at this ristorante.

I never imagined such craggy, majestic mountains as we found everywhere we went. Or the smell of olive trees, or the beauty of the bougainvillea, or the amazing color of the water.

Before we headed back to Sant'Agnello, we took a boat tour around the Isle of Capri, seeing all the mega-mansions, the tiny villages, the wild goats, the caves and other interesting things you can only see from a boat. I couldn't believe the clarity, or color, of the waters of the Mediterranean. This photo barely does it justice.

On another day, we hired a car and driver, and did the Amalfi Coast. I wouldn't have missed this for the world.

We stopped first in Positano, which is a village that sprouts on the hills along a most twisting, mountainous road--the true Amalfi Coast road. This was a walkway that led down to the harbor. The bougainvillea was so thick overhead, it made the perfect shady lane to walk along, looking at local art works, great little shops, and cafes.




Coming into Amalfi, the first headland jutting into the sea is Sophia Loren's. Her house was beautiful, as were the grounds, though you can't tell that from this photo. What a place to live...sigh.

Our driver stopped further along where we could look down the hillside to get a better view of her estate, though with the road so narrow, I could barely jump out for a peek, then had to leap back into the car before being mowed down by other drivers. No chance of a closer photo, in other words.

A street in Amalfi, filled with shops, and doorways to other levels. I found a regular Italian hardware store and bought all kinds of interesting gadgets that you can't find, except in Italy.

This turned out to be my most favorite place along the Coast: Ravello. The village, way up in the mountains, is behind me in this photo. It's a very small place, with the church in the square the main focus.

We had lunch, then gelato, and wandered around the square, and the village, while our driver went off to visit relatives.

This photo was taken from a little bar/cafe which hung right over the abyss, with this glorious view down the Coast to other villages, and onwards to the south. We sat under a big umbrella, on the edge of the deck, sipping our iced coffees, and I tried my darnedest to convince Alan we needed to move to Ravello and start new lives. I think I almost had him convinced, too...!!




On our way back towards Sorrento, and Sant'Agnello. There was a great deal of traffic late in the afternoon along the Amalfi Coast road, and no place really to pull off to take photos, so most of the stunning views were taken from the car, like this one. Still. What I saw with my eyes is firmly embedded in my memory bank







We had the most awesome holiday anyone could wish for. As I've been writing this, so many memories have come flooding back to me: drinking gallons of water each day; drinks on the hotel terrace every afternoon talking to Guiseppe, the bar manager; Giovanni, the best concierge in Italy; tiny geckos flitting about the garden; delicious and amazing food everywhere we ate, including the hotel; totally addictive Italian coffee; warm, friendly people; delicious icy-cold glasses of Limoncello; sights, sounds and smells of Italy in July...oh big, big sigh.

I took nearly 300 photos, just a smattering shown here. It's nearly killed me off to look at them today, while the rain lashes the windows, the wind is howling, and it's approaching the shortest day of the year. So, come with me for one final memory....

Our last night, we sit on our balcony (which seems like home now), sipping our Limoncellos. As the sun sets, suddenly out of the heat haze, Ischia appears on the horizon. (We haven't seen it once while there. If you look closely, you can see it towards the left). The seagulls are calling, the air is so warm, on the slight breeze are the smells of the olive trees, lemons and flowers...and we talk quietly, already nostalgic, about what a magical time we've had.

Now that I have thoroughly depressed myself, I think I'll dig out that last bottle of Limoncello from the freezer, pour a glass, and maybe with my eyes closed while I sip, I can transport myself to that warm, intoxicating land...

Fraught Week

Last Monday Alan and I went to the pet store to buy Christmas presents for Ozzy's pals. Alan found these probiotic digestive treats which we thought Ozzy would like. As he has a very sensitive stomach these treats seemed like a good idea. HA..!! As the mother, I should have said a big NO to this idea, knowing that Ozzy doesn't do well with anything out of the ordinary.


We buy the Christmas toys and treats, and when we get home, I give Ozzy one of these allegedly hypoallergenic, probiotic, suitable-for-dogs-with-digestive-problems treats, which he devours immediately. That night he woke me up around midnight, crying to go out, then every 45 minutes thereafter, all night long. He seemed to improve during the day on Tuesday, but again, that night, all night long, in and out of the house. He mainly eats grass during his "episodes" though with the freezing temps, what little grass there is, is frozen solid. The grass settles his stomach, but gives him diarrhea. By Wednesday I am fried from lack of sleep, Ozzy's fried from lack of sleep, diarrhea, and now starts throwing up, all over the house...on the couch, the bed, the carpet, everywhere. He's not a throw up kind of dog, so this isn't good. Then, on the very short morning walk, the diarrhea turns to just blood running down his backside. Cripes.


Emergency trip to the vet. I explain to the vet about the treats, and ask how something so small, and touted as being for digestive problems, can have such an impact on Ozzy. He says Ozzy is having a severe colitis attack, and yes, if the ingredients didn't agree with him, he could (and did) get very sick. He gives him a shot to settle down his system, and some antibiotics in case of infection. One more night of no sleeping, though I only had to get up 3 times in the night, and by Thursday afternoon, with antibiotics and boiled chicken, Ozzy is back to normal.


What did I learn from this latest Ozzy "episode"...?? He will never, ever again have anything, treats or food, other than his normal Burns food and snacks. No more feeling sorry for him that he can't gnaw on a rawhide chew, or have yummy dog treats that other dogs can have. (Which I already knew, but apparently needed a very big reminder about..!!). It's one thing to have a sick dog, but quite another when he's gotten sick because of something I did..!!


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While all this was going on last week, I ran into a woman and her dog who I see often on Ozzy's walks. She asked me if I'd seen Jean and Mindy lately, which I hadn't. Jean is this wonderful 92-year-old who walks faithfully, rain or shine, with her dear, old dog Mindy. I told this woman that I had just mentioned to Alan a few days before that I hadn't seen Jean or Mindy for two, maybe three weeks, which was worrying. Later, with some trepidation, I decided to call Jean. I tried to tell myself that maybe it was the frigid temps, or maybe Jean and her husband Douglas had taken a holiday, though I have to say, Jean walked Mindy no matter what the weather. So, I call Jean. Thank goodness, she answered the phone, so one worry--about her---was alleviated. We chatted for a minute or two, then I asked her why I hadn't seen her, or Mindy. And, jeez, sometimes don't you just wish you didn't know stuff..????


Jean and Douglas live in a wonderful old mansion house, quite close to the actual village of Cramond. On the back side of their property is quite dense woodland, leading down to the river, with the front side leading down the hill to the village. Mindy was very good at getting through the woodland for an unsupervised walk-about when the urge would take her. She would stroll through the village, get lots of pets and treats, and meander home. On this particular day, Jean went out to take Mindy for her afternoon walk, couldn't find her, so walked into the village to find her. Now to the dreadful, horrible part. Someone had run over Mindy, and left her in the gutter in front of the pub. How anyone could hit-and-run this lovely, sweet, old dog, is just beyond my understanding. Jean comes down the hill, finds her dog laying in the gutter, and carries her home (Mindy was a large, thick-coated dog, about the size of an average Lab). Now, picture this old woman, carrying her dog, up hill, for about 3 blocks. My heart breaks. She gets Mindy home, where she dies. She and Douglas bury her in the back garden, with a view of the woodland. I'm in tears at this point (and as I'm writing this), Jean is crying, and I want to hit-and-run the bastard that not only struck down Mindy, but left her beside the road, alone and dying. Jean said she was so lonely without Mindy, she just couldn't get up the energy to continue her walks by herself. She told me she'd had a dog since she was 10, but couldn't in all conscience get another one at her age.

Now, as if that's not bad enough, she goes on to tell me that shortly after Mindy died (the day before Jean's 92nd birthday), Douglas, who's 93, falls down the stairs in their home, and breaks a few ribs. He's in the hospital and has been for about 10 days at this point. So she's doubly alone. THEN, she drives to the grocery store during all this chaos, comes out of the store and finds her car totalled by some idiot who had crashed into her car, and left the scene..!! For the whole time Douglas has been in the hospital, she has not only been without him, and her beloved dog, but her car as well..!! It boggles the mind, doesn't it..?? And breaks the heart.

I miss Mindy so much. She was the most loving, sweet old girl, just a big, black ball of fluff. Whenever she'd spot me, she'd come thundering up, give a couple of barks as if to say "hurry up with my treats", which I always had ready for her. If I feel this bad, imagine how Jean feels. I hope karma catches up with that driver...big time.

November Book Reviews

Changes:
December 16, 2008
After writing the review of all the November Books Read, the feedback I was getting was mainly "WOW, that was way too long to read". I think the general feeling was I was writing a book about the books..!! So, I've decided to pare down, and do a Cliff Notes version of the books instead, which is what anyone else from today on will read.

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I thought I would end the month with a review of the books I've read. It's quite a cross-section of genres, from "teenage chick lit" to scary short stories and lots of stuff in between. I'll start from the bottom of the list, with the book I read first and work my way to Stephen King, which I just finished.

MATT RUFF

Fool On The Hill
The story is about a student named Stephen Titus George, who goes to Cornell University. The book takes place mostly at Cornell, and particularly on The Hill overlooking the campus. There is a surreal, hidden world of fairies, a meddling mythological being named Mr Sunshine, a wonderful dog named Luther who is looking for heaven, along with his long-suffering traveling companion, a Manx cat named Blackjack. It's a strange, bizarre, lovable book that I enjoyed immensely.

Set This House In Order
The most convoluted novel I've read in ages. Andrew Gage has a Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD), though has it under control by consigning all his personalities to a "house" in his mind. They all live in the house, which is their world really, with their own rooms, communal dining, group meetings; everything you would expect from an actual large family. There were some shock revelations along the way, an evil personality trying to escape the "house" and psychological discourse about the proper treatment for MPD. I can't imagine having my head filled with a bunch of other personalities, opinions, and/or behaviors, though after reading this book, at least I feel I have a better understanding of people who might.

Sewer, Gas and Electric: The Public Works Trilogy
This book was a funny, thriller/mystery/sci-fi story set in New York in 2023. The NY sewer crew is battling a mutant great white shark, a mega-billionaire is building his version of the Tower of Babel, Ayn Rand is a ghost in a hurricane lamp, constantly harping in biting commentary about the merits of capitalism, there are eco-terrorists, and a murder mystery to solve. I'm hard pressed to explain this book, other than to say, it's well worth the read, if totally unconventional.

Bad Monkeys
This story is about a girl named Jane Charlotte, who has been arrested in Las Vegas for murder. She claims she works for a secret organization called the "Department for the Final Disposition of Irredeemable Persons", or Bad Monkeys; people who for whatever reason have managed to get away with murder and mayhem. She's really a secret government assassin, she says, and the story is about how she got involved with the organization, what she does, and how she does it. The ending was a surprise, in a Matt Ruff way: twisted, bizarre and very...well...surprising.

What I find the most amazing about Matt Ruff's four books: All these stories were in his head..!! The twists and turns, the disparity of plot, the fun, the serious, the weird. Wow.


STEVEN HALL

The Raw Shark Texts
This novel is Steven Hall's first. I read a review on Amazon where someone said this book was like Marmite: you either loved it or hated it. I can't begin to describe what an odd, totally original book this was. Ultimately it was a love story, though that seems too trite when I sit and think of the whole plot. It's very wacky as a story, though it's also compelling. I have to say, the ending floored me. Honestly, I might be missing a few brain cells or something, but the end really made me think: What...?? Still, it was worth reading, for no other reason than to stretch my mind.


STEPHENIE MEYER

After several books requiring major participation of my brain, I thought it was time to lighten the load. I saw a large display at Waterstones for Stephenie Meyer's Twilight saga, and though I figured it was "teen lit" thought I would read the first book in the series until something better caught my eye. Maybe a story about a teenage vampire would at the very least be diverting. What a shock to get totally hooked..!! I mean seriously, I couldn't believe it. I'm not sure if this is because I was reading about a place where I've actually been, or if once a teenage girl it's so easy to be one again in my imagination, or if it's just simply that I could fall into the plot and not have to dissect meanings or concepts.

Twilight
This is the first book of four. Bella Swan, 17, the main character, moves to Forks, WA to live with her father, the sheriff. She meets Edward Cullen at the local high school. She's intrigued by him, and his five "siblings", though initially he seems to have a real aversion to her. She meets a friend of the family, a Quileute named Jacob, who tells her some Native American folklore, which includes vampires. She eventually puts two and two together, and confronts Edward. One thing leads to another and the whole story comes out: he is a vampire as are his five siblings, and his foster parents. They are not vampires who prey on humans, but rather have a more civilized approach. There is a interesting plot to this book involving Quileute legends and their purpose in protecting humans from vampires; there are rogue vampires who come to Forks and want to have Bella for lunch, a father with feelings that Edward is not who he seems, and a very interesting family of vampires: the Cullens. The relationship, building against all the odds, between Edward and Bella is really good, and by the end of Twilight, I truly had to find out what happened next.

New Dawn
The story picks up in Bella and Edward's senior year in high school. She has become friends with Alice, one of Edward's "sisters". Alice is planning a big 18th birthday party for Bella. Of course, things go terribly wrong. Most of this book is about dealing with love and loss and pain. Bella eventually finds a true friend in Jacob, and spends a great deal of time with him, and other Quileutes. This book is full of suspense, bittersweet romance, rescues and reunions, and the continuing difficulties of a human girl in love with a vampire.

Eclipse
Bella is torn between her love for Edward and her love for her best friend, Jacob. The two guys are bitter enemies, but both want what's best for her. A character from the first book returns, bringing danger and death to Seattle, Forks, Bella, and the Cullens' way of life.

Breaking Dawn
The last book was the biggest: a great 754-page, wonderfully thick book...my favorite kind. The conclusion of the series begins with Bella and Edward graduating from high school. She is now adamant to become a vampire (for various reasons), but Edward has placed one major condition before he will grudgingly agree to this, one which Bella is hard-pressed to comply with, and a chain of events begun in Twilight comes to a thrilling finale. It was a tremendous finish, though parts were pretty graphic. On the cover of my book there was a large sticker which said "Not suitable for young readers" and boy, did they mean that..!!

I really loved this whole saga. If I have any complaint at all, it would have to be Bella's constant appraisal of Edward's beauty. She just couldn't fathom why he would want to be with her, a plain ol' human, and brought it up on a regular basis. She couldn't understand that for Edward, she was the beautiful one. Still, I suppose sometimes that's part and parcel of being in love. I read all four books in little over a week, and when I finally raised my head, I was stunned to realize I wasn't in Forks, WA. Regardless of the books being written for teenagers, I found myself totally captivated.


STEPHEN KING

It took me at least a week, after reading the Twilight series, to get back into another book. I had pre-ordered the new Stephen King, Just After Sunset, so when it arrived at my door unexpectedly, I was very happy to have found something new to read.

Way back in the day, when Jan (BFF) and I worked at the same publishing company, we used to read Stephen King and compare notes. Since I was not totally into scary novels, Jan would read the books first, then tell me if they were too creepy for me. The only two I've never read are Misery and The Dark Half, which Jan said would NOT work for me at all. I also lost track of the Dark Tower series, having read three then losing interest when the remaining books in the series were taking years to be published. I love Stephen King's writing style, hence why, when he's being truly scary, he can totally creep me out. I was anticipating, with relish, his new book of short stories.

Just After Sunset
All the stories didn't grab me, though each had something. The Gingerbread Girl would definitely have been the one, of all of them, that Jan would have said: don't read..!! I think Stationary Bike was my favorite. Imagine a work crew in your body, taking care of the culverts and drains and various washed out roads, and what would happen if you got healthy and didn't need them so much anymore. It was a great story. The Things They Left Behind was sad and poignant; Harvey's Dream, Rest Stop, Mute, all good stories. The last one, A Very Tight Place was a story Stephen King wrote because, as he says in his Notes at the end of the book: "...I wrote this story, for the same reason I have written so many rather unpleasant tales, Constant Reader: to pass on what frightens me to you." All I will say is: I will never go into a portapotty again...!!!

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So, there ends my reading for November. It was a strange, eclectic bunch of books, but that suits me just fine. I don't know what I would do without my books, and how odd I find it that e-books are becoming so popular. There's nothing like opening a new book, the feel of turning pages, the smell of paper and ink. You can't begin to feel the heft of worlds in your hands with a computer book. No thanks, I'll keep doing things the old-fashioned way...that's part of the joy after all. And, as I already have a pile stacked up for my December reading, I will finish this now and go get started.

The Dentist

I know there are worse things in the world than The Dentist...though not when you're sitting in the chair, white-knuckled, with freezing air and ice cold water blasting into your mouth by the sadistic dental assistant, the drill whining in your ears, and agony ripping through your head thanks to The Dentist. And that was just yesterday's experience..!!

About 3 weeks ago, while walking Ozzy on a very bitter, windy day, I had one of those inexplicable moments: one minute I'm just going along, no worries, and with the next breath I'm nearly brought to my knees with that horrible hot/cold sensation in one of my back molars. As it was truly cold, my nose had already started running (never do I have a tissue..!!), so breathing through my mouth was not an option once the stabbing tooth pain started. I tried breathing through just one corner of my mouth (opposite the pain side), but after several odd looks by other dog walkers I decided looking like the Joker with a stroke was not going to work. Eventually I wound my wool scarf around my head, which helped, though for the rest of the walk all I could think about through the pain was the dreaded call to The Dentist.

I got an emergency appointment (a miracle in itself), but my regular dentist was on holiday, so I saw someone else. She was very nice, though all she said was I appeared to have a fracture in the molar and would have to see my regular dentist next week. I spent that waiting week living on Ibuprofen instead of food. It was just astounding how quickly I went from totally fine, to absolute misery in just one breath..!! At one point my husband was hiding the pliers as I was crying and moaning, and seriously considering DIY dentistry.

So. The next week I get in to see my dentist, who is a credit to the profession and someone I like very much. She finds not one fracture, but two..!! One in each of my back molars. Cripes. I have a major tolerance for Novocaine, so 4 shots later, I am barely numb when she starts drilling. Honestly, I could have ripped off both armrests with my superhuman strength, born from the pain of it all. She gets all the filling material out of both teeth, puts in a temporary, and tells me to come back in two weeks for the real fillings, though she said within a few days I should feel better. HA. Bits of the temporary fillings fall out within a few days, and I am again reduced to Ibuprofen rather than food. No relief in sight, constant pain, and I'm starving to boot..!!

Yesterday, my appointment finally arrives. I was very much dreading the whole experience, though wanted to get things fixed in a major way. I went in early to get the Novocaine, sat in the reception area for half an hour waiting for the shot to work--and don't even get me started on how much I hate that gigantic needle coming at me at eye level, looking like something from a horror film...eewwwww. You could get people to confess to anything just by waving that wretched syringe in front of their faces. The Inquisition has nothing on modern dentistry..!! 45 minutes, and much white-knuckled agony later, I finally have two perfectly repaired molars. They look beautiful, like two brand new teeth, and though I was in a daze from the Novocaine and laying down in the chair, and trying--and failing--to meditate myself away from the experience, I had such a sense of relief that the whole trauma was over, I floated out of the office and home.

I would love to say I am now pain free, and feeling like a million bucks with my two new teeth, but as soon as the Novocaine wore off last night, I was back to throbbing pain and misery. I really expected this, of course, considering how my jaw was torqued, my mouth stretched, and my teeth tortured. I am just crossing my fingers that once everything settles down, I'll be good as new. I live in hope. And now, excuse me, but it's time for my lunch: two more Ibuprofen...sigh.

Life in Scotland

I have some moments where I miss my old life in America. I miss graham crackers, Saltines, a really juicy hamburger and milkshake, good Mexican food, my mother's home cooking, and myriad other things too numerous to mention.

Then there are the other times when I realize what a wild, wonderful, ancient land Scotland is, and how much I love it here. But, with Thanksgiving approaching, I always get nostalgic for my first homeland, so I thought I would change my perspective today, and look at all the beauty around me here.

I live in a little area of Edinburgh called Cramond. The village of Cramond is about 4 blocks from the house. This is a picture of the local pub in the village. Honestly, could it be more picturesque..??

This is the actual village of Cramond, and dates back for centuries. The pub (in the previous photo) is behind this block of dwellings. The cafe in the foreground serves wonderful food, and delicious coffee. The view from the cafe is outstanding, with river and mountain views, though I don't seem to have a photo at the moment to show the view. Course, any view in Scotland also depends on good weather, which is in short supply most days.

One of our "walking Ozzy" paths, which leads eventually to the village, and to the waterfront. Cramond has the River Almond, which moseys into the Forth, which leads to the North Sea, so lots of water abounds. And that's not counting the rain, smirr, haar, rainy fog, lashings, torrentials, etc. Like the Inuits have 28 words for snow, I'm sure Scotland has the same for rain...

The bottom of the path (above) leads through the grounds of the Cramond Kirk. The church sits on Roman ruins from the 1st century. This was the farthest outpost for the Romans, and it must have seemed like the end of the world for them; they never went north of this point. The kirk has been on this spot since the 15th century. It has a Norman tower on the other side (not visible in this photo).

Edinburgh Castle, my most favorite castle in the world, and that's saying loads in a country filled with stunning castles of all kinds. I definitely have a Top 5 list (Edinburgh, Tantallon, Dunnotter, Urquhart, Drummond), but Edinburgh is somehow, I don't know, so mythical, I always have it at the head of the list. Nearly anywhere you go in the city, you can see it, rising above everything. It's beautiful.

Another view of the city, with the castle in the background. Photo taken from Calton Hill, looking across the city.

You can't come to Edinburgh and not see Greyfriar's Bobby. To the left of his statue is the church where he's buried. His little grave is always covered in flowers.

Well, I think that gave me a good shot in the arm...and the attitude. I have barely scratched the surface of Edinburgh, of course, but each of these photos remind me of other things around my house, the village, and the city. I will next have to refresh my mind by exploring the Scottish countryside, the abbeys, and other castles I've seen. Soon the Christmas Fair starts in Princes Street Gardens, with all kinds of events, crafts, gifts, food and music, so I will definitely get some new photos, and memories of my second home.