In our household when you think jubilant you can only picture one thing.
Incoming!
To see other interpretations of ‘jubilant’ check out the original post. Or, take a peek at a few of my favorites so far here, here, and here.
I hope there is a little jubilation in your life this week! Katie and I have planned an adventure. I’m sure she’ll tell you all about it soon.
I’ll tell you later!
The power went out sometime during the night, and we sleep with blackout blinds so the bedroom is pitch black when I wake. I reach around for Katie and find her upside down at my feet. Wondering what time it is I get up to look for my phone but I’m afraid to leave Katie on the bed in the blackness. She resists me picking her up but finally is safe on the floor as we inch out to the living room which is illuminated a bit by the outside gray.
It’s 4:30 a.m.
Our ‘automatic’ generator is not running but I can hear one chugging away somewhere down the street. A big truck with squeaky brakes and a rumbling diesel engine is out on the road, flashers and headlights glowing as electric company employees look for the problem.
Katie growls and barks.
With nothing we can do to fix the problem I carry Katie back to the bedroom, close the door so husband can poke around with a flashlight, and we settle back to sleep. Or not. Katie is restless and I’m afraid of her falling off the bed. But she wants to be close. My little non-snuggling dog presses her hip against mine and gives a big sigh, a sign she’s going back to sleep. But then she’s up, carefully picking her way across pillows to lay near my head, licking my arm and panting. She wants to hold my hand in her mouth, but I gently disengage and scratch her ears. She curls up against my shoulder and sighs again. Then moves slightly away and whimpers a bit. I wonder how much she can see, whether she thinks she has lost her sight. I wonder if being blind would bother her.
And so we wait, Katie and I, we wait for the light to return.
And then…the first hint. The solitary warble of our robin, first tentatively, then stronger, then bursting into full song. The crack between the blinds and the window casing lightens just a bit. The freeway, a mile away, begins to hum.
Katie sighs contentedly and rolls over as I get up to raise the blinds and let the morning in.
Katie here. Mama says she’s too busy weeding the garden to tell you about Wiliamsburg even though she’s promised more than once to do just that. Mama makes promises all the time and then doesn’t do the stuff she promised. Like take a certain dog to a park. If you know what I mean.
Conversation on the courthouse steps.
Anyway, I guess it’s up to me to tell you what I heard about mama and daddy’s day at the colonial village, even though I’m still mad at them for going there without me. I hear it’s a dog friendly place! They said they saw lots of doggies there and I don’t understand one little bit why I couldn’t go.
Mending.
Ahem…
So mama said she was very interested in all the places they visited, and particularly took lots of pictures of the people that were explaining the different houses and occupations. Like the lady that was showing how residents used to spin the yarn…
Beautiful colors
…and the woman that was weaving thread into fabric.
Explaining how the loom works.
They visited a lot of houses too, this one was the home of Payton Randolph who was the first president of the Continental Congress. She described how the slaves interacted with their owners inside affluent homes like this one, and how some owners gave their slaves freedom while others did not.
Important politicians lived in nice places.
Their personal slaves slept on pallets outside the owners bedrooms.
Bedroll stored in a corner
The governor’s palace was pretty spectacular too.
Governor’s palace
The foyer was lined with swords and guns as a sign of wealth and power.
Lots of wealth on display.
And the Capitol Building was amazing. It held two sides of government, the Colonialists and the King’s representation. They each had their own side of the building, but met in the center, up above the arches, to discuss policy.
Mama and Daddy learned lots of history here!
But mostly mama and daddy visited and talked to people that represented the regular day-to-day lives of people. Like this little boy selling lettuce from the back of a wagon…
Lettuce for sale!
…and this silversmith making a bowl.
It’s a slow process.
There were lots of people interacting with the tourists. This guy was explaining a battle, using stones and twigs, to a group of children.
What if you moved your troops to the east?
He made it into a game letting them make strategic decisions. Mama said they were all having a great time trying to win the battle.
Mama said there were lots of pretty little places too, gardens tucked into spots behind houses, or out along the street.
Simple and beautiful.
It was a beautiful spring day. Not too hot, not too cool. Seems to me it would have been a perfect day for a certain sheltie-girl to go for a walk with her folks in an historic village. Just saying. It’s not like mama didn’t pet a sheltie or two or three while she was there!
THREE of them!!
That’s right. I know she cheated on me! This is exactly why I’m still giving her the cold shoulder, not that she’s noticed or anything.
OK. Enough whining. Back to the tour.
Mama and daddy also went to a concert that evening at this church.
Episcopal church
Lots of famous people have attended church here. People like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. And President Reagan and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Thomas Jefferson sat here!
Mama and daddy sat in Thomas Jefferson’s pew to listen to an oboe and organ candlelit concert. It was nice even though mama said the seats were very uncomfortable, I guess to keep people awake in church!
The other musical thing they got to see was the pipe and drum parade.
On parade.
Everyone enjoyed watching and listening to them pass by…even people (and dogs) inside!
Are there treats involved in this event?
All in all I guess mama and daddy had a wonderful time even without me. They said they were looking out for my best interests when they scheduled me for camp instead of going with them. But I think they just wanted to keep all the fun for themselves. I’m going to protest louder if they do this again. I might even hire these guys to play outside their bedroom window for a few nights in a row.
After the parade.
That might work.
Meanwhile I guess I should forgive mama. I guess I can take the higher road. Especially if it leads me to a park.
Mama had to pay the price of leaving me behind!
We came back from our road trip to a typical spring in Michigan. Snow and sleet, frost and freeze warnings all in mid-May. It’s confusing. Just last week I was running on the board walk at Virginia Beach in shorts, getting overheated while wearing a long sleeved technical shirt, hair up under a hat, sun blinding my eyes.
Ah the memories.
There were times during the trip that I felt disoriented too. We spent a lot of time exploring the history that permeates Virginia.
Returning to another century.
Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown.
And then we’d drive back to our hotel room in Virginia Beach…
Crazy place.
…filled with tourists and cars and bright lights and seafood buffets. For a moment, standing on the top of the parking deck back at the hotel I had to shake my head to clear it. Which world was real?
Maybe neither.
Even out on the road we slipped between the seasons. Where it was early summer in Virginia…
Green hills of Virginia.
…driving back through Pennsylvania a day later we watched spring arriving all over again.
Regressing into spring.
It was all disorienting, almost surreal. But then Katie came home and took us under her paw. We’re back to reality now.
Thanks Katie-girl.
Good morning mama!
Katie here. I can’t believe I am saying this…
… but I think my mama should schedule me for a spa day.
Cause this look went out of style in the 80’s.
Just sayin.
When I was looking good.
.
HI!!!!
Mama says I shouldn’t be sad that it’s raining. We haven’t had any in a long time, and besides, she says, it’s not SNOW! Good point mama. Of course I sort of like snow so I guess I wouldn’t have minded if we got some to play in. Mama, on the other hand, does not want to see any more of that white stuff till next Christmas!
Anyway.
I’ve been to lots of parks lately. Mama is home all the time and we get to go go go! I love that. I think mama does too, though maybe not quite as much as me. Cause she doesn’t get treats at the park, not being a princess and all.
I’ve been over to my park quite a bit already this month. It still doesn’t look like spring over there, but at least the snow is gone. There aren’t any leaves yet, but after this rain I bet things begin to bud out!
This is my majestic look.
It’s been a bit wet with all the snow melt, and windy, but I don’t mind. I even walked through a puddle at the back of the park this year! Mama was surprised; she usually has to carry me through that part of the trail every spring. I guess I’m growing up and taking on more responsibility now that I’m almost ten.
Art in my park!
Did you know they are advertising the DIA (Detroit Institute of Arts) at my park? There are these big pictures with notes about the artist there! My mama reads them all to me but she says I can’t go to the DIA because I’m a dog. Seems unfair. I mean, why put art in my park if I can’t go?
One day at my park I didn’t feel like walking all the way around, so I took my mama over to the library and we walked around there. And you know what I accidentally did?
Uh, she’s on to me!
I walked down this long line of stairs! Without thinking! I forgot that I don’t do stairs! Now my mama is sure that I’ve been scamming her all these years when I made her carry me up and down.
And one time, over by one of the ponds mama thought she’d take a photo of the two of us enjoying my park. But she never did get the hang of setting the camera up. Most of the shots looked like this.
Mama doesn’t move fast enough.
I’ve also spent lots of time at home in my own pretty yard. Mama is getting worried that she’s already behind on the weeding, but I think the flowers are beautiful just the way they are.
I look good in blue, don’t you think?
AND…best news of all! Mama and I got to go camping in the back yard two nights in a row! I was very very good and only barked a little (OK a lot the first night and only a little the second night) at the snorting deer that trespassed on our camp site around two a.m. each night. The second night I slept all night and never even moved around on my princess pillow!
This is MY tent and MY stuff. Mama takes care of it for me.
Of course I got mama up at 5:15 a.m. each morning but she doesn’t seem to mind now that she doesn’t have to go to work anymore. I love camping! She says we’re going to a real campground in May and another one somewhere up north in June! I can not wait!
And you know what else? Last night I got to go for a wonderful walk with my pal Deuce and his mom at his park! It’s in a town and there’s a creek that runs through it and there’s ducks and lots of people and oh! The wonderful smells!
Deuce and me at his park!
I could hardly lift my nose from the ground anywhere, it was heaven! I walked a mile and a half and wasn’t even tired. I didn’t want to leave! Deuce was a real good host and showed me all the best spots to sniff. And his mom was so patient and let me sniff as long as I wanted. Even my own mama was pretty indulgent about it all.
I’ve been having the best time this spring so I guess it’s OK there’s one day of rain. I could probably use the rest anyway. I’m sure mama has more adventures up her sleeve, and I need to be ready!
Signing off now,
Katie.
PS: I got a little damp this morning.
The wet dog look.
.
.
.
Sigh…
Change Is Hard 