Change Is Hard

…but change is certain.

Tag Archives: Michigan


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One day at a time

Every day is a new day. Each morning, as the sun comes up gently warming my room I wonder what the day will bring. Our little family, Penny, husband and I, are working together to get through each day while noticing the beautiful things as well as the daily trials.

The sun comes up on a new day.

Friday I somehow strained a sciatic nerve in my right leg. I was fine most of the day, running with the dog at the park, in and out of the car while running errands. I was fine until suddenly I wasn’t.

A great day at a local park.

At the drug store as I got out of the car I suddenly felt excruciating pain shoot up my leg. I stood still for a moment, hoping it would subside. It didn’t. I hobbled into the drug store, did my business and hobbled back to the car. At home I could barely get up the two front steps. Saturday I stayed in my recliner, napping and groaning.

Mom…are we going to nap all day?

The biggest problem we had to deal with was taking Penny out. Walking with her in the yard on uneven turf was so painful for me. And she’s been asking to go out a lot lately while not necessarily doing anything once we get outside.

I need to go out, mom. Now.

I took her out four times in the morning, each an agony for me, and she didn’t do anything but wander around sniffing. My husband tried taking her out, using his walker. It was his first time to take her for a walk since he was discharged from the hospital almost two weeks ago.

She didn’t do anything, though they shuffled down to the stop sign and back. We decided if she didn’t have to go she didn’t have to go. She had two parents and neither in any shape to take care of her.

It’s not my fault.

Later in the day Pen and I managed a short walk along the pond across the street. She still didn’t do anything, but I got a few pretty shots with my phone. And that made me smile.

A beautiful spring day.

Today I feel 80% better, and I know I’ll be able to take her out, maybe even for a real walk up the road. I hope she decides to do her jobs while we’re out there.

In bloom.

Getting old is not for the faint of heart. It’s hard, physically and mentally. It would be so easy to slide into the dark place we hold in the back of our minds. Focusing on getting through today and not thinking about tomorrow too much is my secret approach to today and every day going forward.

Everywhere you look, something is beautiful.

Getting through each day. That’s our plan. So far it’s working.

Today’s pretty thing, mom! (me, right?!)


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A forced vacation!

Penny here! Boy I thought I’d never get back online and all of my fans would wonder forever what happened to me! Cause you know a little bit about the adventures my folks have been on, but I’m sure you were worried about me too. Right? Right???

You WERE worried, right?

Well at first mom and dad figured since I’m a big girl I could stay at home alone and mom would get home often enough to walk me and more importantly feed me. But once they were fully immersed in their adventure they realized they needed help, so one of our nice neighbors, Mr. Mike, came to the house and took me for walks.

He did that all weekend. I was cool with that cause I like Mr. Mike, and because sometimes he brought his dog Oliver along. Oliver and I are in love. (Don’t tell Oliver, but I have lots of boyfriends that I’m in love with.)

Then on Monday mom took me to go see my dog mom, Vivian, and her bestie Olivia, and my niece Sara and my mama S!

I can’t wait to see everybody!

I just love visiting there, Sarah and I play nonstop. Mom says I instigate a lot of the play and that I’m a little stinker but mama S. says I’m a perfect little girl who fits right in.

I don’t think my mom is fooled.

That’s my dog mom, Vivian, on the left and my niece Sarah on the right!

I was happy to be there, but then I turned around and my mom was gone! I couldn’t find her anywhere! And even though I love to visit I still want my mom. I’d wait by the door every evening hoping mom would come get me.

I was there all week and over another weekend and half way through the next week! Heck, when Mom finally decided she’d come get me I’d almost forgotten about her.

At the dog park I told those big dogs off. Cause they were on the other side of the fence.

Still, I was glad to be going home and so was a little confused when we stopped at a dog park and mom let me run and run and run. She said she wanted me to get all the antsy out of my system cause I was going on another adventure.

I like to contemplate life while I’m exploring.

And I ended up at my kennel! What the heck mom! I hadn’t even seen daddy yet! But it’s a nice kennel and I don’t mind being there. I followed the girl to the back without even looking at mom.

I do that cause I know it hurts her feelings.

Whatever, mother.

I should have been a bit more compassionate because mom says she felt terrible. But daddy was coming home from the hospital and he needed some time to get stronger before I was jumping all over him, so I had to stay at the kennel for four nights!

And finally, FINALLY, today mom came and got me and I was soooo excited that I barked and barked at her in the car and you know what she did?

I’m back at my park. Wonder what mom has up her sleeve this time?!

She stopped at the dog park and let me run and run and run until I wore myself out and then she took me home to see daddy who was very happy that everybody was finally at home.

I love to run, especially to mom who always has a treat!

And now we’re all going to get some sleep. I promised mom not to wake them up too early tomorrow morning. I hope I can keep that promise.

Mom really, REALLY hopes so too.


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Creativity where you can find it

For the past few weeks our little family has been struggling with some health issues that resulted in 10 days in the hospital for my spouse. He’s back home now and the specific issue he went in for has been resolved, at least for now.

Our view

But ten days away from home is a lot. Ten days sleeping in a lumpy hospital bed, being woke every few hours by staff to check how he was doing, choosing meals from the same limited menu. Being stuck in one room. It was a lot.

The view at the end of the hall.

Ten days of tests and pokes and jabs and the endless, repetitive questions from a steady stream of doctors and residents and students and nurses and aids and social workers and nutritionists and physical therapists.

Sunset over a parking lot was the prettiest thing I saw in more than a week.

It was a lot for him and a lot for me too, sitting on the room’s plastic sofa that turns into a narrow bed if you decide to sleep over. I didn’t though maybe I should have a night or two.

A storm brewed just north of us.

My view out his window was of another wing of the hospital, the original parts of a building that was originally built in the 1920s. It’s been added on and added on and added on. Finding anything within it’s winding halls is a crap shoot.

Checking the roof after a big rain.

But the windows in the part we were in were big and I could watch the sky. Some days were particularly interesting as the Michigan spring changed by the hour.

A beautiful day for sky watching.

Other days the sky was a basic boring blue.

After a wet spring it’s hard to be mad at a blue sky.

I told him I should have studied weather in school, I am so fascinated, and always have been, in watching the sky as it and the light changed.

Different textures

Hours of waiting between tests take a toll on everyone. And by the end of the stay I was seeing ducks where there were none.

Shy duck hides under the bed.

It was all a lesson, I suppose, in finding something interesting to photograph no matter where you are. And even if you only have a cell phone camera.

But as photogenic as the experience turned out to be, we’d rather not visit this destination again.


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Experimenting with flight

No, not my flight, though when I was young I did think I’d like to fly a plane, and when I was even younger I used to dream that I could fly like a bird.

This is the scene from the window and what I had to shoot around.

No, this morning I put some peanuts in the flat feeder, and that quickly brought in my merry band of noisy bluejays. I swear they sit up in the trees and wait for me to fill the feeders. They always arrive immediately and with great fanfare.

Trying to focus on the bird among the branches.

And while I was standing at the window, watching them come and go in the morning light, I realized I could try to capture their flight. They were much too busy hogging the peanuts to notice me.

He has 3 peanuts in his beak and more in his throat. But he’s not really in focus.

You need a very short shutter speed to stop those wings in mid-flight, at least 1/2000 per second. If there is sunlight that’s easier to accomplish.

Coming and going.

I took 84 images before the sun was hidden by the clouds of the latest incoming storm front. Out of that barely a handful are passable. But I learned a lot and some day I will try again.

My favorite image.

I’m sharing them with you now, because bluejays, no matter the fact they are obnoxious, are truly beautiful.

Beauty in motion.

Even if they are little pigs.


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Visitor

I haven’t seen one of these in my yard in years. But yesterday afternoon she arrived.

My first glimpse of this female pileated woodpecker.

And she wasn’t here very long, just checking out the stumps of trees we had to cut down.

She posed for me for an instant.

And then she was gone.

It’s just pure luck I happened to look outside while she was here. And that my camera was next to me when I did.

“I’m outta here!”


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Filling in

Penny here. I’m filling in for my mom who seems to be very busy. She and daddy are gone a lot during the day and I’m left to guard the house.

Let me show you around Penny’s Park!

I will tell you that I am a very fierce guard dog — if I’m on the other side of a door. If someone, say the cleaning lady, comes through the door, well, I’m just a happy puppy that needs to get her head rubbed.

I can’t help it. I’m adorable.

Running in my park is one of my favorite things to do!

Anyway, mom and I haven’t been to dog school in a couple weeks. I don’t know when we’ll be back in school. Mom even missed some band, and there’s a concert (so she tells me) this coming Friday!

We had a beautiful day for a walk at my park!

I don’t know, the folks seem entirely disorganized at the moment. I think I’m going to have to give them a stern talking to. I’m sure they’ll shape up if I can get them to focus on me.

After all. I AM the most important dog in this household!

Just because all the snow melted doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods. (Hee hee, see what I did there?)

Mom did take me to my park this week. We call it Penny’s Park because mom didn’t take my sister Katie there very often. Mom says that’s because she didn’t discover it until Katie was pretty old, and it’s very hilly.

It got pretty windy, even in the woods.

I don’t think my sister will mind that this one is named after me. We still call her parks Katie’s Park and Katie’s Park II. I wish she and I had been able to walk in our parks together.

Mom and I worked on my “STAY!” I aced it of course.

Anyway, after a long walk in my park I decided a nap in my dad’s lap was just the ticket. Lucky for me my dad obliged.

Dreaming about my next adventure.

Talk later, your substitute hostess, Pretty Penny, park explorer extraordinaire.


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And the rest of the birds

Well, I left you on the trails in the woods of Kensington quite a long time ago. You’ve likely forgotten I left you stranded there, what with the red winged interruption and then of course Penny’s Wordless Wednesday.

There’s a lot going on here in Penny’s house and I’ve been too busy to finish up my walk with you and my birds, so let me just say the last few birds I met along the trail were all turkeys.

Where there’s one, there’s always another following.

Literally.

But here are a few of my favorite bird pictures from that walk. It all feels so long ago, but I hope they conjure up a beautiful day in the woods for all of you.

They do for me.

A bouncy nuthatch.

A curious titmouse.

A patient chickadee.

An ever observant bluejay.

Turkey colors.

That’s it for me for awhile. When things settle down some I’m sure I’ll be back. Meanwhile, spend some time outside, finding your own special places and post. I just might find time to stop in for a pick-me-up!