Maybe I Rolled in the Wrong Yard...

I went to see Dogtor Tina today. The Fella took me while Mum was at work. It was not exactly the news Mum was expecting. Yes, Dogtor Tina suspected allergies. But she said it was an allergy to... FLEAS!!!!!  I. Have. Fleas. My furiend Bentley was right-y-o. Fleas. Dogtor Tina gave the Fella stuff to put on me and some pills to take, and another batch of everything, but in cat form, for Charlie, just in case she got them too. Mum is washing all of our bedding and her & the Fella's bedding too. I can't believe I got fleas!  Hope y'all will still be my furiends - I don't think fleas can travel over the interwebs...

Miserable Monday

I will spare you the gruesome photos.  There is something in the air making me itch and scratch and chew and itch.  When mum got home (from her fabulous first day at her new job) she noticed that I had chewed myself bloody down near my tail. Before I could hightail it outta the room she was on the phone with dogtor Tina. Now I have an appointment tomorrow. The Fella is taking me. I'll likely get steroids and perhaps in antibiotic to fix me up. Drat!!!  And after she got off the phone she threw me in the tub for a "soothing" shampoo...soothing my foot!

Remembering 9/11

I know I told y'all that Mum was on a trip.  Well, she went to New York City.  On her last day there, her friend took her to the 9/11 Memorial Site.  She said that she instantly got chills, that it was as if the place itself held residual energy of the event and all of the emotions of everyone in that place - just radiating in the air.  She was also struck by the sheer number of people there paying tribute - people who spoke different languages, old people, young people, people of color, Christians, Muslims - everyone - all Americans, together.  Paying tribute and mourning together. These are some of the pictures she took.

This is one of the two reflecting pools that exist in the foot print of each of the Twin Towers.  There is water that flows down the sides to the middle and then flows down deeper inside down the middle of the pool.  Mum read that the water falls 30 feet down, and that the pools qualify as the largest water falls of their kind in the US.

Around the edge of each reflecting pool are the names of all of the victims of the attack.  The planners of the Memorial took great care in honoring families' requests of grouping people together, etc.  Mum began to cry when she saw a woman's name followed by "and her unborn child".  When it is a person's birthday, a white rose is placed in their name to honor them.  It broke Mum's heart that there were some victims that never even got to have a birthday.

This is the new One World Tower.  It stands 1,776 feet tall (not by accident).  Mum and her friend went up to the observation deck and it was very amazing.

Engine House 10 stands catty-corner from the Memorial site.  This was the fire station that was home to some of the First Responders on the scene.  This poster is on the side of Engine House 10 and is a picture of all of the First Responders that lost their lives on September 11th, 2001.

This plaque is next to the above picture on the side of Engine House 10 and is a tribute to those who died.  You can see in the pictures some of the small memorials and tokens that were left.  Mum wonders what it looks like today, and imagines that there are many more tributes left on that ledge.

When Mum found out she was going to NYC she was most excited to see the towers of light from the Memorial in the night sky.  However, her friend told her that the towers of light are only lit on the night of September 11th, that they are not on year-round.  BUT, when Mum and her friend rode the Staten Island Ferry, they looked up and the towers were lit!  Her friend later read that they were on as a test to make sure they worked properly for the Anniversary.  She was delighted, and knew she was meant to be there in that moment.

A Mixed Bag of an Update

Hi Y'all!  I know, it's been awhile!  Way back earlier in the summer I told y'all how my mum was unceremoniously dismissed from her job of 11 years.  She was stunned and hurt and her eyes leaked a lot.  Well, she since found an "in between job".  Something she said would pay the bills while she keeps looking for her "ideal" job.  Well...she found it! Her ideal job, that is.  She starts this coming Monday.  She will be assisting the Events Director at the University here in our state - planning tailgates, parties, luncheons!  She is so very excited.

So the mixed bag part...Not 3 days after she was offered her ideal job, the Fella was unceremoniously dismissed from HIS job!!  What is going on around here?!  Mum went on a trip that she had planned for months, so I got to stay home with the Fella and hang out...His eyes did not leak like mum's did when she found out, but I think he was happy for my company.  I kept him on his toes, getting my walkies in, taking me out to check pee mail, making my breakfast and dinner.  I'm just that kinda pup - willing to pitch in to help make the Fella feel good and like he has something to do.  So now, mum has her ideal job and the Fella is looking for his.  I'm glad that mum replenished my kibble supply - hopefully things won't get to thin over here...while I like to chase squirrels, I'm not so good at catching them and I don't know that I could provide for us if I needed to!

Anyways - if you could spare a good thought or a prayer for the peep and her Fella, we'd sure appreciate it.  Oh - and for Grammie and Grampy too...Grampy fell and broke his hip and isn't progressing in physical therapy anymore so he can't stay in the facility he's in, but he also can't go home just yet either.  So Grammie is very worried about where he will go and how they will afford it, since insurance won't pay for it, and her eyes are leaking nearly constantly, which in turn makes mum worry and makes her eyes leak.  I'll be lucky if I don't float away for all the leaking eyes around here!

That was all kinda serious and sober so here are some pictures from mum's trip to lighten things up:

The Reflection Pools at the 9/11 Memorial.  They are in the footprints of the original towers that were destroyed.  Mum said they were stunning and gave her chills.

This is a view of Manhattan from the Staten Island Ferry.  Mum was very excited to see the lights lit at the Memorial - they are normally only lit on September 11th each year, but that night they were doing a test run to make sure they worked, and mum got to see them.

This is mum about to head across the Brooklyn Bridge.