The Grieving

I had never paid much attention to the period after the death and funeral. People died, were buried and life went on. Actually, it was never that cold a process, but it seemed like that from a distance. However, up close and personal, there is a time period needed by the grieving survivors to be able to come to grips with the empty spot in their lives. So it was after the deaths of a niece, my parents, a step-daughter, my in-laws, that I needed that time to grieve. And so it is now that we have lost our beloved Pepper. It has helped to talk about her life and the suddenness of her death with others who have lost one of their beloved. I still tear up, and may for a long time, she was so special to me. I still talk to her and one day I felt her presence in the room. I know she has no more fear, no more aches and pains, and that consoles me.

The Flea Problem At Xerox

Dr. John Dessauer was the Vice President of Research and Engineering at Xerox Corporation in Rochester, New York. One of his requirements, when the new Engineering building in Webster was being designed, is that it have a fire-proof vault for storing all the engineering drawings. He felt that they were the most important product of R & D and were irreplaceable. So the new facility included a drawing storage vault with a carbon dioxide extinguishing system behind a fire-proof, self-closing door.

Unfortunately, there was a problem associated with the vault.

One day in 1960, not too long after we had moved in, Rita W. and Anna G., two of the Reproduction Area’s clerks, came to Bob J., the Chief Draftsman, to complain that they were being bitten by fleas. Yes, fleas in the vault! Bob wasn’t sure about that, so he asked them to show him a flea. And the next day they did - a dead one of course. And so the vault was fumigated and the flea problem was solved for good.

(As a footnote, the extinguishing system never had to be used.)

Music, Music, Music

September seemed to be our month for music. First, we went to see the movie "Hairspray" in which John Travolta plays an oversize mother. My toes were tapping all through the movie. I highly recommend it to everyone.

Next we went to a dinner theater to see "Beehive" that again had my feet moving. We usually go to a matinee performance, and have a table in the first row, so we can see all the facial expressions on the cast members. I highly recommend this show, too.

Third, yesterday we went to Gammage Auditorium to see "Jersey Boys" about Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. The music was great, but the language was mostly gutter talk - too many f and s words for my sensitive ears. It seems that we are being desensitized to such profanity by writers in "the arts". If given a choice, I choose not to wander around in their gutter.

Didja Ever Wonder?

Didja ever wonder why you have trouble getting things done in your computer? Like trying to install an upgrade with those technical-language-rich instructions? Well, my theory is that computers are programmed by computer experts who live in a totally isolated world and speak a totally different language than common English, not by users like you and me.

Didja ever wonder why weather reporters on TV pace back and forth in front of the graphics? And then stop right in front of the graphic you're most interested in? Well, I think they are taught to pace in weather reporting school. Either that or they're nervous and can't make up their minds about which is their better side for the camera.

Didja ever wonder whatever happened to civility? Think maybe the TV show “All In The Family” had anything to do with it?

Didja ever wonder?

Eating Out

Whenever we go out to eat, Grandma always wishes she could just see what everything on the menu looks like. It would help her to make up her mind. Well, one day long ago in Toronto, she had that opportunity.

We had wandered into a Greek restaurant near our hotel, deciding to risk a different cuisine. Once seated, the waiter asked if we had eaten there before, which we hadn't. He then explained the routine to us: first, one orders drinks, then one walks to the back of the restaurant where the chef shows one the various foods and explains each, one makes a selection, returns to the table and the waiter brings everything as ordered. Needless to say, Grandma was in seventh heaven. And the food was delicious!

Every trip to Toronto since then has had at least one trip to a Greek restaurant.

Sunday

After we finished reading the morning paper (about 2-hours), we gave Ginger a bath. (I put up a folding table in the shower, and go at it, then Grandma dries her off. She will get brushed out later in the day.) Then I loaded an old Xerox printer and associated software, cables and cartridges into the Escape and drove down to the Boy Scouts Computer Swap Meet to donate it all. I also took an old, tattered American flag that they said would be disposed of properly. The flag had been flow proudly in front of the house on national holidays, but had become worn from the winds, and I knew that it wasn't proper to just toss it into the trash. When they took the flag out of the car, one of the Scout masters told the boys to make sure it was re-folded properly (I had tried to do that, but it had come unfolded somewhere along the line). We have a newer flag now, so it will go up on display tomorrow for Constitution Day. Grandma has noted on our calendar the days when the flag is to be flown, and we try to make sure ours is out there. It's a small task, but we feel it's important in this day and age to show our patriotic spirit.

It's Over

It's official! Our monsoon is over! Although we had some good gully-washers here, the official measuring station is at Sky Harbor Airport, which recorded a very low total for the summer, something like an inch (I forget the exact number - a senior moment). Now on to lower humidity and more comfortable temperatures; we should be out of the 100s in a week or so.

A Beautiful Child

Introducing our newest great-granddaughter, Julianna, and her proud poppa, Jamie.

A Record Broken!

First, a correction: Tuesday we tied the old record at 28 not 27. However, today we set a new record at 29 days of above 110 degrees - it hit 113! Firework celebrations are not allowed due to drought conditions. Rats!

Thank You

Grandma and I thank all of you for your messages of condolence on the death of our beloved Pepper.

A Record Broken?

The record for the most days of temperature over 110 degrees is 27. We tied the record on Tuesday. Today, we break may that! Wow! What an accomplishment to be able to tell my great-grandchildren! I can hardly wait for the 5 o'clock news.

Pepper Miller

Pepper Miller, March 31, 1996 - August 18, 2007

Pepper, a red and white Pembroke Welsh Corgi, came to us from a pet store, most likely the product of a puppy mill. We also brought home her littermate sister, Ginger. They were both four weeks old, and had been separated until we made the purchase, when they were overjoyed to see each other again. The more lively puppy was named Pepper, and her sister, who tended to be more casual, became Ginger.

Pepper was my shadow. She looked to me to protect her from other dogs; she was scared to death of them, and would jump into my arms if any came near her. We tried to take them to parks for walks, but unleashed dogs brought that to a halt. She also hated kennels, so she only stayed in one when she was sick or going to have her teeth cleaned. When we traveled, rather than put the two of them in a kennel, they stayed in their own home and a neighbor came in to care for them.

Every morning, we would put them up on the counter in the laundry room where Grandma would brush their teeth and I would brush their coats. Baths were every other week, and I made sure to clean the patio beforehand of the particulates that landed there (Arizona air is noted for particulates). Otherwise, they would come in almost as dirty as before their bath.

The window sill in the front room was just the right height for them to lie down with their heads resting on it. Whenever we went away, they would both wait in the front window for us. In recent months, though, when Ginger came into the room, Pepper would leave. There seemed to be some unsaid understanding between them that Ginger had the say about that.

We have a dog door in our bedroom that was put in for our Siberian Husky, who had passed away several years before Pepper and Ginger came to us. When we first brought them home, they wouldn’t use it. It took a few minutes to realize their legs were too short; their bellies would scrape on the bottom, so I installed a ramp. Pepper was leery of it until I covered it with some old towels; after that she would come and go at her leisure.

Pepper enjoyed being outside. We had a game of “catch me” that we played on the patio: she would run around the furniture and I would run after her to try to catch her. Usually after a few turns she would declare the game over and wait for an ear scratch or a back rub.

In the morning, as soon as they were allowed to go out, Pepper would survey the yard, making sure neither feline nor fowl trespassers lingered. She always went to the far ends of the yard to do her “business” and tried to make sure nobody was watching. (Ginger, on the other hand, felt that anywhere out the door was fair game for her toilet.)

Several years ago, Pepper suffered two torn anterior cruciate ligaments (ACL), which were repaired, after which she was able to run and play with no signs of injury. She had lost several teeth over the years, found during her annual teeth cleaning at the Veterinarian’s hospital. And she was gradually turning grey around her muzzle and ears.

About two weeks ago, she seemed to lose her energy and her appetite. X-rays were taken, during which we found that she had a dislocated right hip. At first, she was diagnosed with a kidney problem and she was treated for that, to no avail. A subsequent ultrasound examination showed no signs of organ problems or cancer tumors. After being examined at three animal hospitals and by ten Veterinarians, it was finally determined that she was not able to keep up a blood supply; either her immune system was attacking her blood cells or her bone marrow was not making sufficient blood. There was no good treatment option that would bring her back to health, so we visited with her one last time. She gave me a couple of goodbye kisses and then we held her to the end. She will be cremated and her ashes spread around the yard.

Pepper Is Gone

Pepper has been put to sleep. There were no good options for treatment, and her condition was not good. We held her to the end.

Pepper Update

The latest word is that she either has an auto-immune problem in which her immune system is destroying her blood, or a bone marrow problem in which her marrow is not producing blood cells. We will find out later today what the latest prognosis is, but we are preparing ourselves to say good-bye.

Pepper

Grandma and I are on tenterhooks. We're on pins and needles. We're edgy. We're mentally pacing up and down. Our Pepper is at the vets where they're trying to find out why she is so listless, and, to me, obviously in pain. She didn't eat last night or this morning. She has been on a special diet, after being tested a week or so ago for valley fever and deer tick disease. The only thing that showed up then was a possible kidney problem. We hope to know something positive this afternoon. Keep your fingers crossed for her.

Monsoon

We had a real gully-washer last night. I woke up about 11:30 to the sight and sound of lightning and thunder, followed by rain on the skylight. The lightning continued to flash and the thunder to crash until about 2:30, then resumed around 3:30. Grandma slept through it, as she puts ear plugs in her ears. The ground was soaking wet when I went out, so I turned off the automatic sprinkler system. No sense watering ground that was already saturated. Now if I can just remember to turn it back on before everything dries up.

Happy Birthday, Sharon

We hope you are having a great day. I think the best photo of you is the one on your blog, riding a bicycle. (If anyone wants to see, it's at mimimiller.blogspot.com.) Just goes to show what a grandmother of 7+ can still do.

Happy Birthday, Mark

Happy Birthday, Son. Hope you and Karen are having a good time in New York.

Happy Birthday, Sally

We hope you are having a GREAT birthday celebration.

I've Been Workin' On The Railroad

One summer during my college years, I took a job with The New York Central Railroad on a signal crew. We were mostly college kids and on our first day, we built up our sagging muscles by emptying out a gondola car of sand. The rest of the summer was spent digging deep holes for a line of telephone poles along a new switch-over connecting the Main Line to the North Shore Line. It was hard work in the hot, humid New York summer, but we were given enough breaks to replenish our water (and beer) supply.

One day, one of the gang brought a large basket of home grown cucumbers. On our break, we dug into the basket. I can still remember how cool they tasted and how refreshing they were. They certainly slaked our thirst. Today, the sight of a large green cucumber brings back the memory.