Snippets

Quite a bit has happened in the last few weeks and I've been negligent in updating this blog, so here is a summary:

Bruce, Jason and Jonathan set off this morning on a motorcycle trip - they are planning to ride down the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Here is an official description of what it is:  "469 miles connecting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina to the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia ... Outstanding scenery and recreational opportunities make the Blue Ridge Parkway one of the most visited sections of the National Park System. Split-rail fences, old farmsteads, mountain meadows and scenic overlooks with endless vistas make the Blue Ridge Parkway a popular attraction."  They'll be stopping at campsites along the way and are planning to be back here on Thursday or Friday.

Bruce has been looking forward to this trip for weeks, and this is going to be particularly memorable for the three of them as it's been a long time since they've done a father and sons trip.  They used to do quite a bit of camping when Jason and Jonathan were kids, and I know Bruce has missed it.  He's not thrilled about being out in the heat, but this turned out to be the best time to make the trip as he is starting a new job on August 16th and won't be able to have this sort of leisure time for a while, plus Jason and Jonathan will be back in college soon.  The dogs and I may do a weekend trip with him sometime, but only when it's cooler.  (Yes, I'm a fair weather, or should I say cool weather, traveller.)

Beau has been running around in a T-shirt for the last few days to protect a sore spot on his body.  On Monday, he was not himself.  He was very solemn and spent most of the time lying down.  I called the vet on Tuesday to make an appointment, but they couldn't see him until Wednesday.  He's such a funny dog.  He seems to know now that if something is wrong, we take him to the vet, so when I came home from work on Tuesday, he was standing expectantly at the van, waiting for me to let him in it so we could go to his doctor.  He did that several times on Tuesday, every time I opened the front door.  He was miserable by the time he finally got to see the vet on Wednesday.  It turned out he had some sort of heat sore that was so raw it was hurting him every time he moved.  He got a steroid shot and a medicated spray that has helped dry up the sore spot very quickly and he began feeling better within a few hours.  He's back to being his usual cheerful self now.  It's amazing how quickly he heals.  That's the second time in about a month that he has injured himself.  Previously he got a piece of a fallen tree branch stuck under his tongue, near the frenulum, and was in a lot of pain for a couple of days, but that healed quite quickly, as well.  I've told him we've had enough drama for a few years now, so I hope he was paying attention.  Belle needs to have a couple of growths removed, so that's going to be the next bit of drama in this household.  The vet is quite sure it's nothing serious - I hope she's right.

Bruce and I saw a double rainbow last week, and I swear it was almost to the day a year ago that we saw that same phenomenon in Brinon.  I love little reminders like this of all we saw and did in France last July.

I had a fun birthday this year, although I'm not sure any birthday from now on can top being in Paris with Bruce, Meerabelle and Jehanita last year (and briefly getting to see Isabelle).  Bruce and I had such fun with the girls, and that ice cream ...  But happily, my birthday was on a Saturday this year so I didn't have to be at work.  Bruce and I went bowling in the morning with Jason, Caroline, Jonathan and Claire, and that was so much fun!  The last time Bruce, the boys and I went bowling was nine years ago, when they were in KL for the wedding, and I've told Bruce that I don't want to wait another nine years before we do it again.  After bowling, we had a scrumptious lunch with Bruce's mother and stepfather, which was also fun, and then had a delicious dinner with the Jacksons the next night - they are always good company and all in all, I had a lovely birthday weekend.

Last major event for this update - Bruce and I went to see the Phantom of the Opera a few weeks ago.  It was a good production and I enjoyed it, although I wished we could have been a little closer to the stage.  Every time we go to see a theatre production or a concert, I realize how much I love the arts and how talented and creative human beings can be (when they aren't busy killing or hurting each other).

Speaking of the arts, I've been watching a recording of This Is IT, the movie of the rehearsals and prep work that went into the concert tour for which Michael Jackson was preparing when he died in June 2009.  I'm glad they put this footage together.  There was so much strangeness and controversy in his life in the last decade or so that it overshadowed his music and that amazing dancing & choreography.  He influenced so many dancers and music videos and was phenomenal on his feet - so light, almost like he was floating - and this footage serves as a good reminder of his talent.  There were some sections of this movie that would have been good to watch in 3D, especially the video they shot for the Thriller segment.