Not much

I walked today though and after a while the limping stopped so that was good.
The price of gasoline is 3.94 for regular and I needed forty dollars to fill up.

We all need something or someone in our lives to keep us going, to make us want to get out there and live, even when living feels like a hard thing. For years, Angie lived for the company of her friends Jethro and Tina. These three pigs were each other’s constant companions and relished every moment they shared. But Tina’s death in 2006 and Jethro’s two years later left Angie, by that time one of our oldest pigs, alone.
We tried to introduce her to new friends, but she would have none of it. Pig after pig was rejected with a bite on the rump or a run around the stall. Though previously a serious lover of the outdoors, Angie also lost interest in going out to the pasture. We were troubled to see our friend, who had always been so happy, stuck in this winter of discontent. Angie just wasn’t herself. But then came spring – and with it Fiona.

Angie and Fiona's first day together.

Fiona was dropped off at the shelter along with another very sick piglet named Linus. Hours after their arrival, Linus passed away at the Cornell University Hospital for Animals, his lungs too damaged by untreated pneumonia. Fiona, like Angie, had lost her closest friend. But the tiny piglet had a bold heart. Though she was only a fraction of the older pig’s size, Fiona showed no fear the day she met Angie. She seemed to realize that Angie needed her as much as she needed Angie. Angie seemed to realize it too, and their meeting worked a miraculous change.
Just a few days after Fiona entered her world, Angie ventured outdoors with her new charge. The two spent hours basking in the sun, rooting up the dirt and rolling in the mud. They did the same thing the next day, too. And the next. Angie flourished under the influence of her youthful new friend. Even at the age of 11 and living with arthritis, she seemed happier than she had ever been. Fiona blossomed as well, becoming a confident young pig. The inseparable two enjoyed the entire spring and summer together. They even welcomed the addition of a third friend: Tim, a pig whose leg problems prevented him from living with the main herd. Fiona’s acceptance of Tim seemed to allow Angie to accept him too, and the three pigs became a family.

Angie and Fiona exploring the pasture together.

These sweet days, however, could not last. As summer became fall, Angie’s health began to fail. Old age comes far too quickly for industry-born pigs, who are selectively bred to grow to unsustainable weights. In the end Angie could no longer get up on her own, her back legs and hips having finally succumb to degenerative arthritis, and we made the difficult decision to let her go.
Fiona seemed to know that her time left with Angie was short. She stayed very close to Angie the last few days of her life and slept tightly against her. On the day that we all said goodbye to our amazing friend, her little sidekick was right there with her to make her feel safe and to reassure her that even in the end she was not alone.


Angie is all smiles in Fiona's company.

Fiona gave Angie a reason to keep going, and more: She gave her a reason to accept the world, and the happiness it can offer, back into her heart. Angie’s passing has been hard for us, but we can see that the love she and her friend shared lives on in Fiona, who spreads it to the pigs and people around her. And that gives us all one more reason to get up in the morning.

Time

I spent some time outside picking up papers that had blown around the neighborhood and also bringing out the recyclables and trash.
I also found this...

1. The Creator has given the Earth and its bounty to be shared by all.
Respect it, protect it, and nurture it.

2. Walk outside every day. Even when it is hot and humid or cold and blustery,
walk outside at least once every day.

3. Do not grieve for summer in winter. Use this quiet time
to reflect and reminisce, to plan and to learn.

4. Develop the discipline to do something outside every day:
In the spring, plant a row of seeds. In the summer, pull a row of weeds.
In the fall, rake a small portion of the yard. In the winter, gather dried pods and seedheads.
The point is to remain involved.

5. Take time to stop and listen to the symphony of the world around you:
The sound of the breeze in the trees, the song of the birds,
the hum of the bee.

6. Work with Nature. Do not try to bend her to your will.
She will always win in the end!

7. Develop a spirit of generosity and tolerance. Share your knowledge
and be patient with others.
It will return to reward you a hundred fold.

8. Do not harm Mother Earth. Treat her with the same respect
that you would give to your own mother.

9. Do not look upon your gardening failures as defeats.
Regard them as The Creator's way of teaching.
Listen to the lessons and learn!

10. Let your garden give you joy:
Sit and enjoy your garden and pause
to recharge, meditate, and give thanks to The Almighty One.

Walkabout

It didn't get sunny until close to sunset but then it was beautiful. No rain today. Here's where I waited for the bus, on this comfortable bench.



I was early so I had some time to look around and the first thing I discovered was Home Depot's new advertising technique...
I don't think it will be very successful as most people just walked right past it. I picked it up and used it to hold the rest of the trash I picked up today. There was a trash can nearby and I put it all in there.



What do you think this is for. I wonder if some poor trucker is going around and around looking for a spot to unload.

Or maybe it just got torn up and thrown out the window. I thought it was interesting because the date is my daughter's birthday.





I meant to take a picture of the bus as it came but did get the sign. The driver said if there's no sign the bus doesn't stop. In the distance you can see the city garbage truck and the station where I used to buy gas for my car.
I took this picture from the open window on the bus because I want a dog and the phone number is right there. With my luck, though, it's probably a rottweiler.

This was my destination today and why I call it a walkabout. It's kind of a big horseshoe shaped strip mall. I ended up going to only three of the stores CVS...got a skeleton, Michaels...got some yarn, and the Dollar Tree...this and that. Didn't stop for lunch at Taco Bell like I planned cause wasn't hungry. Waited for the bus at the correct stop but got on the wrong bus. I didn't know more that one came that way so I didn't look. Met a couple people on the bus. I remembered that bus people like to talk a lot. Ended up at home like I planned. I'm happy to have been able to get some exercise today. I want to get some better walking shoes though.

What a beautiful day, sunny and fifties

I had my bus schedule all ready and I was at the corner on time and the bus sped by me and didn't even stop so I didn't get a chance to ride the bus today. I'll try again, maybe tomorrow. I called them when I got home and they said they changed the routes and didn't get around to posting it yesterday. Pretty much anything in Green Bay that's not Packer related gets put on the back burner. I was happy to be outside though so it didn't matter too much. I brought along a bag to pick up the garbage on the way and there wasn't much at all. I did find a couple interesting things too. The first was this...
I think it's a ring to hold on a hose of some sort on a car. It was in the road so I picked it up because I figured some poor soul would run over it and blow out a tire.

The other thing I found was this Monopoly Board...so funny. Maybe I can use the ring as a piece to move around the Monopoly Board. Or not. I decided to toss them both when I got home as they both can be recycled.

I used my found time to work on the basement. I dismantled a kitchen table and gave it away on Freecycle and I found the bin of costumes that Owen and Hali were looking for. A good day.

Scraps

I started walking and taking the bus now that my car has stopped after twenty years of great service. I've been noticing a lot of trash on the ground so I've been taking along a bag (bag lady) to pick it up as I believe trash will bring more trash and I like a nice looking neighborhood and city. I've also been noticing odd things like personal notes, shopping lists, etc. So I'm going to take along my camera and see what I can see on my walks and bus rides. I think it will be a great winter adventure. Perhaps in the spring I will buy another car.

Here is the picture for today...that's Chuck as my grandkids call him and the apple tree outside the sunroom.