Time Waits for Noone

It seems like a lifetime since my last post. We bid on, and lost, a couple of houses - and one came back. We now have a signed purchase & sale on 14 Dartmouth in Somerville. It's a single family Victorian in need of TLC, but with some nice detail and a lot of potential.

Two of our cats (Bird and Cow, 17 and 16 respectively) have hyperthyroidism. We are giving them anti-thyroid pills twice a day, and feeding them seemingly non-stop (we call Cow our cat of perpetual hunger.)

Our beloved Bonnie is suffering with a spinal cord tumor. After enduring terrible pain, she had surgery to partially remove the tumor and alleviate the pain. Essentially it is buying her a little more time so that she can live out her full life span... If it will help her without adding to her pain, we'll do radiation therapy and/or chemo - at 9, she is already at the low end of the life expectancy range for AmStaffs but we weren't quite ready, and didn't want her to leave life in excruciating agony. The access to care was an awful problem. Still not ready to talk about that....

And in May, we went to France to join my Dad and Barbara, Alex & Michael, and other friends. We stayed in the Languedoc region, southwest of Nimes. It was a great jumping off point for a number of adventures which I'll slowly document. Sadly, it was a little stressful with Dad's ill health, and following the trip, the diagnosis of a travelling companion with stage 4 renal cancer.

About now I feel that I should call this the MISadventures of gPops and gMoms. We're both reeling - so many stressful events this year. At least we have each other, and for a while longer, Bonnie.

Summer Blues

Even though it is punishingly hot, and we're thoroughly miserable house-hunting, we took Bonnie on a walk to a favorite haunt this weekend, the butterfly meadow at Fresh Pond. While there, we admired the amazing crop of Queen Anne's Lace (indelibly marked on my memory because I once gave my mother a bouquet and gave her an asthma attack! but still pretty, and well intentioned on my part), Echinacea and the promise of high bush blueberries!

June is for Birthdays and Roses

In early June, we celebrated Ciel's "29th" birthday again. Mason says "you're eating what??"

We also stopped to smell the roses, and admire the dogwood and other seasonal flowers. The roses aren't as stunning as those in Portland, Oregon, but still pretty!

Some of us stopped to roll in the grass (we won't name any names!) again. At 9+ years (63+ in dog years) Bonnie can still get pretty frisky.

Hosta La Vista, Baby!

The spring flowers have long given way to the showy flowers of summer here. It's been in triple digits all week!

Sunday, we celebrated Jaime's quarter century mark and her new job at Columbia Business School with a great brunch at Aquitaine. Grandpa Bill prepares to juggle Mason, and Mason prepares to get into an English Muffin at Aquitaine.

At a barbecue hosted by big sister Ciel & family, Mason took a relaxing nap on Auntie Jaime! Some of Jaime's high school friends joined in the festivities.

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!

Spring is well entrenched in the Cambridge, MA area, after some fits and starts (and a LOT of rain and pollen!)

We've gone from the first crocuses to daffodils. . .

From rhododendrons to magnolias. . .

From tulips to irises. . .

From violets to honeysuckle to purple puffs. . .

And today, the first spiderwort (an awful name for a pretty little flower!)

This Just In - Yankees Suck!

Masonite!

Mason has been thriving, getting cuter by the day, enjoying lots of time with mom Cici before she goes back to work and dad Jared, resident baby sleep expert. He is already exhibiting quite a lot of personality and has a very expressive face, delighting his extended family and providing plenty of blog fodder.