What a Week!

1. We found out that our darling daughter Anna, who presently lives and teaches in Japan, has worsening symptoms from a congenital heart defect that we thought had lain quiet for years -- Pulmonary Stenosis. Many of her troubling health issues are related to it, and now she has a significantly enlarged heart (on the right side). She goes for an EKG tomorrow. She has wonderful healthcare in Japan, but returns to the U.S. in six weeks, where she has no job, no insurance, and (because it's the U.S.) therefore no healthcare. It's very worrying. She is attempting to remain cheerful and hopeful and focus on her wedding preparations.

2. Our dog Baby (a pit/rotty mix) had a run-in with some glass and required emergency surgery on Saturday. That took our whole day, and worried Adam to death; he is such a dog person. She is recovering, but because of the abuse she suffered in her former home she is scared and aggressive, and it was difficult to get her to go to the vet, difficult to treat her, and difficult to manage her recovery. She is still not eating, drinking, or pooping as she should. Plus ... even doggy surgery is very expensive, and that was a bit of a shock.

3. We had one parishioner in the hospital for a knee replacement who had a bad experience, and another elderly parishioner not doing well.
4. Our kitchen remains in a bit of limbo as we've had other things dominate our lives.

I made a matching window curtain of the same fabric.
Cabinet doors are off now.

5. Our world is in such chaos. I don't know why, but I think perhaps this latest (of so, so many) school shooting (not to mention the mass shootings like in Las Vegas) has sent many Americans over the edge. They are saying, "No more." Of course, there is much push back from the other direction, and much argument about what should be done. One thing bothers me like no other: We cannot have a knowledgeable conversation about guns in America because we do not have data about gun violence in America ... because the NRA literally prevents the data and research from being done. I didn't know this until recently. It reminds me of when the tobacco companies tried so hard to prevent our understanding about the connection between their products and cancer. Whenever money or political power is involved, you can be sure there will be deliberate denial of access to prevent any change to the status quo. If you want to read more about how the NRA does this, here are a few articles to help you:
Newsweek
Wired
New York Times - I found this article most helpful in assessing how the U.S. compares to other nations in the number of our guns and the number of mass shootings.

Friends, I apologize for bringing this up. It puts us at odds with some friends. But it's affected our week, our emotions, our conversations, so much here at our home. So many opinions are bantered around. I wish it weren't so. I wish life were all daffodils and spring grass. Speaking of which ...

Our Japanese magnolia began blooming this morning.

 Our camellia's buds are about to burst. Our lime tree survived the winter indoors and is blooming too.

 

Lime on the left, lemon on the right.

Lovely pink blossoms on this tree:

 And some of my herbs, which I only started in cells last week, are up!!! Here's some thyme:

My herb bed doesn't look like much, coming out of winter. But it already has: thyme, oregano, cilantro, and lemon balm. 

The forsythia, still recovering from vines, is looking springy too.

 It's a grand day for laundry and drying on the line.

 Baby says hello. She's enjoying a snooze outside in the 78 degree warmth with her daddy. You see where she mangled that collar in her distress. 

May Baby heal. May the grieving be comforted. May our children be safe in our schools. May Anna get good news from her doctor. May the world have a little peace! May you have peace and some spring where you are too.