Many and great...

Dakota Hymn

Many and great, O God, are Thy things,
Maker of earth and sky;
Thy hands have set the heavens with stars;
Thy fingers spread the mountains and plains.
Lo, at Thy Word the waters were formed;
Deep seas obey Thy voice.

Grant unto us communion with Thee,
Thou star abiding One;
Come unto us and dwell with us;
With Thee are found the gifts of life,
Bless us with life that has no end,
Eternal life with Thee.

This is one of the songs we sang to Debra as she lay in a coma, liver failing.   It seemed to give her peace; it certainly made us feel better.   The tune is quite wonderful, and this is one of the songs that we used to sing around the piano when we were kids.

So, my brother has now had the month straight from Hell.  First he made emergency travel to Missouri and got here just in time to spend a few days with our father before he died.  Cause:  old age and congestive heart failure.   Twenty days later, it was my turn to make emergency travel to Connecticut just in time to spend a few hours with my sister in law before she died.  Cause:  breast cancer metastasized to the liver.   Ted was right there for her for the last five years as she went through all the stages and chemotherapy.

It has been pretty rough.   Now not only does he have to adjust to being the last of the “Smith” patriarchal line, he has to do it without his partner of 20 years.

It is tough to adjust to being a couple.  I remember what that was like, but once you get used to it it is a great way to be:  half of a whole.   I can’t even imagine what it must be like to try to go back to being a solo act.   I look around this place and even thinking about it makes me throw my hands up in despair.

The photo that starts this post was one Jim took while I was gone.   There was an amazing thunderhead that formed south of town, and he captured it.   Seemed like the right way to start the post, considering how much “rain” has fallen into our family’s life this month, and how many tears have been shed.

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I came back to a situation.   I’ve never had a cat that had this sort of problem before, but Mallory grows claws like nobody’s business.   While all the “stuff” was going on around here, her claws were getting very long (apparently), and then I left for two weeks.   When I got back, she jumped up to friend with me and it was like having a velcro cat, every step she took she stuck to me, to the carpet, to the blanket…   Her claws were so long that they were curled under, the pressure on her toes had made her feet sore.  Additionally, some time while I was gone she was jumping down from somewhere and she must have gotten a claw caught and pulled a muscle, so she also had a very sore leg too.   Anyway, she was NOT a happy kitten.

I immediately trimmed her claws, and now she is much more comfortable.   Her feet are all better and the pulled ankle is not hurting her any more.   I guess we won’t have THAT happening again, I will be keeping an eye on that.   Turns out Impy does much the same thing.   I heard him “clicking” when he was walking around this morning, so he got his nails clipped too.   Got to him before there was a “situation.”

However, I have to say that while I was gone a certain amount of adjustment appears to have been made.

Yes.   There is room for two cats on my bed now.   This is quite a change, considering when I left for Connecticut there wasn’t room for two cats in the same room….

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The garden is looking grand.   The cannas out by the barn are looking quite nice.

In the Petite Prairie, there is globe mallow, among other things.

Dianthus “Raspberry sorbet”

I picked a half gallon of broccoli this morning, there were a few beans on the plants so soon there will be lots to pick.   The peas are pretty much done.   I need to plant another short row of salad greens.   Our zucchini are absolutely gorgeous, we have been feasting on them for the last several days and Jim tried drying them.  They rehydrate very nicely for soup, it turns out.   In fact, after they have been dehydrated, they keep their shape much better when you put them in a soup.   Fresh summer squash tends to melt away, so it is kind of nice to find actual little rounds of squash floating about the broth.

Well, I just wanted to check back in and let you know I made it home safe.   Tomorrow is my birthday, and I have to admit that I really don’t feel all that festive.  The 58th year wasn’t all that great, really.   Maybe 59 will be better.

After all, it is a prime number.

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