The Blue Water and Green Palmettos of Pitt Street Bridge

This was the first time that we went to Pitt Street Bridge without little Sophie (March 9, 2014). Shadows of a girl and her dog (I guess I'll be 91 years old and still refer to myself as "girl"- haha). The tide was low, allowing the willets to feed on the mud. I'm fascinated by how the waves roll in from opposite directions creating a basket weave pattern. Belle seemed a bit down- I don't know if it were the cool breeze hitting her face or she missed Sophie for she had tears rolling down her cheeks...

Sweet, Sweet Sophie - Furry White With Caramel Brown Laced With Black

February 17, 2014 was a very sad day indeed. My sweet, sweet Sophie- 15 years old- had to be put to sleep. For the past couple of years, she had started to decline. Was basically deaf, blind from cataracts, we had to keep pee pads down because if you didn't let her out within 3 seconds of waiting at the sliding glass door, she'd go over to the same place and pee. At least she was consistent and not incontinent! And, she had doggie dementia. She knew her way around the furniture, but mostly slept as older dogs do. When I came home at 2am from work, she would jump about and be excited like her younger self. And, ADORED cat food! She never wavered from her mission of licking the cat bowls clean, hovering over the cats until they finished eating. I remembered how vibrant she once was, but those memories weren't triggered until I looked at the old photos of her. For too long we could no longer go to the beach she so desperately loved. Instead, we went to the Pitt Street Bridge with a child's wagon to place her in when her legs started to flag. Fortunately, I started her on the crock pot diet- homemade dog food- which slimmed her down, alleviating her arthritis. But, she still tired easily. She had forgotten how to play tug-of-war and to wrestle, which broke my heart, but when I'd come home in the early morning she'd kind of remember and would throw herself down on one shoulder and wriggle about. Then, on a Sat, even though the back door was open, she peed then pooped on the pads. "Back door's open" I said, though I knew she couldn't hear me. She walked over to the carpet, threw up and collapsed. She'd had stomach problems in the past, so her laying listlessly about wasn't too unusual. I just wasn't sure if she'd bounce back given her age. On Monday morning, I knew she was dying- especially when her urine was a very dark brown. Yet! She managed to get up and walk to the stairs in an attempt to climb up them to where KitKat's bowl sat. Cat food hunting till the end. I picked her up, lay her down and she never arose again. She was anemic and had an enlarged spleen and liver. And, didn't have long for this world. So, I stayed, whispering in her ear, stroking her fur while she slipped into her final sleep.....I will miss you, you silly, neurotic, always a smile on your face, (that sweet, sweet face) Sophie.

Bright Fun Circus Colors Hide a Dark Secret

February 22, 2014 found me joining my friend, Carol Herard, in her protest against Circus Animal Cruelty. I hadn't seen her for awhile so I wanted to support her and her group in their efforts to make people aware of the issue (they were there multiple days and times with various sized groups). I have learned so much over the past few years! Especially in the area of animal cruelty. I was so ignorant for most of my life- it's a shame really. Hopefully, I can rectify that by helping others come into knowledge and reduce, if not abolish, senseless acts of cruelty to innocent animals. 

A Dusting of Pretty White Snow and a Bit of Ice

On January 29,2014 we had a snow "storm", which consisted mostly of ice. Two hours north, Columbia was completely blanketed, bringing life as they knew it, to a standstill. Even Atlanta suffered (unfortunately with multiple deaths from the refusal of letting schools out and there was a massive accident involving a school bus on a highway). Ours was bad enough that I actually missed 2 days of work- that pesky ice made traversing the bridges impossible. Police cars were stationed at the entrances of bridges and, in my case, at the beginning of the IOP connector. So, I walked. There was so little snow that I didn't consider it worth the remaining 3 mile trek to the beach for I didn't think there'd be any. Alas, I was wrong judging from photos taken by a friend of mine who lives on Isle of Palms. No matter! I saw egrets,  a night heron and one tree in particular was covered in robins and cedar waxwings. Plus, the ice-encrusted foliage was beautiful to behold. I must admit, however, it was mighty nice to get back home and thaw.