Thursday, June 21, 2018

Summer is here!


It's been an eventful few weeks... not much reading and even less blogging. We left Sanibel shortly before Memorial Day weekend - around the same time the first named storm of the season, Alberto, was gaining strength. After a quick overnight in Savannah, we headed to Asheville.

The Chihuly exhibit at Biltmore was the draw this time. (A few years ago we stopped for the Downton Abbey costume display.)  The glass sculptures are always stunning, but set against the backdrop of Biltmore House and Gardens they were absolutely spectacular! I shared several photos on Instagram.


We got back to Central NY Sunday night, just in time to enjoy Memorial Day with my family. It was so good to have everyone together again... extra sweet after a long winter away.

A few days later our hearts were broken as we said goodbye to our beloved greyhound, Zelda. Her health had been deteriorating for the past month. At one point we weren't sure she'd be able to make the trip home, but she rallied briefly. Five days later, she was gone.





We tried to distract ourselves by readying the house, patio, and garden for summer. The boat and docks are in, my herb garden is planted, a few more pots must be filled, and a landscaping project is in the works.

Our oldest daughter and a couple of her friends spent a long Father's Day weekend with us and participated in Ironman 70.3 Syracuse. The day was brutally hot and humid, but they all finished with respectable times.

And now it's time to get back into some sort of blogging routine. I'll continue with a bookish update on Sunday or Monday and we'll go from there...




40 comments:

  1. I'm so very sorry to hear about Zelda, I know how hard it is to loose a fur baby! I always loved your photos of her, she was a magnificent animal!

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    1. Vicki - Thanks. We are doing better, but it seems so quiet around here...

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  2. Your pictures are lovely, JoAnn, including the ones of sweet Zelda. I know you will miss her. Bet you will be glad to get back into a routine for a bit. And before you know it, time will come to head back south (I'm assuming). Have a good summer!!

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    1. Kay - We're slowly settling back into our routine here, but it's a different one without Zelda. We hope to take a couple of trips this summer/fall, then head back to Florida toward the end of October. The leaves are past peak then and snow becomes fair game!

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  3. My reading continues to be waaaaay down this year. With all our travels in our motorhome, I find very little time to read. We're outdoors a lot and then the evenings are spent catching up with social media & journaling. I may finish one book in June!

    The Chihuly exhibit is such an amazing treat to see. We enjoyed visiting the Dallas Arboretum a few years ago and loved seeing all the beautiful displays of Chihuly glass. Definitely something to see more than once!

    My heart broke for you when you lost Zelda. I know that pain far too well....

    I've missed you here in the blogosphere and hope you are doing well, dear friend. Happy Summer!

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    1. Les - My reading has been so erratic this year... a couple of great months, then nothing. My midyear numbers will be unbelievable low. Guess we're settling into different lifestyles. I know it wasn't that long ago when you lost your sweet Annie... wish our dogs could stick around as long as we do. Overall though, things are good. I should be around a little more for the next couple of months. Need to catch up with all my blogging buddies :)

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    2. Yes, I think a different lifestyle is here. It's funny, though. I thought I'd be reading more, not less! Yes, it's been a year since we lost our sweet Annie-girl. We still miss her, but I'm not sure we'll ever get another dog... I'm not sure I can go through the heartbreak again. Twice is enough.

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    3. We were talking about another dog, but that won't happen any time soon. Another possibility is to foster greyhound rescues as they find permanent homes. That's appealing, but probably too much attachment and separation....we'll see.

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  4. I'm plowing away with reading the Frieda Klein series and now The French Girl by Lexie Elliott. I'm finding the French Girl intriguing.
    Love your photos and I am heartbroken for you that beautiful Zelda has passed. That's definitely the hardest part about having a beloved pet.
    Hugs,
    Tina

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    1. Tina - It's true... they just never live long enough. Sounds like you've had a stretch of good reading. I just finished Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine which was wonderful. Hope it's the beginning of a trend for me ;-)

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  5. I'm so sorry to hear about Zelda - I know she was a big part of your family.

    I hope to get up to Biltmore for the day to see the Chihuly exhibit before it's gone.

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    1. Kathy - Go for Chihuly Nights if you can... get there in the afternoon and watch as night falls.

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  6. What a sad end to your trip. Poor Zelda but she got to spend another season in Sanibel so I guess there's that. My friend always adopts from a greyhound rescue. She adopts former race dogs but they don't live that long. I am not sure if it's the breed or if it's because they were worked so hard in their youth. Whatever the case, they make excellent furry friends.

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    1. Ti - It's funny, but I had a feeling this would be her last winter in Sanibel. Zelda was just shy of her 11th birthday... unusual for a retired racer. It seems like the more time greyhounds spend on the track, the shorter their lives. She was still 2 years old when we got her, so she had nearly nine happy years of retirement. They are the sweetest dogs.

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  7. I'm so very sorry to hear about Zelda. Having just lost a beloved pet, I know how hard it is. You just keep expecting to round the corner and see them and every time you do something they loved for the first time without them, it's hard. How lucky she was to have had you love her!

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    1. Lisa - Think we're both experiencing the same sadness right now. Reading is a good distraction... it just seems so quiet!

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  8. Your pictures are lovely and I do hope we get to hear more from you as you get back into your blogging routine!

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    1. Iliana - Thank you! I'm working on my reading update now... see you again in a few days :)

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  9. I'm so sorry about Zelda. It's always sad to lose a beloved pet.

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  10. Ahh, that Biltmore picture is so gorgeous!

    I am so sorry about your sweet pup.

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    1. Angela - Hope we'll be planning another visit to Asheville soon!

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  11. Losing a beloved pet is just the saddest thing. I hate it and am so sorry to hear about lovely Zelda. Such a loving home she had though. Have a wonderful summer back in New York.

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    1. Pam - This is a great place to be during the summer. We miss Zelda, but I keep thinking that we had her with us longer than most. She was a very old lady in the greyhound world!

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  12. Zelda looks so regal and peaceful in her photos. A beloved pet’s death is always the saddest experience. I can not look at my sweet 18 year old Lucy’s face without wishing for one more day...

    I bet Wegman’s was happy to see you! We stopped in after our movie today and bought two more Easy Dinners and a sweet baby coconut cream pie! Den just had to have it!

    It was around noon but it was so busy! The food courts were intense!

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    1. Patty - Having older pets is hard. Just like people, they can't go on forever and losing them is never easy.

      It's such a pleasure to be near a Wegmans again. I usually try to avoid the bakery aisle, but cannot resist a good coconut cream pie! If they have a tiny one, I'm going to have to buy it!!

      Hope you enjoyed the movie and are having a peaceful, relaxing weekend!

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  13. Oh, JoAnn, you've been in my thoughts all these weeks past the dreadful end of May.
    I am, finally, beginning to feel better and resuming my interests and hobbies and reading once again.
    I followed all the links to the Biltmore--and to think that we've thought of traveling to Asheville and knew nothing about it, so thank you!!
    We have a habit of waiting six to nine months before welcoming another dog into our home. We both seem to need this breathing space to mourn, let go, enjoy some carefree travel, and then--on to the next dog! Don't they add so much to life?

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    1. Judith - Yes, it's been a tough couple of weeks but I'm finally starting to feel better and am glad to hear you are, too. I don't think we're going to get another dog for a while though.

      Hope you get a chance to visit Asheville and the Biltmore... it is quite a place!

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  14. I am so sorry about Zelda. Saying goodbye to our loved ones is so hard. I still miss our Parker. I'm sending a hug and thinking of you.

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  15. So, so sorry about sweet Zelda. But oh, those photos show she had such a great, happy life.

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    1. Amy - I can only hope my retirement will be as long and happy as Zelda's... she was the best!

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  16. I'm so sorry to hear about Zelda. I've enjoyed the photos you've put up over the years. The Biltmore is so beautiful. We went years and years ago but I'd really love to go again. The Chihuly exhibit there must have been absolutely stunning. I hope you have a lovely week!

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    1. Katherine - Zelda has been with us nearly 9 years, so things seem a lot different around here now. I hope we can visit the Biltmore again some time... I understand it is beautiful at Christmastime, too.

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  17. I'm so sorry about your sweet Zelda.

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  18. What a lovely sweet smiling face Zelda had. What a life she had with you (I'd like to insert myself into those locations- lounging by the pool, walks on the shore, no wonder she's smiling!) I have two old dogs, and one is on the decline now, it's always a sad time, but I still enjoy them so much now. I'm enjoying Paris in July already.

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    1. Louise - There is something extra special and sweet about old dogs, and I am thankful we had Zelda with us for so long... unusual for greyhounds who spend much time on the track. Wishing the best for your older dogs.

      I haven't done much for Paris in July yet, but the month is still young!

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