Memorable Memorial

Memorial for a terrier

Well, "The best laid schemes o' mice an' men..." as Robert Burns put it, "gang aft agley". I sure found that out this weekend. Other than a little gardening and Instagram photography I hardly got a thing done, and we had just about the worst holiday ever.

On Thursday, a routine checkup turned into an hours-long ordeal when our oldest turned out to have an issue that will probably need surgical correction. That's still going on, as we were at the doctor again this morning before 9. Thursday night we attended the spring band and chorus concert, which stretched on for over three hours. Friday brought my parents to town with their dogs, one of which was acting sick. Saturday my sister brought her family and we all planned to go out on the boat. However, that morning my mother announced she wanted to go shopping in a little town near here. So, Jerry and I made a big lunch for everyone and then I drove my sister and mother to Lincolnton, about a half hour away.

A pretty evening at the lake.

We made it home around two hours later and packed everyone up to go on the boat, but just as we were leaving my sister realized she'd forgotten her diaper bag for the baby, so we all waited for my brother-in-law to go get it. It turned out to be a fortunate delay, because just as he arrived, the boat cut off. While the men all worked on the engine trying to re-start it, we ladies took the kids to the pool. We were thankful we weren't out in the middle of the lake when the engine went! After a couple more hours it was evident the boat was dead, so the men gave up and I went home and cooked supper for everyone. All that day my mother's dog was acting more and more sick, but we couldn't get her to attend. He was an old dog, though, and had apparently been acting sick or old for a few weeks already, so I don't know what a vet could have done for him.

On Sunday my mother wanted to shop at Ikea, so we took her over there, about 45 minutes away, while my dad and son went fishing. By the time we got home it was clear the dog was deathly ill. I gave him water with an eye dropper because he couldn't lift his head. Around eight in the evening he died. We'd promised to take the kids fishing and they were upset about the dog, so we took them, but then afterwards the men were out burying the dog in the dark of the night. Our daughter made a nice headstone for him out of a rock the next morning.

Monday's harvest from garden and lake.

My parents went home on Monday afternoon, and I proofed a research paper for my teen and corrected his friend's, since he's apparently offering my editing services while at school! I was able to harvest nearly an entire meal from the garden and lake Monday afternoon. We caught two decent-sized fish, perfect for smoking, and harvested about a pound of rhubarb, along with strawberries and herbs. That made me feel like I did accomplish something, at least! Tonight swim team starts, so that will take up the entire evening for the next few months. We also have to find a boat mechanic. Whew!

I have managed to get the wax color face done and the body sewn for the life-sized custom doll I mentioned in my last post. I'm working on sewing and stuffing that one and as soon as I'm finished I'll write my post about it. The technique is the same as my Mermaid of Lake Norman post.

I hope the rest of you had a somewhat less memorable Memorial Day, and certainly a better one. I guess, though, if we had to go through a terrible weekend, at least it was appropriate for this holiday. When we remember the sacrifices made by those who have fallen in the service of our country, and by their families, it certainly makes our own troubles seem small in comparison.