Gary's Third Pottery Blog

When the going gets tough, dragons gonna get going....

Gary's third pottery blog

WRITE TO ME! garyrith@yahoo.com Come see me! Open studio HERE! November 25-26 (11-4 each day); Aurora Art and Design, daily until 12/24; Cooperstown Art Assoc. daily until 12/24; Ellis Hollow Community Fair, 12/10; December 10, Little Red Wagon at the Space at Greenstar. All material on this blog unless stated otherwise is copyright Gary Edward Rith 2016

Thursday, May 22, 2014

a family story or 2 :)

(you have been very kind in your comments and thank you for listening to this challenging week)

Penny the beagle met with the Cornell vet school surgeons yesterday.  She has surgery number one today with a biopsy and radiology and maybe that will:  hopefully show that she merely needs more surgery and treatment done either today or in surgery number 2 OR it will show she has terminal cancer.  The surgeon cautiously thinks it is NOT cancer, but will know more later :) If it is not cancer but cureable instead, it involves complicated surgery and treatment costing 3 times our vet's high estimate...which will be worth it :)

My father is about the same, but home still.  Hospitals are awful places, whether you are a dog or human.

OK, stories????



1)  My great-grandmother is the grandmother I grew up with, living an impossibly long life near us.  I never saw my other grandmothers, but we saw her all the time.  She was delightful and tough.  She had limited mobility as she aged but always had an immense garden.  She would be out there with her cane or walker, with sight and hearing not what it had been, with a million flowers and veggies.  She had a big fat cat named Mi Mi allowed everywhere (table, counter, etc)  and she cooked immense feasts...walker, failing sight and hearing and asst. chef basketball sized cat included.  I remember at least once chowing down and my mother saying "Gary that is enough!" and grandmother saying "eat, eat, let the boy eat!" guarenteeing my mother would be cleaning up little boy puke later :)

ANYWAY, I was at my parents' farm the other day, as you know, and filled the trunk of the car with lily of the valley, my wife's favorite flower AND my great-grandmother's.  My parents had dug up some of it from her garden and have a lot of it, now our yard will have some too :) Can you imagine, having your great-grandmother's flowers growing in your own yard, something she originally planted 70 years ago?

2)  I steal rocks and come from a long line of rock thieves.  I remember as a little kid my father would grab a nice big rock when we visited a park, building what was surely the only rock wall in Iowa (where we lived at the time).
I steal rocks too.  But of course, they are abundant in the northeast....and we are making a new wall to mark the new lily of the valley garden in the corner :)


13 comments:

Janet Bunnell said...

I hope you get good news for Penny. I would bet that she's getting better care than a human would get in a hospital. Horrible places indeed!
I love that you can plant flowers from your great-grandmothers garden. Talk about the circle of life!
I too am rock stealing...I can't believe I bought that stupid rock for $2.99. I am regretting not buying the nifty plastic vertical "wheelbarrow" I saw at Sams Club on Monday. I'm schlepping one rock at a time from the creek across the street! What a workout!!
I'm looking forward to seeing the progress of your wall

Barbara Rogers said...

Hope Penny is well, though tolerating the hospitalization. Lilies of the Valley are so precious, little blooms that inspired a song all kids learn, White Silver Bells. The family history story is even more precious. May you enjoy them immensely!

Anonymous said...

Poor Penny, Jimmie the Giant sends out his good wishes. Ailing dogs are so hard, worse than ailing children because they can't talk about it.
The garden is where I go when I need to think and get closer to a God. The physical labor, renewal of living things, and beauty combine into a soothing retreat.
As for rock stealing, I do that too, but I call them souvenirs
:)
ALBUG

Michèle Hastings said...

Dear Gary, I have been so wrapped up in my own little world that I have not kept up with blog reading. I am deeply saddened to hear what life has dealt you and your family this week. I am sure that planting your great-grandmothers flowers in your own garden helped to ease the pain a little.

Jeff and I send our love and good energy to you and Maude.

Trudy said...

The only decent vegetation in the house we bought 12 years ago is a lovely, managed patch of lily of the valley. The fragrance of that flower always reminds me of my mom (May birthday) and I really enjoy them, so I share your enthusiasm....but, I'm so very excited because I transplanted my mom's peonies that she had transplanted from my grandma, and they are doing wonderfully. Those are the things that make a garden a sanctuary.

Busy Bee Suz said...

I'm glad your Dad is home....way better than the hospital.
Please keep us updated on Penny-wishing her little pain and that the Dr's take good care of her.
I shed a few tears reading that you now have your Grandma's flowers at your house; such a beautiful thing!!!
So, you're a rock star? :)

Lori Buff said...

I have my fingers crossed for Penny, poor gal. I'm thinking about how much joy she brought to the people at the retirement home and that she must have plenty of good karma.

We have some day lilies that a friend's great-grandmother planted about 70 years ago, it makes me think about how the simple act of planting a bulb can spread beauty across an area of land and decades.

Hugs.

Claudia from Idiot's Kitchen said...

Sending you, your family, and especially sweet Penny good, good vibes.

I love that you have your great grandmother's flowers. When we moved from MN to MI, I took the entire trunk filled with flowers from my garden. Some were iris from my grandmother's house. My mom still has quite a selection of iris & lily of the valley (smell SO good) from Grandma. I couldn't bring any of my northern flowers to FL on the last move so I hope they are making someone happy. I gave lots to my friends in MN so I see them in their gardens when I go visit and that makes me happy.

Hang in there!!!!!!

smartcat said...

Toes crossed that all goes well for Precious Pup Penny.
I'm glad to hear that your Dad is home from the hospital. They are dreadful places indeed.
This has been a season of loss for so many.
By transplanting your great grandmother's lily of the valley you seem to have completed a circle. I find flowers the most comforting way to remember loved ones.
Best wishes to you and Maude and know that you are in my thoughts.

smalltownme said...

I hope everything went well for Penny today.

Hilary said...

Let's hope all goes well for those important people and critters in your life.

I love that you have your grandmother's flowers. A lovely concept.

Karen (formerly kcinnova) said...

Wonderful to have your grandmother's flowers (great-grandma!) and you and my dh have something in common... logs, rocks, whatever...
Hoping for good news for Penny!

Out on the prairie said...

nice to have these plants to enjoy

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I am a full-time studio potter, sculptor, and dog walker, married to superhawt Missus Tastycake.