Hila Chandler, a Memory

Yesterday ended up being "Teary Tuesday" for me. I've taken care of Hila Chandler for the past four and a half years. Her family left last June on the chance of a lifetime - the parents and all three boys traded houses with a couple from South Africa, and went to live in another country. They were due to be gone from two to six months; and planned accordingly. They left their two bee hives, 14 laying hens, one rooster, and Hila, their dog at the house here in Boulder. My name was left as the "animal expert on call." Somehow, the South African couple kept forgetting to lock the chicken coop door at night, and by August there were no birds left in the backyard. (The neighborhood is full of fox, skunks, and mountain lions.) The South African family is back at home, and family friends from Denver are now taking care of the household. ... Hila. How do I describe Hila? She was the color of a Basenji that had been bleached out - a golden chestnut color with white paws, chest, and tummy, and a crooked little white strip that went up her nose and between her eyes. The hair along her spine was whorled backwards - like a Rhodesian Ridgeback; and she weighed about 35 to 40 pounds. She wagged her whole body, not just her tail; and always greeted me with her nose pointed up and an "Ah, woo, woo, wooooh!" She crossed the rainbow bridge yesterday afternoon, and is relieved of all pain now. Last spring, I commented to the family that for the last three days of my stay with Hila, she would frequently act as if she were lame on her left front leg. It came and went so randomly that we thought she was putting on a show for extra treats and sympathy. If only, if only.... That was apparenly the first indication that she had bone cancer. She was semmingly fine up until two weeks ago, when her leg started to swell and she wouldn't bear any weight on it. She went to the vet, and 9 days ago she was diagnosed with bone cancer and an infection of her lymph gland sytem. The tumor in her leg swelled the leg to three times its normal size within the last 10 days. A conference call was held between the Chandler family, the Ritter family, who are now in the house, and the vet. Then I got called. Hila died with dignity, in the arms of people who loved her, and with her new doggie companion, Tippie. (Tippie is a part of the Ritter family.) Hila was always happy, loved her treats, guarded her yard, chickens and family, and was a very cheerful companion. She pulled the youngest Chandler on his skateboard; she jumped through an open window one night - straight through the screening - to chase something out of the yard that she felt was threatening us; she apprised the family of the arrival of visitors; and she loved her family. All praise to Hila!

Feathered Friends

A nut hatch feeding from your hand seems almost as weightless as a hummingbird...



A gilded flicker in the Sonora Desert



A chickadee in flight...

Tuesday Blues

Yesterday's pretty morning clouded over and we had a high temperature of 45. I got all of my planned items taken care of and spent a lot of time playing with the kits. I've already paid my rent this morning, so I have no more bills until the beginning of next month. I need to finish up some projects I've been working on for Christmas gifts, and purchase a few more, and I'm done for the year. I've been feeling awfully anti-social for the past three days - don't know what's caused it, but I recognize that being with other people makes me antagonistic; it's a good thing I see my therapist next week! When I finish this up, I need to move Fred outside, go to the post office, and go walk the Irish Setters. When I get back, I need to amend Dad's family tree, as I was contacted by a distant cousin who (very nicely) let me know that I had left her great-grandmother out of the family tree. The cousin then provided me with quite a bit more of information to add; and when I've done that, I may as well add Aunt Theoda's family to the tree as well.... then I'll reformulate the website and GED files and re-post them on the web.

Gimpy and a lot of his buddies spent a great deal of yesterday afternoon on my patio. The squirrels are squabbling over the nuts, and apparently a couple of the girls are in season, too. They made interesting viewing for both me and the kits. There was frost on the grass and a heavy covering of it on car and truck windows when I took my five-mile stroll this morning. I don't know why I was surprised that it was very foggy out as well; people were already in line at the County Clerk's office to turn in their mailed voting ballots - it was an interesting walk this a.m. I know that I'm missing my visits from the birds at my bird-feeders because I've started dreaming about them - flocks of sparrows and finches, chickadees and nuthatches, flickers, woodpeckers, wrens, jays, and pigeons. I was so happy when I awoke this morning, and so disappointed when I remembered that I had to remove my feeders last spring. Wildlife. I need country and wildlife to feel "normal"... maybe I'll go to Chautauqua or up on Mount Sanitas this afternoon to get a dose of open space, greenery, and wildlife... Hmmmm....

Mmmms on Monday

A single tree on the Moors



Castle Karlstejn on the River Ohre in Karlsbad, the Czech Republic



Two mules on North Pinecreek Road



"Here, piggy, piggy, piggy!"

Family Trees

It's gorgeous outside, and we're supposed to reach 60 degrees today - a real heat wave! I'll be heading out shortly to return all my library books, walk Rosie and Remy, and make a deposit at the bank. The Broncos didn't win yesterday (as a matter of fact, they were terrible), but I enjoyed watching Percy Harvin and the Vikings defeat the Packers. I was able to get my Mom's family tree on-line yesterday, joining my Dad's, and my husband and step-son's... if you're interested, they can be viewed at:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~chincoteaguers (Mom's tree)

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~nocksnocksknox1617 (Dad's tree)

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~devinejohnsonfamhist (Jeff and Kevin's tree)

All of them are still "works in progress" and if anyone sees a mistake or has an addition, I'll be happy to correct and/or add to the collection. I need to add the Lancaster side on Dad's tree and to flesh out the Clevelands, and I need to add the rest of the Chincoteague info I have to Mom's. Kevin's tree needs to have more of his Dutch and English ancestry added from New York state. And I would love to add information about my daughter-in-law, Etoye Johnson Devine. I hope to soon start putting together my brother-in-law's family tree, so that, too can be shared - Jim has a lot of interesting relatives from England, New England, Germany and Ireland. - My biggest problem, is that once I find a lead on someone, I don't want to stop investigating for anything, and that includes eating, drinking, and doing my other jobs. So, a warning to those of you who have not yet discovered this fact: Genealogy can be addictive! Have a good week!

First of November Shots

This looks like the old hotel Mom and I stayed in at Stratford upon Avon...



A stone spiral staircase in a tower at Warwick Castle



A 19th-century home over looking the Mississippi River in Alton, Illinois



"The Julia Belle Swain is a mighty fine boat..."

Have You Set Your Time-Pieces Back?

After all the wailings and warnings, Boulder police arrested one person last night. The folks who participated in the Naked Pumpkin Race wore bikinis or thongs; a crowd turned out, as usual, on the Pearl Street Mall, but there was no outrageous partying; and after the big loss by CU, I think most Buffs fans "celebrated" quietly and indoors. So, after we've all been pumped up by police prophesying, nothing happened. Mizzou won, Gators won, and the Gamecocks lost (rats!). All is peaceful and quiet here in mid-down-town Boulder - except for a few raucous ravens and the squirrels that are fighting over the nuts on my patio. Lovey and Banichi are watching the squirrels with interest, but are still disgusted that the ground is so wet. There are still streaks of snow in the backyard, but the snow/grass ratio is about 50/50 - it's already 54 degrees here, so I expect the rest of the snow will melt by sundown. - I must say that the western skyline is an impressive snow-piled bulwark... but with a week of temperatures in the 60s ahead of us, I have a feeling the snow will gradually disappear before our next storm.

I think with the rise in temperatures, I'll put Fred out on the patio during the day - he can use a little extra warmth and sunlight before being buttoned back up on his shelf by the window. (But I can't forget and leave him outside - I don't think he's been any cooler than 55 since he was just a young sprig.) And I need to re-weave some of his vines; they are poking out every which way. I hope to get Mom's family tree on-line by tomorrow morning; then I'll make everyone crazy by listing all three family websites (just in case any one is interested). I still love discovering ancestors, distant cousins, etc. My favorite part is finding new and/or unusual names that tickle my fancy. And having relatives with the following names, I can hardly make fun of anyone else: Eight-one Lancaster; Hatevil Hall; Hepzibah Starbuck Hussey; and, if ancient genealogies can be trusted, there's also Marmaduke de Thwang and Thorkill Skullcrusher... I am still in search of my Swedish great-grandparents and their other son - I have Anglicized names for them, but no place of birth other than Sweden - and I'm not sure of Uncle Ben's surname.... Oh, well. I am very lucky that these are the things that perplex me the most at this time!! Have a wonderful All Saints' Day!