Hope Floats

The wrap/lap blanket I made for the family

It’s been a long while since I mentioned the brave little warrior princess in our lives.  She is holding her own, and the family really does appreciate all of the kindness and care packages you’ve sent.   I don’t know if any of you have gotten cards from them…  I did include some of your “original” packaging with some of the gifts, in an effort to allow them to connect with you if they could. 

In talking with a wise friend whose own life has thrown her a health challenge or ten, I’ve come to understand that simply writing a note to a kind stranger might be more than my young friends can do right now.  All of their time, thoughts and energies are being use to help Hope win this battle with cancer.  So in the event that no notes have headed out, please know that they and all of us who know and love Hope do appreciate your generous gifts, whether a formal expression of thanks floats your way or not.

Can you see the patches of forest floor in there?  (Try harder… it’s there.)  I don’t ever recall having snow on the ground for so very long.  That photo was taken Sunday, and there is a lot more brown out there now, although more snow comes any moment now.  I hear it’s just a dusting, but still…  I’m ready for flowers and flirty skirts and bare toes…

Let’s have a moment of silence for Flipper, aka:  Flip, the last of our male pets.   He’d been very sluggish for over a week and while I can’t remember when we bought him, I was pretty sure he was a full-grown adult when we brought him home, so I didn’t expect we’d  have more than 3-5 years with him.   His timing was horrible; I’ll have to give him his proper fish burial when I get home this afternoon.

We won’t be getting another fish.  That Flip survived my trip to Chicago when the Knight forgot to feed him for two days was amazing, and there were other little moments, like our last trip to the beach when I realized 36 hours later that I’d forgotten to drop the 5-Day feeder tablet in his bowl…  So yeah.  Fair winds and following seas, Flip.

Flip’s Day Out

Okay, so you can’t exactly take a fish out and about, but after yesterday’s post, Flipper needed a moment in the sun  spotlight.  It’s not a great photo, but you have to understand that the boy lives in a lava lamp-styled tank, which means round sides.  However, he was more cooperative than I anticipated, so there you are.

World, meet Flipper, aka: Flip.  Flip, meet world.

As I recall, he’s at least three years old.  The Knight and I have both had bigger and more elaborate fish tanks in the past, but given our small house and the dogs, we agreed a lone Betta was best.   Flip’s the low-maintenance member of our household; he will flare and flip all around to get our attention when we walk by if he wants food, and he will swim to the front of the tank when we are in the area, seemingly just to say “hi.”  He won’t eat flake food though, so his diet consists of betta pellets (TINY little red dots) with dried worms as a treat once in a while.

That’s about all I can think of to share.  After a near starving incident when I was out of town a couple of years back, Flip gets a 7-day betta  feeder tablet when I’m going to be gone more than a couple of days, regardless of whether the Knight is home or not.  Hem.

I finally downloaded some photos, so if this rainy day allows, there might be an FO report later.  Otherwise, look for it tomorrow!