gimme gimme

Go to the bottom of this post for an update...

My family may have seen the last of Gimme.  That's his name-- as in, "give me."  That's what my daughter has been calling this foster puppy because of how he craves attention and food.  With him, it's just, "Gimme, gimme, gimme!"  But he's such a cute puppy, that the desire for attention and affection has been mutual.  Time and time again, I reinforced my position that he was only passing through, and we will not be keeping him.  But I expected that when the time came, we would at least get the chance to say a proper goodbye.

A day came for my daughter to perform a home inspection for a prospective pet owner.  They were interested in adopting Gimme.  Back at home, we didn't realize that we might not see him again.  D2 brought him to their house, observed the interactions, recognized that by all visible indications this was a healthy and happy environment.  The decision was made that they could begin fostering the puppy immediately, and possibly all the way until the time they can complete the adoption.

It's a life lesson that I have been taught over and over.  You don't know when someone (even a puppy) is going to move away or otherwise be taken out of your life.  In my case, I'm just talking about a puppy, but I know you have experienced this lesson at a more significant level.  We do not always have the opportunity to process a goodbye.

I wish I could have spent more time taking pics, writing and visiting blogs last week.  I was under unusual pressure from the convergence of a dental emergency plus 3 to 4 weeks of cramming for a presentation/debate where I was to be the underdog.  Everything seems to have turned out okay though.

UPDATE: 
D2 saw him at the animal clinic.  Look at how big he's gotten!  His new foster family will most likely adopt him, and by all accounts they're going to provide a great home.  They have named him "Diesel."  I like it.

lights out

There is a time and a season for everything. A time to haul around a camera bag everyplace I go, and a time to say goodbye to that camera. I wish I could say it's because I've upgraded, or something like that. Alas no, my Pentax died last week. Long story short, I managed to soak it in what appeared to be green ectoplasm. (We didn't send any samples of ooze to a lab for testing, but I'm sure that's what it was.) Anyway, the camera is toast. Adieu, mon vieux! A replacement DSLR is not really an option right now. Weep with me, my friends!

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To make matters worse, I made the horrific discovery en route to what was supposed to be a 2-day portrait shoot for a graduation. The young lady's parents let me use their Canon Rebel. The substitute was so fun to use, I forgot about the demise of my own camera... almost.

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So, this is the last photo from my dearly departed. One evening, only days before it's demise, I flipped up the flash, set the focus to manual, and prowled to and fro on my lawn. A dozen mosquito bites later, voila, a keeper!

hasta la vista, Bug Lady

[click on any picture to enlarge]

You meet interesting folks in the blogosphere. One recent find was Joan from South Africa. She called herself "Bug Lady." She took lots of remarkable photos, and I loved to visit her blog. The macro shots of bugs were astounding, and this lady had a great sense of humor.

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She has stopped blogging now, and I miss her. That reminded me of how I have learned to numb myself from the pain of losing people. Yesterday, a dear family moved out of the country. One person moves away or changes jobs. Another passes away. In Joan's case, she closed her blog.

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We need to make sure that we make the most of it when people are here, because you never know when they may be taken away by any set of circumstances. Who knows, but that it may even be us, who are shuttled off to who-knows-where.

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About the bee... Those two pics are of a yellow-jacket. One of my sons found a dead bee and brought it to me. (You can see the clear tape that I used to hold it in place.) I was thrilled to have this opportunity, because I had been so eager to photograph ocelli. Those are a bug's tiny simple eyes, located in the middle of the forehead. Most of the time, we only see their large, compound eyes, but some bugs have more than two... and it's not just spiders.

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Anyway, it means a lot to me that we can "visit" by blogging. Hasta la vista, Bug Lady. (sigh) I think I'm gonna need a mug of hot cocoa.

see Scrat go

Soon, I must bid adieu to this fellow in the picture. His name is Scrat. He is a five hour drive from us right now, but in a few months, he will move away to quadruple the distance. That wouldn't bother me, except that he lives with my daughter, son-in-law, and grand-guinea-pigs, and I will miss THEM very much.

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Saying goodbye is a fact of life that we cannot totally avoid. I try to be mature about it and be thankful for the time we had and trust God about the future. Mature, but only to a point. If I was really sophisticated, I would also be able to say a nice goodbye without coming across as indifferent. Scrat may not care, but I hope his roommates don't get cheated out of a warm farewell.

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This week I say so long to JH, who will fly to Osaka for two years. JH, I will miss you and look forward to seeing you again. JAA ma-TAA! (Japanese for "See ya later!")