Buddy, Prince of Balsamea
Balsamea’s new veterinarian, Dr. Nick Sherman summed up the change when he said of Buddy, Prince of Balsamea, “He’s a seizure dog now.” That was the night he gave me a supply of phenobarbital, because Buddy had four general (i.e., “grand mal” or full-body) seizures in one day, February 10, 2015.
So he’s “a seizure dog” now, but he retains his royalty, and reigns here as ever.
i did not prepare a picture – – – – – i could not do the observation justice with a camera – – – – – i just invite you to make the observation after the next rain – – – – – and – – – – – let it enrich you – – – – – as it did me this morning
With the help of your imagination, words can make a thousand pictures.
If you want a ready-made picture for inspiration, here is a nice one created in words by the fun folks behind Pine Country Feed:
There is something about a fall rain that makes the mountains come alive. The colors are richer~ the greens are greener, the browns are browner, the golds are golder. The bark on the trees are a deep chocolate, the pine needles are washed and prefect forest green. The grasses glow with a soft yellow that autumn brings to them and the silvery clouds seem to hold the color to the mountain side. -from A Fall Rain (click to read entire article)
The magic occurs not only after rain, but during it, too. When it rains on my walk in the woods, I say thanks that I am 100% waterproof, guaranteed watertight to an immersion depth of ten feet, after which my ears can’t take it like they used to.
After the dry summer we had at Balsamea, I’m grateful for the autumn rains, like Kathy in Boulder, CO, who created this word picture in her Cabin Journal:
All day it rained on and off, a slow, soft rain that seemed like a blessing, like grace itself descending from the sky. But that night, laying in bed, I could hear the faucets turn on, and the rain became harder. All I could think about was the gratitude of the trees—the aspens and pines that I have been trying to water all summer long with rain from the rain barrel, and feeling I was barely making a dent. Now I could imagine the rain soaking down to their roots and then being pulled upward to feed those branches where weeks ago the pine needles started turning reddish brown and the aspen leaves had started to crinkle up. -from Rain, Rain, Stay (click to read entire article)
Okay, okay, I’ll share one graphical, visual, even video picture, because I can’t stand not doing it, since the song is now stuck in my head for the rest of the day. Laugh at the clouds with another waterproof guy, Gene Kelly Singin’ in the Rain (YouTube video) (from the 1952 movie of the same title) because of Debbie Reynolds (she could make me sing in the rain too). Watch the vid and have fun being taken back. The dancing is magical, as always with Kelly. If that does not convince you that rain is to play in …
Don’t forget to take a walk after a rain and notice the colors.
The Balsamean 