Gratitude Journal 2020 #3
It felt like a busier week than it was. The Seattle area got hit with snow last week, which was rather odd, as we had bad snow last year, and usually, we go a few years between snowstorms. But, snow we had. And so ice we had. The University where I work had delayed starts many days. For Monday-Wednesday, I was only on campus for 6 hours a day, instead of my normal 9. But now it is the weekend again. It has been raining, and the snow is mostly melting. Next week should be a fairly normal week. And in a sense, I am grateful for being able to anticipate that. What else am I grateful for this Sunday?
Gratitude Item #5 – A Good Veterinarian
Yesterday our dogs had their annual vet appointment. I have liked most of the veterinarians the dogs have had over the years, but I have not always liked the prices they have charged or the level of service we have gotten at the clinic. We have gone back and forth over the years between expensive vets and low-cost vets. And, in general, our dogs have always gotten good care. But the whole experience has not necessarily been great.
When we moved to this neighborhood, I asked M who their vet was, as she and B tend to have the same dog parenting/ownership philosophies as we do. And so, we now go to the same vet their dogs go to. This veterinarian is not all about recommending every test she can think of. She is honest with us and seems to understand the cost of things. Both of the dogs need a dental appointment, which will result in them going under anesthesia. Larry has developed a heart murmur in the last couple of years, so she talked about wanting to do an EKG on him before putting him under. But she told us the cost, and also told us that his murmur is slight enough that if we really wanted, she would agree to do the dental without the EKG. (We are doing the EKG.)
It is nice to have someone who is practical and understands that we love our dogs tremendously but does not also automatically assume that we would be willing to bankrupt ourselves for their care. (Our last vet was both more expensive in general and pretty much always wanted to run all the tests and would not do anything without all the tests.)
And an added bonus is that she can do nail trims on the dogs quickly and without them freaking out. She had none of the issues we do when trying to trim their nails. That makes everyone happier.
Gratitude Item #6 – Friendship Traditions
BFF J and I have been going to a movie and lunch on MLK day for years. It started 15+ years ago when we both had jobs that gave us MLK day off but most of the other people in our lives had to work that day. Even though that part has changed, J and I have managed to get together on MLK day pretty much every year. And this year is no exception.
With J having a toddler, I was thinking we might not be able to do anything this year, so I had not said anything. I was super happy when I got the email from her asking if I wanted to go see a movie tomorrow. And I am very much looking forward to not just the movie but the two of us going to lunch afterward, and it being just the two of us. I love her wife. I love my husband. We have a great friend group overall. And some years, we have made the MLK day thing a larger group action. But it is also really nice just to have some one-on-one time with someone who has been my friend for 25 years.
