I miss the Duck

Molly will never be the Duck.  That's fine.  She can just be Molly.  But yesterday, when I was crying and she looked at me and left the room,  I missed the Duck. 

Molly 2

This is Molly after 1 week. She's still very skittish. She's still very afraid. She does know her name. She knows that she is loved. And she is pretty sure that she will not be hurt in this house.

Molly

This is Molly when she was new

And again

We shall see if, with a different operating system,I am any better at this than I was the last time I said I was going to try

Lessons

I have a wonderful relationship with my youngest daughter.  We both work at it and we both appreciate it.  I had a difficult relationship with my mother from which I learned to never slam a door shut with my daughter.  I have a difficult relationship with my ex-mother-in-law for a myriad of reasons, not the least of which was mostly my fault.

Having said that, my mother was a wonderful grandmother.  She loved both of my girls unconditionally which is not to say that she didn't have expectations.  She just loved them.

My ex-mother-in-law manages to make my child feel less than.  That's it - just less than.  She is not a happy woman and it shows.

I have been disappointed with one of my granddaughters and I have distanced myself from her.  I was talking about this today with my daughter and she very subtly asked me which kind of grandmother I wanted to grow up to be. 

I, of all people, know that people do change.  They grow up.  They make better decisions.  They regret the decisions they previously made.  They deserve, especially from their grandmothers, unconditional love.

Thanks, hon.

Water

These pictures (courtesy of Rain Scroggins) are of the Canadian River in Canadian, TX the last week of June, 2014.  These pictures are of a tragedy unseen.

Last week, 2 people went horseback riding together on one horse.  They evidently went down to see the river, which was at flood stage.  To date, the riderless horse was found.  The family dog made it's way home.  Funeral arrangements for the 7 year old are pending.  Multiple agencies, on foot, on horseback, in boats, on all terrain vehicles, and in the air are still searching for the second rider.

Hope is dimming for her safe rescue and we are all now praying for her recovery so that her family can have closure - a word I normally dislike intensely.

Water is a powerful thing and, all too often, underestimated.  Back in the early 80s, when I was still working in the desert, we had several flash floods which carried vehicles off the highway.  While the vehicles were recovered miles away, some of the occupants of said vehicles never were.

Listen to your weather forecasters.  Read your local newspapers.  Listen to your local radio stations.  Listen to your gut.  Be careful, be safe, be well.

PS:  If you want to leave comments, they would be appreciated.  If you want to comment on any of the people involved in this heartbreaking event, do it elsewhere.  I will not tolerate hurtful or hateful or just plain useless speculation.

Not Every Day

I obviously have not been posting every day.  I have not even managed to participate in Fun Mondays on Facebook.  I have been busy.

I am settling in at my new job.  I have found a place to rent.  I have gone back to Hereford and put most of my life in boxes, ready to be moved during the only 4th of July weekend that my daughter has had off in years.  I am grateful for my child - both for her trailer and for her very much appreciated manual labor that goes with the trailer.

I will be updating more later - probably not tomorrow, but later.