Dixie Lee Landau ...

Rest In Peace, Dixie Lee (8/1/02 - 4/3/16)

My beautiful Dixie Lee passed into Spirit yesterday evening ... peacefully, under the guidance of gentle hands.  I miss her terribly, though that is consistent with the deep and beautiful love we shared.  Please wish her well on her cosmic journey. I will go to her favorite park today and walk among the trees.

Two Anniversaries Approach ...

The first of these anniversaries is Dixie Lee's upcoming 13th birthday -- a celebratory occasion -- which will be on August 1st if she is able to stay the course for the next four weeks.  For a dog her large size (Rhodesian Ridgeback), 13 is very old. She has been at varying degrees of deafness for the past couple of years (sometimes her hearing briefly seems to partially return); she has cataracts that are quite progressed; she has small bumpy growths on various body parts that her vet and I are reluctant to tamper with because giving her anesthesia at this stage of her life would be risky.  I know that sounds perversely comical as she could slip away at any moment during a nap. 

She sleeps a lot; she loves to eat; she has maintained the utmost ladylike hygiene.  Always an "aloof" dog (her breed description very accurately uses the word "aloof"), she has never been aggressive ... until now.  I think she has become fearful.  When people come to the house now, I need to put her in my/her bedroom where she remains quiet and content.

The other anniversary that I will privately observe, is the upcoming 7th anniversary of the church shooting at TVUUC.  At five years, the church (perhaps rightfully) decided that there would be no future observances.  For me, there is so much that permanently affected me -- emotionally of course. And physically -- the residuals are rather constant reminders.  Most importantly, spiritually ... in the months and years that followed the event, a part of me awakened and helps me live my life, has helped open the door for beauty and appreciation and gratitude.

So the day is one that is meaningful for me.  Last year on the sixth anniversary, I walked in my favorite local park where there are lots of trees. Trees, I find, are so able and willing to absorb human sorrows and to reflect human joys ... and to offer strengthening energies.  My walk was one of meditation and gratitude; then I visited with my dear friend and we talked of gentle and beautiful things and had tea.

Back In Blogland :) Clara's Autumnal Post --

My last post mentioned my previous absence and here I am again after another bunch of months away from my blog.  Apologies to readers and to my blog, itself.  The myriad of reasons I didn't post in such a long time includes the fact that I was doing a lot of introspection that was better left publicly unsaid.  On the heels of that came sweeping changes in my personal life, including a residential move.  Since February I've been preparing the house I now live in and going through separation anxiety with my former residence.  I'm a very sentimental person and that sentiment runs deep.  The new abode is much, much larger than the old one.   And it even has modern electrical outlets !  It's very nice :)

A persistent stream of family crises involving relatives hit the scene, too. For the most part those matters are still manifesting -- are unresolved, except in my mind -- where I've turned the corner and am good with that wonderful axiom "It is what it is"  :)  Tra la!  And I'm blessed to have the very most wonderful of friends with whom I can share life's ups and downs.

Here's some happy news I can give my readers who followed my posts about my dog's (past) serious medical problem:  She is in great shape now and, in August, celebrated her 11th birthday!  Dixie Lee is showing signs of age, but still scouts the yard tracking the scents of rabbits and squirrels; and she can break into an easy gallop in a split second when she wants to.
    
A couple of months ago I recorded two songs at Songwriters' Studio; they are my original "A New Face On The Blues" and my arrangement of cover "Blue Moon".  I need to put them up on my Reverbnation page. They turned out really well :)

I  now have three pianos (plus my Yamaha keyboard).  They are Buddy, Bunkie, and Bonnie.  Bunkie was in residence here when I moved in.  He's a great piano, though way different in style and character than Buddy the baby grand.  And Bonnie came to me via a neighbor on  my former street, who didn't want her anymore.  

Please do check out my website at http://www.claralandau.com -- which I updated yesterday -- new pictures, text edits, and some new stuff! 

Yes, I'm as upset as everyone about current and recent politics ... NSA spying , the Obamacare tax mandate, and an article I read a few days ago that reports on government vehicles and weapons being turned over to local police departments to use on Main Street, USA.  This points to the prediction I made months ago (when I hoped to be wrong) about local police departments being sort of "deputized" by the feds in order to prevent any perceived overt action of citizens against government policies.  

I'm ready to start jamming again, so I'd love to be in touch with musicians who are like-minded. I've got the space here now to jam; I also would love to find or form a hand-drum circle.  

We're heading into the "holiday season" ... hard to believe; it seems like yesterday was mid-summer.   Thanksgiving is, in my opinion, the most worthy of all holidays!  I know we should be thankful every day and I am, but I think that designating and celebrating a day in the spirit of thankfulness is a really good thing!   I wish a gracious and joyful Thanksgiving to each and all. 

Catching Up ...

I haven't posted on this blog for quite a while. It is my original blog.  If you have time to scroll back to older posts, there are some really spirited ones.

Please also visit my revised website at www.claralandau.com.

Meanwhile, I thought you might enjoy seeing a close-up photo of my Dixie Lee!

Thanks for looking in on us :)

Dixie Lee On WVLT’s “Volzeye” –

I submitted two of her photos and they are both up there on the site. The picture of her wearing her hat (it’s also on this blog) pulled in at least one vote (I didn’t know there was voting for this event, entitled "Dog Days Of Summer"). Lots of people sent in pictures of their dogs.

Saturday Journey To The Park in Threesome –

Today my daughter, the lovely Shara, drove down from Maggie Valley, NC to visit with me. I’m always ecstatic when she comes because we get a chance to girl-talk, shop, sip cups of tea, and go to lunch. We did those things today. And – we decided to drive to the park and do some walking. We didn’t want to disappoint Dixie Lee, my dog (see photographs of), so decided to take her along with us. The only wrinkle in the plan was the need to fit an 80-pound dog who is accustomed to riding with a seat belt wrapped around her, along with Shara and me, in the 2-seater cab of my truck. I was the driver; Shara had to wedge herself in the middle of the seat of the vehicle, somehow co-existing with a five-speed floor-shift. It was a comic and amusing ride, really a lot of fun. Our walk was great and there were a number of other people in the park with their dogs. When we ran out of steam, we carefully loaded ourselves back into my truck and drove back home. Along the way, Shara athletically managed to snap a picture of herself with my cell phone, next to Dixie Lee, who, by that time, was slightly drooling. What a great day that came to an end too soon, as always, as the hands of the clock spun around. And, as always, I waved goodbye and shed tears, as I watched Shara’s car drive out of sight on her journey home.

Dixie Lee's Baseball

One of my dog’s favorite places to walk is in the North Winston park in West Knoxville. On a recent visit there, we came upon a bunch of empty water and soda bottles that had been tossed over a fairly large area in back of the baseball diamond. I’m tempted here to say some choice words about people who litter, but quite honestly, people who litter don’t have the intelligence, curiosity, and ambition to read a blog, much less a liberal blog, so I’ll just continue with my story. Standing aghast at the sight of the bottle mess, I mumbled an apology to Dixie Lee and we started to walk past the area. Then my gaze fell upon a yellowed, dirty but otherwise fine, baseball. Apparently, it had been left in the fervor of exiting the baseball game. I picked it up and stuffed it into my jacket pocket. "We’ll take this home as a souvenir of our walk today, Dixie", I said. (I’m a great sentimentalist, as you probably know if you’ve been reading other portions of my blog).

That evening, Dixie picked up the baseball and carried it up the stairs to the loft where she likes to hang out and play. She has a collection of favorite toys there. I was very surprised that she could carry the heavy ball in her mouth. Suddenly, there was a loud noise ... once, twice, many times ... as she’d pick up the baseball and hurl it into the air, letting it land with a loud thud on the wood floor upstairs. Since that evening, it’s become a nightly ritual to do that and she’s all but abandoned her other toys. I’ve become accustomed to and even delighted by the happy noise of her play. So far, the floor has been forgiving. Well, this is an old house and well-constructed. And Dixie Lee loves her baseball!