Well, it’s been a new year for a few weeks now. I never really felt anything physical or emotional about anniversaries, whether the New Year, or a birthday. I’ve always had to force myself to stop and reflect, or otherwise mark the occasion.
Twenty-fifteen has been no different. The New Year snuck in as just another day for us. Sure, we’ve gotten together with friends, but when all I can catch are snippets of any conversation (unless they’re speaking in English), meetings tend to flow into each other. Plus, I usually revert to playing with and chasing the kids, since I tend to connect better with them in any culture, and they don’t care what day it is anyway.
Days are usually spent indoors, though the snow has melted away since it rained a week ago. Even our walks have begun to dwindle. First I got sick, then I got Vio sick (Mama always said to share…), and now we’re coughing, but recuperating.
The local gang of stray dogs have been harassing Linda as well, most likely because she’s fed, and they’re not, and culminated in a worse than usual fight a week ago. Linda was injured as usual, but prevailed. Unfortunately, it took us a couple of days to realize that she wasn’t going to heal on her own, and upon closer inspection, found that her leg was gashed and broken, and the bone was protruding out (gross, I know). We immediately went to Matei (Godfather of the River People) and we all piled into his pickup with Linda and drove her to the local veterinary college.
A few visits later, surgery, an offering of funds collected from the River People, and she’s on the mend. The doctor said that even though four bones were broken, she should be able to make a full recovery. Meanwhile, the gang-at-fault is nowhere to be seen…
On a lighter note, We’ve been keeping up with Downton Abbey, and Vio has even caught up with Game of Thrones. Since we don’t have a TV, and services like Hulu and Netflix don’t extend to Romania, we’ve been carefully debating and choosing which movies and shows to purchase through iTunes. I still maintain that it’s more mentally redeeming, if not financially, without commercials.
The weather has been chilly, but not debilitatingly cold. Since it rained a week ago, the only snow to be seen is where it was piled by the plows last month. Now, it’s just brown and grey everywhere. Days are usually foggy, we’re up at the edge of the fog, so we get an occasional glimpse of sky. walking off-road is unadvisable, as the ground is so muddy, and with the clay content in the soil, one’s shoes become annoyingly weighted. Personally, I’d prefer the snow; I just bought a sled that will fit me, and it doesn’t work in the mud so well.