As a couple of you know, I am in Ohio at the moment visiting my parents. Since I am going to have a significant amount of down time, and since I haven’t flown in 5 weeks, I took a chance and went to the tiny little airport here and looked around. I found some very friendly folks who were happy to help arrange a lesson for tomorrow morning!
So now, I get to fly out of my REAL hometown airport, in a different aircraft with a totally different environment. 🙂
THIS is exciting!
By now, you’ve all heard about the lovely Blizzard of 2010 here in the Nation’s capital. The snow barreled in and buried pretty much everything. I was snowbound for a few days, and even when I could get out, it was a bit of a struggle. On the upside, I got to watch a whole lot of episodes of “Dexter.” (I’m in the middle of season 3. No spoilers, please.)
On the downside, I haven’t been near an airplane since my solo on January 11th. And I still need to complete Stage Check 1.
Flight training can get discouraging, and if you’ve been reading the Flight School Diaries, you’ll know it’s a struggle to overcome weather, mechanical issues and my own confidence.
Fortunately, Flight Training Magazine, a publication of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, this month has an article all about what to do if you’re feeling discouraged. This could not have come at a better time for me.
So onward.
Now that the snow is no longer crowding the skies, I can get back to training. And with the encouragement of friends, family and the AOPA, I’ll be back in the cockpit in no time!
It will be interesting to learn how perishable the flight skills are after 5 weeks of no flying.
Today was supposed to be the second attempt at Stage Check 1. Alas, it was already snowing in the practice area and at surrounding airports. Since Stage Check 1 can’t be accomplished in the vicinity of the airport, today was yet another weather cancellation.
And with more snow in the forecast at the available times and days, I think this isn’t going to happen any time soon.
I am just devastated at losing my cat, Email, to the ravages of advanced kidney disease. I know it was the right decision to put him down, and I had given it thought long before it was rightly brought it to my attention.
I’m still losing my friend who let me cry on his fur night after night, and made me feel warm and welcome when he curled up next to me on the massive expanse of my empty king sized bed. Even though those were the only times we were ever really close, I needed him to survive the night when loneliness went from painful to agonizing. On those occasions, he always offered me a furry paw, a thimble full of drool and a good purr. I always felt bad he wasn’t comfortable sharing the bond once I went home.
He is missed.
It’s been awhile since I posted about Charlie. It damn near slipped my mind that today he’s been living here for precisely one year. He’s come a long way, though he still exhibits the characteristics of an abused and neglected dog.
A few months ago, his breath started smelling really foul again, indicating that his remaining teeth were decaying fast. So off to the veterinarian he went to have a look. According to the vet, yes, some of his remaining seven teeth would have to be removed, but she didn’t know how many until they got in there and had a look around whilst he was under anesthesia.
A week or two later, he goes in with seven teeth and comes out with none. All of his remaining teeth had to go. Just broke my heart to hear that.
But he adjusted rapidly — far more so than I would have expected. He’s back to his normal, timid self, but he’s definitely not in any pain. Nor is he experiencing any difficulty eating. Most dogs swallow their food whole anyway, so it was expected to have minimal impact.
The only side effect from his lack of dental stature is that his tongue hangs out the side of his mouth when he’s not paying attention, which is most of the time:
Other than that, he’s really doing well, considering his origin. He’s still timid around loud noises and barks far too often at trivial things. But his meds have helped a little, and I have high hopes that they will help in the long run.
He’s such a dear, sweet guy and I am delighted that he’s done so well in his first year here. So Happy “Birthday” Charlie!
Good boy!
*scratch, scratch*
