A Season of Change
Spring is a season of change. For the Harris household, this is powerfully true in many ways. We are excited about the movement of art from completion to framing and shipping; packaging pieces for transport to the Art Students League Summer Art Market and the Vail Arts Festival. The process includes a lot of hurried evaluations.
With this season I find the realization of obsolescence in many of our daily conveniences. Nothing lasts forever. In the past months, I have replaced an automobile radiator, struts, and battery, our home water heater, and the irrigation system plumbing. Meanwhile, the refrigerator ice maker continues to suffer—which makes martini shaking – shaky.
The garden is thriving. I love how quickly the flowers, shrubs, and trees have bloomed. Our peonies are particularly exciting. We have a row of kale, beets, and fennel pushing up and butter lettuce on the way. The raspberries seem to have never stopped growing, with new leaves appearing on old wood.
Season of Loss
A major hurdle in this time of change will be the loss of our older dog, Baby Doe. Her age and a heart condition caught up with her last week and she is on a rapid decline. We all know that pets have short lives, but their contribution to our daily peace and enjoyment is monumental. Baby is a well-known personality in our neighborhood with her gruff voice and Wookie like appearance. She is also known as the infamous “beer dog”, who carries cold brews for my friends and me when we make our yearly sojourn to play disc golf at the Harris Family Cabin. She has always been a little aloof, maybe stoic, but still minds the herd. Even as she withers, she is keeping count of us as we come and go. Her passing will be our biggest challenge in this season of change. – Ron
