Sunshine Sadness

I was sitting in the living room reading this afternoon on my day off, and sunshine came flooding in, drawing Sora the Cat to roll in the beam.

It was glorious — but also sad, because it reminded me of losing Midori our turtle a couple of months ago. Midori would have loved a snuggle in the sunshine with her pal Sora. Sigh. . .

We cared for ‘Dori for 30 years, and she was part of the family. She loved to cuddle on a lap, and would walk up to us sometimes and strain herself upward as if to say “uppie! cuddle!”

She also liked meeting new people, approaching folks in our home and checking them out.

We had to euthanize Dori in mid-January, as she’d stopped eating and was barely moving. A vet check and X-ray showed she had crippling arthritis in all her joints, and she  must have been in considerable pain.

She lived a long and good life, but we still have moments of loss.

Catching Up on Barcelona Trip

Back in early February we went to Barcelona. Just an eight-day trip, we packed in a lot!

Here are some photos. . .

Barcelona vacation February 2025
Morning coffee at a cafe near our hotel


A snack on the food floor of the El Corte Inglis department store


Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau


A breakfast picnic in our hotel room


Pre-dinner drinks on the roof of our hotel


Parc del Laberint d’Horta – Labyrinth


Montserrat – the Black Madonna


Montserrat


Montserrat


Having paella on the food floor of the El Corte Ingles department store. It was as good or even better than in restaurants we tried, and you can’t beat the view!


Paella at the food floor of the El Corte Ingles department store.


Gaudi’s masterpiece La Sagrada Familia

Streamkeeping, sustainability, community, business, photography, books, and animals, with occasional forays into social commentary. Text and Photos © Paul Cipywnyk