April 3, 2020 – I debated on calling this story “Confessions of a guitar addict”, but I thought that just describes everyone has a guitar. You get one guitar, and somehow that opens the floodgates to at least three more. And no matter how many times one says they will get rid of one or two to justify getting more, we rarely do. Guitars have their own little personalities. That makes them hard to get rid of, even when a new model comes along we just have to have. But I’m not going to look at guitars; I’m too committed to my vet bills. And on that front, this week Jasper completed chemo treatment number 3. It could be half-way. And she’s doing quite well. Or so it seems. I guess I’ll know more at the next visit, which is significant because they are tapering down her steroid doses, and honestly, it could be the steroids keeping her alive. Still, she can’t stay on those without the steroids taking her out, so, hopefully, the chemo is doing what it needs to do to give her more time, a lot more time.

I should say the point of this story then, I guess. And the point of this story is Easter. It’s Easter tomorrow, and it seems to have sneaked up on me this year.

I always liked Easter. It’s a time of pretty things. I really do love the colors – pastel blue being my favorite. And I love bunnies, and chicks, and eggs. I don’t celebrate it very much anymore, but there was a time that it was sort of a mini Christmas. As I girl, I would get one present, and a lot of little colorful things. My mom still sent me things, cards and such, into my adult-hood, so I think she liked it. Even now, I usually try to get some little small thing. Habit, you know.

It’s hard to say what the one present would be that I would want. A guitar sure, but I’m not really playing right now, so I already have many guitars who are really mad at me. I really want those figure skate roller blades that I first noticed in the Lana Del Rey teaser in advance of her album release. Yes, I’ll write about Lana’s record next week. Those figure skating wheels are my cover photo. That’s a cool little snippet – the manufacturer of the rollerblade wheels giving credit to Lana Del Rey’s White Dress video on their website. And I want this little sleep shirt from Athleta, but that requires a little back story.

A while ago I used most of a gift card and a few extra dollars to buy an on-sale coat from Altheta – a store that sells athletic-inspired clothes at a price point that’s too high for me. Getting that coat put me on their mailing list, and as a part of that, they sent me a survey to give my design thoughts on their new sleepwear line. I did the survey, perhaps about two months ago. I really feel strongly about sleepwear, so I gave them real answers and spent time answering their survey. I asked for tops other than the typical tank and camisole, which are what their designs featured. I suggested they offer tops with small cap sleeves and maybe a short sleeve shirt to cover the shorts; typically you get a long pant paired with a long-sleeve shirt, but I would like a short-sleeve shirt over cute shorts. And I asked for a short sleep shirt with cap sleeves to wear by itself. My suggestions are practical; I get too cold in the cutesy sleepwear that they were offering, and I don’t much like pants. seriously, what I want really isn’t out there. I was really specific. I felt like my opinions wouldn’t matter though because those stores gear their audience to a much younger customer than me, and I had told the truth about my age in the survey. Indeed, as I suspected, a few emails later, I saw the same designs they had in their survey, released as a new sleepwear line, none of which had any changes from the normal tank tops and camisoles over the shorts, and no sleep shirt at all. But surprise! Today, I got an email from them, touting their new sleepwear line. The new line has additional tops, some with cap sleeves, some with short sleeve blouses, all over shorts, and then there was a short sleep shirt with cap sleeves. No way! Seriously? Altheta made my tops and my sleep shirt! If I could, and I can’t afford Altheta without a gift card to help cover it, I would get at least that sleep shirt. It’s pretty crazy to look at my designs, but not be able to have them!

I guess that means I have two things on my list, the rollerskate wheel things to put a pair of existing skating boots I have, and the Altheta sleep shirt I designed. But…

Seeing as I can have only one thing, it will stay the same: Jasper – my dog, to get well. That means my list is money for VCA Specialty Hospital, the place where she is treating. Skates, I can get those later. And Altheta might, eventually, put those things on sale. That way, maybe, I will get the sleep shirt and one of those twin sets of a cap-sleeve or short-sleeve shirt over the shorts.

And to make this story a little about music, Taylor Swift is about to release her own re-recording of her second album Fearless. The album which is expected next week will include about five previously unreleased songs, I suppose from that era, and she is having a bit of fun putting out clues – this video with what I think are clues about the soon-to-be old unreleased songs.

Taylor Swift loves her Easter eggs! I don’t really have time to figure out what all of these clues mean, but it will be good to have yet another group of new Taylor songs. I do so hope they are country. Perhaps that will make me start playing again. I do very much love to cover Taylor Swift’s country songs.

And here’s a bit more music. As a prelude to my Lana Del Rey story, whenever I get around to it, and because this video is on the website of the rollerskate wheels I want, I might as well feature Lana’s White Dress video too. I am listening to this song quite a lot, although not the video itself, because the video makes me want the skates and what is important to me now is not anything but what I have to do for Jasper. In fact, I’ll dedicate the video to her — my favorite new Lana song for my dog!

Hopefully, my Easter list does come true! And I hope you all get that one thing you want on your Easter list too! Whatever happens though, I hope you and yours have a fabulous Easter. Color eggs, eat something good, be around those who love you, and give thanks. That sounds like a plan!