Lobster On My Shoulder …

October 25, 2021 ~ Monday evening (blustery, rainy, and a bit spooky)

Halloween is approaching. Until a few years ago, when I purged my stash, I had almost as many Halloween decorations as I did for Christmas. And that is saying something! I wasn’t known as the Halloween Queen for nothing! But, with just me and the dogs spiriting these halls … my decs are now more autumnal … except for the last two weeks of the month.

Then, I pull out the bare bones skeleton (he’s seen better days and is now missing a leg/hands/feet = more gruesome) and hang him outside to blow about in the wind, a few bats are stuck in planters, I turn the ceramic pumpkins around so their faces now show to the rooms … and I put batteries into my plush frogs that are nestled inside a plush cauldron, who shake and quake and sing about what will happen to them when the witch comes back. I love them. I won’t let any witch near them to make them into stew. They bring me joy.

It’s the little things.

I have a beautiful photo of a mass of Bullwhip kelp on my fridge that whenever I look at it – a smile twitches across my lips along with a slight chuckle – if not a full belly laugh. Sam took that photo and sent it to me years ago – reminding me of the time she slipped and fell on one while on the beach in Oregon and omg – getting slimed in the process with the most foul smelling liquid (kind of a combo of rotting meat, sewage and anything else horrible). It was so bad. As in SO BAD … but also hilarious. Sorry hon. That picture (not the actual incident – okay, yes, the actual incident) brings me joy, too.

The pen and ink drawing of a runner with an alligator behind him (Ted’s art) hangs in my bedroom … the dog toys strewn across the floor … the plaque hanging on the wall that reads “You are here” and the handmade clay pot holding my favorite Peperomia …

Those and so many small things bring me happiness (and glee, as well). When someone says don’t sweat the small stuff … I don’t. I cherish it … take it all in … enjoy the hell out of it and add it to my nest. And, the other part of the saying is … it’s all small stuff. I don’t know about that – but okay. I’ll bite. I’ll enjoy it all.

I have stickers on my darling little Fiat (Gus) … a llama that is so perfectly sweet looking … a stick figure T-Rex eating a stick figure family (I love that one!) … one about spreading kindness like glitter (cuz that shit gets everywhere) … that straws suck … the beautiful octopus on my gas tank cover, and one about telling your dog I say hi! I love them (and my car) … more small stuff. More joy.

I’m sitting in my living room – I’ve rearranged the furniture again. Tim used to say how happy he was that he wasn’t blind – cuz he’d go to bed and wake up to a different house. Lots of bruised shins for the unsuspecting. I’m listening to Mom Nature’s Bomb Cyclone blowing the leaves off the trees and howling through a few still open windows. I’m (once again) so glad I’m not out on a night like this … so thankful for my cozy home. I tried to take the guest poodle for a walk earlier, but it was just too windy … neither of us needed pine needles imbedded in our faces.

But, while this walk was abandoned, it brought to mind my walk from Friday evening. It was downright balmy – the calm before the storm. It was 70 degrees at 7pm – warmer than most of our summer days! It was luscious and lovely and I walked slowly down the cliff road – accumulating colorful leaves and tiny acorns, small pinecones and wormy windfall apples. My pockets bulging with treasures by the time I got home.

And on that walk, I watched an eagle soaring overhead … floating on the thermals along the cliff edge and I stopped to watch him. It was remarkable … he’d fly up over the meadow and then he’d head toward the cliff and just glide down … catch a draft and fly back over the meadow and do it again … and again … and again. And as I watched him do this over and over it made me think that it looked like he/she were sledding on an invisible snow hill … and I wondered … was this animal experiencing joy? It certainly seemed like it.

And it made me wonder – what animals play and have joy in their lives? I watched a video of an otter juggling a rock a week or so ago. They are playful creatures. Dogs, cats, birds, dolphins, chimps and apes … all play for fun or show happiness. Just knowing that that eagle was not just looking for dinner … warmed my heart.

Joy in the little things.

I am a nester and am surrounded by things that bring me joy – on a daily basis. The tin plate that holds the fat, furry, acorns from a Bur Oak gathered on a walk with my daughter last summer … photos of my kids (from some 30 years ago) … a cross-stitched pillow a (now gone) friend made for me … an ancient Underwood Noiseless typewriter that urges me on and reminds me how easy writing is on a laptop … and now, seasonally, I have bowls of leaves and berries and pumpkins here and there and a small, blobby, rubber skeleton named Buster reclining on my chaise. It’s the little things!

I’m off to give a cookies to the dogs – just mine here tonight – so, Bea and Annie will get a few extra. They bring me immeasurable joy – every day. I’ll be handing out candy in CO this year so I’ll miss putting the costumes on the dogs … I’m not sure they’re as unhappy about that as I am!

Wishing you a Happy Halloween … much seasonal and daily joy … and tell your dog I say hi!

October 20, 2021 … Wednesday (gray, wet, and blustery up on this NW island)

I watched Annie (my old lab) watching a fly the other day that was buzzing around her. She’s slow and lumbering and I was chuckling to myself that she didn’t have a chance in hell in getting that fly – until she did! I watched her snap and gobble. One chomp and that fly was history. Good girl!

I hate flies. Despise flies. There might be some good use for them but I can’t think of one. They’re icky, annoying, dirty, buzzy and when you squish them, their guts are just plain disgusting! So gross! So, one less fly, who am I to complain?

It made me think, though, that while I consider myself a very gentle person … would I hurt a fly? No – not consciously … but, yeah, I’d smash the living daylights out of one! I’d do it so quickly – he or she wouldn’t feel a thing! Here one minute/gone the next! No hurting involved!

I think back to when I was a kid … my brother was always running around with a butterfly net, nabbing some unsuspecting butterfly or moth or insecta minutiae out of the sky. I wonder how many hundreds of insects he wiped off the planet? Of course, we didn’t know about ecology and saving species, etc etc at the time … but my apologies to all those Monarchs, Tiger Swallowtails, Morning Glories, Japanese beetles and fireflies that ended up dying on an alcohol soaked cotton ball at the bottom of a jar … ending up on a cotton batting/mounted in a wall frame. Kind of gross to think about having dead insects framed in your home. Especially ones that you murdered yourself. But, it’s what was done.

Anyway – I digress. I am as guilty. How many flies and June bugs have I swatted or drowned? How many spiders (even though not “really” insects) have I smashed to smithereens? I hate to guess – but thousands, I’d imagine.

But how many others have I saved? I feed honey water to the fat bumblebees in early spring when they are all but goners … or how about the ones I’ve scooped out of the dog water bowl?

If I have a moth in the house – I capture it and release it outside. There was a beautiful emerald green one this summer on my screen door … so itty bitty and absolutely perfect. Teeny tiny circles dotted it’s miniature wings. It was a beautiful little thing. I opened the door and blew gently on it until it flew away.

When I lived in Illinois I had an old gas pipeline removed from the den. The house was pristine when I moved in (can’t say the same for when I moved out) … and nary a bug or spec of dirt in the place. Except for that one Rhinoceros beetle! If you’ve never seen one, look it up. They are a good-sized (this one was about an inch long) with an armored body/exoskeleton and a horn (akin to a rhino’s) atop it’s head/snout. They are harmless but look really scary with their barbed and creepy legs! This particular Oryctes rhinoceros was living in said gas pipe and when the gas guy removed the pipe – out plopped this beetle! I scooped him up in a Tupperware container and took him outside to show my 3 year old neighbor and to afterwards deposit said bug in the park (well, actually, it was a cemetery but that story is for another day). But, before I could get him into the container, this little monster stood on his hind legs and waved his other four at me – begging for a fight! Egad, bud – chill out – I’m saving your life!

I can’t say the same thing about the June bug (many of millions that summer) who flew at me while I read out on the patio. I swatted it and it veered off somewhere … actually, drowning in my glass of iced tea. I didn’t know where it went until I picked up my glass for a sip sometime later. Needless to say – I went inside after that!

When in college I took an Entomology class (the branch of zoology focused on the study of insects). I loved it! It also didn’t hurt that I think I had a crush on the teacher and had a little background in it (all those killings as a child!). Sadly, the only thing I remember from that class is the latin/scientific name for bedbug … Cimex Lectularius. Weird.

While on our honeymoon in Hawaii, we were on an architectural tour of the city (I know – what geeks!). I remember standing on the grounds of the Iolani Palace of King Kamehameha and I looked down and on the top of my shoe sat a 4″ walking stick (Anisomorpha buprestoides … say that 3x fast!). I’d seen several in my lifetime and so didn’t panic, but continued on our tour with a 6-legged stow-away along for the ride and the rest of the tour group none the wiser.

I have a friend who has witnessed the return of the Monarchs in the south … millions of them. She “grows” them … getting little baby butterfly caterpillars and feeding them milkweed and keeping them safe as they grow and munch and eventually make their crysalises and fly the proverbial (and real) coop. She is a butterfly farmer of sorts and I admire her wherewithal and dedication to this endangered species.

As for me – I’ll rescue insects (some) and plant flowers for them to feed on – outside – but if they’re in my house – they are in MY domain and are, in all likelihood, goners!

My oldest friend (as in years I’ve known her not in age) had a chocolate lab years ago, Frango. A naughty, naughty dog but particularly endearing (if she wasn’t yours). In the summertime, she’d eat her fill of whatever insects she could gobble up but her favorites (possibly because they were so slow and big) were the cicadas. She’d eat dozens of them a day and by evening throw back up a huge pile of body parts and iridescent wings. I laugh every time I think of that … but I wasn’t the one picking this grossness up all the time!

There aren’t many insects up this way – except for spiders which Orkin takes care of for me and flies – which, apparently, Annie takes care of for me! So, is said … all good on the western front. At least, bug-wise!

Wishing you a lovely day … birds singing, bees buzzing (don’t kill them – we need them!) … and tonight when you go to bed I hope you sleep tight and don’t let the Cimices lectularia bite!

October 7, 2021 ~ Thursday (sunny, puffy clouds, blue skies – a rarity here)

“Purpose is the reason you journey. Passion is the fire that lights your way.”

I have that saying written on my bedroom wall. I wake up to that every morning. It’s certainly a nice way to start my day.

Last night we had a thunderstorm!!!! I’m using a lot of exclamation points because in the seven years I’ve been here, I think we’ve had eight claps of thunder … including last night’s three! Woohoo! It was a good downpour made even better with some thunder!

However, lab Annie, didn’t think so. Apparently, she’s not a fan of thunderstorms.

I was fishing about through my online files and thought I’d share a few things today. Yesterday was a rough day. I cried all afternoon – for a “kid” I never knew and will never know. But, to me, the news “hit home” as he stood for all of our adult “kids” … our children, our nephews and nieces, our friends’ adult children. This mid 30 year old was someone my daughter knew back in her college days. He moved/life happens/blah blah blah … but they reconnected a year or so ago. He was a youth hockey coach. He owned his own construction company up in Aspen. He sounded like a nice guy.

And, after six weeks in a coma in a Denver area hospital with Covid-19 … he died.

Just like that. One week a strapping mid-30 year old good guy … and the next, unfathomable anguish and heartbreak for his family and friends and poof … he’s a memory. He was not vaccinated. And that made me think of all the “kids” his age that I know, that my kids know, that are the children of my good friends or my kids’ best friends and I collectively grieved. This age group thinks they are immune by just being who they are/how old they are. I think it’s the “I’m fine/”it” won’t happen to me.” attitude. I don’t know but it breaks my heart. Thirty year olds should not die from a virus. And yet he did … and many more have and many more will as well unless precautions are taken – masking/distancing/vaccines. Tell your friends … this could have been anyone.

I didn’t know this guy … yet his passing made me take stock and remind myself that life is fragile. It is to be treasured – every hour of every day we breathe … it’s a sacred gift. How lightly and for granted some of us take it. How arrogant we are in our assumptions that it will go on – forever. We all know that’s not true – but live like it is anyway.

So, when I was up in my office, I unearthed some past writings and here is something that kind of hit home for me … an idea for a book that I wrote eons ago …

Things I Know for Sure:

• When you think you have life all planned out … you don’t. (YOUR plan is never THE plan.)

• Life can change in an instant. (As in a nanosecond.)

• Worrying is useless. (Spend your energy on doing something about what bothers you.) 

• What you think about you bring about. (“If you think you can’t – you are right.” – Henry Ford) 
  

• Believe all things are possible. (If you don’t try – it will never happen.)

• What you send out to others will come back to you. (Good or bad. And, we all know karma’s a bitch.)

• Manners matter. Be polite. Say thank you. Help others. (It’s never wasted.)

• Smile – it increases your face value. (Even when you don’t feel like it – it’ll make you feel better and it might just make someone else’s day.)

• Be thankful for unanswered prayers. (How many times have we realized that?!)

• Wisdom doesn’t always come with age – but life. (Thank you to the 100 year olds with a lifetime of experiences and four year old cancer survivors who are wise beyond their years from what they have faced.)

• Doing good deeds makes life better. (Always.)

• Experiences are underrated. (Sometimes the only way to know is to do.)

• Love with wild abandon. (Not just baby animals and ice cream.)

• Do your best in whatever you do. (You may not win or succeed … but you’ll know you gave it your all. There is satisfaction in knowing that!)

• Donate. (Your time, efforts, possessions, money, hair … whatever! Do it!)

• Live life with intention. (We are never guaranteed a next breath.)

There is a saying, “The Past is behind us. The Future is ahead and uncertain. Today is a gift – that’s why it’s called the Present.” Cheesy – but true.

Go make today a good day – fill it with passion, purpose and intention. Sprinkle kindness and love like it was glitter – that shit gets everywhere!

This I know for sure.

October 5, 2021 ~ Tuesday (gray/heavy skies/wind advisory … aka: a normal day)

Happy October! I’m a few days late in my monthly salutation … my intentions were good/my actions were lagging. This month is one of my favorites … and as much as I like it, I really ONLY like it when it is actually October. Living in the NW, pretty much any month (aside from July and maybe August) feel like this month – over and over and over again.

I never really know what month it is here … are their pumpkins marching down my front porch steps? No? Then it’s not late Sept/Oct or November … even though the temps/skies/and everything else might belie that thinking.

Up here, on this rock, it’s “October” for about 9 months of the year … maybe 10. This past year (thank you global warming) we had a lovely warmer (not hot – except for that HOT long weekend) summer that lingered (most days) through September. It was nice.

I really love October with the leaves changing and the pumpkins and gourds and the rusts, cranberry, and mustard colors all around … it’s exceptionally nice when it actually arrives.

We are pretty green up here still … a few trees are donning their autumnal gowns but for the most part, due to the severe dry summer, the trees are stressed and probably will just drop their leaves without much color change or fanfare. Too bad. My dinner plate maple is loaded with clusters of tan whirlybird seed pods … they must not be ready to fly yet because with the winds we are having, I’m surprised they are not flying off the tree up to Alaska already.

I drove up island the other day … thinking it would be nice to take a drive, get a coffee, grab a few groceries. It was a sunny day with bluebird skies … I didn’t think it would take me nearly 4 hours. But, Annie (lab) was with me and she was happy because she scored a handful of chicken nuggets from Burger King (surprisingly tasty – for us both!) … and she got to get away from the house. We haven’t been to the beach lately – too cold/wet and she’s been limping more than usual – walking is now only short jaunts. I’m considering buying a turtle to take her on her walks she is so slow!

Today is one of those days … my daughter chipped her tooth on her coffee mug and lost a contact on her bike ride … I tried to flip a stray hair out of my eyes and gouged my forehead with an unusually (for me) long nail and now look like I’m Triclops. I’m off to lunch soon with a friend and hope I don’t spill my soup into my lap or that my house hasn’t blown away before my return (or after). I’m also hoping the power stays on.

Yesterday I was looking back on some of my past year’s October posts. I read the one from last year and am so thankful we are post-Trump (as much as we are but don’t get me started on all the crap going on) however, Covid is still a nightmare. You’d think we’d be better off than this now!

Here is the start of the post from a year ago … sadly things have changed so drastically … yet stayed so much the same:

“October 3, 2020 – Saturday (Covid-19 running rampant = nearly 7.4 million cases in US w/209,000 dead, wildfires still raging, election going off the rails, you name it … )

It’s been a week.

And that’s putting it mildly.

If the best part of the week was me swallowing my temporary crown … yeah, it’s been one for the books. Read on!

We are now at nearly 7.4 million Covid-19 cases in the US with more than 209,000 deaths. Worldwide there are nearly 35 million cases and 1,000,000 deaths. Disgusting. Upsetting. Completely heartbreaking.”

Today, October 5, 2021 … we are now past 44, 781,000 cases in the US with nearly 725,000 people having died in this country from Covid-19. And the numbers continue to rise. More than half a million MORE than a year ago. Worldwide there have been more than 219 million cases with nearly 5 million deaths. The medical community is now saying that over 200,000 deaths here in the US have occurred SINCE the vaccines were available. The vaccines don’t guarantee 100% prevention from getting the virus (there are still chances of breakthough cases) – you need to still do your part. However, if you do get it, you’ll have a much milder case, probably won’t need hospitalization and you won’t die. Why is this still such an issue?

From last year … “The wildfires continue raging making this “fire season” in the western US (OR/CA/WA) the worst in at least 70 years. I don’t know the size of an acre but I can visualize how big a football field is … and in these states, to date, over 5.7 MILLION football fields of homes, businesses, forests and land have gone up in flames. That is roughly the same size of the state of New Jersey. What is left is a blackened landscape of charred dreams, towns and wilderness. Aside from the horrific personal tragedies of people and lives lost and all the animals and wildlife lost … and complete towns being decimated … the air quality has been, at times, the worst on the planet and the drinking water supplies are now having issues meaning health issues for all in these states as well as across the globe.”

And … this year has been worse. The fires in the west (CA/WA/OR/MT/ID and BC) have outpaced those from last year’s historic “fire season”. And, yes, “fire season” is now a real term.

Schools are opening and realizing that they are incubators for this virus. Elementary schools to universities are fighting hard to come to terms with a new normal for this school year … just as they did for last year. However, the virus is hitting kids. As of last week 64% of the new cases were in children under the age of 19. Astounding. And people balk at wearing a mask and social distancing and vaccinations.

Businesses continue to be closed or have closed permanently or are suffering because they cannot get workers to work. This virus has been so hard on so many.

Mask and vaccination mandates are in effect for some states and agencies … but we need more done.

When I wrote this last year the election was just around the corner – god am I glad that is over (and I used the term “over” lightly in light of all that has happened since). New voter restriction laws are taking shape in 16 states and continue to plague the voting process with venomous spewing from the Ex-President, himself, concerning voter and ballot fraud, a rigged election, and his continuation in office. A year later all this shit continues. Stupid is as stupid does.

So, it’s been a year … and most of it was spent in weather that was like today … mid 50s/on and off rain/wind/gray skies … perpetual October.

More of the same coming tomorrow.

Except now I have those pumpkins marching down my steps and I know it’s really October.

September 27, 2021 ~ Monday morning (gusty and gray outside)

I’m tired. 106 dog sits (166 including my own dogs) this past month have done me in!

Once again, this is not the blog post I was thinking of writing yesterday – not the one I was thinking about while at my friend’s memorial … but it’s the one that is bubbling out of me today. Things change … yet, in this instance, things have so disappointingly, stayed the same … or have gotten worse.

I am disappointed in my peers, family, friends, neighbors and fellow countrymen. Not everyone – but if you’re not doing what it takes to be part of the solution – then you are part of the problem.

Covid-19.

This has been going on since March of 2020 (or thereabouts) and here we are 18 months later and people are still being foolish, rebellious, selfish and well … stupid. But, why am I surprised?

I’m not liking the American public (generally) at the moment. How and when did we get so stupid?

Seriously.

I’ve been in the educational arena – perhaps peripherally at times – for most of my life. I went to school/s until I graduated from college when I was 22 years old. So, do the math … 17 years of education. I took night classes (for fun) when I also worked 2-3 jobs after I moved to Colorado. Less than 10 years after I last sat in a classroom, I was back again as a mom of a kindergartener. And for the next 24 years I was, one way or another, associated/affiliated/injected into and a part of the local school scene … room parent/advisor/some board or another/student/chairperson/president/association or committee member/special something/tutor/substitute teacher … you name it, I pretty much did it.

I know that my education platform was different than the ones my kids got – theirs was much more tech-focused. I know that my education platform was so very different than my parents’. But somewhere along the way – I have to think that my parents got a far broader/more encompassing/deeper and richer education than either I or my kids got … and we’re talking about education in the 1930s and ’40s.

I know they didn’t have all the technology back then – but their studies were, if nothing else, rigorous. I know nothing of mythology, classic lit or music, or actual history. I never had to take an accounting or economy class. And still, I flew through my early years, was an honor student in high school, placed out of basic classes in college. I always got As and Bs (except for those geometry/trig classes!) … but I feel I know nothing!

It might not be necessary in today’s age to know how to diagram sentences … but my mom can do it with any sentence you give her. It’s astounding and so impressive! I’m lucky I can identify an adverb … forget about passive voice and dangling participles or prepositional phrases or modifiers! Egad. At times, I wish I knew about these things but I never learned them and now? I am not that turned on by them to find out! I could (and probably should) but I’d like to use these brain cells (at least at the moment) on other things.

My own lack of knowledge of English comp aside, somewhere along the way, sometime in the ’90s, I remember thinking that I was witnessing the “dumbing down of America”. It was bothersome. What used to be taught in 3rd grade was now being taught in 5th – or not at all. Cursive writing was an after thought (even back then!). The science fairs were mere poster boards along with colored carnations or potatoes growing vines. No real science! I had a conversation with one teacher who told me if my son got additional/higher course work – that he’d know too much. I remember staring at her and wondering how that was even possible?!

What was also bothersome, at that time, were the “Participation Trophies” that everyone had to purchase for every team and every sport that their kid was active in. It went against my nature to reward kids for playing a sport and just being part of a team. What happened with rewarding skills and cooperation? Who started that “trophies for all” shit?! Hard work was no longer really necessary. Teamwork – eh! Winning – why put in all that effort! Good sportsmanship – what was that? All kids, regardless of ranking, were going home with a trophy. I’m sorry – life’s just not like that! None of us leave here with a participation trophy or medal around our necks. You have to EARN what you get.

And, right now – I believe we are getting what we earned. What we deserve. And that is this country is a pathetic, disgusting mess. There are no trophies here. We’ve voted in politicians who are far more concerned about keeping their jobs than doing their jobs. Some of us are following people who lie about everything and what they spout out is taken as the truth. Conspiracy theories, politicizations, so much screaming that no one knows what anyone is saying anymore. How did we get so angry? How did we get to be lemmings? The winds through the trees might be just wind – or it might be our ancestors groaning their disgust. How did we get to be such a mess?

I don’t know if it’s the political mayhem that has been the norm for the past 5 years … or the blind eye that has been around for centuries … or if it stems from people’s (lack of) educational backgrounds or broken family units or from watching our political leaders lie and cheat their way up the ladder or from seeing sports figures and entertainment icons making zillions of dollars for chasing a ball … or all those that have “made it big” without putting in the time/effort … or all the crap that is fed to us via 24/7 media input/output … but we are missing something here. Collectively, we have become so selfish and so blind to what is real … what is needed … what is necessary. “All for one and one for all” is no longer a thing. It’s me for me – me, myself and I. What happened to the Common Good? What happened to the spirit of Community? What happened to the Golden Rule? What happened to common decency, integrity, empathy and compassion?

When did people stop caring, listening, helping … THINKING?

How many accidents happen because someone follows their GPS signal when it tells them to take a left turn – off a bridge? How many kids were scuttled through the educational systems (on points for bringing pencils to class) just so they didn’t have to be around another year? How many graduated not knowing how to read? How many believe the insanity that is spoon-fed them because they were never allowed, told or shown how to think on their own? How many believe the lies because the hate-speak makes them feel empowered or like they are not alone in their deranged thinking? How many think truth is whatever is spoken or written, seen, heard or projected? How many blame others for what is wrong here without looking inward to the responsibility that is ALL of ours?

Currently, we (the US) have tallied nearly 43 million cases of Covid-19. Nearly 689,000 Americans have died in the last 18 months. Horrific stats that, seemingly, no longer really bother people. A year ago when we were told 500,000 deaths might happen, we were appalled. Now? We have become complacent to this on-going horror. This is the worst, most fatal pandemic in our history and we now have the means to squash it … and people still do not take those steps to do so. WHY? Over 2000 people a day are DYING from this virus. STILL. And now, with the vaccines – that is so avoidable. WHY are people not acting on this? Studies show that wearing a mask, washing up, keeping your physical distance all help with stemming the virus … and getting the vaccine pretty much guarantees you will not get sick and if you have a break-through case, you will not die.

Are we lazy? Tired? Overwhelmed? Stubborn? Or are we just that stupid?

I hate to think that, but I do. I have a friend who says it’s “media’s fault”. REALLY? Since when did we give our brain function over to media – social or otherwise? Do we no longer think for ourselves? Do we not trust in science? Since when is everything politically based, biased and agenda’d? Use your brains, people – our children are getting SICK … some are dying. KIDS! OUR KIDS! This is outrageous!

This all makes me crazy, nuts, bonkers … because it is so simple to abate. Keep yourselves, your family, your kids, your neighbors and community safe and healthy – do your part!

This past week I’ve been walking earlier at night as it’s been getting darker (so much) sooner each evening. That means, I’m home and eating dinner at a different time and I’ve discovered the History Channel’s programming of “Cities of the Underworld”. It’s fabulous – if you’re looking for something amazingly informative, chilling, creepy, educational, and/or enlightening – tune in!

And, what has been my take away from watching these mere eight shows of history? I know so little! And, humankind is/has been so awful … generally speaking! No matter when – no matter where … humanity has been cruel and devious and ugly!

These shows revolved around life underground – the underbellies of society. The nefarious doings and dealings of criminals and businessmen since the dawn of time … or at least the last 5000 years. It explained how a trap door in a western saloon would make an unsuspecting patron an oarsman on a slave ship to China – thousands of men each year. Human trafficking in the 1800s (and even still) was a big business. Russia would take over entire towns (in the 1960s even) and everyone within those walls were then owned by the government – say goodbye to life as you knew it. You were now (pretty much) a government slave laborer. In other places, if you were in the wrong place – you’d be shot/questions asked later. Human sacrifices … floods … hundreds of years of famine, disease, drought and peril. I watched programs where people were going about what then was “daily life” wearing gas masks. It was all so enlightening and horrifying!

And, it made me feel terribly fortunate … and terribly sad. We have it so easy. SO EASY! We live in a time when anything we want is basically at our fingertips. ANYTHING. You want to know how big a kangaroo joey is at birth? Look it up on the internet (about the size of a grape!). You want music? Turn on your phone, radio, computer, tv, or talk to Alexa. You want take out? Call a restaurant and have it delivered! You want more education? Go online/get started! You want a job? There are plenty. And yet – people fritter their lives away being complacent, selfish, lazy, stupid … or all of those.

And, here we Americans are – living relatively lovely lives compared to SO many others around this globe – and instead of improving our lives and mankind – we put energy into protesting things that will help save our lives and keep each other safe and happy and healthy and thriving. What a stupid lot. People would rather risk their children’s health and safety and their lives than wash up, physically distance and wear a mask – not a heavy, metal gas mask but a nice, soft piece of cotton over their mouth and nose. And now, we have the vaccines and only 56% of our country are fully vaccinated. Children now account for nearly one-fourth of all new cases. It’s astounding … and disturbing … and pathetic.

I don’t know how we can stop this downward spiral and all the rantings about this being unjust and politically charged … media input or not … but people have to start thinking again. How do we get our neighbors to use their brains? Get more education – on anything? How do we go forward with more hope?

I guess we have to keep talking … keep trying to get the good messages out there. Do something positive every day. Help your neighbor – help yourself. Get a shot. Wear your mask. Be nice. Be smarter. Be good. Be BETTER.

September 10, 2021 ~ Friday

I sat down to write a totally different blog piece today. It’s gray and cool out – very autumnal. I look out my dining window and see my (badly needing pruning) maple – branches heavy under the weight of so many whirly-bird “helicopter” seed pods. They are turning brown … and soon they will flutter down and cover my lawn and clog my mower.

Last night was luscious. I walked the cliff under a cotton candy sky … striped pink and baby blue. My 9000 steps carrying me home past deer, bunnies, too many slugs to mention (so gross), and one kitty who walked with me for a bit – meowing the whole way. Nothing like a little kitty cat chat! It was nearly 70 when I walked back through my gate in the increasing darkness. The cobalt skies seemed to arrive sooner each night this week … last night it was dark by 8:15.

But, that post – the one I was pondering while on my walk – will have to wait because today I realized that I have written 500 blog posts! While I am thrilled and surprised by that achievement, part of me thinks that number should be more as I did start out challenging myself to write every day for a year … making that a good 365 posts. And in all these years since I’ve only posted another 135? That doesn’t seem right … but I guess it is!

So, I’m thinking of all things 500 … and here are a few things that pertain to that number.

The big 500 … or “D” if we were using Roman numerals. Seems funny to have one letter for such a big number. Which got me thinking about – who still uses Roman numerals? Are they all that common? There are only a handful of them – so, why haven’t I memorized them and their combinations? (I = 1, V= 5, X = 10, L = 50, C = 100, D = 500, M = 1000.) If you see XIX that is the number 19 … 10 + (10-1). Apparently, around 1300 a.d. Roman numerals were replaced by the Hindu-Arabic numbers that are used today. But, you can still see those fancy antiquated numerals still carved into building cornerstones and used in movie credits and titles. They are also used in names of monarchs, popes, ships and sporting events (think the Olympics or the Super/Puppy Bowl) as well as being used in chemistry to denote groups of the Periodic Table and in the field of astronomy to designate moons.

The Indy 500 is an automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway which is in (oddly enough) Speedway, IN. It is usually held Memorial Day weekend/the last weekend in May. The 200-lap, 500 mile race is on a 2.5 mile oval race circuit. It was built in 1909 at the cost of $3 million ($86 million in today’s money), covers 560 acres and is the largest (and probably the noisiest) sports venue in the world. The venue is nicknamed “The Brickyard” because the original surface of the track was paved in bricks. This year was the Indy’s 105th race.

The number 500 is also what is known as an “Angel Number”. (I don’t make this stuff up!) It represents a combination of energies and attributes that symbolize major life changes related to the process of one’s spiritual development.

In numerology, it also signifies change of cycles and phases in your life, endings of important things and situations, and making space for new ones … as well as potential and new/fortunate opportunities, adaptability, resourcefulness, freedom, independence, adventure, learning lessons from experience, wholeness and making significant decisions and choices. It is also a sign of intelligence and creativity. Number 500 also promotes the courage and personal freedom to live and serve your soul mission as your intuition and inner-knowing dictates.

Hmm … maybe I’m onto something here!

Mathematically, the #500 is an even composite number composed of two prime numbers multiplied together. And if you want to be impressed even more with my mathematical prowess … it has twelve divisors.

500 seconds is equal to 8 minutes and 20 seconds. To count from 1 to 500 would take you about half that time. 500 hours is almost 21 days. 500 days comprise 16.5 months and 500 months equal about 41.7 years. 500 years are 5 centuries.

Roughly 500 gumballs fit into an average gumball machine. (Get out your pennies!)

The $500 bill, which is no longer in circulation, has President William McKinley’s face on it. The $500 bill dates to 1918 and was in use for 50 years until 1968 when it was discontinued for (surprise, surprise) lack of use/need!

The common commercial laying hen lays about 500 eggs every two years.

The Nigersaurus (an ancient sauropod that looked strangely akin to a platypus – in a cute, reptilian way) was discovered in the Republic of Niger (hence the name). It had 500 teeth that were stored, in vertical columns, in its muzzle at the front of its mouth. Each tooth lasted only about two weeks before a replacement moved into place! Something like a Pez dispenser – dino-style!

There are approximately 500 species of beetles … creepy crawlies, one and all. Well, except the ladybug who is a sweet and darling little insect and a good garden dweller.

This year in history … 500 years ago:

The 12th Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Jiajing, came into power. He apparently, was not a likable guy, and his mistresses plotted an assassination against him – it failed. He lived but they were all executed. However, he later died of mercury poisoning – which he drank in a quest for eternal life. (Hmm, beware idiots as it sounds vaguely familiar to the Lysol and ivermectin “medical” treatments for Covid-19!)

Spanish conquistador, Hernan Cortez brought down the last of the Aztec Empire, tortured the Emperor and ultimately had him executed because he failed to produce treasures and gold. Brutal!

Historians believe that Catherine Howard was born this year. She ultimately became King Henry VIII’s fifth wife at the ripe old age of 17 or so. He was 50. Gross me out. She was found to have had other lovers and was (like her cousin, Ann Boleyn) beheaded.

And who can ever forget about Ferdinand Magellan – the explorer we all learned about in 4th grade. He was the originator of the journey to circumnavigate the globe. His crew finished the trip after he died – being killed in a battle – prior to the journey’s completion and arrival back in Spain.

I’m seeing a very gruesome and bloody past here. Yuck!

On a lighter note – there are roughly 500 seeds in a packet of zucchini seeds! No wonder when you plant one packet you get enough zukes to feed an army! I’m making oven fried zukes right now!

And with that – I just walked into the kitchen to check on the zukes and the clock on the range read 5:00! How coincidental. Another 500! Time to feed me and the dogs.

Here’s to (maybe) another 500 blog posts! Go Lobster!

September 4, 2021 ~ early Saturday morning (flanked by dogs/in bed)

Warning: don’t read this while eating!

It’s early (for me) on this Saturday morning. The sun has barely appeared in the eastern sky and the fan is drawing cool air into my room/wafting over me and critters. I don’t want to get up but I need to get these words out. I don’t usually write from bed – but today that is warranted. I’ve got six dogs here and I’m flanked by three of them – all nestled, somehow, under or atop my comforters and bed linens and it’s just too cozy to get out of this cocoon of dog warmth and yumness. Everyone’s been out – even the blind/deaf one. On my way back from the yard, I grabbed my laptop as we all jumped back into bed. Ahh … so nice!

So – here I am … amidst snoring dogs and coziness thinking about … poop.

Yeah, me … the one who can barely muster the verbalization of the word without gagging. I didn’t go into the medical field because well, I just can’t handle body fluids. Of any kind. Spit, pee, poop, blood, vomit, pus (ugh) … NO. CAN. DO.

Or as what is on my mind today … NO. CAN. DOO-DOO.

I love dogs. I do; but when you take care of a whole herd of them – there isn’t much to be said about all of their “leavings” except … what a load of crap! 

In my opinion, it’s the worst part of owning an animal … definitely the worst part of taking care of other people’s fur babies. But, as with all living things … they ingest and ultimately, they have to get rid of that intake. We all do. So, why does it always sound so awful and why is it such a taboo topic?

Maybe cuz it’s just gross! Honestly, I hate it. I hate thinking about it. I hate talking about it. I hate picking up the yard. It’s disgusting. But, every living thing does this process. I just wish we could come up with a better term for it. (I am a wordie, after all – one would think I could come up with some nicer word for it!)

When my kids were little, potty-training was the bane of my existence. Truly. If there was ever an “accident” – I’d throw out the underpants instead of washing them out. If it was worse … the whole ensemble went into the garbage, too. I didn’t care. I wasn’t going to deal with that … well … crap!

As people age they seem to get more comfortable in the topic of all things poop related. My grandfather said 17 words to me (well, so it seemed) in the time we shared air on this Earth … but he had NO problem and was never tongue-tied about his daily doings. (I could almost throw up now thinking about it – but that would be another body fluid I can’t tolerate!) We’d be at the Sunday dinner table – the table heavy with dishes/a feast fit for royalty (Grandma had been cooking all day) and out of the blue Grandpa would say, “Buck, I had a BM today.” Gee – thanks for sharing Grandpa, and please pass the mashed potatoes. UGH.

My dad never spoke of his own personal eliminations (sounds like a game or reality show happening – who gets eliminated on tonight’s episode?). But the man used that one cuss word freely. Maybe a few damns or hells along the way – but mostly dad was a crap man. (And maybe that’s why I’m thinking about this now – this week it’ll be three years since his passing and since I last heard him utter … “That’s a load of crap!” Sigh.)

My mom (sorry mom) throws around the words “bowel movements” as easily as if we’re talking about what’s on TV or the day’s weather forecast. I’d rather be talking of puppies, my kids, or flower-filled meadows instead. I can’t stand it. (My sister is equally squeamish and hears this all much more than I do.)

And, maybe it is an age thing … cuz here I am … sitting in bed, thinking about all things poop and WRITING about them. WTF?! All of a sudden I feel I’ve turned a page in the age journal! Not good.

In any case … what got me thinking of this is that this summer has been busy. As in B.U.S.Y. with dogs and feedings and tossing sticks, balls and stuffies and well, all their “leavings”. In July I booked 81 days of daily doggy care. That’s a lot of dogs and meals and well, eliminations. I’m looking at my upcoming month and I’ve got 6-8 dogs here each day for the next week or so. Do (or doo-doo) the math on that one. Ugh. If there was a Poop Van Scoop business here on the island, I would have hired them for these summer months. Truly. My daughter used to hire a service to clean her yard when she had Brutus, her 182 lb. Great Dane/St. Bernard mix. Best $30 spent a month – EVER!

So, here I am, snuggled in thinking about a better word choice for all things poop. I have to because, unfortunately, I have clients/dog owners asking me about their sweet fur babies and their eliminations … which is a hard topic for me … and a better word choice would be easier on me. Too much poop talk could lead to puking – and puking is never a good thing – and on a client would be even worse! I don’t need these gut reactions all the time. (Even though – one would beg to differ as I’m still writing about it!)

What words could I replace for the dreaded crap word? And I’m just talking normal BM’s – not the dreaded “Big D” (diarrhea – which is bad enough but why does it have to be so hard to spell?!).

What else could I use instead of … poop, poo, dung, logs, dump, pile, doo-doo, droppings, leavings, eliminations, bowel movements/BMs, shit, poo-poo, potty, turds, doody, defecation, excrement, scat, waste … (and my all time favorite)… feces?

Sadly, I can’t come up with something less gross. There’s no really good, nice-sounding, prettied-up word for it. When it comes down to it – trying to make it sound any better is really … just a load of crap.

September 1st, 2021 ~ Wednesday (cool and sunny on this NW island)

Merely two blog posts ago I said that in a blink of an eye it would be September.

Guess what?!

I returned home late (late!) Monday night from a little trip to CO this past weekend … a six day trip always sounds like a good amount of time to be away. (More than plenty of time – I think!) But when two of those days each consist of 12 hours of travel (from/to and back again) … those four full days go by in a blink of an eye.

Just like this summer has.

Wasn’t it JUST May? I was getting ready to go on my trip down south. I was excited to get my second vaccine. The whole summer lay before me. Seriously – where did it go?

Blink. Blink. Gone!

I came home from that trip mid-June and I turned around, took a breath, and it was late August. Crazy! In the time I was gone (this trip) I was (mostly) removed from the news and pretty much anything else. I went rogue and didn’t take my laptop this time around and I was sort of unplugged. It was nice. I needed a break. If aliens had landed somewhere on the planet, I’m pretty sure I would have been oblivious to their arrival.

What I did notice, though, when I got back home was the arrival of Autumn. Amazing what changes a few days away will bring.

I’m ready though. I’ve now been up in the NW for over 7 years (omg) … and I’ve adjusted to the temps. I’m still not a fan (even with this being our warmest summer that I can remember) … but the time I spent in Denver was practically an assault on my system. It was HOT! In any location, this body is not meant to be in 90-100 degree temps. I just don’t do well. I loved the balmy evenings but those are only possible when the days are steamy or scorching. The daytimes I could have done without! And, as much as I wanted to stay and see friends/family more … I was glad to get back to my bed and the coolness of home.

It is the summer’s great last heat, It is the fall’s first chill: They meet.  – Sarah Morgan Bryan Piatt

I know that fall doesn’t actually begin, according to the calendar, for another 3 weeks (September 22nd) but according to MY calendar … September/October and November comprise what is Autumn and so, here we are. And, it sure feels fall-esque to me today. It got down to 48 degrees last night … and today’s high was 68. Balmy in the afternoon but that fall chill was present this morning.

Autumn days come quickly, like the running of a hound on the moor.
–Irish proverb

To me, fall has begun but it officially occurs in a measly three weeks (another blink of an eye). It is then that we’ll be observing the autumnal equinox. The word “equinox” comes from Latin aequus, meaning “equal,”and nox, meaning “night.” On the date of the equinox, day and night are roughly equal in length. Roughly – except in the northern regions where it’s still light out later. (It is also the day when my neighbors dance (naked) around a pole in someone’s backyard. Or maybe that is solstice. Thankfully, I’ve missed these events.)

In any case – it’s feeling autumnal and I’m watering my front lawn and flower beds hoping to revive my plants and lawn. We have had 2-3 rain showers since May and it is hideously dry – even for our summer drought standards. Driving home from the grocery store today I noticed the first colors of autumn that have popped up on various trees.

In the blink of an eye.

I took yesterday and today “off” … no guest dogs and just luxuriated in wearing a sweater and being with my dogs. I continue to get the hero’s welcome whenever I come in from moving the sprinkler around or out of the bathroom. It’s nice to know I was missed and that I am loved by my sweet furry creatures. I’ve been doing all those post-vacay chores and lazing around. I even got caught up on some of my recorded shows and news programs. This slower pace has been nice especially after the craziness of oh-so-many furry and human guests that I hosted over the summer months. I feel like these days have been a gentle slide into the new season and it is most welcome.

I’m now going up to the attic to pull down all things autumnal. My favorite season means I decorate early and leave everything up until the Monday after Thanksgiving. Especially splendid! I’d never do well living in Australia … all things fall fill up my soul and all the browns, rusts, and cranberry colors just wouldn’t be the same during spring! I can’t wear bifocals because I’d be falling down all over the place – my brain doesn’t adjust that way. I just can’t imagine it trying to figure out the opposite seasons “down under”.

And, thank god for the changing of seasons because the thought of bringing out my fall decs heralded an hour of dusting every surface in the house today. Don’t ever give me the white glove test – unless it’s at the beginning of a new season. Otherwise, I’d flunk!

I picked up a bouquet of dahlias and zinnias from the local farm on my way home today … deep reds, mustards, magentas and orange … the colors of the seasons – mixed together so beautifully. Goodbye Summer – I’m so ready for fall.

Tonight I’ll put on a cozy coat and walk the cliff. I’ll count the deer and bunnies and see what else has changed, even subtly, in my short absence. I know I’ll see or feel a difference.

Happy (almost) Autumn! It came in the blink of an eye!

August 22, 2021 ~ Sunday night

The house is quiet. I love it like this. There is nary a whisper or breeze outside … just the slight tick of a clock and the soft puff of breath from a slumbering lab … that I can hear. The dogs are all sleeping. The lamps are dimmed and there is a candle lit. There is a certain glow at this hour … soft and cozy. The house is completely still – as if a warm blanket has been draped upon us. It’s lovely.

It was another crazy/hectic/fur-filled week/end. I had 8 dogs for the last few days which entailed (no pun intended) a lot of dog meals and pats, cuddles and corralling, throwing of sticks and balls, cleaning up messes, and so much juggling between the big and small, young and old.

And as I sit here looking back on all of it, I feel so very grateful, once again, that I am living the life of Riley.

And then I get to wondering … who the heck is this Riley? And why do we think he has or had such a great life? Why do we aspire to have a life such as his? Why don’t we aspire to live the life of Gwendolyn, Arrabella or perhaps … Simon? Why this Riley fellow?

Apparently, the American idiom living the life of Riley first appeared in the early 1900s. Somewhere along the way, an urban myth of sorts began around a certain fabricated gentleman named Mr. Riley who lived a lovely and carefree lifestyle – free of any concerns. People who lived a life such as that – aka: the easy life – became known as those who were living the life of Riley.

So, yeah … I guess one could say I live such a life. And one could say that MOST of the people I know also do. Oh sure, we all have our woes … financial worries, some health concerns (ailments or even serious illnesses), loneliness, aging issues, family or relationship problems, heartbreak, etc … but very, very few of any of the people I know directly or indirectly know what a hard life is.

I know of three people who have lost homes to natural disasters. Three. They all survived those terrifying and trying ordeals. But, other than those women, I don’t know anyone whose home was ravaged by a forest fire … covered in lava … reduced to rubble by an earthquake … or washed away by a flood. I don’t know anyone who has had to leave their children unattended and take three buses to get to their second job just to try to make ends meet. I don’t know anyone who is beaten on a daily basis (or at all) or who worries about their safety. I don’t know anyone who is hungry. I don’t know anyone who has had to leave their home and the only country they’ve known, with a bag of their worldly possessions (if they are that fortunate to have even that), waiting for days – hoping to be evacuated to safety and a new life – anywhere – where they know no one nor speak the native language.

I watch TV and the images of Haiti are haunting – again. The ones of Afghanistan are gut wrenchingly heartbreaking. I can’t even imagine such hardship. I lead such an easy life.

And yet … I grumble. Oh, I had too many dogs this week. The weather is cool and cloudy – it sucks. The arthritis in my fingers is awful. My back hurts. Blah blah blah. What I need to remind myself is that I have the freedom and the means and the opportunity not to work for anyone else. I set my own hours. I do what I want/when I want/how I want. It is my business. Too many dogs? How can that ever even be a thing? The weather is cool and cloudy … so what! I’m not a farmer. My livelihood doesn’t rely on warmer or sunnier weather. I should be grateful I can be outside and enjoy it any time of day. I can come and go as I please. And if it’s cool, I can put on a sweater or coat. I have plenty. Luxuries to some. The next time I complain about the pain in my fingers – I need to remember that I have fingers. They enable me to communicate and write and type. I can brush my teeth and feed myself and pet all those too many dogs. I can fold warm laundry and scratch my own nose if it itches. So many are not that fortunate.

Yeah … whatever you want to call it … the life of Gwendolyn, Arrabella, Simon or Riley. I am certainly living the easy life. Most of us are.

Remember to count your blessings.

August 11th, 2021 … Wednesday (Sunny and 79 degrees on this NW island)

Resilience … the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.

This word has been swirling around in this noggin of mine for a couple of weeks now. I have started this post half a dozen times – usually while out on my nightly walks – far from any computer or pen/paper and by the time I re-entered my front gate, the words were as gone as if the crows flying above me had carried them off into the sunset.

I sit here hoping that some nuance of what was in my head will emerge – but that’s not happening. Not yet, anyway. I have a quasi “day off” today … only one guest dog along with my own – not the herd that I’ve had lately. That means I have a little free time – maybe a Starbucks is in my future (a drive up island) and a walk on the beach. Sounds good to me. It’s been a summer of dogs and people. And it’s gone by too fast and I know in the blink of an eye it’ll be September, once again.

It’s been a summer of overlaps and visitors and at times – sorrow: my mom was here … my daughter for a week … my son for a day. I had out of town guests and booked 82 dog care visits in July alone. I drove 1800 miles in a week in the South, endured an historic heatwave in the NW, had two sets of renters in my basement suite, and lost a good friend. It’s been a busy summer!

My mom was here for a month. At 92 she came back with me to the NW from Denver for a “short visit”. Time flew and a month later I had her on a plane back home. I feel that heart tug … a need to be near her in these waning years. Mom has seen a lot in her 92 years … happiness and heartache, good health and ailments … in all forms. Resilience comes to mind.

On my way home from the airport that day, I learned that my dearest neighbor had passed away. I wasn’t ready for her to “go”. I’m pretty sure she wasn’t either. The week prior I walked down with the dog for a little evening visit. Jo had been an avid dreamer and she told me of a recurring dream she’d been having – one where she was going on a trip. She laughed and looked at me with her cherubic face and said, “I wonder where I’m going?” I guess we all now know. Sigh. A stroke hit her a few days later and a week later she passed. She was the epitome of resilience … in her 90 years she, too, had seen a lot. She lost two children and her adoring husband … fought cancer and illnesses numerous times … lost a home in a house fire … was disfigured after a car accident … a lousy first husband … but she bounced back with such joy and zest – every time. After the stroke, as before, I expected her (didn’t we all?) to bounce back. This time there was no bouncing. I am having difficulty with her passing. It’s a year, this week, since her husband passed. I miss them both so much. I’ve never been good with death. It’s just so damn final.

Tim’s 15th anniversary was last month. How can it be 15 years since we lost him? This date hit me harder than some in the past – I think because it meant that for nearly half of my daughter’s life – he has been absent. That broke my heart all over again. Those fifteen years went quickly … and I think my own mortality was wrapped up in my thoughts of how quickly the next 15 might go … I’ll be nearly 80 then. I want time to slow down. When it comes to all things Tim … resiliency is far from anything I can muster.

I think of my kids … living their lives without their Dad … for so many years now. They are both so strong and so grounded and good. He’d have been so tickled to see how they morphed into adults. Ted’s position and wanderlust have taken him to far off places – and due to the pandemic – to the confines of his tiny apartment. The “kid” is like Tigger – he bounces back with everything he’s got. He turned all last year’s restrictions into opportunities. Daughter, Sam, has a wedding floral biz … who got married last year? NO ONE! Everything canceled due to the pandemic … and what did she do? She forged ahead developing online classes and kits for her biz … and rescheduled those cancellations so that this year she’s booked and making everyone’s floral dreams come true. Both of them are amazingly resilient (and wonderful and creative).

It’s a beautiful day here … sunny, a slight breeze, 79 degrees at 1:30 pm … it’ll probably get a bit warmer – which is unusual for us. This has been a WARM/hot summer for us … and I am loving it. I’ll take anything warmer than 68 degrees – otherwise, it’s just not summer!

I’m off to take the dog (Annie – my new, old lady lab rescue) to the beach so she can go swim. I look at her … all gentle/sweetness … and smile. I acquired her after a gentleman was required to surrender her due to his increasing dementia and inability to care for her. I am so grateful to his caretakers that they found me to be her late-in-life forever home. She has adapted so well to this new environment … to all my guest dogs … to her old dog little sister. Talk about resilience! She is joyful and loving and ever bouncing!

I don’t know why this word has been in my head for a while … it came from somewhere and then I kept hearing it and seeing it (the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon – also known as “frequency illusion”) … and then I just couldn’t let it go. I am a wordie (like others are foodies) … I like certain words and like to hear them and let them roll off my tongue. The word resilience has a nice feel about it. It also has the word silence within it and I tend to find we are most resilient when we can sit in silence and let our mind and body regroup/recharge/reset … and then go forward again.

I find that silence when I’m walking the cliff walk in the evenings. I take in the natural beauty around me … say hello to the slugs and deer … count the bunnies and hope the eagles don’t get one. I stop and smell the cedars and look at the leaves on the poplars and watch the clouds and water and listen to the silence. It’s lovely and it all let’s me reset.

There are days when I think I’m doing okay … and others when I feel far less resilient than I’d like. The ebb and flow of life. We can’t always be on that trampoline. My plans to move to the South have changed. I’m no longer looking there – it is off the table. My last trip to find Utopia (or at least a cute/quaint/livable small town) did not pan out. Far from it and it was gut-wrenchingly disappointing. As the plan stands now – I will (more than likely) move back to CO next spring and do just that … regroup/recharge/reset … and then go forward again. I’ve got a little more resilience in me … and a lot more bouncing to do.