sunday grace

because of the dog's joyfulness
our own is increased.
it is not the least reason why we should honor
as well as love the dog of our own life,
and the dog down the street,
and all the dogs not yet born.
what would the world be like
without music or rivers or the green and tender grass?
what would this world be like without dogs?

-mary oliver, dog songs

a week in color {№7}

oh friends, thank you so much for your kind words and warmth and love regarding my last post.  you lightened my heart that was so heavy with fear that we would lose our wire fox terrier child luca.  i am over the moon to report that all the love and light and prayers and happy thoughts worked!  luca recovered from his mysterious illness almost as quickly as he succumbed to it.  one moment i was stroking his head and thanking him for being such a good boy (tearfully saying goodbye) and then he kind of just popped up and decided to still be.

dogs, like children, are incredible teachers.

i am overflowing with gratitude.

in other news, may is here and she arrived wearing the loveliest colorful frock.  the forest is a mix of pink and white blooming trees and those in full pea-green leaf.  the sun is clear and soft.  there is enough rain to (kind of) keep the pollen in check.

there is painting and daydreaming and reading and (yes) working outside in the dappled light and warmth.

there are sunday morning pancakes with rainbow sprinkles.  i've always wanted to make these!  their sweetness was perfectly mellowed by ginger syrup.

there is a lot of clearing of the old and wintered on gypsy hill.  the polar vortex took out some of our favorite plants, including the vine that has covered the pergola for over ten years.  i'm still trying to decide on its replacement:  wisteria or honeysuckle?

there are many trips to the garden shop.  one of which resulted in a carload of peony bushes.  it's not an inexpensive endeavor to rebuild the lushness that developed over a decade, so i will be patient and measured and grateful for the beauty that is already here.

and then there is this:

luca goofball sugarbutt parks says have a beautiful week friends.

gratitude {№13}

seriously, i don't know how any human gets through life on earth without dogs.  i am so grateful for the love and laughter these two bring into our home.  luca is a wire fox terrier and simon is a corgi.  they fight some days but mostly love on each other.  in the photo above, luca is cleaning simon's ears, a daily event.

we lost our roxy dog this last summer which makes my gratitude for these two lovedogs the deepest of deep.

a good scottish dog

sweet roxy dog is courageously fighting a decline in her health.  she has lost her sight and struggles to make it up the stairs.  we made the difficult decision to treat her nutritionally and holistically at home.  she experiences extreme anxiety at the vet and we had a not-so-great outcome years ago when our beloved fox terrier milo was treated with traditional medical techniques (and by not-so-great, i mean a suffering dog who ultimately didn't make it in the end and huge debt fueled by guilt).

all of us (me and prof. parks, roxy, luca and simon) appreciate your prayers and mojo for a healthy happy dog and good judgement for her parents.

update:  sweet roxy dog crossed over on june7.  i know she is frolicking with her friends milo the terrier and bodhi the siamese.  i miss her so.

{spirits}

i am grateful for the many canine companions i have had throughout my life.

best.  friends.  ever. 

august break {№6}

it's going to be a crazy week.  sometime around 2pm today, i'm going to be missing sunday afternoon naps with luca.

project mood lifter

sometimes a perfectly gorgeous april sunday does it by itself. other times, I need a plan. the project list on this particular weekend involved garden stores, books, writing assignments, catching up on long-missed blogs. all of these things (in addition to those posted yesterday) contributed to a lighter spirit and the ability to smile true. but it was the planting that pulled most of the weight.

I started small with the herbs and annuals destined for the empty rainbow of glazed ceramic pots that have been waiting patiently all winter, safely tucked away in the shed. I like to plant a collection of mints and allysum to scatter throughout the main lounging area outside. on humid summer nights, the soft scents of peppermint and honey provide even more ambiance to lazy stargazing sprinkled with storytelling. the anticipation of such nights had me imagining fireflies in broad daylight.

there is just something about the feel of rich soil in my hands. while the dirt made me feel childlike and playful, the act of planting young sprouts with the intent to nurture and grow was decidedly maternal. I needed both these things. I am lifted. I am grateful for garden.

I'd also like to thank my lovely planting assistant, luca. the project would have been successful, but humorless, without him.

{I finished life of pi yesterday. if you've read it, please chime in on which version of the story you believe. this is why I need a book club.}

snow day!

snowball throwing? so not gifted. (how shameful for the child of a professional baseball player!)

luca and simon romped and frolicked. all. day. long. roxy (the cairn terrier) was too short for the snow and did not enjoy disappearing into a well of white.

snow chow: tomato soup and grilled cheese.

back to work today. stay warm and toasty, friends.

randomness

happy thanksgiving morning. I am grateful every day for this lovely community here in the land of blog (that means you).

I don't have a plan. despite being really late this year, thanksgiving seemed to sneak up on me. I did manage to get some shopping done at 10pm last night (bonus: what a great time to be in the supermarket! no one was there.). and there is a menu. I put the turkey in its brine for the night.

the brine is made up of sugar, kosher salt, lemons, cinnamon sticks, cloves, garlic, peppercorns, bay, thyme and rosemary. the bird is submerged for at least 24 hours (didn't make it this year, but overnight will do) before rubbed with olive oil and herbes de provence and roasted. it's the best turkey ever.

I'm hoping for some really good rest time this 4 day weekend. I wish I could sleep like simon. sorry for the blur here, but it was really dark and you have to be ve-wy, ve-wy sneaky to get a shot of this mischievous corgi. simon goes through this whole ritual before crashing. he mills around the bed, poking, turning, digging, trying to find the perfect nesty spot. when the bed is sufficiently destroyed, he retreats to the foot of the bed and assumes this position:

I love simon.

bossy like me

this is luca (the one doing all the barking of orders), my crazy wire fox terrier. he is giving simon (attentive corgi) and roxy (slightly nervous cairn) their nightly talking-to. we're not sure what he's saying (assignment of bed-hogging positions? who has the 2am drinking-out-of-the-toilet-so-loud-that-it-echos-through-the-house shift?), but it appears to be very, very important as he has their undivided attention. or maybe it's just his presence, his command, his confidence. or it could be that they know his terrier jaws will clamp down on their vulnerable bits in a ny second if they don't show the proper respect.

luca really does have a heart of gold. he is loyal like only a wft can be; just like his wft predecessor milo. he displays such tender affection most of the time. he finds balance in his role as the canine leader.

I am partial to luca because of his bossiness; it's a quality we share. what I'm learning is that while natural bossiness can be somewhat endearing when you are a petulant child or regularly mix it up with doses of humor, it becomes so much less adorable when you are the actual boss.