I’ve been thinking a lot about chapters. According to the Mirriam Webster dictionary, chapter has at least three definitions, including this one: period of time that is very different from the period of time before it. The problem is that many times, chapters aren’t easy to define. 2019 was absolutely influenced (read dominated) by the death of my mom in…
Sometimes (most times) I feel like Facebook doesn’t give a very even picture of an actual event. For example, this weekend… Friday, Key and I loaded up in the car to head up to Camano Island, Washington (north of Seattle) to do a nosework (NW3) trial. This is our second trial in the last three weekends (in other words, of…
Every so often, I publish a “stealth post.” This post will be one of those. I tend to process things slowly, and writing about difficult topics can help me put things in perspective. I usually don’t go out of my way to publicize these posts because the topic is personal and not “on point” to the art blog I try…
Over the last month I’ve found myself going into a dark place. There are some triggers and events that started it, and it’s been hard to find a way out of this particular room now that I’ve stumbled into it. A year ago, today, Mom was visiting me to go to the doctor the next morning. We went to lunch…
Before you start wondering, this is not a kinky post; it’s a dog post. Specifically, about my dog. Today Key and I got up VERY early and headed over to Bend (yes, again) to attend a Barn Hunt. (No rats are harmed.) So early, in fact, did I get up, that I saw this sight as I headed over the…
It’s been a few weeks since I posted, and the reason is a bad one: I forgot. I have mentally started on a couple of posts, but then it all just slipped away. This weekend I went down to the beach and made a determined effort to just “have fun.” Friday I went whale watching (more in the next post),…
A charette (pronounced “shuh-ret”) is an intense period of design activity. The word charette comes from the French word for “cart” or “chariot” and is sometimes spelled “charrette.” The term is thought to have originated in the 1800s at the famous Parisian art school, the École des Beaux Arts, when professors would circulate a cart, or “charette,” to collect final…
This week would have been Maggie’s 72nd birthday. While I’m not really one for keeping track of birthdays after someone has gone, it seemed like a good day to tackle the chore I’ve been meaning to do for eight months: Mom’s final history. The memorial service was April 13 and was well attended, with people coming over from great distances…
If you walk up to any person who regularly works with animals and ask them, “Do you know about [insert name of animal here]?” they will almost inevitably demur with something that sounds like, “I know a little.” There is a reason for that, and I’m the example. While I started “late” into dogs (19), it was an intoxicating drug…
August marks seven months since Mom’s death, so I’m more than halfway through “the official year”. And because I’m a planner, I’m starting to look ahead to what 2020 might bring. August will also mark what would have been Mom’s 72 birthday. I’m not someone who normally marks that kind of thing, but it does make me sad. It seems…