01/01/2023 Happy New Year

Surprise! I'm still here. In case you haven't noticed, I haven't blogged in quite some time. Haven't really written much of anything, to be honest. And since writing has always been my therapy, I guess that means I wasn't going to therapy very often either. :D Probably not a good thing. Definitely not a good thing. 2022 was

09/13/2021 Making Headway

He lay still, relaxed, calmly happy. Then his mind seemed to turn over suddenly and take hold--and there it was, starting to make plans, thinking. After a minute, a slight sense of irritation came over him. "You think too  much!" he said to himself. Why did not his mind, like other people's minds, allow him to rest and be happy without any planning ahead into the future, whether of the next twenty-four hours or the next twenty-four years? Why could he not lie quiet for as long as sixty seconds? No, something took over with a rush and a whir, and even though his body lay still, his mind turned over and started, and there it was running on, like an idling engine. EARTH ABIDES   ~George R. Stewart   As I was sitting out on the deck this morning, enjoying the cool morning air and the birds twittering in the trees, relishing that little bit

01/16/2021 Finding Warmth on Winter Days

For everyone who expressed concern for Jig over the last couple weeks, I'm pleased to say she's back to 100% piss and vinegar. She had her recheck on Tuesday and passed with flying colors. She was even gracious enough to leave one suture in-tact. The vet decided Jig did that to make her feel like she had something to do. She doesn't know Jig very well.      

12/31/2020 Out With a Bang

My dogs have an uncanny ability to see challenges in the strangest places, and they are more than happy to pick up the thrown gauntlet. For instance, if my vet says, "I'll be out of town this day this day this day." One of my dogs will invariably counter with, "Time to develop some mysterious ailment." When my vet says, "I'm retiring from doing surgeries." You guessed it. Challenge accepted.         Happy New Year   May the best day of your past be the worst day of your future.

11/10/2020 Endings, Beginnings, & Everything In Between

The quote in the feature image really resonated with me when I first heard it several weeks back. Probably because I'm going through a period where I'm facing several endings on both personal and professional levels. Won't lie, there are one or two I'm struggling to come to terms with. As the rest of the quote points out however

10/14/2020 Working Through Issues

The last several weeks have been a bit tough, not gonna lie. I've started, deleted, and re-started multiple posts multiple times in another case of I need to get the words out because that's how I deal. I'm not generally the wear my heart on my sleeve type who shares everything, however, and when you throw in a touch of get over it already

09/22/2020 Sometimes You Have to Make Your Own Opportunities

I was supposed to be at an ASCA stock trial this past weekend. Like so many other events this year, it had to be cancelled. Instead of kicking the ground and going into woe-is-me mode, I created my own opportunity by taking the trip anyhow, meeting up with some friends, and turning it into a training weekend. Dreams and goals take work. It's work you need to make yourself responsible for. Blaming your failures or lack of success on others is giving them an awful lot of power over your life. True, not everyone has the same resources, but if you want something bad enough, you'll find a way. Apologies for the tirade, but it needed to get said. "People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for

09/02/2020 Updates All Around

Isn't it the way of things? You prepare to your utmost, follow all the steps or guidelines to a tee to ensure a smooth go, and then the tiniest of things causes what should have been a walk in the park to become more like this

05/27/2020 Another Farewell

As usual, this isn't the post I wanted to write. I started it earlier today when I was still merely contemplating making the call for Grady, our gentle giant, Tank Boy. When I was merely contemplating I was (mostly) okay with the decision, after all, it's not like it comes as a surprise. Grady turned 15 in April and, honestly, I was amazed he made it this long. He's had a few issues in his old age, but the good days have always outnumbered the bad. Over the past week, however, the scales tipped. Grady's appetite waned. He was still eating, but without his usual gusto. He slowly stopped galumphing across the yard in an attempt to keep up with Jig. And though he tried his best, he fell down frequently and needed more help getting back up. The walk in from the yard became a slow, stumbling event, and there were times