Watching Dad Feed the Horses

I’m giving this one over to Father’s Day. Most likely, you’ve been doing some reflecting on your dad today, too. As my husband Rob — father of our three kids and also sometimes called “Father” by members of his flock — drives back home after marrying a couple yesterday in the Adirondacks, I’m thinking about all that he does to support this family. I’m also considering the slim sliver of time, over 30 years ago, that he had to get … Read More

Comings and Goings

Even after 30 plus years of marriage, this is the kind of exchange that still happens in our household. I ask, “Is Easter over now or does it continue in some way?” (I had a feeling, partly based on the way that Christmas also keeps going, but somehow it wasn’t firmed lodged in my mind). Rob replies, no doubt summoning his patience, “We’re still in Easter, all the way until Pentecost.” I refrain from asking exactly when Pentecost is, believing … Read More

Rescue Dogs…Any Which Way

It’s been so long since I’ve checked in here that, if I were to bring any animals at all to this site, these would be the most appropriate choice. But another species has been on my mind. And I daresay you’ll be relieved to hear about anything other than politics right about now. Some of you have been doggedly —oh, my topic slipped out– following all the mostly dreary news of late; you need a break. So, trying to be … Read More

Rocky Rising

You can be up, or you can be down.   And unless we’re talking about a fluctuating mood or perhaps stocks that go one direction and then compensate with a swing the other way, there’s a whopping big difference between the two states— especially if we’re referring to being physically, literally UP on your feet and moving around or DOWN, horizontal, stuck. Whether you’re a two-legged creature or a four-legged one (I can’t vouch for the six-or-eight legged kind) this … Read More

Going For It Or Not: It’s a Dog’s Life, and Mine Too

With a flurry of new babies being born this spring, and at least one keeping his or her parents waiting past the due date, I’m hoping it’s not all that shameful to arrive late with a mere blog post. This one I dedicate wholeheartedly to my dog Rocky, who, on a daily basis, helps me to clarify my priorities. Specifically, I mean the age-old dilemma of what to run for, what to hold on to, what to deliver, what to … Read More

The Good Samaritan, In My Driveway

Amidst terrifying darkness, glimmering points of light feel like miracles. Once again we are reeling from a mass shooting; once again we search for answers; once again we keep going about our business, even as we know that many families are enduring what was, until a few days ago, unimaginable loss. News of the horrific event, and the ongoing aftermath, is full of questions that may never be answered about the mass murderer. But we have survivors’ stories and we … Read More

Stick-to-itiveness, Rocky style

The closer the election gets, the more I love my dog. And once it’s over, I’ll love him even more. Recently my Rocky has gotten me thinking about a certain quality, one he demonstrates every time we’re out on the non-campaign trails (= daily). In humans, it’s just about always considered a good thing. In dogs, maybe not quite so much. What is it? Stick-to-it-iveness. By that I mean, in canine terms at least, something like “the compulsion to find … Read More

Ah, the Blossoms and the Barbs of May!

The thing about life in mid-May is that just when you’re letting yourself be taken in by the beauty of the blossoms, the quills might come flying out and re-arrange your whole evening. At least they did for me –- or rather my dog — just last night.  Since Rocky is pretty closely connected to me, and vice versa, I felt as if I almost had a mouth full of pain, too.   And then, of course, there was the vet … Read More