New Trail

We have survived our first full day with a dog. Yay! The cats are still quite skeptical, to say the least, about there being a dog in the house. Since Major didn't respond to that name, we have settled on Aesop, or Ace, for short. I know... Aesop can/should be pronounced with an ee sound, but I grew up pronouncing it with the long a. Besides, Ace sounds better to us than Ece.  Thank you, -K for the comment yesterday with the suggestion!  Other happy things for today:

• There has been so much rain lately that mushrooms are popping up everywhere.  

Zoomed in to get this mushroom picture.

• Keziah bought some dog toys today, one is an axolotl.  

New toys!

• Mistakes were made.  I took Aesop for a walk and decided to check out a new-to-me trail.  The new-to-me part was the mistake.  It might have worked out fine had we not had so very much rain recently.  Certain sections were flooded enough that I made turns at intersections that I may not have otherwise.  We totaled a little over three miles, and I discovered new trails.
• There was a section of trail that had some downed trees.  I almost turned around there too, but we ducked under them instead.

• There is a swamp I sometimes walk by and this trail took us behind that swamp.  When I got back to the road I noticed that the swamp is COVERED with lily pads.

• Winston, the orange tabby, was curious and brave enough to come up and smell Aesop's new and older toys.

☮

Currently reading: Backpacking A Hedonist’s Guide, by Rick Greenspan and Hal Kahn.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Puppy

 It has been raining most of the afternoon and evening.  Chances are good that I smell like wet dog.  Nanni still seems to love me though.  The puppy was delivered around eight this evening.  He was shivering with anxiety after being in the car for about three hours to get him here.  Pets are a lot of work and we have a big job ahead of us.  He is seven months old and came with the name Major.  We weren't planning to change his name, but he doesn't seem to answer to it.  The names we are currently considering are Shroom (the spots on his back sort of resemble a mushroom), Bugle, Aesop, or keeping Major.  We have tossed around a few different names, we'll see what fits.

The dog and cats have not yet met each other.  We put the cats upstairs and let the dog explore for a bit.  For tonight, he and Keziah are in the apartment.  Tomorrow, the rain will hopefully be over and we will get to have some outdoor time with our newest companion.  The arrival of the Dog Currently Being Called Major is a happy thing for today, others are:

• After work I put the exercise mat on the floor to stretch out my back and do some crunches.  This is something I am going to try to work into a routine.  Anyhow, while my feet were up stretching my back, the cats decided to play!

I got to hold that stretch for a while!

• Since I don't work on Fridays, I just had a nap today.  I let Nanni in my room and I think I slept better for a while because of it.  At least until I wanted to roll over!  
• I tried to take a picture of Nanni sleeping, but my room was too dark.  That also may have helped me sleep.
• Dog snuggles.
• Dog kisses.

☮

Currently reading: Backpacking A Hedonist’s Guide, by Rick Greenspan and Hal Kahn.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

And I fell asleep before posting... oops.

Dog Days of Summer

 It was hazy and hot today.  Unfortunately, the haze is mostly smoke from distant fires.  This, and other things, led me to look up the meaning behind 'dog days of summer.'  If you aren't sure, feel free to check out that link, seriously.  

This morning Keziah came into my room and asked, "You love me unconditionally, right, Mom?  No matter what."  She is thirty years old.  

"Of course, what's up?" I ask.

She proceeds to tell me a short tale in which mistakes were made but everything will be fine.  It has nothing to do with me.

About an hour later, she came into my room again.  "You love me unconditionally, right, Mom?  No matter what."

Now I feel like this is a game and I say something like, "As long as you aren't planning to kill me," with a short laugh.  She assures me that this is not going to happen.

"We might be getting a puppy," says Keziah.

My happy things for this day:

• It looks like we are getting a seven month old part spaniel on Thursday.
• I got out for a nice walk with a friend.
• Two boxes full of fabric are gone, out of the house, and given away. 
• And the pictures.

Common evening primrose complete with a bee.

Ducks.

I was hoping this photo would capture the haze more.

I've been looking at the branches touching the ground.
I looked up at Marjorie and noticed how
 many peaches she is carrying.

☮

Currently reading:  The Backyard Homestead Seasonal Planner, by Ann Larkin Hansen.


Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.