ENJOY THE JOURNEY

How long will it take
How much will I make

Are we there yet

When will I know
How far we must go

Are we there yet

When will I truly arrive
How will I ever survive

Are we there yet

I’ll put words on the page
No matter my age

Are we there yet

When does the journey end
Of a writer, parent, or friend

We are there now

There's Gotta Be More to Life

There's Gotta Be More to Life

In Memoriam

I've always been a dog person - not so big on cats...until Sparks. She was a smart cat--just look at her waiting for a feathered friend to appear.

Luke picked her out at the pet store. She was laying in the back of the cage, one big ball of fur--so calm and peaceful he just had to have her. The year was 1994 so he was only 5 or 6 at the time. And Sparks was always Luke's cat. Of course we all loved her but she was his favorite pet of all time.

Monday, Jacob found her. She'd gotten into a fight--probably with a raccoon during the night. And, Sparks probably thought she could take that raccoon because she was used to bossing two dogs around the house
but she couldn't. And, now we're all remembering . . .

SPARKS

Regift, Reclaim, or Regret...?

Have you ever gotten a gift for someone that they didn't like?

Well...I have, more than once. In fact, too many times to try to keep track of...and why would I want to keep a scorecard of my failures anyway...?

Anyway, I brought home a couple of skirts and a backpack for my daughter--from Paris, thinking she'd love and appreciate them because I thought they were OH-Là-Là

or oh-SO-AWE...dorable.

Not her.


After seeing them sit up in her closet with the tags still on them, I finally said, "If you're not going to use that backpack, I will."

She sorta shrugged like she couldn't care less. So, I've got a new backpack and my daughter has a little more room in her closet. Looks like we both win with this one.

September 1st - WHOO-HOO

Back-to-school is just around the corner: the official end of summer and with it is The Bike Commute Challenge here in Portland, Oregon. It's a friendly competition to see who can get the most people riding their bikes (or doing a "bike commute") to work during the month of September.

A "bike commute" can be:

* Riding both ways to work by bicycle
* Riding one way to work by bicycle (and the other way by any other mode)
* Riding part way to work by pairing biking with transit, driving or any other mode

I plan to be riding my bike to and from work and I'm hoping others will join me.

Harvest is Nearing

The Twilight of Summer is Upon Us


I love the oh-so short months of summer sun. They are filled with planting, pruning, watering...but nothing compares to harvesting.
except for maybe munching.....

My Dog Ate My Couch

I know dogs are only supposed to be considered part of the canine family but I swear Siberian Huskies must be kissing-cousins to the goat, at least in some genetic respects, because
Sasha might be a pretty girl - especially with those beautiful blue eyes - and I love her BUT. . .

She has dug up so many of my flowers from my garden and eaten tons of vegetable plants and vines, including one fragrant honeysuckle and another wonderfully aromatic jasmine vine,

And I had just sewed some new pillows to match my arbor cushion this weekend

I thought they were looking so nice until I went outside and, saw that while I was in the house, Sasha had eaten the cushion cover
Then she ate my most expensive leather shoes, now known as chew toys, (twice) and my underwear (countless times)

She even eats metal cans (thus the goat reference)

But I didn't really begin to get upset until she decided to eat the couch


Believe me, Marley and Me - has nothing on Sasha and Me.