Standing at the Trailhead of Winter

Quiet. Just me and the boys. Overcast. Not cold. Just gray and blah. Won't be able to see the smiley face moon tonight. I made a lentil loaf but forgot to add in the breadcrumbs, so it turned out too soft and was more like a hash. Thankfully the flavor was there. It wasn't a complete loss. The mashed potatoes were yummy. Baked my favorite cookies. Gingerbread. Sat on the front porch and enjoyed coffee with gingerbread cookies. Sunny spent the entire time sniffing every inch of the porch, eating stink bugs.  Thoughts of past Christmases, when the kids were little, came and went all day. I miss having the kids here. I don't miss the frantic figuring out gifts.  I wish I had spent more time creating traditions that were ours and no one else's. I hope my kids create traditions. Went on a long walk with Sunny. He's eight months old today. Too big now to fit under the old dresser or weave through the chairs at the dining room table when playing chase through the house wit...

The end of the semester brought with it lots of not feeling like doing much of anything. We had a couple of days of snow, which was wonderful as it allowed me the opportunity to get out and snowshoe, but those days were followed by bitter cold then a warming trend. Now the snow is gone and the ground is soft, muddy, and just lots of yuck. The dogs track in the mud, so I've had to sweep and mop after them, adding to the feelings of just not wanting to have to do anything.  Those feelings, while I go through this every now and then, have stuck around much longer than usual. I was doing the daily routine -- walking the dogs in the morning, playing with them, taking Teddie to his sniff games classes and Sunny to his companion dog classes -- but the between time of these activities has been a lot of vegging out in front of the TV and spending way too much time online, reading article after article addressing the bad happening in this country.  Today, I finally admitted to myself I'...

The end of the semester is here. I can breathe a sigh of relief that for a few weeks I don't have to read and grade papers generated by AI and papers that show the student really doesn't care about improving their own writing skills and critical thinking skills. I don't have to respond to students who fail to submit work by the due date then email the assignment, asking that I read it even though they didn't meet the due date. It's so quiet now. The noise is gone. I get to focus on a few projects I've been kicking around. I get to focus on Sunny. The snowshoes are by the back door, just waiting for the few inches of snow that is forecast for tonight and tomorrow. I get to look forward to the kids coming to visit over the holidays.  Sunny is growing into a beautiful young dog. He has captured my heart. I've never had a dog that cuddles the way he does. I've never had a dog who leans so completely into my chest that I can feel his heartbeat. Every evening ...

Today's trail with Sunny. The blue line is me laying the trail. The red line is Sunny running the trail. The trail was .27 miles, which is one of the longest trails Sunny has completed so far. The wind was blowing nearly 20 mph, causing the scent to drift a bit. I figured this was going to happen. Sunny showed this by going about three feet to the left of the trail. There were a few spots he had to recalibrate to be sure he was on trail, especially in the places where he was heading into the wind. He stopped once and looked at me. I just said, "Go to work," and he put his nose to the ground, found the scent and carried on. When he reached the toy I had left for him at the end, he sat and looked up at me. Such a smarty pants. I threw the toy for him and gave him a bunch of treats. Such a good boy.

I had a friend lay a trail for Sunny this morning, and after letting it age around 45 minutes, I walked Sunny over to the start point. When we were about 20 yards away from where my friend dropped his scent article, Sunny picked up the scent and was ready to go. I had to hold him back to adjust the lead. The moment I said, "Go to work," he was off. He went a ways then stopped and looked back at me. I didn't move or say anything. He then wanted to play with me, which is what we do on our walks, but this wasn't a walk. He needed to work. After doing this two times, he figured out he just needed to keep his nose to the ground and stay on trail. The trail ended up being about a quarter mile, with a turn to the right. No cookies were laid out for Sunny to find. The trail was simply following the scent to the end point, which was a toy Sunny likes. He found his toy without any trouble. I threw the toy for him, giving him lots of praise and pets and treats. On the walk home,...

Yesterday I used most of the red potatoes I grew in the garden this summer to make a hearty potato soup. As I was standing at the stove, happy with how the soup had turned out, in walked Angel Baby. Being the culinary student that he is these days, he tested the soup and said, "Needs more salt and pepper." Everything I cook, no matter what, his first comment is always, "Needs more salt." I know I tend to go light on the salt. I'm just not a salt fan. Right after he said, "It needs more salt and pepper" he stepped in and took over. He took the white pepper and sprinkled some in. He then chopped some rosemary and added it along with some oregano and thyme. He reached into the cupboard and pulled out the soy sauce, pouring in a capful. He whisked the mixture carefully, dipped a spoon into it and took another sip. "There. Better." I followed suit and took a sip. He was right. He improved what I had started. He talked about the soup now having a f...