Standing at the Trailhead of Winter

We are just two days away from being two weeks in with Murphy joining the household. At this point, after getting past the sleep deprivation from having to get up three or four times during the night to take him out, I'm so glad I made the decision to add him to the family. It's not been easy, but it is getting easier. And we're not even two weeks in.  Sleepy boys The first night I left Murphy in the big tub I used to transport him home. He settled in and slept for about two hours at a time. He didn't cry, which I had braced myself for, so that was a win, but the second night I wasn't so lucky. I switched him over to the crate, and he wasn't having any of that. I decided, against everything I told myself I was going to do with this puppy, that he could sleep with me if he settled in. He did. Immediately. He snuggled up on the pillow next to my face, puffing his little puppy breaths on me while he slept. Totally cute, but not real conducive to me getting any slee

Meet Murphy, the newest member of the family.  He is absolutely too cute. And smart. And a cuddle bug. He has slipped right into the spot that's been open and waiting for him to come along.  I started looking for the next member of the family back in May. I tried adopting because I support the "Adopt, Don't Shop" idea, but I never got a response to any of the applications I filled out and submitted. In August, I switched over to a website that lists all kinds of breeds, and since I knew I really wanted an Australian Shepherd, I had tons to choose from. The only downside was most were two hours or longer away. I didn't want to have to drive over two hours one way to pick up a puppy. So I just checked in every now and then to see if new posts were listed that were within my desired driving range. Two weeks ago, a post showed up for Murphy and his brothers and sisters, and they lived a mere thirty minutes away. I called and asked if I could visit the pups, and the ow

Every single morning I truly can't believe I get to wake up in this little house. I think about how often I said I would never buy a house, and I know if I had continued with that mindset I wouldn't be out here in the quiet, able to look up at night and see the stars. I wouldn't see the streaks of pink and blue across the sky as the sun rises. I wouldn't see the eagles that fly over. Not a great picture by any means, but it's one I'll enjoy for a long time. And it also shows just how dirty the  camera lens is! Definitely time to clean that. I've also seen another very large bird in the area the last few days. Yesterday I was sitting on the back steps, enjoying the warm afternoon and soaking up some sun, when I heard the screech. I looked to the right and saw a large, I mean large, bird flying my way. It was too big to be a hawk, so I'm thinking it might have been a golden eagle. My neighbor said they fly through at times. I've only seen a golden eagl

When I was in the process of buying my little house in the little village surrounded by cornfields, I had a septic inspection completed just to give me peace of mind that the septic system was good to go. I figured it was since a new septic tank had been installed about five years ago, but I wanted to know for sure what I was dealing with. It's an aerobic septic system, one that I'd never heard of, and after reading about these kinds of systems, I felt like having an inspection would help me learn even more. Little did I know that the inspector would issue a violation for the washing machine emptying into a drain in the basement floor. Which he did. Which meant I had three choices: 1) walk away from buying the house; 2) spend the money to plumb the washing machine into the new septic tank; or 3) remove the washing machine all the way around. The owners of the house had accepted my offer with the condition that I buy the house "As Is." They refused to pay for anything