Man's Best Friend

Andy's been away on business this week and so I've been left to tend to house and family. Originally Spence may have been my dog, but the two lone men of the family quickly bonded together. Now Spencer has always been a social animal, not one to enjoy being left alone. And since becoming part of a larger family and getting spoiled rotton by Dad, he hates it even more. So, part of my temporary, single mom duties are to give a little extra love and attention to him.

Course this only serves to remind me of why I always have been and always will be a dog person. He is just so darn adorable with his eternal puppydog looks and his floppy ears. Seriously - how could you not love that face?

Felted Bowls

Ok, here's my latest little knitting project: Felted Bowls. They turned out a little taller than I expected, so I guess next time I don't need to knit as many rows as the directions call for. Although I might try to felt the green further. I think it's still a little loose. Once I get my shipment of yarn I'm moving on to leg warmers, slippers, and a hat for Andy.

Fall, No Winter, No Spring, Summer?

Finally last night, the sun started to come out. Today we have been back to warm & humid weather. Ugh. I hate humid. It's sticky, it makes you feel gross, and my hair hates it even more than me. Up until last night, this week had been unseasonably cool, grey skies, rainy. Your typical Fall days.

It was pretty depressing the first day, but then I started to like it. Maybe it was because the work week started. The weather made me want to stay home, sleep in, cuddle with my dog (affectionately called Mr. Boogie) and just goof off. I also found myself yearning to knit. I tend to go whole hog on hobbies. I'll become obsessed with one for a while until I realize I've neglected and fallen behind on others, then I move on to the next. The weather came my Fall mood and hence the knitting began. I was trying to take a picture of my completed projects, but alas the light was horrible, so photos will have to wait till tomorrow when I can take a nice daylight photo.

Fall is probably my favorite season, although I do have a hard time picking one. But if I was forced, I think it would be Fall. I love the cooler weather, I love the leaves, I love anticipation of the holidays, I love the smells, the colors, I love the clothes ... I could go on. I used to love going back to school, the new clothes, the supplies, a new bookbag. I still do. For some reason the year begins in September, not January. As a kid I loved it and now as a step-parent, I know why parents always loved September too.

Now don't get me wrong. I love the snow too, the crispness, the cold, the beauty of a big snowstorm. I grew up skiing since I was a toddler and like any kid that grew up in true Upstate NY (east of Rochester) I could play in the snow for hours until my whole body was frozen. And of course Mom would always have hot chocolate waiting. I would come in, strip down and stand over the heating vent in the kitchen floor, warming up with my cup of hot chocolate - mini-marshmallows included of course.

And then there's Spring, just as you're growing tired of the brown, slushy goop that Winter becomes, the weather warms up, it stays lighter longer, and motivation slowly goes out the window. And Spring is the perfect temperature - not too warm yet. Too bad it's hell on us allergy sufferers. But it's still a good season. Summer - ehh. Probably my least favorite as I'm not a fan of the heat. But it is good for vacations, lazy afternoons, fruit, ice tea, and fireworks. I love fireworks!

But I'll still come back to Fall. Guess it's a good thing I found a husband who loves the Northeast as much as I do. I don't think I could live without my four seasons. And even though the humidity is back and it's supposed to be in the 90s this weekend, I think I might check out the fall clothes. A girl has got to be prepared.

Nerds

Yesterday and today have been a couple of those cool, rainy, feels-like-fall days around here. Those perfect days where you don't want to get out of bed, but instead curl up with a good book, old movies, a bunch of snack food and maybe a cozy puppy. (Although as any dog owner knows, the puppy goes hand in hand with the snack food.)

But alas, today is Monday. So here I sit at my desk, trying to find motivation and polishing off my little box of Nerds - Apple Watermellon flavored. As much as I love Nerds, I still think they fall a close second to Chewy Spree.

These are the important items running through my mind today.

Forgiveness

The last couple of days I've had this quote on my mind: "Forgiveness doesn't make the other person right. It just allows you to move on." I heard Sandi Patty say it a year ago and it really struck me. It's so true and yet I'd never thought of forgiveness that way before. But I've begun to wonder - given that definition, do we ever really forgive or does time just help heal old wounds? I mean, people have acted against me in the past and although it has hurt me deeply at the time I still talk to them, do things for them that I hope they appreciate, and try to maintain the relationship. But then something will happen and all the old feelings get stired up again and I ask myself - does that mean I never really forgave them in the first place?

I also know I have a tendancy to be too nice. I'm one of those people who trusts 100% from the start as opposed to making you earn my trust. I want people to like and accept me, so I often find myself doing things I think the other person would appreciate. I'm also learning though, sometimes the hard way, that I can't manipulate people's actions. I can't do something because I want them to feel or behave a certain way. I have to do things because I want to do them. I'm still working on distinguishing that line. I wonder - does this characteristic in me, make me too quick to forgive? Some people hold grudges. I don't think I ever could, at least not for very long, but is it possible that there isn't at least a little something to be learned from those type of people. After all, things aren't always black or white.

But then as I'm drying my hair this morning (I'm convinced that all ah-ha moments occur in the bathroom) I realized that just as forgiveness doesn't make the other person right, it also doesn't mean that you have to forget! I think the important lesson to be learned is that everyone needs forgiveness at times. Sometimes we give it, sometimes we receive it. And when we are on the giving end, it isn't always easy, but hopefully we learn to understand the other person better and even grow as a person ourselves. But most importantly, we find some peace to put the anger and the hurt behind us. Because, after all, life is to short to be filled with anger and hurt.

"The week can never forgive. Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong." Mahatma Gandhi

Rosie

Speaking of happiness.

Andy & I met Rosie a year ago at this wonderful bed & breakfast we stayed at for our wedding (Buttermilk Falls Inn). At that time, sexist as I guess we were, we assumed she was a he and because she/he was so obnoxious we nicknamed her "Ferdinand" after the goose in the movie "Babe". Our stay was brief, but we found lots of laughs and enjoyment in feeding Ferdinand and the rest of the ducks.

This year, for our first anniversary, we couldn't think of anyplace we would've rather gone. Thankfully all the feathered friends were still around. However, we learned A LOT this year. The swans weren't as mean as we thought, the ducks had little cliques, and Ferdinand was actually Rosie! By the time we left, she was eating out of our hand and making these little crying, begging, honking noises when we wouldn't give her any food.

Remember: Be kind to your web-footed friends, for that duck may be somebody's mother...

The Start of Something...

I've wanted to have a blog for awhile now, but I never felt as if I had anything important or remotely interesting to blog about. I'm not trying to change the world. I'm not embarking on a major journey. I don't feel I have vast pearls of knowledge to share. I'm just living my life, muddling through day-by-day, trying to do the best I can.

But lately I've decided to give it another go. (The first attempt failed miserably and consisted of many months of archived nothingness.) I'm justifying this attempt as a chance to reflect on life, ponder the big things, and acknowledge the little. Besides I love photos, I love to create, and I love to express myself. I figure even if no one ever reads anything I write, at least it will make me happy. And really isn't that one of the fundamental purposes of life - to figure out what makes you happy and do it? Who can find fault with that?