Draft 2021

Bertie, ears flying, crashes through the scrub It was a perfectly gorgeous day at the dog park. After last night's torrential rains (more than 7 inches!), the park was a little soggy, but the air was cool with a nice breeze; sunny without being hot. I think I love going to the dog park almost as much as my dogs. I'm able to walk the perimeter, about 1/2 mile around, while they get to romp and run. We all come home tired and well-exercised. With today's perfect weather I was able to walk 3.5 miles while they happily cavorted with each other and other dogs. Gus and Bertie, noses to the ground, as they track a scent Having access to the dog park has been great for my highly social dogs, encompassing some of their favorite things: interacting with other dogs, running, chasing, sniffing, and getting attention from people other than just family. There's a small group of "regulars" - we know each other by our dogs, as in "Silas' Mom" or "Barney'

Thirty years. I can hardly believe so much time has passed so quickly. Today is our thirtieth wedding anniversary and I am more in love with my husband today than the day we married. I had a bit of a scare last night when we couldn’t find our wedding album. We’ve had a lot of upheaval in our house this summer - emptying the attic to make room for son #2 to live (I get his old bedroom as a sitting room) and packing up the entire house to refinish the floors in our 110 year old four square - and the album was not where it always has been. My husband remembered having packed it - he just didn’t remember exactly where he’d put the box. Remarkably, I maintained my cool and prepared to be worried for a long time when suddenly my daughter found it. Whew. I look at the photos of that day and remember the joy we shared in making our lives together. It amazes me that we still feel that joy in each other and our relationship every day. We’ve been through a lot in our 30 years - mental illness in