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Fifteen Years and Fifteen Reasons

October 12, 2013 at 8:20 am by Claudia

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This photo was taken by my brother-in-law the morning after our wedding. I think we look pretty gosh-darned blissed out and that makes this one of our favorite photos ever. We did everything our way. Don was acting in a one-man show in Nevada City, CA, a beautiful little town in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains. We got married on a Monday, his day off, at the historic National Hotel. I had a cast on my foot, having broken my ankle a couple of months earlier. We didn’t want to deal with all the logistics or expense of planning a big wedding, so with the blessing of our respective families, we planned a small ceremony. Well, I should correct that, Don did most of the planning because he was there. He found the site, he hired the photographer, he found the wonderful minister who gave us the gift of a beautifully and powerfully written ceremony. My brother and sister-in-law were there, along with two other dear friends. My sister-in-law Suzie escorted me down the long flight of stairs (I was so nervous with that cast on) and once I saw Don I started crying and didn’t stop through the whole ceremony. Don cried. Everyone cried. Afterward, we went on a horse-drawn carriage ride throughout Nevada City and then we had dinner with our ‘wedding party.’ We were totally present for the whole thing, no nerves, no stress, just a beautiful and deeply moving ceremony of commitment where we heard and experienced every word, every emotion.

Without further ado, fifteen reasons (I could write many, many more) why I love my husband and our marriage:

• He took me by surprise. I was happily single and didn’t plan on ever marrying. But then I met Don and everything changed. It’s been a glorious adventure.

• He’s one of the kindest, most compassionate people I know.

• He’s talented. That’s an aphrodisiac, you know.

• He’s tall. I’m tall (5 ft. 9 in.) and he towers over me at 6 ft. 4 in.

• He’s a wise man who’s been through a lot in his life. He never stops trying to grow and be a better person.

• He’s smart.

• He’s helped me to be a better person in countless ways.

• He’s a great cook.

• He supports me in everything I do.

• He is a poet. The lyrics to his songs are works of art. And he writes romantic songs about me.

• He is wise and I seek his counsel. I value his opinion.

• He rescues spiders and dogs.

• He doesn’t judge me. He accepts me as I am.

• His commitment to me and our marriage is sure and steady as a rock.

• He makes me laugh. That, my friends, is the most important thing of all. Number one on my list. He is deeply, amazingly funny. By the way, I make him laugh, too.

Happy Anniversary, my love.

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A Flower Frog and Some Feathers

October 11, 2013 at 9:10 am by Claudia

Apparently that scamp, little Miss Scout, managed to get on the computer and write a blog post! And then proceeded to answer the comments. She’s a Border Collie, you know; they’re very intelligent. Ah well, it’s good to get a day off from blogging every now and then. Scout as guest blogger – it somehow makes sense.

Also, before I forget, did you know I answer your comments right on the comment page? I think most of you are aware of this, but a lot of you have asked me specific questions lately and I want to make sure you know I always answer them. My answer is always right below your comment. To make sure you see them, you can do one of two things: check back in later in the day and see if I’ve answered, or, and I think this is easiest but that’s just my opinion, check that box right below your comment that says “Notify me of follow-up comments via e-mail.” When I answer your comment, you will get an email with your original comment and my response. There you go! One of things I love about this blog of mine is the dialogue that happens in the comments – it’s a true joy for me. Scout obviously likes it as well. She tells me she had fun answering your comments.

Now. I’ve been collecting feathers lately – here at home and in Hartford. I love bird feathers. But what to do with them? How to display them? They were on top of the sideboard but any gust of wind from the window or the front door could blow them away. I’m too cheap to frame them at the moment and I’m not sure I would want to anyway. So, the other day my eyes lit on one of my flower frogs and I had an idea:

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A flower frog turned feather holder.

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I’m rather pleased with this simple solution.

It sits on the sideboard, along with a piece of brown transferware that holds all my acorns and pods and pine cones. My little nature center.

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I used to have a bunch of wild turkey feathers but somehow I have lost them. We had a lot of turkeys hanging around on our lawn and they left me some beautiful feathers. Where the heck did I put them?

The morning glories are still going strong. I never get tired of looking at them and photographing them.

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Some flowers for you on a Friday.

Happy Friday.

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Scout Blogs: It’s Been Tough Around Here

October 10, 2013 at 8:57 am by Claudia

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Well.

I don’t mind telling you it’s been a little tough around here.

And I don’t mean just lately.

You see, my parents keep coming and going and it drives me nuts.

First my dad went away for a long time starting last December. He wasn’t even here for Christmas. (That’s when I like to sniff our Christmas tree. I like that smell.) Then Mom went away and ‘boarded’ me at the Vets for two days. I hated it. When Mom picked me up she saw that I had been chewing on my leg. I did it because I felt scared and I didn’t understand why I was there. So she told me she would never do that again. The next time she went away, I got to go along and stay in an apartment and walk in the park and see other dogs and ride in an elevator. That was fun!

Then Dad came back home for a while. Then he left again for some place called Prague. Dad and Mom were all excited about it, but I wasn’t. Cause he was going away again. Then he came back. For a few weeks everything was cool, the pack was back together and I was happy.

Then Mom went away. For a long time. Then she came back and for about a month we were all back together. Yay! Then, you guessed it, Dad went away. Then – get this – he came back and we were all together for one day and Mom left again. This time she was gone a long time.

I don’t like this stuff. I miss them. I want my mom and dad here all the time. Heck, I don’t even like it when they leave for a few hours. We’re a pack, darn it! Don’t they understand that? Oh yeah, there’s all sorts of “I’ll be right back. I’m only going away because I have to.” “Mommy’s working, honey.” “Daddy loves you, but he has to go away for a while.” Blah, blah, blah.

That means nothing to me. If you love me, stay the heck home.

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Then, to top it all off, my mom finally comes home, she walks in the door, I’m happy to see her, I walk over to her, she hugs me and suddenly she’s shouting to my dad that something’s wrong and we have to go see the doctor – now!

What the heck?

Then, there I am at the doctor’s again, I’m poked and prodded and mom and dad are worried and the doctor says I have to have something done to me. And I’m staying at the Vet’s in a cage (which I do not like – I had to do that last year when I had something called Lyme Disease) and I’m groggy and I can barely walk and they keep poking and prodding me. Mom and Dad finally come to get me and I’m home a few hours and suddenly they take me back to the doctor’s where I spend the night. Again. Something about bleeding. Then the doctor gives me a pill that makes me feel totally out of it. For a long time. Then I’m home again.

So now, I’m the one coming and going. And Mom and Dad want me back home. Cause we’re a pack.

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I didn’t feel good for a long time.

Mom and Dad had to lift me to go down the stairs or in the car. I didn’t want to eat. I was real thirsty and kept drinking water. I was breathing funny.

Mom gets worried, you know. She watches every move I make and talks to my Dad about me a lot. She called the doctor a few times to talk about me.

Dad tells her not to worry. But she does.

Oh, and my butt was shaved. Mom said I looked like a baboon. Thanks for nothing, Mom.

But I’m tough. I started feeling better last Wednesday. I started eating again and I was real hungry because I hadn’t eaten in four days. I had a lot of catching up to do. I got to have my ‘treats’ again.

I’m barking again. I’m pouncing. I’m jumping up on the sofa. I’m in ‘The Tunnel.’ That makes Mom happy.

I’m cool.

But enough already. I think the three of us need to stay in the same place now.

Mom tells me that all of you were praying for me. She says I should thank you. So, thank you.

You are nice people. I like you.

You can come visit if you want to. I like attention. I like people.

Say hi to all my dog and cat friends out there.

I’ve got a message for them: Do your parents come and go like mine? Let’s talk.

Now I’m going back to sleep.

Have a nice Thursday.

Scout

Fifteen Years and Fifteen Reasons

A Flower Frog and Some Feathers

Scout Blogs: It’s Been Tough Around Here

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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