This photo I entitled “Ghost Dog,” taken seven years ago today, popped up on my Facebook “memories” this morning. The dog in question, the one huddled in the corner of an oversized pen in an overly loud and crowded animal shelter, trying to disappear into the shadows, was Dobby. I had stopped in on a whim, thinking perhaps I could volunteer. Wondering if I had the resolve to work in such a place and not get myself into trouble. Not feel a connection. Not fall in love. Wondering if I would be able to leave such a place empty hearted … Continue reading Ghost Dog

There is a sidewalk square we pass, while walking, that is ruled by lizards. Lizards no bigger than an opposable thumb stand their ground, hold deep inside of themselves the legacy of their ancestors, taken out by a meteor or God for daring to rule more than one small square. Lizards that hold themselves proud and imagine their stature grand. Lizards that know dexterity is a blessing and a curse; allows the ability to type or pull a trigger and in the end will be man’s undoing. Lizards that acquiesce to our approach, scurry beneath shrubs as we advance, rest … Continue reading Reptiles Rule

If you decide to wash your car, dogs who normally mill around the yard uninterested in your activities, will suddenly want to join in. They will throw themselves into the fray and spray until they are sodden and bedraggled. They will remedy this state by rolling in the dirt. Dirt that combined with their dripping fur quickly becomes mud. Mud that will cling steadfast to their fur until you draw them a bath which will send them racing through the house and hiding in corners, a trail of dirt giving their location away. The dirt which is now mud, will … Continue reading If You Give A Mouse A Cookie….

I found a bank of trees today, where the water meets the land. These trees no longer stand tall, feel the wind in their branches, decipher messages in their leaves. Instead they bow low to gravity, cling to eroding soil, sacrifice their height and lofty ambition, put aside their pride, provide common ground and bridge the gap between two shores. Continue reading Bend and Build a Bridge

A bumble bee alighted on my sweater sleeve. He paused between where he was wandering from and where he was wandering to, not stopping long enough for his image to be captured, future flower blooms, a fleeting glimpse and pollen footprints the only evidence he existed at all. https://g.co/kgs/mDdHU7 Continue reading Little Wanderer

The ocean is a magnet. The summer sea draws to it cars with out of state plates; people in swim suits, lugging coolers, beach chairs and umbrellas. Toting frisbees and children and dogs, they flock in droves to the sandy shore, pack themselves in tight. Fly kites and build castles, lay claim, for a moment, to small pieces of self made kingdoms by the sea. Those who heed the call of the summer sea are visitors and surface dwellers. They skim waves on surfboards slick with wax, coat their bodies in sunscreen. Buoyant, they bob to the surface shrieking and … Continue reading The Call of the Angry Ocean

Fall is back. Shorter days. Longer nights. Short rays of sun. Long drawn out shadows. Soon we will be setting back the clocks. We will become domesticated. We will step back in time. Autumn has always been my favorite season. In the hurry, hurry, rush, rush, push and shove to get ahead world, autumn gives us permission to fall back. To fall behind. To linger in the gray space between summer and winter. Between abundance and scarcity. When just enough, we discover, is actually more than we need. Between who we are for show and who we are in private. … Continue reading Fall Back

We had some drama early Sunday morning. It is a wild ride so buckle in. Herbie started pacing and growling around the bedroom close to 4:00 am. Every once in awhile he seems to forget he is no longer in suburbia and gets jumpy and grouchy at some of the “downtown noises” he hears. Music, car doors, laughter. Growl, growl, growl. This time however he was not just being crabby. This time there was a man with a machete (yes….a machete) in our front yard hacking at our Magnolia tree. My husband, being rational and reasonable, called the police. Myself, … Continue reading The Spoils of War