October 10, 2014

 A Friday alarm is one of the best alarms…unless you work on Saturdays (which I did for years).  The timing was off a little bit this morning, however, as trash pickup came closer to 5:25 rather than 5:20, so just as I’m doing all the odd yoga movements in front of the window, there he is.  I chose that moment to go into a deep uttanasana.  I am spending more time thinking about what I am doing, rather than automatically going through the motions as I ponder something else.   Headed to work a half hour early so I could be there for testing.  

I received one of the kindest, most heartfelt gifts today for my 10 years from someone who isn’t even “one of us”…my Kindred Spirit baked a pumpkin cake (loaf? Bread??? I’m not quite sure what it is called here – In Europe it would be “Kuchen”<cake>) for me and it was SOOO good!!  I've already made some coffee and eaten 3 pieces of it.  Thank you, thank YOU, Heather….  I love you. <3

After somewhat of an early release, I headed to pick up my “home-grown-non-GMO-family processed” chickens!  Very excited about slowly moving over to healthier foods (please, please don’t laugh, those of you who know me), and then it was time to hit the mountains for a hike.  The dogs were excited as always and I initially tried to head to areas closer to Stumpy Meadows, but decided nah… back  towards highway 88.  Finally found an isolated place in the middle of Almost-Nowhere.  I’d walked 10 steps when a truck with a rather ruggedly yummy man drives by.  He looks at me, smiles, said ”Go, Giants!” and off he goes.  <sigh>  DO.I.SMELL??????  Of course, Mabi would have burst his eardrum with her barking, had he stopped, so…<gotta love the Dingo>.  

 

We’d walked about 45 minutes as I worked with the dogs on a familiar whistle from my childhood; when I was a child, my parents had Chiquita, a Border Collie, and Rex, a German Shepherd.  They had a specific whistle they used to call them and I thought of it today, remembering those long walks we took down Cardinal Lane.  Suddenly, Annie dashes away.  I called and called, looking for her: nothing.  I sent Mabi after her, as I had done the previous hike, but Mabi couldn’t find her, either, so we continued our walk.  I was worried, though and we headed back to the area Annie had disappeared in and suddenly there she was, only to disappear yet again.  I called her name,  really thinking I’d given her the wrong name as she didn’t respond in the slightest.  Mabi and I looked for almost another 30 minutes when I noticed the sun dropping lower.  I called her name again and again, thinking I heard her whine, to no avail.  Finally I decided to walk back to the car and drive it to the area, knowing I’d soon have to go home to get my headlamps for a night time search.  HOW am I going to tell the kids?  I called her name, I whistled, I clapped…nothing.  Mabi looked everywhere, dashing to areas where she thought she heard a noise.  Nothing.  I finally see the car and am walking closer when there she is, sitting by the front driver’s door.  Mabi was so happy, I was thrilled and so relieved.  SOMETHING has got to be done about this girl.  She makes such noise when she’s in a car on the way to the park, but is dead quiet in the forest.

 

Home and burning some CDs…I’m also listening to Anders Osborne, what an incredible sound he has.  Hangtown Halloween is in 2 weeks…that’ll be some nice music to tie me over for a bit (it’s been a long, dry spell in many areas of my life).  As for this weekend, paper writing and going to the salon.  Maybe, just maybe… I’ll drop by the bookstore.  <smile>

Pictures:  My delicious pumpkin Kuchen.  OMGitwasyummy!!!!;  The road to where we are going and the road from whence we came; A little LoveLight shining through those pines.