Monday, December 31, 2012

Finding equilibrium

2012
A good year with a rough ending.

Our lives are a little disjointed without Jackson.  
Things are a bit off, a little amiss.
The house feels different, sounds different.
The energy is different.

One dog + one dog equals about 6 dogs.
Yet, when you take one dog away, you only have one dog left, not five.
I swear dog energy is exponential rather than simple addition, subtraction.

It helps to tell Jackson stories. 

Remember the first time that he and Libby met each other at the dog park?
The camping trip when he absconded with the most wonderful smoked salmon in the world?
His hero moment when he stopped the bad dogs from attacking Libby and me?
The way he would sneak up behind me on the porch and lick my face and then laugh?
The hikes where he would carry Libby's food and his own?
The way he loved water and would dive to retrieve a stick or rock?
Hikes where Jackson would take out our knees carrying a big timber down the trail...our logger dog?
Remember when he ate a whole bag of cat food, a whole batch of cookies, 
all of the Christmas desserts, a box of doughnuts?
And, of course, the elk guts deserve a whole paragraph, but I will refrain.

How he would sneak up into an easy chair and when found out would slither off  like a seal, 
lay down, and pretend like he was asleep?
How he loved haying time, all those mousies under the hay bales?
The way he was always happy to see visitors and offer up his best nyla-bone or rope toy?
How he loved a ride in a red pick-up truck even if it was only from the house to the barn?
How much he loved us and how much we loved him?
Jackson at the crest of Strawberry Mountain

So without Jackson we are a little mixed up and goofy.
It will take awhile to find balance.  
Like disturbed atoms we will jostle around until we find a new equilibrium that works for us in 2013.

___________
Thanks for sticking with me on this two year blog-venture through the happy and the sad.

Marilyn














Saturday, December 22, 2012

The story of stuff...

Just seems that this might be timely.  Perhaps a new pre-holiday movie.
Not sure if I am imbedding this correctly.  So if it does not work for you, go directly to

 Annie Leonard's Story of Stuff website.  Scroll down to see her interview with Stephen Colbert.  

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Today It Snows

This isn't a blurry picture.  
Just lots of big flakes coming down.
Wreath on the Blueberry Corral Door
Snow turns the colored landscape into one of  black and white.
Not a lot of time to post right now.
We found out that our big pea-eating-sometimes-hero-chocolate-lab has stomach cancer.
But he still loves a ride in a pick-up truck.
Jack has packed a lot into his ten years.
Hiked a lot of trails.
Swam in dozens of northwest rivers and mountain lakes.
Ridden a lot of gravel road miles in the pick up truck.
Eaten (Stolen) what seems like a ton of home baked loaves of bread.
Lucky Dog!


Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Where did that candy cane come from?


I love that so many different food commodities are grown here in Oregon. 
During mint harvest, Interstate 5 south of Salem smells like one big cup of mint tea. 

Happy Holidays!

(From 1000 Friends of Oregon)