Change Is Hard

…but change is certain.

Category Archives: change


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Something old, something new

It’s the end of an era.  Last week we traded in my SUV.  The poor SUV had a lot of miles on her.  And the repair bills were mounting exponentially.

Still, this was the car I loved to drive, the car Katie and I used to explore parks and country lanes.  The car that took me home to the South and north to the peace of the forest and lakes.

Katie and I took it for a last run to the park. We had already taken her crate out of the back so she got to sit up front with me.

Hey!  Wait a minute Mom, aren’t I supposed to be back there?

She gets so excited when I pack up her stuff for a trip to the park, she runs to the back of the car and stands on her hind legs waiting to be lifted in.

I’m going to have to break her of that habit; it’s best that there be no nail scratches on the new car!  At least not right away.

This is so wrong! Where is my crate??

We had a good time at the park…

…we always do.  Then we took our last ride home.

Hey Mom!  You’re not getting rid of my car are you?  How are we going to go to the park without my car?

Don’t worry little girl….stay tuned!


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101 in 1001 days

More than a year ago Melanie posted about putting together a list of 101 things she wanted to accomplish, enjoy, experience or learn in the next 1001 days.  I think there was a website that helped her set up her list but I don’t remember.  A while ago she updated us on her progress…which reminded me that the whole thing was something I was interested in doing.

Sort of my own bucket list.

So I started building my own list of 101 things I wanted to do.  But I got stuck.  So far I have only listed 52 things.  And I’ve been working on this off and on since the first of August.  I’m thinking that because I’m already over 50 and have experienced many amazing things that I just might not have 101 things left to do.  I’m not sure if that is a good or a bad thing.

Maybe I should take the leap and just do it.  Just because I can’t find 101 things there’s no reason I have to wait to start this.  Who made the rules anyway?  Who says you can’t add to the list even as you’re checking things off?  Or is it cheating if I only have 52 things to accomplish in 1001 days?  Should I get the 52 things done in 500 days?

And how do you figure out the date 1001 days away anyway?


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Walking in the fog

It’s been so warm here, the kind of warm I remember from childhood.  You remember…when you were a kid before houses had air conditioning and you slept on top of your sheets with your pj’s sticking to you and the window of your bedroom open so that the hot air outside could mingle with the hot air inside and your skin felt sticky and your pillow was hot…well…that’s how hot it’s been here these past couple of weeks.

Yesterday morning we woke to fog, and it felt a bit cooler, though maybe that was just an illusion brought on by the gray light and the cooling droplets of mist that stuck to my face and in my hair.  Since I’m still “in training” for that big 10 mile race coming up at the end of the month I decided I’d take myself for a walk before the sun got too strong and burned away the only bit of cool we’ve had in a long time.

So off I went.  The first mile ended at an overpass where as I watched the cars I realized that I was lucky I wasn’t headed off to work when so many people had to, especially those that were getting ready for a new school year to begin.

I’ve been thinking that I need to find work somewhere, and that the odds of me finding it as a librarian are slim…and getting slimmer.  Maybe I’m going to have to start expanding the criteria of work that I’m willing to do.  Maybe I’ll have to defer the dream job for awhile.  Though it sure was fun to dream.

Deep in contemplation I walked further down roads I haven’t walked in a good long time.  Past the golf course which was surprisingly (to me anyway) busy for a foggy weekday morning.

I walked six miles in total, and as the fog lifted I came across my favorite photo of the walk – the side of a barn covered in vines and layers of paint.

Isn’t it beautiful?  It’s sat on the side of this road for many years and I wonder how many people have enjoyed it’s colors prior to me wandering by.  It spoke to me, as if to say; “I’ve been around a long time and I’m still here.  You’ll weather this economic downturn  fine… you may end up with a few surprising colors of paint, but you’ll survive…just like me.”

It was a good walk.


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Change abounds

After I “mastered” the new blog look I asked for help from my friend and administrator extraordinaire Spike.  He fixed my little problem with logging back in, and then later surprised me with a whole new look to the blog.  It’s different than anything else I’ve seen, and as with any change and me, I have to look at it for awhile to see if I like it.  He’s pushing the envelope and he knows how I am about that.  Way to go Spike…keep pushing and I’ll keep growing.

On another front a blogger friend put together a list of 101 things she wanted to accomplish in 1001 days.  She did this a year ago, and at that time I was intrigued.  But you know me, the combination of slacker and fear of change meant I never got around to doing my own list.  So this week she was writing about it being her one year anniversary and how many of her 101 things she has accomplished so far and I thought “wait a minute, it’s been a whole year?”   Suddenly I was motivated to get going on my own list and so far I have 29 things listed.  Just working on that list I found out that Microsoft Word within Windows 7 is TOTALLY DIFFERENT AND I HATE IT!  Oh wait…that’s more change and it’s  Good for me. Really.  Sigh.  If, I mean when, I get it done I might share it with you.  Depending on how personal it turns out to be.

And on a third front…I’m practicing heeling with Katie-girl at the park and in the driveway, all in preparation for a Rally trial I think I’m going to sign us up for in September even though we haven’t been in Rally class since early June.  She seems pretty excited about working again; especially excited about that ole treat bag on Mama’s behind.

If you know what I mean.