Change Is Hard

…but change is certain.

Category Archives: fun stuff


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Training Challenge #7

This week’s challenge for Katie was going for a long drive.   We are wondering how she’d travel, so we took her over to Michigan State University which is just over an hour away from us.

Next year, if I get the opportunity to drive down to Alabama, I’d like to take her with me rather than have her stay at a kennel.  But sometimes she gets feisty even coming home from her school, and I can’t envision a two day car trip with a sheltie barking at me!

But on this trip Katie settled in on her princess pillow in the back and seemed content to just nod her head sleepily.  Maybe because we did this last Sunday, after her Rally Trial, and she was exhausted.  LOL.  She wouldn’t put her head down, but her little eyese were closed and her head was bobbing up and down until she’d catch me watching her, then she’d try to look alert.

We were visiting the ornamental grass garden on campus.  It’s out near the farms, on the grounds of the sod farm where they experiment in making grass that golfers love.

Katie was really happy to get out of the car and explore.

The gardens were beautiful.  We had a nice time checking out the names of the grasses that we particularly liked, and considering where we might be able to add a few varieties to our own landscape.

Katie drank some water and peed on the pretty green lawn, just to make sure everyone knew she’d been there.  Then back into the car we went for the hour trip home.

She did great.  Maybe some weekend I’ll see if I can take her a little further from home.  Because two hours is not two days and I still don’t want to find myself somewhere in Tennessee with an unhappy girl.

Know what I mean?


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Mystery solved

You know the great mystery about where the socks go that come up missing after doing laundry?  Well here at our house we’ve solved it.

This morning I pulled laundry out of the dryer, specifically looking for a pair of socks I wanted to wear to work.  There was only one.   I knew I had put two socks in the dryer!  I looked back in the washer.  No sock.  I checked the dryer again.  No sock.  Disgusted I headed back toward the bedroom to find a different pair.

And found this.

So I’m thinking that if in your house you’re missing a bunch of individual socks…you just might want to check with the pupster.

Katie likes to steal underwear too.  But I’m not going to take any pictures of that!


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Falling off a bike

So you know that I started back to work at a new/old job this week.  It’s been over four years since I was there, and the economic world has changed.  Heck the whole world has changed.  Now there are many rules and procedures, all done online, that were never in place before.  Most of them make a lot of sense, but it’s still a lot to remember.

Several people that I knew from back “in the days” have stopped by my cube and asked how I was doing.  When I expressed a doubt about something they’d all say “It’s like riding a bike, you’ll remember.”  So far I’m replying that my bike feels like it has a flat.

You probably don’t know that I also rejoined the local community band. (It’s on my list of 101 things to do in 101 days.)  I belonged seven or eight years ago, but left because they were too small and didn’t play many concerts.  Over the years I’ve checked on them, and they seemed to be growing and playing more events.  So I signed up again.  At rehearsal last week there were only 4 clarinets.  Way too few.  I stubbornly held onto the 2nd clarinet folder of music, refusing to play first.  After all it has been at least 6 years since I’ve played anything.  This week at rehearsal there were four clarinets, but not the same ones as last week.  Again I was asked if I could play the 1st part.  I told them the last time I played 1st clarinet was in1978 and I’d rather stick to 2nd.  And the director said….”It’s like riding a bike.”

Lately my world is all about getting back on that bike.  But I think I need to get the tires re-inflated first.


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Just a few more…

Here are just a few more photos from the Meijer Gardens…starting with the conservatory, which is a giant glass structure holding a tropical garden as well as desert plants and a small room full of carnivorous plants.

The art glass was mingling among the tropical plants.

…sometimes hidden and sometimes displayed more obviously.

Sometimes the art glass was the plant…

…and sometimes it just enhanced the plants.

Outside we were treated to larger pieces…

…but the glass never competed with the sculptures that live at the garden permanently.

This is me when I was in grad school…

…and this will be me, balancing life, when I go back to underwriting next week!

We enjoyed some quiet time along a boardwalk edging around a lake filled with blue mini-icebergs.

…and a walk in a tiny garden at the front of the park that introduced us to the art glass in a more dramatic fashion.

For whatever reason I found this sculpture intriguing.

I liked all the textures…

…it had so much character, almost ominous…but somewhat reassuring in it’s solidness as well.

I have no idea what it meant, any more than I did this one, which is supposed to be two disparate lines…

…nor these sculptures, people sitting made out of letters of the alphabet, though I couldn’t find any actual words in the one I studied.

Maybe it’s not my job to understand the art.  Maybe it’s just my job to enjoy it.

I hope so, because I’m really good at enjoying it.

Hope you enjoyed it too!


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20 years – it's a walk in the park

My husband and I have been married twenty years and we celebrated our anniversary by visiting the Meijer Gardens near Grand Rapids Michigan.  The gardens have a huge conservatory with tropical plants, and acres and acres of gardens outside that are beautifully planted and showcase giant sculpture.

The gardens are wonderful, the sculpture interesting, sometimes even funny…and right now there is a special installation of giant art glass interspersed among the waterfalls, flowers, grasses, hills, woods and sculptures.

There were so many wonderful, colorful, playful and striking things to see; I have so many pictures to show you, but I guess I’ll try to limit myself here.

It’s going to be difficult to choose…

…because there were just so many amazing things to see.

I wish you could all have been there…

…to see the glass balls bobbing in the water and nestled among the rocks in the waterfalls…

…and the tall rushes in the woods…

…and tucked in among the real rushes near the wetlands.

So much to share with you.  Maybe I’ll put a few more pictures up tomorrow.

Meanwhile, did you see the big hawk sitting on top of the huge horse sculpture?


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The end of the race

Eventually I did get to the finish line of my 8K run/walk Saturday at the Crim Festival of Races.  What a relief!  But still, I felt pretty good other than my knee.  It takes a LOT of people and a lot of work to put these races on for us.  Just at the finish line alone there was an orchestrated effort to keep us comfortable.

There was the woman with the towels that had been soaking in ice water…

…and the volunteers handing out medals for the ten mile finishers.

The tables loaded down with fruit…

…and water….

….and sports drinks.

Volunteers were handing out popsicles which were just the ticket.  I got the orange one, my favorite!

People were all around talking about their race, and these little girls were being interviewed about their Teddy Bear Trot for the local TV station.

But eventually most of us ended up like this:

And probably most of us, at least those of us that are not elite runners have spent today sitting around with our feet up.

I certainly have!


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The Crim and Special Olympics

Last night I had a pre-race dinner with three running friends.  We all ran the “Crim,” a fundraiser for Special Olympics, this morning.  More on our race later.  As we ate  our pasta dinner yesterday evening we heard cheering out on the street and a high school band playing.  We made it outside in time to see many of the Special Olympians running their races.

You see, the Crim Festival of Races is a big deal here in Southeast Michigan.  It’s been going on for over 30 years and has grown to include the 10 mile road race, an 8K (5 miles), a 5K (3.1 miles) and a family walk as well as a Teddy Bear Trot for the little ones; all on Saturday morning.  Friday evening the Special Olympians run their own races and I have to say it’s hard to keep from crying as you watch them run or walk.  Most of them are grinning from ear to ear, and the crowd cheers for everyone.  It reminds me of a quote I read in some running book years ago.  Something like “how many middle aged folks get to do anything where people line up and cheer you on?”  That’s why we run, and that’s why they run too.  We’re not so different.

Generally I run the 10 mile race.  But these past couple of years I’ve been injured.  This year I had great hopes of being back on the 10 mile course, with it’s unweildy hills, fraternities offering beer, neighborhoods cheering, gospel choirs singing..well…you get the picture.  But two weeks ago while training I did something bad to my knee and even though I’ve stayed off of it, have iced it and heated it and massaged it, it’s still painful.  So I “downsized” to the 8K figuring I could walk 5 miles and I’d still get to see much of the course and enjoy the amazing support from the families, musicians and other runners out there.

The wheelchair racers headed off at 7:30  Then it was time for the over 10,000 runners and walkers doing the 10 miles to start.  Ten thousand runners is an amazing sight and it made me sad not to be out in that massive crowd waiting for the gun to go off.

By the time I saw the 10 milers off and got back to the finish line 3 blocks away the wheel chair racers had already completed their 10 hilly miles!  Talk about speedy!!

Those of us doing the 8K got started at 9:30.  It was a wonderful day for a road race!  Cool and sunny.  Perfect.  We had lots of support along the way, from the preacher type urging us on…

…to the cheerleader girls shouting for us to rally on our way up a hill.

There were the frat boys offering Crispy Creams…

and families with small children providing water.

There were singers and musicians along the way like this saxophone quartet…

…and a family that every year beats a rhythm on buckets for the entire time (hours and hours) that runners and walkers are going by.

I felt pretty good most of the way…

…until the middle of mile 4.  Then the knee started to give me trouble.  But I found that it hurt less if I was running, so I tried to run as much as I could.  Too bad I hadn’t TRAINED to be running!

Here are a couple of amusing photos…first the back of one woman’s shirt that made me laugh…

…and second, a beautiful little old lady, standing alone ringing a cowbell for us as we ran by…

…and a little old man playing his accordion as he walks down the sidewalk!

And then I was at the finish!  This is already too long…so I’m going to post the finish line pictures tomorrow!    Suffice it to say I made it, bad knee and all…and it was a wonderful day.


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Making the bed

I have company coming so I was making up the bed in the guest room.  Katie, always the helpful Sheltie-girl supervised.

I’m sure Sara had a similar post when Oreo was helping her…hope she doesn’t mind a little plagiarism.    Maybe we could get Katie and Oreo to make the beds together!  A little chore off our own lists.  It’s a thought.


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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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Training Challenge (3)

This week I decided to take Katie to a place she’s never been before with smells she’s never smelled before and sights she’s never seen before.  She was all happy to be GOING SOMEWHERE!  She loves to travel and we had her car back from the shop so she got to travel in her very own comfortable and safe crate.  Happy happy dog.

But as soon as I arrived at my surprise destination and opened up the back she started to shake.  Typical Katie; new smells, new sounds, new everything is just so scary!  So.  Do you want to know where we went?  Is this a clue?

We visited a local dairy farm where they sell the most wonderful ice cream.  People buy the ice cream and then wander among the dairy cows.  It’s a pretty unique experience – to be eating the sweet ice cream while smelling the sweet …well…  smells of cows.  Up close and personal.

From the start Katie wasn’t too keen on the whole thing.  There’s a covered picnic area quite a ways from the cows, and we walked around there for awhile till she stopped shaking.  Then I started doing obedience patterns with her and since I had cheese, well cheese trumped fear, which was a good sign that she was adjusting.  When she’s really scared she refuses cheese, and we were never in that place on this adventure.

Eventually I heeled her over nearer the cows, and then we just walked in the middle of the walkway, not too close, all the way to the back of the barns.  She was interested in all the animals but not pulling on the leash to get any closer to them.  Till she saw the baby pigs.  THOSE she wanted to meet, and they wanted to meet her too!

Then it was back through all the big cows, and she tried to sit where I told her to, but it was just too close and she decided she’d rather not.  LOL  I didn’t push the issue, my whole goal was for her to get comfortable quickly in a totally foreign environment and I think she did that.

On our way back to the car we stopped to let a family with three young children pet Katie.  Another thing we need to work on.  She allowed all three to pet her gently on the side, but only after I asked her to sit, and got down there with her.  Otherwise she continues to shy away from people that want to meet her.

All in all it was a successful trip.  And mama didn’t even eat any ice cream!