Change Is Hard

…but change is certain.


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Sometimes change works out OK

Some of you have figured out that I successfully imported my old blog into this blog.  You got a message that there were over 1000 posts to read!  🙂  I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t want to read all 1000 again.  Really?  No?  Well…some were led down that path…and have commented on posts from a year ago when we were in California.

San Fran goodness.

I wish we had been able to go back out there again this year, but no, we’re still here in Michigan.

Meanwhile, change is coming  here as well…at least in the weather department.  Not too far north of us they have had snow.  And last night we got our first hard frost which killed the tomatoes and the dahlias.

The last bit of summer.

I’m so glad I cut most of the blossoms yesterday, so they’re in my kitchen now and I’m enjoying the last of their beautiful colors for a bit longer.

Summer glows as it slips away.

The leaves are changing faster and faster here too.  They are absolutely stunning!  I was worried that we wouldn’t get any fall color because we had so little rain this summer.  But once again I was wrong.

Fall arrives with fanfare.

It’s beautiful at work on my lunch walks, and it is beautiful around home too.  I have so many photos.  Every year I think the trees are the most beautiful they’ve ever been and I take more photos.

Waiting for the school bus.

This year was no exception

The air glows gold.


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Dog walk

Lots of doggies here Mom!

Katie and I had an adventure today.  She’s not sure if it was an excellent adventure.  But it was an adventure none the less.

The Michigan Humane Society has a dog megawalk each year as a fundraiser.  This year they had part of it at my favorite park, and my employer put together a team.  So there was no excuse not to go.

But of course Katie doesn’t really like lots of people and noise and lots of strange dogs.  And I was decidedly worried about how hundreds of dogs would behave together.  And how their owners would control them.  And how she’d react to noise and confusion.  I decided if she was really uncomfortable we’d just go home.

We’re all walking for a cause.

We had to walk a long way from the parking lot to registration, along with lots of other people and barking dogs.  Katie didn’t think this was the kind of “park” and “walk” that she had been expecting…but she marched right along, checking in with me from time to time, stopping to sniff a tree, but mostly she was with me as we moved toward registration.  But as we got close to the field filled with hundreds of dogs and their people she began to lag behind.  Then she just stopped.

We discussed it for a bit, then she asked to be picked up and I indulged.  I wanted to find our team and let them know we were going home early.  As I looked for my team members we met Titan, a sheltie who had been groomed into a ‘lion cut’ and was growing out his coat.  He was not interested in Katie and she didn’t want to sit near him either.

Titan was not interested in you either Miss Katie!

But I never did find my team until just before the walk started.  And by then she was settled into the whole chaos thing, her ears were back up, she was letting some people pet her, and she was accepting treats.  So I knew she was OK.

Once we got moving she was a happy camper.  She walked most of the walk next to her new best friend Sampson, a 4 month owned pitt bull owned by a coworker.

“Hey Sampson, let me tell you how to get ANYTHING from your Mom!”

We didn’t do the whole walk, it was two miles and she was lagging after awhile, as was the puppy and another dog on our team.  But we probably did a mile and a half.  We even met another sheltie named Katie!

This Katie is 13 years old. Isn’t she pretty?

I was very proud of the way Katie handled the noise, the dogs, the people, and the walking.  But I think it was equally important that I read her and didn’t make her do the whole thing.   And that I was ready to go home if she didn’t adjust.  I know her, and I know it takes her about an hour to settle into a new place, so I’m pleased to see she still has coping skills.    We’re registered for a rally trial in about 3 weeks, in a new building.  So I am reminded that I will need to get there early and let her adjust.

I think she’s asleep now.  It was a very big day.  And I probably owe her a real walk her regular park tomorrow.  I’m pretty sure she will demand it.

Team “Who Let the Dogs Out”


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60th wedding aniversary

Cutting the cake in Grandma Braun’s dining room.

Today would be our parents’ 60th wedding anniversary.

Sixty years seems, in theory, like a very long time.  Yet it seems to have sped in the blink of an eye.    They only got 52 years together here on earth, but I know they are celebrating together now.

All of us – 1974

Fifty-two years was good but not enough.  I wish we were all getting together to celebrate down on the lake.  Cake, flowers, cards, none of that matters.  It would just be good to all be together again.

Yes it would.


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Janelle’s

Janelle’s…a little slice of heaven.

A few years ago on the old blog I told you about Janelle’s Family Restaurant in Byron Michigan, about an hour west of us.  It’s owned by a husband and wife whose only child, Janelle, was killed when a semi hit their car while they were stopped in traffic.  Janelle was 15 when she died.  Her parents, a cousin and the family dog survived the crash.

Once things settled down Janelle’s dad who is a chef opened the restaurant and named it after his daughter.  The tag line is “a little slice of heaven.”  Most locals know the restaurant’s story.

Byron is a tiny town, with not much more than a block of retail stores.  Janelle’s is the only restaurant downtown.  I guess I should say was.  Because this morning it burned, along with a couple of other stores.  The whole block is damaged and will likely be torn down.

You can see photos and video here.  It’s hard to watch.  Especially if you know the restaurant’s story.

I don’t know how much one family can take.  I’m sure this feels like they’ve lost Janelle all over again.  My heart breaks for them even as it is glad that no one was injured.  Still many people are out of work in a tiny rural community.  And they’ve all be traumatized.  The good news is that it is a tight community and they will pull together.

And we’ll all be pulling for them too.  When they rebuild, or start again somewhere else we’ll be there.  And if they need help cleaning up the mess or digging through the rubble we’ll be there.  If they need a hug or a handshake or a smile…well…we’ll be there.  All they’ve asked for so far is a  tiny prayer for strength.  That one is easy, we can all provide that support.

Regardless of what happens next they can be certain that none of us will forget Janelle, whether there’s a new restaurant or not.  She touched our lives even though most of us never got to meet her.

So tonight or tomorrow, when you’re looking around and feeling frustrated or sad or stressed remember Janelle and especially  her parents who have lived through more adversity than most people could imagine.  Say that quick prayer for them and a bit of thanks for our own, simpler, lives.

I will.  For sure.


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Not running

I had a twinge of sadness when I turned on the news this morning and saw footage of the 5th annual Brooksie half marathon.  Runners were coming in, and the weather was perfect – cool and clear, leaves glowing in the early morning sunshine.   I trained for the first annual Brooksie (named after the deceased son of our county executive).  I over trained and ended up with a stress fracture in my foot that prevented me from running it.  And I haven’t run since.

Apparently time has gotten away from me.  I had no idea so many years have passed.  This is the 5th annual run.  That means I haven’t run in four years?  How can that be?  Four years?  No way!

I watch runners as I drive back and forth to work or to the grocery store.  I  think nostalgically of my own running days.  My running friends.  But then I don’t put the shoes on, don’t head out the door.  This weekend is a perfect example.  Both  mornings were beautiful.  Perfect.  Did not move from the sofa.

And then this morning, while sitting on the sofa, I read Heather’s blog, a post where she took us on her four mile run.  It looked so much like my own favorite neighborhood four mile route.  Sort of inspiring…don’t you think.  Should I head out?  Really?  Maybe not all four miles, not right away.

But still…


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Reality check

Katie and I went to school today.  We’re hoping to enter a Rally Trial at the end of October to start working for her advanced title.  Before we did our practice run this morning I put her in a down and walked the course with our instructor.  Ok.  Maybe a few things to worry about, but as I told Katie just before we begin…”if it goes wrong girl it will be your mama’s fault.”

Mama needs to learn to read better.

And it was.  I was so worried about whether I could send her over a jump while I stayed behind that I skipped two or three stations entirely!  Entirely!  Well that would be a NQ for sure. Plus I misread a sign and didn’t ask her to do a down.  At all.  Katie on the other hand did pretty much everything I asked, including correcting herself on one of her sits.

I myself learned to read when I was quite young.  Just saying Mama.

We’re going to try again at class next week.  Katie thinks I am a total goof.  To make it up to her when we got home we played a rousing game of frisbee.

You want THIS frisbee Mama?

Mostly she just got to run and run and run.

Let’s race! I win!

She’s napping now.  Nothing like a fun class, a good lunch and a good romp.  Yep…it’s a beautiful day in Sheltie land.

Nighty-night. (sigh)


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Katie time

I think we could all use a little Katie, no?  So this morning I tried to take a new photo of her for all of you.

I took a new picture this morning, truly I did.  But I can’t find where I uploaded it…and the photo archive on my computer is acting weird and I don’t have time to mess with it.   So I posted an old picture of her.  But she looks pretty much the same.

Just sleepier.