Change Is Hard

…but change is certain.


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Just taking a walk

Trees 1377 Yesterday I decided I had missed enough beautiful days doing nothing much in particular, so I decided to go for a walk.  Alone.  Of course it was no longer a beautiful warm sunny day; it was cold and the sky was gray.  But still, a walk alone would be nice.  Deciding to walk to town I began my journey.  It’s only a mile from my house to downtown, but there’s a lot to see along the way.

Trees 1368 First stop, perhaps a third of a mile into the trip was the local cemetery.  I’d always meant to stop by and look at some of the older markers from the town’s founding fathers.  It’s a pretty cemetery, quite small, and as I came to realize, very old.

Then on down the road to a little park with a bridge to get over the creek that runs from the mill pond into the wetlands.  Almost to town!  Trees 1373

And there it is, the entirety of our downtown.  Well, there is a little more…

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…the other side of the street!

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Along the way I enraged two sets of doggies in the windows…This Bulldog, Beagle and Minpin who had been sleeping on the ledge inside the bay window…

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…and this pair of  Bichons who could hardly stand that I was walking by their house!

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On the way back home (which is pretty much all uphill by the way!) I stopped to take a photo of a pretty wild crabapple tree.

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And then the crabby Dairy-Queen tree!

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And finally a wild apple tree that had just a few apples hanging out at the end of her limbs, as if they were Christmas ornaments.

Trees 1364As I walked up my driveway there was little Katie, not even mad that I had gone on a walk without her.  Just happy to see me as always.  Today, of course, it’s bright sunshine.  I think Katie and I will go to the park.

Katie 1910


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Favorite

Several evenings this past week were filled with special events.  It’s unusual to have so many scheduled in one week, but there you go, it’s the life of the unemployed; I’m unhindered with work and able to accept all invitations!

Last Sunday my husband and I went to a tiny, intimate theater in downtown Detroit to watch Rita McKenzie’s “Ethel Merman’s Broadway.”  I didn’t know much about Merman prior to this show, which told her life story in the first person.  Rita McKenzie dressed and sang like Merman as she talked about her life.  It was a lot of fun.

Thursday I attended the University of Michigan’s version of “The Marriage of Figaro” with my aunt.  It was so professionally done and we had great seats which allowed me to watch the pit orchestra as well as the stage.  I’m not an opera fan, but this one was very funny, with modern translations of the words being sung.  I enjoyed it and didn’t realize till after it was finished that it had gone on for over three and a half hours!

Last night found us back in Ann Arbor with my aunt, attending the Ann Arbor Symphony.  They did three pieces.   After hearing the first, Overture on Hebrew Themes by Sergey Prokofiev (who did the ballet scores for Cinderella, Romeo and Juliet and Peter and the Wolf,) I thought to myself, “Well that’s probably going to be my favorite this evening” because it was so fun, flirty and light with bits of humor and history thrown in.

After the second piece, Symphony No 1 in C Major by Georges Bizet, written when he was 17 years old in 1858 as a homework assignment...I thought to myself, “That last movement is my favorite tonight…the violins were crazy busy, off to the races, and it ended about 3 times, almost as if the composer was saying ‘See teacher?  Here’s some MORE..and some MORE and MORE!’ ”  I couldn’t believe he wrote it at seventeen. And that it wasn’t played for 80 years because he didn’t feel it was worthy, and that it languished in the basement of his school until it was discovered by someone doing his biography.

Then the crowning glory of the evening, a piece by Johannes Brahms,  the Concerto No 2 for Piano and Orchestra.  The guest pianist was Anton Nel, originally from South Africa, once a piano professor at UM, now teaching in Austin TX.  He was phenomenal.  I thought to myself  “Well…I guess in the end the last movement of the Brahms is my favorite for the evening…it’s racy tunes, the strings driving toward the finale…a wonderful end to a wonderful evening.”   Everyone in the audience was on their feet as soon as the last note began to die away.

While we were clapping I wished that everyone in the world could sit where I sat; that surely if they could then we could end wars and crime and all injustice.   Because how could anyone that received such a beautiful gift, that let such beauty inside themselves, anyone who sat next to strangers and felt their hearts expand..how could these people not be positively effected?  I know, I know. Totally unrealistic.  But still.

There were four curtain calls.

And then a grateful gasp rose from the hall as Dr. Nel, exhausted from the 50 minute concerto he had just finished, sat back down at the piano.  Just one man, one piano.   And then the sound.. the most beautiful, most soulful, indescribable sound.  He played something from Franz Liszt, I don’t know which piece.  It was so very beautiful that tears ran down my face.  And I said to myself…”This is my favorite.”

I don’t think I was alone.


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Learning to slow down

This week I was out shopping for a zippered sweatshirt to wear to doggie school.  While I drove I was listening to public radio; such soothing and beautiful music!  As I pulled into the parking lot a clarinet was playing a contemporary piece based on a 14th century hymn.  It was absolutely stunning.  I was sad that I had arrived at the parking lot because I wanted to hear the rest of the piece.

Then I had an epiphany.

There was no need for me to jump out of the car just because I had arrived at my destination.  With no employment I was operating with no schedule and  had the luxury of sitting in the car listening to the radio all afternoon if I wanted to.  So I did.

And as I entered the store later I was assulted by ceiling high red Christmas trees and Madonna singing “Santa Baby.”  Should have delayed reentry a bit longer.

Katie 1004


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So it's Tuesday. I think.

Remember when I said that having a random work schedule made it difficult to figure out what day it was?  That the weekends had no meaning and I was always checking the calendar to figure out where I was supposed to be and when?  Well, let me tell you,  being unemployed is even more confusing.  With nothing at all scheduled I have no place to mark time.  So I’m just going to have to fill up the space, organize some organization into my days, get myself going.  Or not.  It’s taken a couple of weeks, but I’m beginning to like this feeling of not knowing what day it is – and not caring anyway!

Katie and I do have the Monday drop in competition obedience class…but I don’t have to go every week.  And last week I did start her in a Rally class on  Thursday mornings.  So I guess there is some semblance of organization and purpose in my life.  Or in hers anyway.  We went to Obedience last night.  Twenty-four dogs (at least) there.  Way too big, we had to do things in groups and wait while other groups were working.

Katie and got there an hour early so that she could acclimate to the building.  We sniffed all around the edges of all three rings.  Looked at the agility equipment piled in the corner of the building, caught our reflections in the mirrored wall…sniffed all the dog crates.  And suddenly as I was wandering with her I realized she was heeling and looking at me expectantly!  All by herself!  And we were only 10 minutes into our hour!  What a girl!  So we did some practicing of our own in the empty rings.  Heeling, staying, coming, more heeling.  She was spot-on.  Of course after all that I still had 30 more minutes to fill before class began.

We met three other shelties, and I got to have a long talk with the owner of one of them, a small breeder, about sheltie attitude and shyness and what they (the breeders) were doing about trying to be careful not to breed shyness into the dogs.  Mostly though I waited my turn to get a little ring time.  Katie is not a patient dog, and was barking when she had to hang around too long.  Another sign she was acclimated and feeling her oats, the fact she’d bark at instructors and other dogs.

This week she waited when she was supposed to and didn’t follow me out as we were doing recalls.  And she was perfect on her long sit.  We were doing long sits and downs near the end of the class and a large group of people were gathering (maybe for another class) in the waiting area.  They got louder and louder until it was difficult to hear our instructor.  There were lots of dogs waiting as well, and Katie, sitting near the edge of the ring had her back to all this activity.  She was doing a pretty good job of ignoring it all when suddenly two big dogs, waiting with their owners right in back of her, got into it.  They growled and barked at each other in anger, and Katie went straight up into the air then began running toward me on the other side of the ring.  I was already moving fast toward her and we met in the middle.  I led her back to her spot, put her back into a down while the dogs on either side of Katie were struggling with their owners, refusing to go back down.  Katie just sat and watched each of them, her ears flat.  One of the instructors came up behind me and said “Good recovery.  It’s OK to go back to her tell her she’s a good girl and come back out.  They all need a little reassurance sometimes.”  So I did.

That was the end of our class and Katie was glad to leave.  I think she won’t need as long to get into the training mode now, and we won’t have to be there so early.  She really was ready to go home about the time the class began!  And it’s just way too big.  So when our 8 visits are over we probably won’t go back.  The Rally class is much smaller, the building is more quiet, and she gets 30 minutes of obedience which is just about right for her.  So we’ll enjoy that more I think.

On the other hand, when we got home she still wanted to play and brought out some of her favorite toys to entice me.  Silly dog, she should have been worn out.  I know I was!  But she’s still ready to go Go GO!

Katie 1687


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Visiting

UM Nov 2009 011On this beautiful fall day I traveled down to Ann Arbor to have lunch with a friend from school.  I was in AA last weekend, when we went to the concert at Hill Auditorium (pictured above with the UM bell tower), and my husband asked me as we were leaving town if I missed campus.  I can honestly say that yes I do.  I don’t know if it is the campus itself, the sense of being involved in something new and exciting, or the feeling of belonging that I missed, but I do miss being in Ann Arbor.

UM Nov 2009 012 So I was excited to go down to campus again.  I planned the trip so that I had time to ride the bus into the center of town.  That makes parking cheaper (as in zero) and saves me trying to drive in a town which is overrun with students, cars and buses.  Driving in AA totally stresses me out.  Plus, if you’ve read this blog long enough you’ll know.  I LOVE riding the bus!  In a multicultural university town like Ann Arbor you get to see and listen to the most interesting people while riding the bus.  Today I listed to a conversation about quantom physics and another about how different antioxidents work on different part of the cells in our body.  Riding the bus is an education in itself.  I was pleased to note that old traditions continue, like students getting up out of their seats and offering them to older riders, and everyone calling a “thanks!” to the driver, accompanied with a wave, as they depart.

Lunch was spent at a little Korean restaurant that I had walked past and hardly noticed for the whole two years I was a student.  I had lovely spicy chicken as we caught up with each other’s stories.  It was so good to see her, and hear how things were going in her academic world.  It’s such a different world than that of my public library.

After lunch she went back to work and I wandered central campus for a little bit.  Things haven’t changed at all.  Feeding the squirrels is still a good study break. UM Nov 2009 003

And as usual there was something crazy going on on the Diag, the very center of campus where different interest groups usual hold court or entertain, or preach for their cause.  Today there was a fraternity selling chances, $2.00 each, to throw a whip cream pie in the face of a student, all for the worthy cause of ending heart disease. UM Nov 2009 010

UM Nov 2009 006Over in West Hall, where I went to school I ran into my favorite professor.  She and I were walking through the undergrad library at the same time and actually bumped into each other.  We had a moment to talk, which was really nice.  She says she’s going to retire.  I said sure she is, she says that every year.  But this year she just may.  She wants to travel the country and visit all her students in all those libraries.  Sounds like a plan to me!

After seeing her I headed back to the bus stop.  On the ride back out to the car  I realized that campus life was fun, but over.  Just that bit of walking around showed me that I didn’t really belong there anymore. And more than that, I realized I was glad I was done with school, that it  is OK to be finished with student life.  That was one phase of my life; a really fun, exciting, and sometimes scary time.  I’ll always enjoy visiting, but it’s not where my life is now.

As I pulled into the driveway I could hear Katie howling.  Guess she wasn’t thrilled to be left alone most of the day.  How soon she gets spoiled.  This is where my life is now.  And that’s OK with me.

Katie too


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Rally around the sheltie

Katie 2006New classes are starting this week at the dog school Katie and I have been attending.  I noticed there was an agility class, and as I’m not working I thought it would be fun to go.  Then I saw a rally class starting, and reluctantly decided to enroll Katie in that instead.  I was a bit nervous about taking her into a building she was already agitated about, then introducing her again to equipment that has frightened her in the past.  Plus she’s not that focused yet.  So, though I think agility would be more fun, I think rally is a better match for her where she is right now.  I think we’ll be able to gain our rally novice title if we focus.   Well, if I focus and she just follows along.  You get to talk to them in rally which is very different from obedience, so we’ll start there.

There were only about 7 dogs total in class today.  The instructor uses the first half hour to train on obedience skills, heeling, stand and stay, sits and downs, recall, all the typical obedience stuff.  Katie did really well with this smaller class, though the instructor threw in a few rally moves that I didn’t recognize.  It’s obvious all the other dogs and people have been doing rally for awhile and have been in this class together for awhile; they were a cohesive group… and then there was Katie and me.  But the instructor was very helpful, kept an eye on me, and when I was standing still trying to figure out what she was asking for she’d explain it to me.

The second half of the class we each got to go through a rally course that she had set up.  She walked it with me before we all tried it so that she could answer any questions I had about any particular station.  I got to watch two or three people go through the course before we tried it.  She had mixed in novice, advanced and excellent stations in the course, and Katie did them all pretty well.  I don’t know which ones were which.

Tonight after supper Katie and I practiced moving downs, something we hadn’t tried before.  Katie is getting better at it.  I’m still awkward.  But if Katie keeps practicing with me I’ll get better.  I think.

Katie 2010


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The problem isn't just in Florida – it's everywhere

Here’s an 8 minute video from a news station in Florida, talking about the increased risk of semi truck crashes, and telling the story of the semi-school bus crash that occurred in Florida in September 2008.  Be warned, it’s pretty hard to watch.  But it’s the reason we have to keep fighting the fight.

http://cbs4.com/video/?id=85849@wfor.dayport.com

Meanwhile, to all of you out there, stay safe, keep alert, give those big trucks a wide berth, and try not to be stopped in traffic on a busy road or freeway.

Miss you Dad.

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