Change Is Hard

…but change is certain.


by 9 Comments

A contemplative afternoon in the park

Katie 1939 I’ve been promising Katie for what seems like days, and probably seems like weeks to her, a trip to her favorite soccer field/park.  Today I wasn’t scheduled to work, it wasn’t raining, and even more motivating was the fact that there were contractors in the basement sawing a window well and a crawl space door into the wall.  After hours of listening to the screaming, grinding saw Katie and I ran away to the park for the afternoon.

Since we missed doggie school last night because I had to work, Katie and I practiced our heeling quite a bit today.  She did awesome, probably in part because she hadn’t been fed yet so was highly food motivated!  This makes me know for sure that she knows how to do everything.  Sometimes she choses not to do them, but she sure knew how today!

After we did about 30 minutes of heeling, sitting, staying, stand for exam and recall I switched her to her long leash and we went exploring.  I was looking for pretty places to get her portrait.  She was more interesting in sniffing stuff.

Katie 1940

As we walked along I saw this tiny little nest that was in a bush right at the side of the walking path.

Trees 1232

I stuck my finger in this shot not because it’s such an attractive photo, but to give you a sense of scale.  I wonder if it’s a hummingbird nest.  If not, what other bird would be that small?  Maybe a chickadee?  I need to look this up and see what I can learn.

After our walk through the fields we wandered back to the pond.  Katie actually stepped on a garter snake!  Her back feet sort of hopped up which is what she does when she steps on a thistle or a stick, but she kept on going.  I glanced down and realized it was a snake!  I didn’t get a picture of it as it slid slowly off into the tall grass, but I got a picture of another one we came across, about the same size.

Trees 1239

Do you see it? Katie never saw the second one, though she did wait patiently while I photographed it.  She’s used to waiting on her Mom while she takes photos I guess.  We sat by the pond for quite awhile, listening to the quiet and watching water bugs on the surface of the calm pool of water.  Then she heard a chipmunk.

Katie 1952

And off she ran to investigate.

Katie 1950

Hmmm…I thought.  Here’s a good chance to see how she is on distracted recalls!  So I called her in my school voice; “KATIE!  COME!!  And instantly she turned and ran right back to me!

Katie 1951

And then of course she sat for a treat.  Like a good girl.

Katie 1959

She’s adorable, and I’ve been a bit grumpy with her lately.  So as we sat pondering things, watching the water, I told her I was sorry I’ve been mad, and promised her we’d come back to the park more often this fall.   She said she forgave me.  Cause she is, after all, Mommie’s girl.

Katie 1946


by 4 Comments

Food critic

Janelle's Place, Byron MI We’re just home from a wonderful meal at Janelle’s Place, a family restaurant in the tiny rural town of Byron Michigan, population 562.  Their slogan is; “Janelle’s Place, a little slice of heaven.”

My husband I make the hour trip over to Byron to eat on occasion because it’s owned by a friend of ours, Janelle’s Dad.  Janelle was 15 years old when she was killed three years ago, while driving home from a family trip.  Her Dad, Mom, cousin and family dog were all in the car with her.  She was the only one killed when a semi truck crashed into the back of their car as it was stopped in traffic on the freeway.   I’ve seen pictures of the car, and it amazes me that any of them survived.

Janelle’s Dad was a chef, and when things settled down somewhat he started this restaurant.  Every time I’ve been there it’s been busy, partly because there are no other restaurants for miles around, but mostly because the food is great.  Tonight I ate swordfish with a fruit salsa that was out of this world.  Who knew you could find food like that in a simple restaurant in the middle of nowhere!

So if you’re ever up this way, maybe looking at the beautiful fall foliage, take the time to visit Janelle’s Place.  Their specialty is barbecued ribs.  If you can’t decide, go for the ribs! And if you see Rob, tell him Dawn says “HI!”

I’ll give you the website, but it doesn’t have an address, so here’s that part:  110 S Saginaw, Byron, MI 48418.   ph: 810-370-1400

http://www.janellesfamilyrestaurant.com/


by 4 Comments

Saturday night at the library

Seems lately I’m scheduled often for the late shift at the library, working 5-9 p.m. on Friday or Saturday nights.  There are good points and bad points to this.  The good being that I can get a lot done during the day when I don’t have to be at work until 5.  The bad points generally revolve around being at work on a Friday or Saturday night!  But then again, working such a random schedule, different hours, different days, no two weeks the same has caused me to lose all sense of time or dates or days of the week.  The weekend is no longer something to long for, it really has no meaning for me at all anymore.   And almost every day I have to stop and think seriously about what day it is and where I’m supposed to be…and when.  Time seems to flow by seamlessly without the start and stop of a more classic work week.  Suddenly we’re in the middle of October..yesterday was  May and tomorrow will be Christmas…it’s all a blur to me!

Tonight was a slow night at the library, slow enough that I got to do more people watching than usual during my four hours at the mall branch of our library.  Here’s a few of my favorite observations:

It must have been homecoming for a high school somewhere nearby.  Several very young looking couples wandered by our door, hand in hand, girls dressed up in fancy outfits, hair done up, the boys in suits looking spiffy.  I noticed the flash of a camera, glanced out and saw a parent taking pictures of a cute couple dressed in their finery.  But I wondered…why take pictures at the mall?  Come to think of it, why were any of these dressed up couples at the mall?  Aren’t there  other places that are much more cool to hang out?  Then again –  sadly maybe there aren’t, especially here in  this recession worn out Midwestern, smallish town.

A couple of times during the evening middle-aged couples came in just to say “Hi” to the regulars that work this branch.  They were scoping out the new release movies and best seller books, but it was clear that they really stopped in to visit with the staff.  One of them even said enthusiastically that “this is  my favorite place in the whole mall!” as he left after his visit.  Made me smile, because it’s mine too.

And in another chapter in the continuing saga of “You can’t judge a book by it’s cover,” I realized that sometimes I do judge people by what they look like.   An elderly gentleman was comfortably ensconced on the sofa, reading.   I noted his gray hair, and the two big hearing aids.  He reminded me of a more elderly version of an uncle of mine, who was a farmer most of his life.  I wondered briefly what he was reading over there, so intently, for such a long time and I happened to notice him put the magazine back on the rack as he was leaving.  Turns out he was intently reading Cosmo.    And a woman stood in front of the DVD rack in a cropped leather jacket, tight black T-shirt and leggings that ended just before her knee high black stiletto heeled boots.  Huge gold earrings dangled from her ears and her hair was jet black and teased high.   She looked like she could be in a trendy urban magazine.  After much study of the available movies she came up to the desk to check one out.  It was “Marly and Me,”  the family movie about a dog.  Go figure.

A mother stopped by the desk asking if we had anything about squirrels.  Squirrels?  Anything special she wanted to know about squirrels?  No, she said, anything at all would do.  Turns out her first grader has to write a paper about squirrels.  Due Monday of course.  Good thing we had one elementary level book about the pesky critters on the shelf tonight.

A little girl, maybe 4 or 5 waited impatiently for her mom and dad to finish using the public computers.  She’d played with the kiddy computers, looked at some books, and wandered over to the  movies for children.  But what she really wanted to do was “GO PLAY ON THE PLAYGROUND!”  As she waited she got more impatient, until she just couldn’t help it; as her parents began to pack up their stuff to leave the library she started to bounce up and down and chant “LET’S GO PLAY ON THE PLAYGROUND!” over and over…and over, getting louder each time.  She was so cute that no one really got upset, even though the parents were embarrassed enough to “SHHHHHH” her on their own without us even having to ask.

And just ten minutes before close an adult college student stops by asking if we have any scholarly information about unions.  I wonder silently if she’s tried her college library, as this particular branch is filled with more popular items, as befits a branch of the library in a mall.  But we check the catalog.  Sure enough everything in the system is located at other branches and  I ask when the paper is due.  You guessed it; Monday.  We end up making a list of some of the available items and she’ll stop at a couple of the branches tomorrow afternoon. I also showed her the data bases she can research tonight at home.   I used to think there was no need for libraries to be open on Sundays, but I’m rethinking my opinion now.  What would students do if we weren’t there for them on Sunday afternoons so that they could get started on all the homework assignments due the next day?

I’m pretty happy that I don’t have any homework due Monday or any other day.  It’s a lot more fun to work at the library than it is to study at one.  You just never know what interesting people you’re going to see while you’re there.  Tonight was a pretty calm evening, all things considered.  Just another Saturday night at the library.

Library 011


by 3 Comments

Analyzing anger

This past Monday the library was closed while all the staff attended an “in-service day.”  It was a day for us to communicate with each other, to share thoughts on policies and procedures, and to listen to a guest speaker.  This year’s speaker was the “Blackbelt Librarian” who travels the country talking to public library personnel about safety.  You’d think libraries are safe – right?  Well, think again.  After all we are public, with all the good and bad that goes along with being available to everyone.

Part of what he talked about was how to determine the level of anger in a person who is unhappy with some policy, fine, procedure or rule.  The level of anger dictates how we handle that person while maintaining our personal safety.  So it was with this information in my head that I headed out yesterday morning to confront my grocery store management with the fact that some items of my grocery order had not been placed in the bags that I took home with me.  I was already upset because I was working on a rebuttal to a critical blog entry focused on the Truck Safety Coalition, a group I passionately support, and I was worried that the store might give me trouble over replacing the missing items.

But suddenly, midway to the grocery store the Blackbelt Librarian’s words pushed their way past my increased heart rate, my rising blood pressure.  Which level of anger was I?  Was I moving beyond anxiety, heading toward belligerent?  Well, yes I was.  And why?  Because I had been shorted items worth less than $10?  And would it be the store manager’s fault?  Probably not.  So I calmed myself down, figuring I could at least give the store the chance to make me happy.  And guess what?  They did.  No argument–no apology either–but at least no argument!

Lessons learned at work applied to my personal life.  Now if I can just use the same strategies to stay calm while I argue with the American Trucking Association staff person who writes that we at the Truck Coalition have some sort of alternate objective and are  “mindlessly criticizing” the nomination of a trucking industry lobbyist to head the agency that regulates the trucking industry.  Oops…there goes my blood pressure again.  Missing you Dad.  Trying to stay calm while I fight the fight.

Truck Safety photos 002


by 8 Comments

Back to school

No, not me…Katie and I went to doggie school tonight.  In the past 8 days we’ve been in obedience classes three times.  You’d think she’d be back in the swing of it.  But no such luck.  Tonight’s class had 20 dogs, 4 other Shelties, 4 Shepards, an Irish Setter, a Whippet, a Roti and several others that I lost track of.   Katie was excited to go to school, pulling on the leash as we approached the building; but once inside she was overwhelmed by all the activity.  Her focus was nonexistent, and she wasn’t tempted by treats again this week.  And the one thing that I can always count on, perfect recalls, fast and straight with an immediate sit..well…she ran right past me tonight!  She’s never done that before!  She was, however, simply wonderful on her long sits and downs.  Probably because she was afraid to move!  I wish I had a picture of her sitting there next to a Mastiff, a Roti and a Shephard!  She’s so tiny!

Now that we’re back home she’s fallen asleep.  Upside down of course, against the back of the sofa.  I tried to get a picture, but of course that made her wake up.

Katie 1916

And now she’s a CRANKY sheltie…so I have to go!

Katie 1917

We’ll be practicing in the driveway this week, especially on our heeling and our figure 8’s.  Maybe I can get her confidence higher.  And mine too.

Katie 1923


by 5 Comments

Frost is good

This morning we woke up to a hard frost covering the ground, plants and trees.  The view out the breakfast room window was golden.

Trees 1206

It was very cold; there was a rabbit sleeping in the center of our back yard, hunkered down into a small fur ball with ears.  The birds were flying  around the bird feeder.  And the sun was just coming up, tipping the tops of the trees, making their golden leaves shine.

Trees 1212

Katie and I went out to explore.  The air was still and the sun was showering  leaves with golden light.  Everywhere you could hear the swishing of leaves dropping softly through tree limbs, landing on the ground below.  It was the sound of rain without the wet.

Trees 1211

A beautiful Sunday morning, frost is so much better than snow.  At least for now.

Katie 1932


by 4 Comments

Listening to an author

This evening I attended an event hosted by the library I work for.  Elizabeth Berg, one of my favorite authors,  was in town speaking about her life and her writing.  What a wonderful thing, to listen to her heartfelt words about her work.  So much of what she said resonated with my own internal writer.  The thing that struck me most was that she has a physical need to write.  She said that writing was a release, something that had to be done, that she’d write even if she wasn’t published.  I agreed – so much so that my eyes teared up as she was talking.  Because that’s exactly the way it is.  Sometimes there are things that just have to be put on paper, that keep me up at night, the words rolling around in my head, words that distract me from my work, that worry at me until I can’t stay away any longer and I sit down and let it out.

A painter has to paint, a dancer must move.  And a writer?  A writer has to let the words flow.

wedding 2008


by 6 Comments

Stand for exam

I decided Katie needs to go back to school.  She’s out of control and doesn’t listen to me at all.  I think she needs more structure in her life.  Plus she used to love going to school.  So, given my random work schedule, I found an obedience class that allows us to drop in on the Monday evenings that I’m not working.  Tonight was our first night.  New building, 14 other dogs, most new to her, different smells, sounds…it was all a bit intimidating!

Katie 1890

She reverted a bit to her initial school behavior of refusing treats.  That worked out fine though, she THOUGHT she wanted a treat so she pretty much did as I asked, but when she earned a treat she held it in her mouth and then spit it out.  Apparently the stress of being in school again.  I remember when I first took her to school, they thought she wasn’t motivated by food!  HA!   And like previous classes, she has a 45 minute attention span.  Then she’s just DONE.  And isn’t afraid to express her feelings either!

The best part though?  We did “stand for exam” where she’s supposed to stand from a sit, then let me walk away from her and allow a complete stranger (the judge or teacher) to walk up to her, pet her and move away, and she can’t move her feet at all!  She has never never never succeeded at that.  Either she won’t stand, or she shys away from anyone walking up to her, or if she knows the person, she jumps on them in happy greeting.  Tonight she was perfect!  She stood when asked…and let TWO strangers walk up to her and pet her without moving her feet!  I think she was just scared, but I’ll take it!

GOOD DOG!

Katie 1810