Change Is Hard

…but change is certain.

Tag Archives: fun stuff


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It’s rally time

Katie here.  Mama says she’s too stressed to write tonight.  But I tried to make her feel better.  Really I did.  It’s not my fault she keeps signing us up for stuff and then gets all freaked out.  Not my fault at all.

I guess I should start at the beginning.  Mama, signed us up for our first leg of Advanced Rally.  Next Friday.  When she signed us up it seemed like a really far away date.  Lots of time to practice.  And stuff.  But now here it is.  And she just got the latest book with all the new signs and she’s freaking out!

But we went to the park today, my Mama and I.  She read the book and we heeled around and around.  I sat when she told me to sit.  I turned when she told me to turn.  I backed up when she told me back.  I did MY job. But it’s HER job to read the stupid signs.  And all those arrows and halt marks get her going good, that’s for sure.  She keeps telling me I need to learn to read real quick, so I can do it right even if she tells me wrong.  I think that’s a silly idea; how’s a dog supposed to read AND execute I ask you?

So we did a lot of signs out of the book.  I was off leash and everything.  I even ignored the chipmunk I heard off in the field.  I debated, but I ignored it.  I figured….Mama with CHEESE  or chipmunk…Mama with CHEESE or chipmunk.  Mama won.  She said I was a good girl and I got two pieces!

But after about 10 gazillion pages of signs I had enough and wanted to play!  After all we were at my park!  So Mama put the leash back on me and we went for a walk for awhile.  I got to sniff lots of stuff.

But pretty soon Mama wanted to finish the rest of the pages of signs.  I thought that was a good idea too, but I let her think it was her idea.  She’s so SLOW though, reading the signs, thinking about it.  I just want to go Go GO!

By the time she finally got to the last sign I was huffing at her.  Enough of all this sitting and downing and sitting and standing and heeling and turning and coming and stopping.  GEEZE Mama!  Can’t you see that I’m PERFECT?

She says we have to practice all the signs every night (except Tuesday when she’s practicing at band) the rest of the week so that we are all set for Friday.

It’s gonna be a long week.


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Georgetown plus

See the cute stores reflected in the window?

While I was in DC I stayed at a hotel in Georgetown.  I’ve never stayed there, and on my many taxi trips back and forth I could see it was really beautiful.

Living close together in cuteness.

I only had 30 minutes between meetings on one day to wander a little bit.  It sure is a pretty place.

Optimistic door.

And there was a giant library just a couple blocks from the hotel.

No time to go inside.

There was much more to see, beautiful gardens and a pretty cemetery, parks, large colonial homes.  But I had to get back to work.

No time for shopping.

And then my time in DC was up and I was headed home.

Leaving Regan National airport.

I had a layover in Cleveland…

Dropping in on Cleveland early in the morning.

…and left as the sun was rising.

Cleveland at sunrise.

Ultimately I landed in Flint, home of the Buick.

1938 was a very good year.

It was a fast trip, a busy trip.  We got a little bit of good done.  I have jet lag and I didn’t even fly that far.  Georgetown and DC are beautiful.

Someday I want to go back just for fun.


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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.


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Are you sure it’s the end of summer?

Scott asked us to define the end of summer in photos.  What defines the end of summer for each of us?  You can join the fun because this assignment isn’t due until Wednesday at midnight.  Tell us what means the end of summer to you!  Meanwhile, come along and see my own transition to fall.   (Remember to click on the photos to see more detail.)

When I see that first leaf changing  on an otherwise green tree I usually rationalize that the tree is sick.  Or the leaf change is early because of the drought.  It’s not possible that summer is beginning the slippery slide into fall.  Certainly not yet.

The first bits of red.

As the light changes, becoming lower in the late afternoon sky, I appreciate the intense color and try not to think about what it all might mean.

The last of summer’s sun.

When the first bit of goldenrod begins to nod along the road and the asters bloom in brilliant purple I can still convince myself that there are weeks of warm weather ahead.

Purple compliments the season.

And when, on my morning commute, I come across the first of these….

The big yellow.

….I still rationalize.  Some school districts start early.   Don’t they?

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But when I stopped at my local grocery store this week and the bins of watermelons had been replaced by a giant pile of these…

Getting ready for Halloween!

…well.  Even I have to admit that these indicate summer has fled.  Fall is here, it’s time to quit fooling myself.  Until next year.  Because I’ll just know the reason those trees  turned so soon is because of the drought.

I’m sure of it.

Say goodbye to summer.


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97 years young

We attended a surprise birthday party for husband’s aunt Saturday.  Many people from her building and her family showed up at a local restaurant to help her celebrate.

Yes, she was surprised.

The birthday girl.

There was Chinese food, good conversation, family updates, smiles and hugs.

And cake.  Decorated in pink of course.  It’s her favorite color.

No room for 97 candles.

It was a good day.


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Randomness

It’s been a crazy busy few weeks at work with no end in sight.  There’s been even more stress lately as we’re short staffed.  People are are sick, on vacation and loaned to another department.  Yet the volume continues.  I need to find a way to get through the day without being overwhelmed.  Without getting angry.  Without getting kink in  my neck.

Message to the young lady in the blue Ford tailgating me on my commute to band practice tonight:  There are four lanes of traffic.  We’re all going the same speed.  There’s a car in front of me, one on either side of me.  Where did you want me to go?  When I could I moved one lane to the right, just to get out from in front of you.  You zoomed up behind the next car.  We were all going 75.  Why do you need to go faster?  I had a really bad day at work but just because you’ve got some sort of death wish doesn’t mean I want to go with you.

Rehearsal tonight was grueling.  We’re still sight reading pieces while we figure out what we’ll play for the Halloween concert.  Some pretty strange stuff.  Some really difficult stuff.  Some strange and difficult stuff.  Two hours nonstop.  At 8:50 p.m. the conductor stopped and started talking about the season concert dates.  We figured we were done and began to relax.  Then with only a few minutes left she asked us to read one more piece.  And as we were sighing and pulling the piece out of our folders she said “You may  have noticed that this arrangement is written a half step lower than the original composition.”  My stand mate and I both said sarcastically and at the exact same time – “Yea, we noticed that.” and then we both looked at each other and burst out laughing.  We laughed so hard that we were crying.  We laughed so hard that we missed the first 16 bars of the piece of music.  We giggled through the whole thing.  It wasn’t even that funny.  Guess you had to be there.

After a long day and a bad commute, a exhausting rehearsal, it was good to end the day with laughter.

Yes it was.