June 28, 2010

First Fruits!

With the crazy weather we've had, I kind of forgot that it's actually summer.  So I was really surprised when i discovered that our raspberry bushes are FULL of ripe raspberries!  And it isn't even July yet!  This bowl is over 12" wide, and this wasn't nearly all of them.

Time to decide what to do with this year's crop.  Last year I made raspberry ice cream, liqueur, vinegar, raspberry-chipotle sauce, and yogurt. This year?  Not sure, but of course I'll probably start with ice cream. How could I not?

June 18, 2010

Smitten

I never had a dog growing up, and was actually a little frightened of them, since a big dog knocked me down in my toddler years.  My brother actually had a dog, and I got over the fear, but had no real relationship with Happy.

Then when I met Gershon and his family, Doobie was part of the package, and he was a very cool dog.  I guess I bonded with him to some degree, because I really cried when he died.  But then another 17 years passed before a dog came into my life.

7 years ago my kids wore down my resistance, I gave in, and we got a dog. He was my first dog, a Pug, and the boys named him Nacho.  And I fell hopelessly in love.  I finally understand the whole dog thing. In fact, the whole animal thing that I never comprehended as a child, when most of the girls I knew were crazy for dogs, cats, and horses. There is such an incredible spirit in animals, and such a passion between us. It became a whole new obsession for me.  When my kids were little, I used to admire other people's children. But now I'm a sucker for every dog I see.

I recently read "The Art of Racing In The Rain" by Garth Stein.  It's quite a tear-jerker, but in a good way. And he has created a wonderful character in the dog Enzo.  He captures the beautiful love between dog and human so well.  If you love dogs, read it.  If you don't love dogs, read it anyway and you might feel differently.

I feel like I missed out on a lot, when all the other kids were enjoying animals while I stood aside . But I'm glad we found Nacho before my kids were entirely grown up.  I think he really made a difference. As with having children, or making friends, once again you find that giving your love to someone new brings more love into your life.

I saw a greeting card that said something like  "We walk side-by-side, two completely different universes, connected only by love and a leash."  That's Nacho and me.

June 10, 2010

New Camera!

My new camera arrived... a Nikon CoolPix S8000.  I haven't learned all the ins and outs yet (well, okay, I've barely learned anything about it yet), but I did manage to take a pretty good picture of my "Seaside Garden" bracelet.  See?  I KNEW it was possible to get a decent shot of beadwork with a digital camera!  Soon I'll post a few pix of other recent projects too.  That should relieve my frustration over posting poor pictures.

June 7, 2010

Phone Home

This weekend I thought "gee, I haven't talked to Sam in weeks.  I should give him a call and see how he's doing."  Then I realized he's not with us anymore.  I can't really give him a call anymore.  I can only wait for him to send me an occasional message. This is such an empty feeling.