Last weekend I was in a major funk. I just could not shake it. Normally I can exercise, do some self-talk, dig in the dirt, and I can reset. But not this time. I was bored, sad, anxious all rolled into one. And last week a friend's dad died from COVID. An extra F--k you … Continue reading A tiny bit hopeful →

Last night I used our salad greens from one of our hydroponic gardens to make a taco salad. I usually make it vegetarian style like I used to get at Elmo's, but the husband asked me to kick it up a notch, so I added some ground turkey, rice, salsa, jalapenos and whole grain chips. … Continue reading Memories from Elmo’s →

My running buddy and I stopped our Sunday run/walks that we termed our church last March. This was especially hard because we had attended our church since our 17 yr olds were in Kindergarten. We now connect once or twice a week over the phone for virtual happy hour and/or teletherapy. I shared this week … Continue reading The Groundhog Year →

It has been a cold, rainy winter. We had a stretch of 5 consecutive days of rain last week, and if I am being honest, I was not doing well without my daily dose of vitamin D. We have had 2 days of sunny weather, and I took full advantage of these days. Why you … Continue reading Needing outside time →

This morning a memory from 3 years ago showed up on my Facebook page. It was a t-shirt that reads "in wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria." It was from one of our favorite restaurants in Carrboro. Sadly, they closed early in the pandemic. The t-shirt brought … Continue reading Missing Tyler’s →

For the past 2 months I have been volunteering with a small non profit. My role was to help them relaunch a curriculum teaching girls entrepreneurship skills. I was having a blast going through the pilot data, interviewing people, and helping tease the curriculum into 2 parts (a 101 version and 201 version). The super … Continue reading When volunteering is no longer fun →

Our pandemic puppies have developed some not so desirable behaviors, and they are related. Bailey the Bernedoodle jumps on people she has not seen for more than 15 mins (read anyone in the family other than me). When Bailey jumps on people, Appa Duke the Bernese Mtn Dog charges at the poor target and barks … Continue reading Barx buddy training day 1 →

I decided to make a list of the big and small things that got me through 2020 (and will also be important for most of 2021 as well). So, here it is folks. If you have other things you are thankful for, please share. And don't ask why 23 and not top 20 or top … Continue reading My top 23 reasons to be thankful →

I have had a lot of time to think about my relationships in 2020. One that I have always struggled with is my relationship with my dad. I actually broke off all contact with him almost a decade ago. My thinking was that being around him made me angry, and it was not a positive … Continue reading Forgive and let go →

I have been trying to take walks with the dogs when the husband or teen girl have time to go with me, but they need more exercise than that. Imagine my surprise when I saw the leash in the post photo on a Bernese Mtn Dog group. And he was using it with 2 Berners … Continue reading Puppy updates →