I am currently walking many dogs every day. One of my favorites is Hawk who is shown above. He sits at the window observing the world and is fairly happy go lucky while out walking. He doesn’t mind me listening to music or various NPR shows that I have downloaded. I am addicted to Radiolab. I get a kick out of Hawks personality. He is laid back but active on the walks. He likes to play and is happy to just hang out too. Saturday afternoon we sat on the stairs of his back porch and watched the geese and planes fly over.

I loved the angles and color of the middle picture. I stood in the entryway of a house I care for and looked up.

I am off this week from my night time job and have already read two books. I’ve listened to a lot of audiobooks and music and just sat in silence. My friend Jenn brought me over a special edition set of Harry Potter books that I had ordered when she ordered a set. It is a beautiful set. I love it. I’m looking forward to catching up on some magazines and watching some dressage DVDs.

I’ve been thinking a lot about what would have been my ten year anniversary coming up. I am hoping my ex does not call as he is prone to do on anniversaries and birthdays. I don’t answer. It is strange to me he feels the need to reach out on those dates.

The other significant date coming up for me is my dad’s death. This year will be twenty years that he has been gone. It has been quite a journey since his death. I would have to say it is probably the one event that has shaped my life the most. He died suddenly and I learned to not take a day for granted. I try not to take people for granted. I am more sympathetic to people who are grieving and it has definitely carried over oddly enough to my pet sitting when people’s pets die. My dad was key in my pursuing horses. He found the stable where I first learned to ride, we explored four different colleges looking for animal science programs and he supported my decision to specialize with horses. My mom nurtured my horse experiences as well driving me to many shows as a child to watch the stars ride. Heck we went to see the Spanish Riding School in DC when I was 38. It was spectacular. Back to my dad, he as you know always encouraged me to write, draw and read. What I miss most is talking to him. Every once on a great while I get real excited about something and start to phone him before I remember he is no longer here and how long it has been. Sometimes it feels like yesterday and not twenty years ago.
Many say I have his mannerisms and look like him. I hope I do him proud. Here is a picture of he and I when I was around twelve. It was Easter Sunday. We were goofing off.