Some Days...

are better than others.

Today was a golden day: Indian summer at her best. Seventy-six degrees of perfect warmth and trees flaunting myriad reds and yellows silhouetted against a blue Nevada sky. Nemo and The Loan Shark and their three little goldy friends spent the day basking in the sunny and shallow end of the pond. Kharma and Zelda stretched out on the green grass soaking up the warmth. Leaves were raked and Golden Delicious were harvested.

Even though I enjoy Fall, I prefer Summer. Summer is a live-in-the-moment season. I get to revel in the beauty of each new rose as it opens, revisit garden stalwarts that appear and reappear year after year, and explore subtle new combinations of flowers. It's an uncomplicated season that begs to be enjoyed with every sense we possess.

Fall is more reflective. It's flamboyant, yes, but with an undercurrent of imminent chill. The sun shines cooly and each day loses precious minutes of light. The colorful leaves come with a price; the heavy frosts that liberate crimsons and saffrons in the oaks and maples kill the tender flowers that have flourished all summer. October and November are a balancing act between a melancholy frame of mind and the childlike delight of crunching through crispy fallen leaves. Winter is lurking--ice and snow and nippy winds. Even while my herbaceous perennials are disappearing, I'm envisioning what changes will have to be made and when. It helps to know that fresh Spring and lively Summer will follow the coming months of single digit temperatures and frozen earth. Knowing that the months which are a gardener's delight will end spurs me to embrace carpe diem. Maybe the philosopher who coined the term also had dirt under his fingernails and collected seeds to sow. Philosophy is an occupational hazard for anyone who gardens or farms.

This evening brought sad news, not unexpected, but still crushing. This morning a wonderful neighbor became a widow at a ridiculously young age; my son's boyhood friend lost his father; two young women will never take their dad's arm as they walk down the aisle. There are unborn grand-children who will never hear their grand-father's laugh. Ahead is grief and a year of mourning when each birthday and anniversary and holiday carelessly arrives as though nothing earthshaking has happened. Tears will fall at odd moments. Their eyes will clutch hopefully at a familiar male shape as it strolls ahead, yet it won't be the one they seek. A husband and father has died and so has summer for one family.

And yet, and yet...although I know winter has clutched their hearts today, I know also that someday spring and hope and possibility will arrive again. Someday his memory will spark reminiscent chuckles and humorous tales at family gathering. They'll hear his laughter in each other's voices. They'll feel his love in hugs of welcome or farewell.

No one of us gets through life alive (although none of us truly believes it). Though nothing is forever, paradoxically, change is at the heart of the eternal circle. Fathers and mothers pass. Infants grow to children and become fathers and mothers in turn. Sunrise, sunset. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring.

Meanwhile, his death today has reminded us yet again to enjoy the ride, revel in the crunchy leaves and sapphire skies, enjoy the frosty morning walks. Sorrow and loss are easier to bear when joy and happiness, friendship and song, chuckles and jokes are the legacy that one leaves behind. He made the world a better place and what better epitaph could any of us have?

Requiem in pacem, my friend. Pain is behind you, heaven is richer, and love lasts forever.

Our Family Loves Soccer

Some might call this dumb luck...

SMU Freshman hits 95-yard Soccer Goal @ Yahoo! Video

but no one can dispute that Ryan Rosenbaum's shot was on frame with enough power to get it in the net. Proving once again that putting a shot between the posts is always a good idea.

Home Away From Home

This is the birthday girl. She's beginning a new chapter in her life this year--she moved away from home and the local community college to a new city and a new university. She has a new place to live, roommates who are not related to her, and a phone bill the size of Alaska just so she can keep in touch with Mom and Dad.

(Okay, I was kidding about the phone bill. Verizon keeps the family together, no matter how far they roam.)

Lee-lee was a dear baby who turned into a long-tressed charmer as a little girl. We've enjoyed being invited to birthdays past and watched her grow from year to year. She's our family animal lover. She enjoys adventure and always has a smile and a great attitude no matter how wet or tired she is. (Heaven help you if your attitude needs adjusting when she's around, because she will set you straight--in the nicest possible way, naturally). She was the Queen Mother's best-ever early birthday present. As the lone grand-daughter we had her around when we needed a pink-and-frilly fix. She's now a confident young woman and we're proud of her and can't wait to see what happens next.

Happy birthday, Lee-lee! We hope you spent your special day surrounded by fun and laughter. We wish you a year of new friends and new adventures. Love you!

Dawn Patrol

I've been going to the Balloon Races (absolutely my favorite event here) for twenty-one years. I must have taken hundreds of photos of balloons floating in the blue Reno skies in that time.

This is the first year that I ever attempted to capture the Dawn Patrol or Glow Show.It won't be the last!

Heinz Varieties

Yeah, someone had a birthday. Guess how old he is?
One present was a beard trimmer--so soon he might look less like a prospector!

It's How Many Years?

Happy Anniversary!

My sister has been married for a long time. Long enough to shed the apartment. Long enough for the community garden to be a distant memory. Long enough that the house has changed color, inside and out. Long enough for trees to have come and gone in their yard. Long enough for the family to have increased and grown from baby toys to clarinets.

Here's hoping you shared memories of your wedding day as you celebrated together today.

The Frog Prince

aka Peeping Tom.
Would you like wine with your frog legs, m'sieur? We recommend a nice Bordeaux.

This handsome little guy recently showed up in our pond. Having a pond has turned into an unexpected wildlife adventure.

It started with the peepers who usually live (and peep, loudly) from the irrigation ditch that runs through the greenbelt. Now that they have woken up and smelled the pondwater, they've moved down here. Although our pond is modest going on miniscule, it's apparently big enough for ducks to land in. A mallard couple swings by to check out the water quality and try the buffet. We did have three frogs; only one lonely amphibian remains. The others croaked. It's comforting to think of our dearly departed as incipient ducklings. It's the Circle of Life and we contributed by encouraging Zelda to get acquainted with the ducks, which is why we still have one frog left. She scared those quackers plenty and they haven't been back since.

Our frog prince is singing his heart out right now, hoping to attract some buddies from the greenbelt. We are hoping romance blooms along with the apple tree. We love pollywogs!

Silver State

My brother has been married for twenty-five years. Amazing how quickly the time has gone by!

He's my brother so it's much easier for me to think of the things he's done that drive me nuts..but I have to say that he made no mistake marrying my wonderful sister-in-law! I knew he must have been head-over-heels the first time I saw them together--they were wearing matching Mickey Mouse t-shirts.

They had the smallest wedding I've ever been to--but it was like watching a fairy tale come to life as they posed for their wedding photos. Happily ever after has included two great kids, new homes, life-threatening illnesses, furniture refinishing, losing parents too early, landscaping, gnomes, employment challenges, a few grey hairs and a couple extra pounds.

Twenty-five years later, they still have a twinkle in their eyes when they look at each other.

Opportunity Knocks

What's for dinner when the cupboard's bare? It's cold and blustery out as the storm front moves closer--how about some nice chicken noodle soup? Yummy!

Take three cans of soup, open them up, dump them in the big pot and add water. Listen to the wind howl outside.

Get another big pot, fill it with water, turn the burner on high until it boils. Add some nice whole wheat noodles (because we like lots of noodles in our soup) and cook them until done.

While the two pots are cooking, defrost the very last chicken breast (because you can never have too much chicken in chicken noodle soup). Decide that you'll strain out the cooked noodles when they're done and reuse that nice hot water to boil the poultry. Cut the chicken into five smaller pieces so it will cook faster.

Check the timer--the noodles still have five minutes before they're al dente--that's plenty of time to go upstairs and check my email before the bell starts dinging.

Ding. Ding. Ding.

Go downstairs and transfer the cooked noodles into the simmering canned soup. Turn around to get the chicken. Look blankly at the cutting board. Why is there just a wet juicy circle on the board? Wonder outloud where the chicken went.

Notice that Kharma suddenly has a very guilty look while Zelda just looks hopeful. Put the K-dog in timeout.

Add some curry powder to the soup instead and call the guys for dinner. Try to wipe that half-exasperated, half-proud dogmom smile off your face before they ask why you're grinning.

Naughty dog! (Grin.)

Frozen Lions

Well, it wasn't much of a storm so maybe March came in more like a kitty cat.

Still, the pond (filled to the brim from a day of drenching rains) froze over and the rocks were blanketed by a coat of the fluffy stuff. I love all the colors in the rippled, icy reflections.

And yes, it's a brilliantly sunny blue day. I love Nevada!

Canine Tic Tac Toe

Dog Biscuits!



Flavored with cheddar cheese. Kharma and Zelda prefer to eat them rather than play games.

Birthday Girl

Some people are just nice. Through-and-through nice. Kind and loving and sweet and funny and talented. And I'm lucky enough to be related to a wonderful sister-in-law who's all that and more.

Happy Birthday! Wishing you birthday cake with lots of taste and no calories. Presents that leave you smiling. Family hugs and kisses.