This week we met with Genie Tuttle, Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA). Yes, we had reached a tipping point, and it was time to bring in outside help. Teddy had started nipping at human visitors’ clothing and shoes, and from there it is just a hop, skip, and a jump to chomping down on someone’s hand […]
Read MoreLast night I went to my first in-person, without-masks meeting. It was lovely gathering together, enjoying our combined energy and face-to-face camaraderie. Then one person asked me how our dogs were. Rather than reel off a list of some of our current challenges, I said, “They have been very naughty,” and laughed. A lot of […]
Read MoreI have found that unexpected encounters with wild creatures can sharpen the senses, are often exhilarating, and are always educational. One thing is certain: these meetings with the natural world capture all of your attention and are seared into your memory. But the encounters that involve reciprocity between wild creatures and humans touch our souls […]
Read MoreMay gray and June gloom defines our weather this time of year. Coastal fog wreaths our mountains, drops our temperatures, and makes us long for sunshine. Some days the marine layer hangs on all day long, and sometimes it retreats only to return at the end of the day. I have mixed emotions about fog. […]
Read MoreWell, it seems I just cannot stay away from you people. Last week, we went to the central coast for a few days, and I kept saying to myself, I have to share this on my blog. So this will be a short one with mostly photos and some thoughts about vacationing post-vaccination. The biggest surprise was […]
Read MoreAs more of our world is opening up, my calendar is filling up. And I am so enjoying being with family and friends, and also enjoying community venues. We are also busy relandscaping part of our yard, a fun project that includes a new fence that is taking longer to build than the Great Wall […]
Read MoreThere is a lot of “turning corners” when you have puppies in your life. We have turned so many that we have been around the block several times. In a few days, the pups will be one year old, and looking back on our mutual path—a path that has at times seemed both rocky and […]
Read MoreI’m looking at what I call my “James orchid,” a plant given to us when James passed. I think it is somewhat of an anomaly. After the original blossoms faded, the stems that held them did not die off but remained healthy. A few months later, I noticed a shoot growing off one of the […]
Read MoreLast evening, my son Chris said to me, “You were just like me when I was vaccinated. I was all in. No hesitancy. Wanted to get out there right away. You know, some people are hesitant, but I wasn’t. Not at all.” He is right; I was not hesitant. I was so eager to see […]
Read MoreThis week two things happened that changed my life significantly. First, it has been two weeks since I received my second COVID-19 vaccine. That means that the vaccine is now working optimally in my body. I remember just a few months ago how I thought this day would never arrive. Second, Ventura County moved from […]
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Kathleen Chamberlin 