Today has been a fairly odd day.  It started with watching a man walk down the canal, muttering to himself, only to find him walk back up the canal carrying a freestanding basketball hoop.  The people on the canal can see into our yard over certain parts of the block wall and we can see them.  I kind of watched him go by the first time, hoping that Buddy wouldn’t bark at him while similtaneously hoping that Buddy would go potty.  No potty, but the same man walking by with this full sized basketball hoop and stand on his shoulder, muttering and heading back from whence he came.  Buddy’s been…

http://www.surfersvillage.com/ via google images “Father Winter Solstice” I think it’s interesting that I’d have this experience on the winter solstace (Dec. 21), but here it is:  darkness and light. They say that the winter solstace is the longest night of the year and the shortest day, but it only lasts a moment in time.  It’s difficult to imagine on a bright and sunny Arizona day there’d be much “darkness.”  However, darkness is everywhere–even in broad daylight. I was out with Buddy having a very nice walk on the canal, when I heard shrill and distressed barking.  I saw a larger Chihuahua standing on a dirt mound across the canal from me,…

http://www.allposters.co.jp/ via google images We have a family member, who shall remain nameless, who seems to need a ticker tape parade every time she does something.  Every story she tells is one of daring and heroism and much like the dingy character of London on the silly tween show, “Suite Life on Deck,” she practically claps her hands and shrieks, “Yeah, me!”    As annoying as this is, what if we thought of it from a different perspective?  She really wants and needs affirmation, but to a certain extent, don’t we all?  I suppose sometimes we could use some extra kudos thrown our way.  It’s Christmas, so throw them a bone.  But, if this…

 My dad loved Charlie Brown and Snoopy.  Sometimes, despite his best intentions and planning, something would go awry–just like Charlie Brown.  He wouldn’t always take it that well, but eventually what ever snafu he was a part of became the family joke, eventually becoming o.k.  In actuality, everything happens for reason you just have to find the reason or learn the lesson.  At any rate, here’s a Christmas gift memory that came to me the other day, while watching “A Charlie Brown Christmas” with the boys. Do you remember cameras that had flash bulbs that needed to be replaced after each use?  My brother and I got cameras for Christmas…

http://www.graphicsfairy.com/  When Little Man was four years old he got into a lot of pre-Christmas trouble.  It was a rough Christmas break for me.  One day really stands out–the day he “ruined” Christmas.  It was the penultimate of naughtiness after days of wild and crazy holiday excitement, on the part of the boys (certainly not me).  He got into everything.  It started with my locked closet that had the Christmas presents in it and ended with house paint…  We have a full key rack with key-laden rings.  Little Man got hold of them all (he used a step stool) and systematically tried every key in the locked closet door and…

There a bunch of people I pass regularly during my day and I’m always interested in those I drive past on the Bridle Path.  People with their dogs, running, walking, in groups, alone–you name it, it’s pretty much the same people during roughly the same times.  There’s one man in particular that I’ve been thinking about a lot lately.  A couple of years ago I noticed him because he’s pretty tall, has a very unusual gait and had long red hair peeking out the back of a skull cap.  He swung his body from left to right and his long arms and legs swung wildly along with his body.  He kept a…

All last week, Stuart was very focused on getting me a gift at Frances (http://www.francesvintage.com/).  He wouldn’t let it go.  Despite his annoying persistence, the thought was very sweet and he was so cute!  What started off as a request for a simple outing turned into a major meltdown.  I had asked Stuart if he wanted to go Frances last Sunday to try to find a gift for one of my girlfriends.  He was all over that.  Jon and Max were watching football and I had had enough.  I wanted to do something else.  Somewhere along the line Stuart decided that he–and Daddy–were going to get a Christmas gift for me.  Me:…

I was meeting a friend at Starbucks the other day and while I was standing in line, in a kind of noncommital fashion, I started a conversation with a complete stranger.  Shocking, I know.  With all the Christmas displays and whatnot around I was standing a little further behind the woman ahead of me and when I looked up there was a man standing kind of next to me.  I looked at him, as if to say “is it you or me?” when he made a gesture that I was next.  He said to me, “I’m not in a big hurry.”  I thought to myself, I suppose that most of the people here are because it’s that time of…

So I come home yesterday to find this at my front door: That’s our bench where backpacks, lunchboxes, leads and things we need to go with us are put.  There’s a rack underneath where some shoes live–one pair are the dog walking shoes.  I never leave shoes lying about, especially by the front door…I think Buddy was giving me a big, fat hint!  Who says dogs aren’t smart? 

 google images The Reptile Man came to Stuart’s class today and brought some of his reptilian friends.  Stuart was telling us about the creatures that came and we were asking him questions.  After a while, the conversation naturally died down (we were in the car).  Out of the blue, Stuart pipes up with “You know that lizard with the blue tongue?  What’s it called?  Have you ever seen one?”  I shout out, “Skank,” knowing (as soon as it left my lips) that wasn’t quite right but it was something close.  I haven’t used or heard that word in so long that the meaning didn’t really register with me.  Jon says,…