First, the dogs

I live on a farm.

This is not that unusual, perhaps, unless and until you find out a little bit about me and my background. How I got here is quite remarkable. I can barely believe it sometimes, although I definitely am grateful. Right now I am about to take ten dogs outside after an afternoon nap, and we will walk around a one-acre "corral" which is beautiful spring green. We will play - especially the 5-week old puppies we are fostering right now. Oh, and the 5-month old puppy we just adopted, named Billy Sue! We will see the chickens in their run out the front door, and maybe we will hang out on the deck and listen to the rooster, Neil, strut his stuff. We will maybe catch a glimpse of the four new foster horses that were dropped off here this morning. And we will hear the 30 k winds in the trees against a blue and white sky. The big Alberta sky.

Then my wifey will come home from her second job (more like her third, actually) at the local greenhouse, and we will feed and water the horses, the cats, the dogs, the chickens, and eventually, ourselves. This is a typical day. This has not always been a typical day for me. I am 37 years old, and this year is the first year I have truly surrendered to living in the moment and accepting what is.

This is Sugar. She's 13 years old. I've had her as my trusty sidekick for many years. I believe she was about 3 when I adopted her from a friend of a friend sort of situation. Back then, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. But I sure loved that girl, and I loved dogs, and all animals for that matter. And there was no way she was going to a shelter or another unstable home.

I gave her a sometimes unstable home. Now she is in her retirement phase, living out her days peacefully and joyfully on the farm, with her brothers and sisters and her two moms. She and I are finally blissfully stable.