Strive for joy, not happiness

Time is a funny thing. Despite mankind's determination to divide it into orderly units of seconds, minutes and hours, it stretches and contracts depending on the situation. We all know that time can fly or move like molasses, that days can feel endless but years seem to go by in the blink of an eye. 

Nina

Her biggest talent was love. She would fly up the driveway, her paws barely touching the ground, and jump up on me so high we were nose to nose. She was so overjoyed to be reunited again, she would give me a big kiss right on the lips, doing a happy dance all around me. Every single day. Then she would fly back down the long driveway, jump up on one of the other dogs or chase the horses, loving the speed, the freedom, and most of all, us.

My entourage

I wake up from the tapping on the front door. Teddy, our gigantic puppy, is asking to be let in, with Callie, our Calico cat right behind her. I've started letting them in in the mornings, having coffee in bed with 4 dogs and 1 cat. It's my most precious morning routine.  

A series of unfortunate events

On the list of things you don't want to find in your house there are a few that come to mind: a serial killer hiding in your basement; half a mouse head; a wasp invasion; an angry bear. And yet, I found 2 out of the 4 in my house this week and it's barely Wednesday. It's been a rough couple of days.