Even though we haven’t lived in Norfolk, CT, since May 2023, I still serve on the board of directors for the Norfolk Land Trust. I’m the chair of the NLT outreach committee, and it’s my responsibility to put out the monthly e-newsletter.
Yesterday, I sent out the October newsletter, and I included one of my favorite photos of Annie.
I miss her human, too, and the town of Norfolk, itself. Fall was always my favorite time in Norfolk. I took this photo on October 16, 2022. It is completely unedited, unfiltered, untouched. This is the magic of autumnal New England in all her glory!
Here in Colorado, we’re slowly easing into fall. Every day I wake up and eventually check the 10-day forecast, hoping that we’re heading down instead of up.
Today is still not that day. Ugh! 90 in October?
I don’t walk nearly as much around Lafayette as I did in Norfolk, not least because I have a full-time job (which I truly enjoy and am grateful for), but also because this summer was hot and humid, even at six o’clock in the morning, and my joy of walking around the lake came with too much sweat dripping down my back.
Last summer, I spent nearly every morning walking around the lake, and so this summer was quite the walking bummer. I only hit my bare minimum of two times around the lake for the last 10 weeks.
For someone who is very achievement-oriented, this bare-minimum success can be a hard way to live. However, this is where the rationalization part of my brain kicks in, and I recognize that I spent this past summer doing many other wonderful things besides walking around the lake, like reading more than I have in a long time, spending more time on my writing, and working on strengthening my body by lifting heavier weights three times a week.
I like to think this balances out my life in a nice, well-rounded way, even as I long for cooler days and more walks around the lake. They’ll eventually get here.
My social media fasts have been going well. For the most part, I don’t miss it, and I especially don’t miss wasting time scrolling, especially when I would get caught in loops of politics and injustice.
Lately, however, I’ve been checking social media more often.
On July 1, I received a text from a good friend:
You may recall that Frannie was my #1 Internet dog, whom I fell in love with in 2024, and whom I loved with my whole heart, even though I had never met her.
So when I received a text that Frannie was sick, I immediately opened Instagram to find out what was going on.
The news was not good, and it continued to not be good. But Annika, Annie’s rescuer and real-life angel, kept posting updates and sharing with us right up until the end.
Today Annika shared an “in loving memory of Frannie.”
.What I think most drew me to Frannie, aside from just how precious and cute she was, is that her story made me feel like there is good in the world.
It is so hard to love this much and this deeply, especially a dog I never even met. Yet I can’t imagine existing in a world where hope does not reach out to you in the most unexpected of places.
That’s what Frannie did for me. And for that I will be fur-ever grateful.
Good-bye, sweet girl. Thank you for these last 2.5 years of joy and inspiration.
I’ll be taking care of her until Monday. While I don’t normally dog sit anymore – it’s too hard to juggle a full-time job, writing, marriage, narcolepsy, and health – I made an exception for Phoebe.
Phoebe’s human mom is a friend of mine from a monthly book club I love. When her regular dog sitter wasn’t available, I agreed to step in because of the specific circumstances. Besides, as I wrote about recently, I really miss having dogs in my life.
It took Phoebe a while to warm up to me. We had two meet and greets, complete with a walk, before she agreed that I was okay. Before that, there were many nips of my calf muscles and Phoebe felt she had to herd me away from her human. It’s a good thing she’s so small and cute, because otherwise it might not have been so endearing.
Now, though, we are good friends. I know this for sure because Phoebe greets me by showing me her belly every single time.
We really are having a great time!
One of the best parts about agreeing to take care of Phoebe is that I was introduced to the Rothman Open Space. It’s a prairie trail system with the Rocky Mountains in the backdrop. It’s wide, expansive, and glorious in the early morning.
Best of all, there are prairie dogs!
If you live in Colorado or other areas in the Midwest/West that have prairie dogs, you may think this is no big deal. However, I did not grow up with prairie dogs within walking distance. If we wanted to see prairie dogs, we would have to visit Zoo America in Hershey, PA, which we did often. The prairie dog exhibit was one of my favorites.
So you can imagine my delight that the Rothman Open Space is filled with what must be hundreds of prairie dogs! I love listening to their chirps and squeaks in the morning. And while I do miss my Waneka Lake walks and the abundance of wildlife there, the prairie dogs are a good substitute.
In addition to my sheer joy and enthusiasm for the prairie dogs, it’s fun to get writing inspiration while on these walks. I’m currently revising a middle-grade manuscript, and it turns out that my brain works just as well in the open space as it does around the lake. Thank you brain!
I’m also discovering new sources of inspiration, most notably a golden retriever who watched from behind a sliding glass door when Phoebe and I walked by on the trail. I swear the dog bowed at us. Immediately, my mind whirled with the possibilities of what secrets a golden retriever who bows will be keeping.
So while I did not set out to shake things up a bit by sitting for Phoebe, it’s good to be reminded that you don’t know what you don’t know. I had no idea I had access to such a wonderful place. And now I can’t wait to bring friends and family here the next time we have visitors.
If you’re on the fence about whether or not to do something, let this post be your sign that you should give it a try. You never know what may happen.
On Friday, it snowed. Not a lot, just enough to cover everything, including the lilacs on campus.
This little bit of snow made me realize how much I missed winter this year. There’s a literal missing of winter, as where we live in Colorado only received about 13 inches of snowfall this season, and there’s also the figurative missing of winter in that those weeks I had the flu over the winter holidays hampered my ability to experience any rest and restoration to carry me through this semester.
Last week, I couldn’t even remember if I started a Dog’s I’ve Met in 2026 list, which tells you everything you need to know about how pervasive this missingness is in my life.
Upon further investigation, I discovered I did start this list. However, I felt quite appalled that as of last Sunday, it only listed a scant 10 dogs on the list. Compared to 2024, when I met 102 new dogs and 2025, when I met 111 dogs, 10 dogs in the first quarter of the month is just embarrassing.
Thankfully, the universe felt my concerns and promptly responded with an abundance of dogs. In the last 7 days, I met Sunshine, a poodle wearing pajamas at the San Antonio aiport.
Max, a fancy therapy poodle who visited the CU Psych Club
Kringle, a goobery therapy lab, who also visited the CU Psych Club.
And Janey, a perfectly white therapy lab who rounded out our CU Psych Club trio.
I also met Burger King, a pitbull in a puffy pink coat, at Waneka Lake, and Juno and Nala, two golden retrievers at Big Daddy Bagels in Boulder. Sadly, I didn’t snap photos of those dogs because I was so excited to meet them out and about.
Last but not least, there’s another Max, this one at the Humane Society of Boulder Valley, who visited me in the volunteer room and practically jumped into my arms to give me kisses. I suspect Max will get adopted right away; that’s how cute and loving he is.
All to say, thank you, universe. Please keep sending the dogs my way, and other blessings you would like to bestow.
I had the privilege and delight of spending spring break in Norfolk, CT. As you may remember, Heath and I housesat in Norfolk from 2016 to 2023, and I loved it there. Heath, not so much, and I promised him he would not turn 40 years old and still be living in Norfolk, so we left in May 2023 (approximately 5 days before his 40th birthday).
I visited last year, as well, for spring break to meet Lucy Honeybee, and, of course, because I missed many of my friends and friends who are like family.
Lucy Honeybee, left, and Annie Rose, right
This year, I also missed snow, cold, and winter, as Colorado is in a snow drought and experiencing unseasonably high temperatures. Although most people I saw in Norfolk had absolutely had it and were sick of winter, I was thrilled on my fourth morning there when I woke up to this winter wonderland.
As thrilled as I was to be in Norfolk, there were also many pangs of sadness. Since my last visit, two wonderful friends of mine have died (one was 102! And the other was only 51), and, the world also lost Annie, who I maintain may be the greatest Golden Retriever in the history of the world.
Lucy Honeybee has big paws to fill when it comes to Annie, and we try not to make too many comparisons or put too much pressure on her to be like Annie. She is an incredibly smart, sweet, and affectionate dog who is easy to love, and when she’s not so easy to love because of her puppy biting, we put her in “puppy jail” which is to say she gets to lounge in the kitchen until we have deemed her rehabilitated.
The kitchen really is a great place for her to be, as she has access to two oversized dog beds, plenty of toys, and two comfy chairs to choose from, as well as a glass door through which she can gaze longingly at the outside world.
Lucy in puppy jail
Every morning, I took Lucy for a romp in the woods, which is how I often spent my time with Annie. In some ways, they are very similar to each other.
For example, look at their ears!
Or how they run ….
Or their love of big sticks!
In one big way, they are very different. I noticed it when I scrolled through my photos after the first walk.
Look at Lucy’s tail, I thought. It’s so fluffy.
Wait. Annie had a tail, too.
Why have I never noticed Annie’s tail before?
Having about ten thousand photos of Annie, I immediately scrolled through them looking for evidence of Annie’s tail.
And I found it. It’s just not expressive like Lucy’s. There’s no plumage. There’s no lift. It was just kind of there, usually down or out.
Annie’s Down or Out Tail
I did manage to find one photo with some lift to it.
It’s funny how you may never notice something until the opposite presents itself to you.
Once back in Colorado, I felt utterly exhausted and in need of a break from my spring break. Unfortunately, I didn’t get one as the semester geared right back up and we’re in the home stretch until finals.
It’s a small price to pay for so much Norfolk love.
When I think of something small that brings me joy, it’s animals in party hats.
Or any hat, really.
I have celebrated holidays this way and wished friends happy birthday this way.
For my first birthday with Heath, I asked for the dogs, cats, and goats we were taking care of to wear party hats. Heath delivered in the most unexpected and delightful way possible. He bought party hats for the dogs and photoshopped party hats onto the other animals, as well as some of my friends who sent in photos for the occasion. In the photo below, you can see one of the goats in the upper left corner, and that’s my niece in a turkey hat taped to the chair.
I even relegated a dog to prison this way at a friend’s request.
I look at these creations with a source of pride and hilarity that keeps me motivated like nothing else to keep producing them just for fun.
For years, animals in party hats have brought me joy.
So, as you can imagine, when I was given the chance at a writing conference last weekend to ask author and illustrator Sophie Blackall about her book If We Were Dogs, I asked the most pressing question on my mind – other than dogs, what other animals should wear party hats?
Her answer was perfect – all of them!
I bought the book, had her sign it, and we laughed at how much we love animals in party hats.
At the end of the conference, Sophie was the closing keynote speaker. She gave us a wonderful and inspiring lecture on the lessons she had learned along the way to being a Caldecott Medal illustrator and NY-Times best-selling author.
When she was finished speaking, Sophie held up five signed prints of the If We Were Dogs book cover.
She announced that she would give them to whoever wanted one, with the caveat that the person had to give it to someone else.
My hand, which had been ready to shoot into the air, stayed at my side. I didn’t know who would love that print more than me. So I didn’t ask for one.
Sophie came into the crowd to hand out the prints. She immediately headed to our table and handed the first one to my friend sitting beside me.
Lucky, I thought. Who is Tiffany going to give this to?
The second Sophie put the print in Tiffany’s hand, she immediately gave it to me.
You’d think I could have seen that coming. I did not. So much so that the surprise and appreciation I felt in that moment manifested as tears, surrounded by a table of children’s book authors and illustrators. It wasn’t only that Tiffany knew that I would love to have the print. It was also the speed at which she acted. She totally gets me, and if that’s not friendship, I don’t know what is.
As the world continues to devolve into cruelty and destruction, these small moments of joy are what help me get through the day. How lucky I am to know that the little things matter.
And luckier still that those little things include animals in hats.
On Friday, I turned 48 and my blog turned 10. I had high expectations for the day centered around doing nothing, but upon further inquiry from Heath I realized I, unfortunately, had quite a bit to do.
Could I have put off this work for another day? Perhaps. But it was the kind of work where other people were waiting for me to respond or do something. And as my birthday was a Friday, that meant it was either send someone work emails on a Saturday or wait until Monday. I didn’t want to be that person.
Instead, I reframed the day as having no obligations that would make me go anywhere. But, the damage was done and I felt a good portion of my birthday feeling blue. Brene Brown’s insight of “Expectations are just resentments waiting to happen” has never rang more true.
Now that the day came and went, it was a pretty good birthday (objectively speaking). It started with my usual walk around the lake. I petted two of my favorite local dogs, Lovie and Sal, who I don’t have a picture of but imagine two gigantic walking clouds. I pet them every time we pass each other around the lake.
I also received many birthday wishes via text, some through phone calls, a few through email, and more cards this year than previous years. I hope this means snail mail cards are making a comeback despite the ever increasing cost of buying and sending them.
Photos of birthday cards I received this year!
I also received two very good gifts!
Heath surprised me by getting us a beginners dance package at Arthur Murray Dance studio. I say surprised because even though I told Heath I wanted us to take dance lessons, I thought I would have to do all the logistical work of finding lessons for us. So when he showed me the online gift card, I was thrilled! Getting what I want and not having do to any work to make it happen is like a double treat!
My second gift came in a more convoluted way.
One of my 25 in 25 goals this year was to buy a pair of ice skates and use them 25 times. When I made this goal, I knew it would be a second-half-of-the-year goal because of the cost involved. In June, I researched where to buy skates. I also looked up the local skating rinks and their schedules to make sure there would be times that I could fit into my schedule.
And then I felt reluctance creeping in. What if the motion sickness I developed as an adult kept me from enjoying skating? What would I do every week if I wasn’t working with a coach? What were my actual goals for skating? I didn’t want to compete again. Would I get bored without working towards something? I didn’t want to invest a couple of hundred dollars on ice skates without having good answers to these questions, and less expensive skates would be too flimsy for my level of experience. I am 48, after all. I have to take good care of my body, especially my feet and ankles!
As if it was a sign from the universe, the closest rink would be undergoing renovations starting in July. So, I shifted my focus to something else I’ve been wanting to do but couldn’t for those 8 years we were nomads – play the piano.
So I asked my mom for a high quality 88-key keyboard as my birthday gift this year. It came with a bench which was ridiculously hard to put together, and thankfully, Heath helped me (and by helped me I mean he put it together after I gave up).
I took lessons for one year in high school and one year when I lived in Illinois. It was during my Illinois lessons that I received one of my greatest compliments. Kelly, said my piano teacher, I wish all my students were as happy as you.Â
Pro tip: To get these kinds of compliments, it helps to do things like clap your hands and yell yay anytime you finish a song.
I love to play the piano for the sheer joy of playing it. I like the challenge of learning new songs and I especially enjoy playing Christmas carols. I have zero expectations that I will ever perform for anyone other than myself and I don’t care! My greatest ambition for piano playing is that if I ever see a piano anywhere I can go up to it and play Carol of the Bells, which is my favorite Christmas song.
For years I kept my piano books because I always wanted to return to it. Even when I got rid of almost everything during our time on the road, I didn’t get rid of those books. A piano is something I’ve been wanting for so long and now that we have a home, I was finally in a position that having a full keyboard was possible.
I now have a piano in our basement.
My new piano!
By my birthday next year, I can serenade myself with Happy Birthday on the piano.
Uh oh. Sounds like I already have an expectation for next year….
Oh, well! I did end up having a happy birthday this year anyway. I just had to let go of those pesky expectations and enjoy what I had.
It’s been 9 years since I had a spring break. One of the perks of teaching is that we get ample time off, which I greatly appreciate.
The last time I had spring break, my niece and I flew to Arizona, and then we drove from Sedona to the Petrified Forest to Las Vegas, where I had a conference. The conference part is important because I would NOT go to Vegas for a vacation. We are not the biggest fans of that much stimulation.
This time, I traveled to Norfolk to meet Lucy Honey Bee aka Annie, Jr. I felt strongly that Lucy needed to meet me when she was still a puppy to ensure our bond despite the long distance between us.
She is such a delightful and smart puppy! Though she does behave in ONE VERY DISGUSTING WAY which I will not name here lest she becomes famous someday and people search the Internet looking for dirt on her.
Annie, who is Lucy’s great, great Aunt, is teaching Lucy her Golden Wise ways. Annie is a patient and all-knowing teacher, as we all knew she would be.
For the most part.
As you can imagine, with a puppy, there is A LOT of relentless romping, rolling, and roughhousing. When Annie reaches maximum tolerance, beleaguered is the word to best describe what happens next.
Exhibit A.
Exhibit B is the look Annie gave me when Lucy couldn’t get out of the creek. I’m pretty sure it’s something along the lines of, let’s just leave her.
The trip was too short, and before I knew it, I was sadly heading back to the airport. As much as I love my job and where we are in Colorado, I will never give up hope that someday, Heath comes into the living room and says, “Okay. Let’s move in with Annie’s mom.”
I put the chances of that at slim to none. So, in the meantime, I will relish my breaks and visit whenever I can.
Annie, Lucy, their mom, and the rest of Norfolk – I miss you already!
Now that 2024 is just about half over, it’s a good time to take stock of my 24 in 24 goals. As you may recall, in January, I created a list of 24 goals I would like to accomplish this year. I got the idea from journalist Gretchen Rubin and her sister Elizabeth Craft, who together host the Happier Podcast (which I highly recommend.)
Before I report on my progress, shout out to what is still holding on as my (perhaps) greatest achievement this year – getting thousands upon thousands of likes for my comments on the Frannie’s Fight Instagram account.
For those of you who need a reminder, Frannie was an extremely obese golden retriever who lived her life on a concrete slab until Rover’s Retreat in California rescued her. Thanks to the love, hard work, and diligent medical care from her foster mom (now adopted mom), Frannie has lost a total of 46.6 pounds. She has about 13.5 pounds to go to reach her goal weight.
I find myself more invested in Frannie’s story than anything else in pop culture at the moment. It’s filled the Ted-Lasso-Sized hole in my heart. Even on days when I take a social media fast, I allow myself five seconds to open my Instagram app to see if there are any new Frannie posts. This essentially means that instead of social media fasting, it’s a no-social-media-scrolling type of diet. Which I’m okay with. Frannie is worth it!
Without further ado, here is my 24 in 24 progress report:
Order a passport to replace my stolen one.
Some progress: A replacement passport requires a certified birth certificate, which can be ordered online. However, the website requires the shipping address and billing address to be the same, so it wasn’t until two weeks ago that I felt confident enough that we were staying in Colorado to update my billing address to our PO Box in Boulder. The birth certificate has been ordered, and I’m waiting for delivery. Once I have that, I’ll take the next steps for a passport replacement.
Move for at least 24 minutes a day.
Gold star! I’ve only missed five days of intentional movement this year. Although some friends have argued that I should count the days I walk for transportation in this category, I don’t because that movement is a means to an end and not for the specific purpose of keeping my body fit and mobile.
Meditate for at least 24 minutes a day.
Gold star! I have only missed six days of meditation this year. These are not the same days as when I also missed my daily movement goal. Meditation and movement are two of the most important things for keeping me healthy and happy, so if I ever miss one day for one of them, I always make sure the other gets fit in.
2-4 minutes of breathwork, 2-4 times per week.
Gold star! I missed one full week of breathwork in June, and the week of April 14th, I only did one breathwork session. However, for five weeks so far this year, I surpassed my goal of 2-4 sessions; for three weeks I did breathwork every day!
24-hour social media breaks every week.
Silver star! As I mentioned above, because of Frannie, I’m not taking a full social media break at all. But I do limit my social media one day a week to just the Instagram peeks for Frannie content. On those days, I don’t partake of any other social media website or app.
24-hour game breaks every week.
Platinum star! In addition to my weekly game breaks (Daily Wordle excluded), it has been 61 days since I’ve wasted any time playing Royal Match. I found myself consumed by the game this winter and early spring, and I decided to take a mental health break from it in May. Because I’ve been keeping track of days off the game, I didn’t want to break the chain and start up again. Unless something catastrophically stressful happens in my life, I hope I won’t need to open this game app ever again in my life.
2-4 months of news fasting.
Gold star! So far, I’ve fasted in January and May. I plan to do another fast in August as a birthday gift to myself, and I’m contemplating July, as well. One of the downsides of a news fast is that I miss reading the NY Times Well newsletter where I learn cool psychology stuff, so perhaps what I’ll do is fast from political, climate, and war news and only read the NY Times Well Newsletter every week in July. For what it’s worth, I extended my January news fast into February. When I finally watched the news the second week of February to be social with some friends, 90% of the news stories were the same ones that were reported in December.
Review 24 dog books for a new Instagram account.
Minimal progress: I *FINALLY* got a library card here in Colorado! So now I’ll have a cost-effective way to obtain the books that I want to review. Not that I’m opposed to buying books. In fact, even though I’m a minimalist, I often buy children’s books because I have so many friends who are authors. Once I’m done reading them, I send them off via media mail to my friend, who just happens to be a school librarian. However, not having had a job for 13 months has reinforced the need to be cost-effective in as many aspects of my life as possible. So, library books it is for the time being.
Create 24 dog posts for a new Instagram account (same new account mentioned in #8).
Minimal progress: I’ve created 2 posts. Because this goal is tied to #8 and my lack of a library card impeded #8, I didn’t prioritize this goal. Now that things are moving along for #8, this goal should be more of a priority for these next six months.
Eat 24 baby spinach leaves 2-4 times per week.
Hit or miss! Having been plagued with gut issues since childhood, whenever I have an IBS flare-up, the first thing I do is cut way down on insoluble fiber. So even though I want to eat spinach or drink a green smoothie because I consider leafy greens to be the most energizing food, sometimes my body can’t handle it. Also, I didn’t start keeping track of this goal until the middle of February because I was moving around so much, and I didn’t have the luxury of being able to transport fresh produce from house to house. So gut flare-ups aside, of the 18 weeks this year I felt comfortable enough to eat leafy greens, I met this goal 13 of those weeks. I’m pretty pleased with my progress and here’s hoping the second half of the year is more gut-friendly.
Revise 2-4 manuscripts I’ve already written.
Silver star! I’m delighted to report that my revision of a middle-grade novel I wrote last year is completed, and I’m now working on a revision of a 97,000-word adult romcomantasy (ie, a romcom-fantasy for those of you not familiar with this word). Working on the romcomantasy is taking so much longer than I anticipated, although I can’t be too surprised because I knew that the manuscript needed a lot of revision. I only have six chapters left on this go around, but there are some new developmental issues I need to flesh out, so I’m going to have to take at least two more passes at it before it will be ready to share with beta readers. As you can imagine, 97,000 words is A LOT, and compared with the 37,000 words of my middle-grade novel, I find it impossible to remember all the little details, so I’m constantly highlighting points I need to double-check in later chapters that were first mentioned in earlier chapters. I drag my feet a lot on this manuscript simply because it is so daunting. Nevertheless, I’m going to get it done.
Watch 24 sunrises outside.
Platinum star! I have already watched 51 sunrises outside! However, I’m taking a hiatus from making any further progress on this goal because now that it’s summer, the sun rises so early.
Do yoga 2-4 times per month.
Gold star! After a slow start of squeezing in two yoga sessions at the end of January and February, I found a renewed sense of yoga vigor when my friend shared with me this 12-sequence series to help prevent bone loss. I now average yoga 2-4 times per week instead of monthly. YAY!
Visit 2-4 friends out of state.
I visited friends in Norfolk in February, and I’ll be back again in July. So consider this one accomplished!
Go rucking 2-4 times per week.
Hit or miss! I got off to a great start with rucking 2-4 times per week in January and February. Then I inflamed the insertional Achilles tendonitis in my left heel, and I still haven’t fully recovered. So, while I’m currently lifting lighter weights during workout sessions, the stress from climbing mountains with a weighted backpack was too much on my heel, and this goal is currently on hiatus for the foreseeable future.
Meet 24 new dogs.
Platinum star! Is anyone surprised I’ve already met 57 new dogs this year?
Write and post 24 new blog posts.
Bronze star! This goal was based on writing a new blog post every two weeks. Sometimes, I meet that deadline, and sometimes, it stretches to three or four weeks between posts. So we’ll see if I can course correct for the second half of the year.
Listen to 2-4 Great Courses.
No progress: I’ve been embracing podcasts this year, which I never have before, and so I’m reluctant to give up listening time for a Great Course. But there’s at least one course I would like to take, so this is another goal where we’ll see if I’m course correct, knowing I haven’t made any progress.
Attend 24 cold-water plunges (assuming we stay in CO).
Platinum star! So far, I’ve attended 16 cold-water plunges with a Meetup Group. The best part was that they asked me if I wanted to be a leader. I said YES!, and I’ve now led four meditations and one full group experience. Years ago, I listed all my life goals, hopes, and dreams, and meditation instructor made my list. How amazing for this dream to come true without any additional effort than showing up (and practicing meditation almost every day).
Buy 2-4 outfits I genuinely like and that feel comfortable.
No progress: But I’m optimistic that I’ll soon be making significant progress on this goal. It will help to have a steady paycheck again.
Hike 2-4 times at Rocky Mountain National Park (assuming we stay in CO.)
Some progress: I hiked at RMNP in January, and Heath and I visited in March, although we didn’t hike. I’m optimistic that I’ll make this goal in another 6 months.
No progress, and unlikely to happen in 2024. Despite my best intentions, I really didn’t think it would take me over 13 months to get a new job. This goal requires a steep financial investment upfront for me to purchase my book in bulk to sell at events, and I’m not in a position to do that right now. So unless something truly unexpected happens (and you never know because I once went from single to married in the course of three weeks), I’m not optimistic that this goal will be met (and I’m okay with that). There’s always 2025!
Give 2-4 psychology presentations.
Some progress: I’m delighted to report that I’m scheduled for two psychology presentations this year. Both will be in November. One is for Eco-Cycle, and I’ll be presenting on The Psychology of Stuff: Why We Have So Much and What We Can Do About It just in time for Black Friday, and the other is Today Is Not The Day: Procrastination Hacks for Writers for YA (Young Adult Writers) Connect of the Rocky Mountain Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrations. The latter presentation is like a procrastination presentation I gave on spring cleaning at some CT libraries in the spring of 2023, so I’m excited to revamp the presentation for my writer friends.
Color 2-4 times per week.
Bronze star! I like coloring as a wind-down/relaxation technique, and I was on quite the coloring roll for most of this year. But since I’ve been at three different housesits in June, I’ve fallen out of the habit. I started keeping track in February, and of the 22 weeks that have since elapsed, I met my target 13 times. Not bad, but there’s room for improvement.
All in all, it feels good to see how much progress I’ve made towards goals I deemed important for my life. Here’s hoping the next six months bring even more success! And many more dogs.
At the end of May, I returned to North Boulder to housesit a dog and two cats. Everyone, meet Noodle the Labradoodle,
Pabu,
and Momo.
Noodle is a silly and sweet dog who requires very little effort. Her most consuming care is twice daily walks around Wonderland Lake. But when this is your walking area, it’s not a burden at all.
Heath is also quite taken with Noodle and he dotes on her quite a bit. It’s all very cute.
The problem is she’s such a delightful dog that we want to take her with us everywhere. Yesterday when we went to see The Fellowship of the Ring, which was re-released in the theaters this weekend, we lamented that we had to leave Noodle behind. So unfair!
Nevertheless, we persevered and went without her.
When people ask me if I’m going to get a dog once we settle down (which is very, very soon, by the way), I tell them no. And it’s because of dogs like Noodle.
And Max.
And Maka.
Who are Max and Maka, you may be wondering? They’re the dogs I took care of in Central Boulder for most of May. Every morning we walked in the open space areas by their house and it was such a joyful experience to see them zooming all over the place.
I became so attached to them that in the week following the housesit move to Noodle’s house, I went to visit them twice and walk them once. Not because they needed someone to walk them but because I missed them so much and wanted to spend time on the trails with them.
When I also take into account the other dogs across the country that I love, frankly, I don’t have it in me to want a dog of my own.
In Connecticut, there’s Dodger, Annie, Chloe, and Fergus. In Tennessee there’s Rafiki. In Washington there’s Arnold, Kona, and Bitsy. And in Colorado, there’s now Foster, Mookie, Willow, Arthur, Stella, Max, Maka, and Noodle.
And this doesn’t take into account the cats and goats I love, too.
Because I know myself so well and I know how attached I get to animals, it’s best for me to spread all my love out and care for other people’s animals.
Maybe someday I’ll see things differently. But for now, it’s my goal to love all the dogs as much as I can. And cats. And goats.
