Sunday Happy

What a week. It started off with crazy shit (stray bullet through house) and then it just stayed kind of hectic feeling. Tuesday the mr had his hand surgery which went well so that was good. Then the next day I went to the dentist which also went well but with recent events there has been a lot of hospital/ doctors and I am feeling burnt out with all the visits. One more this week for the mr to get his stitches out and a new cast but hopefully that will be it for a little while Or until the next week when he will have to go back again. 😬.

Other then all the doctors, I went into the studio and cleaned a deep clean, I riffled through so much paperwork just to realize that I need to riffle through a bunch more, and I picked up the first farm share or the year.

Friday my dad came to town and brought his new dog. I was excited to see my dad but realized after seeing the dog that I am in love, want to keep him for myself, and that I might just have to off my dad to make that happen HA!. Anyways…I spent time with the old man while he was in town, went for freezing cold runs and froze my face, and yesterday I finally packed up all of Christmas. Well almost all. I kept the tree up with just the lights for one last day. The mr and I are going to take in out of the house today and I am sad about it. If it wasn’t starting to drop all its needles I would probably keep it up for a while longer. Maybe even be that weirdo that keeps the tree up unit spring, (If you do that then yes, weirdo but also I am here for it.)

So yeah, today we are taking the tree out (maybe… Maybe a few more days? I really love the tree)t and I am going to try and drag the mr outside somewhere (he can’t deal with the cold) but not much else is planned. Probably hit up the grocery store, maybe the library. Keep it a low key day. Maybe I’ll back something. I don’t know. I’ll let the day be what it will.

Internet from the week.

-Go on and eat! Is it safe to eat snow? Scientists say yes — with these caveats.

-A New California Law Will Help Prevent Food Waste by Requiring It to Be Donated Instead of Thrown Away. I think this should be law everywhere. I mean really, why isn’t it?

-If you keep only one room clean, make it the kitchen. 21 Smart Ways to Keep Your Kitchen Clean, at All Times

-I have been going through a lot of ginger lately. Our Go-To Methods for Storing Fresh Ginger

-Who Is Responsible for Dessert Hummus? So dessert humus… I don’t know if I actually consider it hummus all. When you start adding a bunch of sugar to chick peas it turns into a whole new thing.

-Pretty sweet A frame situation here.

-Is your dog bilingual? A new study suggests their brains can tell languages apart. Dogs are smarter then we think.

-What Is Podi & How Do You Use It?

Pictures from the week.

Sunday Happy

I finally got rid of the last of the Christmas tree needles just in time to replace them with glitter for the next few months.. It is my own fault. I didn’t HAVE TO use glitter on a giant ass heart that I made for the mr, but I sure as heck wanted too. (I redact my statement… I HAD TO) It’s ok though because glitter happens and you just gotta deal with it.

The week was the week. Nothing out of the normal. Nothing overly exciting. Valentines day was nice. The mr covered all the windows with little heart and besides the giant heart I made, I also made the mr a heart cake and heart bread and all his food for the day was basically in the shape of a heart. And we went snow shoeing where we might have almost stole a dog. Maggie was her name and she showed up out of nowhere on the trail which was out in the middle of nowhere. Hiked with us for a while, took off, and showed back up on our way out of the woods. Obviously she lived someplace close by and she did have a collar on (that is how we knew her name) but gosh, she was so sweet. She even walked us to our car and got in like she was ready to go home. Ugh, it hurts my soul a little. I miss having a dog. Who I really miss is Washer. Oh boy, here I am feeling all sad and shit…..But the snow shoeing was amazing! Haha

Anyway, a mellow week. And now it’s the second half of February so it basically going to be spring soon and mellow won’t be staying mellow for long so I am going appreciate it for now, although I am getting little antsy for when I can finally pull out my sandals and open all the windows in the house and dirt. I am getting ahead of myself here. That is still a month or 3 away. But it is on my mind.

The mr and I don’ t have any big plans for the day other then dropping in on the littles and maybe going out for coffee with Barb. We have a few chores that need done so we will probably do those…… Whoo hoooo!

As usual, some links to read if you feel like perusing the Internet.

-Not going to lie, I completely see his point. Why Thomas Keller Thinks Farm-to-Table Is Absurd. I want the carrots from the farmer that is in love with his carrots too.

-Totally my type of home. . Life in This Verdant Home in Vietnam Is a Walk in the Park

-Here's why ultra-processed foods are so bad for your health. So so bad.

-Baking fantastical things is not as easy at it might seem on the T.V. The Only Way I Got Through a ‘Great British Baking Show’ Challenge Was By Cheating

-I must make a fantastic pie soon. Dazzling Gradients and Geometric Designs Baked into New Pies and Tarts

-Got questions, here are some answers. Your Questions About Plastic Waste, Answered

-Genius. And the best feature is that it craps every last bit out of the jar.. This New Pump Will Help You Put Peanut Butter on Everything Without a Knife

-These Surreal Guesthouses with Impossible Staircases Have Alice in Wonderland Vibes. I think more like the movie Labyrinth and then I think of David Bowie in tight tights……

-Please Don't Let Your Tiny Dog Blow Away in the Wind. Real life problems.

-He climbs without any rops or harnesses. The guy is crazy. And amazing. A documentary I will watch. Free Solo.

And pictures from the wee

-C

Sad ass

I am not going to lie, I am feeling pretty shitty.  Today is Washers birthday... So yeah, I am a big sad ass.

It has been little over 3 months sense he died, 3 months of waking up every morning looking for him, worry about him, still look for his fluffy tail in the trees in the yard. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't have the sudden urge to rush home to walk him, feed him, love him.  It has been hard and today is going to be really tough one.

Every year we would take the pup for a long ass hike, let him run free, get dirty, swim, chew up all the biggest sticks, whatever he wanted. He would get a new toy, a new box of dog treats, usually an apple or sweet potato and all the attention that he could possibly want. We loved celebrating his birthday because it was all about him but also just one long day of dirty fun outdoors for all of us. No matter what we had going on, or what the weather, we were in the woods.

Now I don't know what to do with myself today. I still kinda want to run to the woods, spend the day outside getting dirty, crying my eyes out. I also kinda just want to hide in a hole and just be all miserable. I know Washer would want the woods, but it just feels all wrong without him. Blah.. This sucks ass.

Sorry for not having the happiest of posts, just need to feel the feels, miss my dog, and be a big sad blob today.

So to the best dog there ever was.. Happy Birthday Washer.  Miss you like crazy all the freaking time. I'll try to walk some woods for you today. Love you.

Washer

Washer Stem. October 30, 2005- July 24, 2016

I am a pretty trashed person right now.  2 weeks ago our puppy dog, Washer, died.

Yeah, you can kick me in the stomach, I am sure it would feel better then this.

First question everyone asks "What happened?" Long story short, for some reason, whether it was something he ate or just from playing way to hard,  his stomach flipped inside of him, twisted, then died. There was the animal hospital and surgery and it all happened so fast.... blah, it's still pretty hard to think and talk about. But yeah, he went from being good and healthy to not within hours and the vets did what they could, but they just couldn't save him.

How am I doing? Honestly, I am not great but am starting to come out of the hole a bit. For a while there I just feel apart. Washer wasn't a pet to us, he was pretty much our life, my life.  Just about every single thing we did, we did together. All of our decisions, from the smallest things like day to day activities to buying a house revolved around him. (we would have never bought a house that didn't have a giant yard for him). He went to work with us, on all errands, (he loved a good car ride) family events, everything.  I think the only places that he never went was to the gym with me and into the grocery store (the mr and him would wait in the car). I can count on both hands the times over his life that we have left him with other people. Washer was our family...is our family and his absence has been overwhelming.

And yes, he was a dog, but he was more then that to me. He was my soul mate, my best friend, my baby. I spent more time talking or just hanging with him then anybody else. We experienced the world together and he showed me things in life that I otherwise might have never seen. Countless sunrise walks. So many sunsets. All the early mornings in winter when the world is perfectly still, the moon is out, and the snow is falling. All of the outdoors, countless hikes, endless swims.(he could swim forever) He took us out into the world, even when we wanted nothing more then to hide away.

He was all unconditional love and unabashed happiness. And he could totally be a complete ass, but he knew it and always felt guilty afterwards (you could tell cause he looked atyou with the sad eyes) He gave so much and never wanted anything from us other then love, well, and food.

And now I am trying to figure out how to be without him. Waking up in the morning, I still find myself looking for him. When I walk out the front door, I still reach for his leash and a poop bag.  And that feeling like I need to get home to my pup, like he is waiting for me,  it hasn't gone away. I still wake up every morning and go for a walk and the mr and I still go for a walk every day after dinner. We pick him flowers and talk about about all the amazing and stupid things he used to do and how much he did for us. It is crazy looking back at our life over the past 11 years and knowing he was part of almost every moment.

So yeah, I am kinda feeling lost right now. I miss him more then I could ever imagine. I know he lived a freaking fantastic, healthy, and long life, and for that I can take a little comfort. But man, I was not ready for him to go.  I guess I never would have been. ( I secretly thought he would live forever, or at least another 50 or so years)

He is one of the greatest loves of my life and I am so fucking lucky to be able to say that.

The best dog that ever was (for us), even when he was being a jerk face.

Love you forever puppy.

Sunday Happy

Hello to a long summer weekend full of all things sparkly and red white and blue.  Hard to believe that it's already July 4th weekend. We are already deep into summer and I need to get on and do some serious summering.

We put in our time this week for sure, 8-12 hour days, some days at the house until 8pm. We had a deadline and had to bust some crazy ass to get what we needed to get done done before the insulators came. Phew..  we did it, and now all I can say is that the mr and I are pretty bad ass. As for the house, it's just smooth sailing from here. (haha, yeah right)

Another big thing this week. Jeff Dad moved back, well not back to VT, but back east, close to where he grew up in PA. This is of much excitement for myself and the rest of my siblings. Now instead of being 14 (more like 20) hours away, he is only be 5 hours away. That is just enough away that we can see him whenever we want, but far enough that we don't have to see him when we don't. Plus he is only about an hour outside of NYC..so you know, party party in the city.

Today is a weird Sunday, cause it feels like a Saturday, which makes me feel like I need to put on my work pants and get to it. Lucky for me, the mr has plans for a fishing adventure and if he going on an adventure, then I am too! I am going to pack some food, my watercolors and a book try to just relax today. Maybe we will bring the new tent (we finally bought a new tent that is not our tiny backpacking tent with a hole in it) and just come home sometime tomorrow. You are not suppose to work on a holiday, right?  Hum, sounds like a good plan to me.

Fun and informative internet from the week.

-I feel like I might know a few people that need to read this. HOW TO SAFELY PLAY WITH FIREWORKS WITHOUT BLOWING AN ARM OFF

So much summer fruit means it's pie time. A Professional Baker's Tips for Baking Pies Smarter, Not Harder

-Any or all of your favorite blogs (mine or not, whatever.. but mine) NOMINATE YOUR FAVORITE FOOD BLOGS FOR THE 2016 SAVEUR BLOG AWARDS

-My aunt was growing ancient wheats before all the the cool kids,because she is so cool. Nothing Says 'Hip' Like Ancient Wheat

-Pretty freaking crazy. A Miniature Landscape of Elephants Carved From the Tip of a Pencil

-I was curious so I looked it up, and now I know. How Cinnamon is Harvested in Indonesia

-Diggin this house, especially the kitchen counters (we are 99% sure we are pouring kitchen concrete counters!!?!)

-Totally in love with these landscape oil paintings.

-This album has been on repeat all week. It's is one of my favorites and also the first cassette (remember those?) that I ever bought.

-Finally, no more sneaky sneaky. G.M.O.s in Food? Vermonters Will Know.

And a few snaps from the week.

Happy Weekend

-C