Thankful Saturday, Quiet Week Edition

 My house has been too quiet this week. I miss the click clack of paws and nails on the floor, of a tail thumping, splashes from the water dish, of soft breathing from the corner of my room. I miss Luna so much.

I'm grateful for:

1. A quiet week to grieve and just be. It was wonderful to have so many people stop by to see Luna her last week, and it was also good to just have some time to myself this week.

2. My friends the Morris's took me and my cousins out for a birthday lunch on Sunday. 

3. We had some lovely cooler (80s) weather this week and I was able to take a few walks around the neighborhood.

4. Spur of the moment game night with friends Friday night at Aaron and Andreas.

5. I'm now at a lake with my friends in PA for the week!

6. Several friends got together and sent me a stuffed dog in honor of Luna. I now have a Luna-bean <3

Thankful Saturday, Grief Edition

 Yesterday I said goodbye to my beloved Luna. Despite being heartbroken, I'm still thankful for:

1. A wonderful vet that came to my house. Luna crossed the rainbow bridge by falling asleep in my arms. As sad as it was for me, it was untraumatic for both of us.

2. So many friends that stopped by this week to pet Luna and hang out with me, and have been texting me to check in on me.

3. I was able to take Luna to see my mom one more time.

4. An understanding boss that was fine with me taking yesterday off work.

5. Luna had a mostly good last week. We walked in the park one last time, had lots of snuggles, and she enjoyed people coming over. I was even able to give her a cheeseburger and fries for her last meal.

6. A weekend to just hang out in my pajamas and grieve. I'm glad I didn't need to be anywhere today. 

Thank Saturday, heartbreak edition

 This week I found out that Luna's cancer has spread enough that it's inoperable, and she's in too much pain for me to think radiation is a good idea. This sucks so bad. I've been snuggling and crying on her all week.

I'm still thankful for:

1. Some time to process and snuggle with her before I have to say goodbye

2. Wonderful caring vets that are providing lots of options

3. Working from home, so I can both be with Luna and step away for crying breaks when I need to

4. Some cooler weather so we can take neighborhood walks

5. Amazing friends that have brought me food, pie, walked with Luna, come to snuggle her themselves, given me hugs, texts, phone calls, washed my dishes, taken photos of me and Luna, and shown up in every way possible. I am so freaking lucky.

Thankful Saturday, Luna Edition

 This week I'm thankful for:

1. Tentative good news about Luna. We think she has cancer, but she had scans this week that were clear, which means it looks like the cancer hasn't spread. Fingers crossed this means she can have the cancer removed in a few weeks with no complications.

2. A great vet

3. More free time in the evenings in the summer.

4. I got to go to Frederick Pride today which was fun, it was a lot bigger than Rockville Pride.

5. Spontaneous hanging out with Lash last night until 2am and good conversations.

6. Hanging out with friends at church tonight for a potluck.

7. Watching world cup games this week. I got to watch the Ghana England game in a bar, and the England Panama game at church tonight.

Thankful Sunday, Summer Edition

 Still working on posting thankful Thursdays on Thursdays, but here we go.

This week I'm thankful for:

1. Some gorgeous weather. I have spent several hours reading in my hammock this weekend- its been warm with low humidity. 

2. Fireflies

3. Another cousins hangout, this time with Kate and enormous ice cream sandwiches at Baked Bear. 

4. I'm taking a writing class this summer on research for historical narratives, and so far its really interesting!

5. I got to hear one of my favorite podcasters do a live show in person.

6. Lunch with mom

7. Dinner and 3+ hours of conversation with Babs

8. A vet that's great with Luna

Thankful Thursday, Productive Week Edition

 Here's to a week not trying to eat me (much) so I remember to post on a Thursday, huzzah!

I'm thankful for:

1. A productive week. I knocked a good handful of things off my personal to-do list, which feels really good. It also gives me motivation to keep working on the rest of things on the list.

2. It's also been a busy but good week at work. A lot done, good conversations, and I went into the office for the first time since that week in January where we all froze haha.

3. Luna is feeling much better! I'll spare the internet the details, but she's had a very unhappy tummy for about a month as we've been sorting out her pain meds, so I'm glad she is feeling better. I won't even complain that she's back to grabbing dishes out of my sink, because that actually IS a sign she's feeling better lol.

This is Luna feeling better haha

4. Some cool May temps. It's about to get hot I think, but having some 60s and 70s in May has been delightful for walking with Luna and driving with the windows down.

5. Spontaneous dinner with Ilana on Monday :o) We had a great time catching up over Panera; I was so glad she reached out. 

Thankful Saturday, Calmer week edition

 This week has definitely been better than last week, although that was a bit of a low bar lol.

Lots to be thankful for!

1. I got to camp with my Girl Scouts after all! I was scheduled to camp with them Friday and Saturday nights, but mom in the ER meant that another parent went in my place for the weekend. As it turned out though, I was able to go Saturday night and had a lot of fun! The funniest part was our troop moving our tents into the Glen Shelters because it was going to rain.

2. Luna is walking almost normally now. We're still sorting out her digestive system (maybe too many meds?) but she seems in less pain and is excited to walk again.

3. I just read the book 'The War That Saved My Life' by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley and it was so good. Historical Fiction set in England in WWII, YA. 5 star read.

4. I had a day of rest and small adventures. I slept in, made muffins for breakfast, checked out a new bookstore in Kentlands, went birding for an hour at the lake, and bumped into 2 friends there. I also went looking for owls in a different spot and discovered a new to me trail that I want to fully hike at a later date.

5. A Pileated Woodpecker basically posed for me while I was birding and I got some beautiful shots of a beautiful bird.

6. Two of my cousins have moved to Arizona! Their new place looks so nice and I can't wait to visit them.

7. Mom is doing better. Saw her Saturday morning and Wednesday for lunch and she seems like herself and can walk relatively normally (with her walker). 

Thankful Thursday, In the market for new sinuses edition

 I still have this stupid cold/sinus infection and I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. That said, I'm still thankful for:

1. The antibiotics I just got- hoping they can help me kick this crud!

2. The sound of rain on my roof as I snuggle under my covers.

3. Mom is doing well. I hadn't seen her in 2 weeks, but I stopped by tonight (masked) to check in and had a good short visit.

4. The weather is warming up- I walked Luna in short sleeves several times this week!

5. A new good book- The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks

Thankful... Monday? More March Edition

 I'm surfacing after a having a cold that wanted to be a sinus infection. 0/5 stars.

There's still a lot I'm thankful for, including:

1. My immune system. Being sick sucks, but I'm glad I eventually bounce back.

2. Masking is socially acceptable. I was able to take Luna to a vet appointment on Friday while masked, so I (hopefully) didn't pass my crud onto other people.

3. More good books. I finished 'The Last Runaway' by Tracy Chevalier while recovering and started

4. A new season of Top Chef!

5. Livestreams of music. One of my favorite bands from Ren Faire, Piper Jones Band, was playing at a club in Houston on Saturday night, and there was a livestream to watch for free

6. A clean bill of health for my teeth, at least for another 6 months.

7. Bell festival was so much fun. We had a great conductor, good music, and it was at the beach, so who can complain? It was fun to go to a new beach too, I'd never been to Rehoboth before. 

8. Wondering a new wildlife refuge before bell festival, Prime Hook. A windy day for birds, but a lovely walk, and I did see a bunch of forest birds.

9. My friend Kris that let me stay at her house for festival so I didn't have to pay for a hotel room.

10. March weather? We've had 2 85 degree days and then the next day it snowed. I'm here for the warmup and will stay for the crazy back and forth (which we might have again tonight.)

Thankful Friday, Edisto Edition!

 This has been an amazing week visiting family and friends in South Carolina. This week I'm thankful for:

1. The ability to do this roadtrip and see family.

2. Getting to see my aunt Carroll and Uncle David in Columbia.

3. Getting to hang out with my friend Mary Beth in Columbia. We rode the Columbia sky tram at the zoo and generally talked for hours.

4. Spending a week with my dad's cousin Betty on Edisto. Talking, knitting and needlepointing, and going on adventures in Charleston.

5. Hiking with Meghan on Sunday on a very windy day. We did 7 miles and change, saw some cool birds and lots of alligators!

6. A good friend Alexandra to leave Luna with while I was gone. 

7. Lots of doggos on this trip! Marybeth's dog Ky, Carroll and David's dog Dyna, and Betty's dogs Shrimp, Grits and Indigo.

8. That Indigo is okay. He's an 8-month old black lab puppy and he ate rat poison on Monday. Luckily we caught it quickly and a trip to the vet sorted him out and he's fine (and has probably learned nothing lol).

9. I got to do a few family history things on this trip, like hear stories from relatives, search a bit on ancestry, find a relative in a cemetery, and see the house my great aunt lived in in Charleston.

10. I got to hang out with Debbie at Cypress Trees and just chat while we did yardwork and made cookies.

11. I got to eat South Carolina shrimp twice this week already.

It's been a very good week :oD

Thankful Wednesday (?) Pre-Trip Edition

I'm posting a day ahead of time because I'm driving all day tomorrow and I'm not sure what my schedule will look like.

This week I'm thankful for:

1. I was able to get mom to Shrove Tuesday pancakes at church last night. She really enjoyed being with friends and kept saying we should do this more than once a year :o)

2. I got reports submitted for work. Sometimes the portal I have to submit things through is temperamental, but it worked pretty well this time. Thankful the portal worked AND that the reports are done.

3. We played a really beautiful bell piece on Sunday.

4. The Olympics, again. I love watching every day and will miss them when they are over.

5. The ice might finally be melting? Today, a month to the day of the snow/ice storm, and I was finally able to shovel my deck and open my backdoor all the way.

6. I'm off for a week and a half to go visit family and friends. Perks of only working part time, is that I'm only taking 3 days off work to be off 12 days :oP

7. Luna is doing great post-op. Acting like her normal self and even countersurfing a bag of flour lol.

Thankful Friday, Olympics Edition

 Yesterday got away from me because work was a little crazy. So here's a thankful Thursday on a Friday!

I'm thankful for: 

1. The Olympics! I absolutely love watching the Olympics. I watched the opening ceremonies last week with Garth, Karen and Kate, and I've been watching the games all week. So far my favorites are figure skating, snowboard cross, halfpipe and curling. The downhill is so cool but terrifying when people crash out. 

2. Crafting during the Olympics. I'm not great at watching TV for long periods without doing something with my hands, so I craft a lot during the Olympics every 2 years. So far I've painted a bunch of small doll houses to make a little village to display on my shelf. Next up is earrings and scrapbooking.

3. Luna came through her surgery well! She had a tooth extracted today, and also had her teeth cleaned and her back end x-rayed while she was under. X-rays are clear (she's been guarding a leg recently, just wanted to make sure nothing was going on), broken tooth is out, and we are waiting on biopsy results from a mole they removed on her lip. She's a little woozy but doing great. 

4. A great vet. They took the time to answer all my questions and called twice with updates while she was having her procedures.

5. Lots of patient friends that endured lots of texts from me today as I was a nervous dog mom. I have LOTS of good friends, and had several group chats going about pet parent anxiety. We love our fur babies.

6. My church has a new pastor and we installed him last Saturday. In the Presbyterian church, we call pastors and then 2-3 months after they start, have a formal service of installation and a big celebration. It was great to celebrate pastor Joshua and meet some of the important people in his life. 

Thankful Thursday, Snowcrete edition

 This week I am thankful for:

1. A small amount of snow clearing. A couple of days above freezing let me chisel out my trashcan and some more neighbors were able to shovel their sidewalks. I even saw MoCo blocking some lanes of 355 by the church today to use bulldozers to move ice off the roads and sidewalk. Small wins!

2. I got hang out with my cousin Stephanie on Saturday. She's in town from California visiting her dad and cleaning out a storage unit. We had fun talking for several hours over lunch and then the assortment of things we found in the storage unit, including fun family photos.

3. My girl scout troop. We prepared for thinking day on Sunday with crafts and learning about Madagascar. I'm excited to camp with them again in April too.

4. I finally got an electrician to my house. The company that does my HVAC also does electrical and plumbing, and they do free annual inspections. I had gotten rescheduled 3 times previously, and so it was nice to finally get someone out to look at things. Bonus- I also can now put all the boxes back in my closet where my electrical panel is!

5. My knee is getting better! Almost 3 months to the day when I over-hiked in November, I can do more in PT with little to no pain. YAY! Still more strengthening to be done, but this is huge progress.

6. Plans to see family in South Carolina at the end of the month. Vacations are joyous even before they begin- I always like having something to look forward to.

7. Luna's adorable sleeping positions.

Thankful Thursday, 2 weeks into 2026

 There's a lot going on and the world feels like it's on fire, but I'm still searching for the big and small ways to be grateful.

1. Luna. My fast-acting, non-aspirin pain reliever. I gave her a bath this week and all day I kept exclaiming, you're so fluffy!!

2. Some mild weather to get a few outdoors things done. We had a couple days of January thaw earlier this week, which helped me cut up and move a branch in my yard without freezing to death. Now? Currently the feels like is 9, which leads me to...

3. Central heat and warm blankets- mainstays of January in the mid-Atlantic.

4. A good visit with my mom yesterday. Alzheimer's makes things like visits and plans very apt to change, so it was nice to bring Luna over and just chat for an hour.

5. A very fun dinner at Carol and David's house Monday evening, getting to know some people better including our new pastor Joshua!

Thankful Thursday, I mean Friday

 I'm a day late, oops!

This week I'm thankful for:

1. Warmer weather. I squeezed in a quick hike with Luna late yesterday afternoon, and we saw a fox. And it barked at us! Once Luna saw it, she of course barked back :)

2. PT for my knee. I over-hiked in November and my knee has been a little angry at me since then. I'm glad I can get some PT so I can continue hiking and dancing without hurting it.

3. Catching up with friends. I finally was able to catch up with my friend Joanna last week, and I miss her so much. It's lovely to have friends that we can just pick up where we left off even if we haven't seen each other in a while.

4. Movie night with local friends last week. Elisa, Alexandra and I watched American President in honor/memory of Rob Riener.

5. An easy week back to work after the holidays. It was nice to just be able to write and not have a lot of meetings this week.

6. Drawing. I'm doing birbfest, which is drawing a bird each day of January, and I'm really enjoying it!

Happy New Year 2026!

 Happy New Year!

This week I'm thankful for:

1. The friends I played board games with last night to ring in the new year. It was chill, fun, lots of food and laughter, and sweet doggos = a perfect evening. 

2. A comfy bed. This might never not be on my list. I enjoyed sleeping in this morning after going to bed at 2am.

3. Luna, who is currently curled up next to me on the couch. 

4. 4 more days off work, for a total of 17! Probably the longest I've taken a vacation in a while, and it's been great to plan/celebrate Christmas, relax, organize my house and brain, and read.

5. A brisk first day hike in the new Royce Hanson Conservation Park in Poolesville. 

Small Adventures

 

It's been a beautiful few days here in the mid-Atlantic. I'm unsure of the long-term weather predictions of rodents from last week, but we had a lovely weekend of sunshine and almost 50 degrees. That's a small joy for the beginning of February, so Luna and I took a hike on the C&O canal towpath at Pennyfield Lock.

I can take selfies of just me, but I haven't figured out how to do one with Luna. So you get Luna staring at probably a squirrel. We both would have had a slightly better hike if the squirrels had not been running DIRECTLY ACROSS THE TOWPATH IN FRONT OF HER. Suicidal squirrels is a good band name. So is kamikaze squirrels, if Luna had been able to chase them and pull us both into the Potomac.

There's a beauty in the starkness of nature in the winter, in the shades of brown and gray. It's easier to see the birds, and it's just a good time to take a walk or hike and think your thoughts.

Here's to remembering that not all adventures need to be grand. There's plenty of beauty, wilderness and adventure within 30 minutes of home.