It's official: Dima is part wolf . . . .

I met a woman at the laundromat who owns malamute/wolf dogs and she was beside herself when she met Dima. Before I knew it, she was after his mouth and peeling his jowls upward to investigate his teeth. With an emphatic "Yes, I knew it!" she turned toward me and informed me that "without a doubt" Dima had wolf in him. Apparently he has extra teeth that only wolves have. We swapped some stories and she then brought her dogs in from the car, and one of them about killed Dima. Thankfully Dima's husky traits are dominant, so I don't need to worry about him attacking other dogs.

Crazy--I've been sleeping with a wolf for six years.

More Ray Ravings

I'm sorry, but I can't help myself. I'm fully in love with Ray LaMontagne's album Till the Sun Turns Black. Some truly well-written, well-played songs: Empty, Three More Days, Lesson Learned. The lyrics, the music, the overall feel . . .superb. Nothing but goodness for your ears and mind. Go to itunes now.

So I've been busy making travel plans with my family in PA, still need to get on the plans with friends. I'm thinking of flying out and then taking the train up the coast. Unfortunately Amtrak doesn't run through the part of PA I want it to, so I've got to get creative. As of right now the stops look like this: Philadelphia, DC, Baltimore, Princeton, NYC, New Haven. Then again, that might change depending on whether I get a round trip ticket or not. It has been 2 years since I've taken a vacation for me, so I'm still in shock that it's actually happening. Feels good, really.

News on the homefront: 1) My Dad is doing really well. He has already turned down a couple of jobs and is taking time to figure out what he really wants to do . . .in the meantime he is busy exercising, purging the house, and walking/dogsitting Dima when I work 2nd shift. 2) Mike picks up a new puppy lab today! I'm sure "Bowen" will be harassing Dima regularly as I hope to help whenever I'm able. Thank you for your prayers. I think it's safe to say that both lives are experiencing more happiness.

"Compassion is the chief and perhaps the only law of being for all mankind."-F. Dostoevsky

More Superior Shots

On a happy day . . .

On a moodier day . . .

Song of Choice

Ray LaMontagne's Three More Days--does it get any better?! Truly!

Ray, you can bring you and your raspy Joe Cockeresque voice/vibe home to me any day.

Temperance River

A lot going on here . . . .

My neighbor (and friend) Mike's dog, Isaac, died last week. It's awful and he's really struggling . . .please pray for him.

I also found out today that my father got laid off from the job that he's worked for over 15 years. It's a long story. Please pray for him as well.

For Matt