Puzzels and Sunshine

I'm always leery of proclaiming anything a done deal.

Especially if it is something I'd like to be a done deal.

It feels very warm and spingy again.

The whole weekend was warm and springy.

I hope it continues to stay this way.

Friday night we met up with California friends who were making a quick visit to Westport to see family.

We met up at Garden Grille and later headed to Wildflour to continue the evening.

Lots of fun.

Saturday we had a quick brunch then rode our bikes to and around Slater Park and the bike trail.

Some garden care, lots of pup play, a horror flick and then the day was over in a blink.

Sunday we hosted a brunch for nine.

I made blueberry oatmeal waffles and fakin bakon while working the french press and J made his signature "best vegan pancakes in the world" and homefries, berry compote, and fruit salad while cooking up some vegan sausage patties. (He runs circles around me in the kitchen, quite literally)

Friends brought mimosa makings, tofu scramble and savory biscuits.

Tons of fun visiting and hanging in the sunshine out in the back while the dogs ran around and played.

We had a couple hours to clean up and recuperate just in time for Game of Thrones night to start.

J had popcorn ready for everyone and we had a fridge full of beer (thanks in part to a proactive brunch & GoT attendee).

The weekend was full of fun and pretty much packed with activities.

The weather was perfect.

I hope for many more like it this summer.

The puzzle pieces are swirling around us still. 

J is talking to people about new opportunities.

We could land in California, Texas, Washington, New York, ...or stay right here.

Its exciting and incredibly stressful all at the same time.

There is so much to do if the first piece of the puzzle lands anywhere outside of the MA/RI/CT area.

All we can do right now is talk about it, mentally prepare for everything (and anything), and wait.

Here or there, we have lots planned for the next few months.

Hopefully the weather will stick.

I don't think I could handle warm weather anticipation on top of all these unknowns.

I'd explode.

A Cozy Nook

My sweet little Miss Lucyfur's mission in life is to:

• get eat the most treats and foods possible
• to get the most love of all the pups ever
• to find the coziest spots and sleep in them lots

She's actually very good at doing what she sets out to do.

This is what we discovered after arriving home from a night out.  Necco and Ollie met us at the door with tails wagging, but Lucy was nowhere to be found.  Somewhat concerned, we ventured off to locate her.

And here she was, snoring soundly.

She got herself between the open door and the wall, in a perfect cubby-den, and tipped over my obnoxious (but fun) computer bag so she was perfectly boxed in and, I assume, snuggled with my scent.

She woke up looking drunk on the sleeps and very surprised, but very happy, to see us.

I love this dog.

Haircuts and Sugar Highs

Every year around this time I get the overwhelming feeling that I want to get in the car, on my bike, a train, a plane, (anything mobile,) and just go. Go to a fun place, with beaches and sunshine, a place with adventure and excitement! 
But I can't just up and take off like that (responsibilities, you suck) so I change something. 
I get a new hair cut or color, get a tattoo, ...heck even buying some new clothes helps, just something, anything, that feels different). 
It has got to be caused by that feeling of being on the brink of summertime awesome weather, but just not quite being there yet.  It's exhilarating and frustrating all at the same time.  I cannot wait for another toasty warm day when I do not have to be at work, when I can go for a long bike ride with J.  I even more cannot wait for the days when we can take the bikes to the beach.  It is almost my favorite time of year!  The time I wait for and count down to for 260 flipping days!

But it's not here yet.

And I feel like I want to crawl out of my skin in anticipation.

My bangs are back.  They come and go on pretty predictable cycles.

I miss them, so I cut them back.

I get bored with them, so I grow them out.

I'm a fickle pickle.

I've also purchased a handful of fun summer dresses and tanks, found the coolest bracelet in the history of Etsy, and found some new hair products that are both vegan and loved by my wacky wavy/curly hair.  I just got a sweet bump at work, but it involves a change in my pay frequency (much less frequent), so I need to chill on the money burning while I adjust to a new financial schedule.

Still, it's not enough!

So, I started my day today with a vegan donut and coffee, had a delicious iced soy chai with lunch, and will be visiting the best li'l vegan bakery in town tonight after dinner with some friends.

And tomorrow, ...diabetes :(

Maybe I'll just have an iced tea at Wildflour.  I feel like I've consumed my weight in sweetener already today.  Yuck.

It is *supposed* to be beautiful tomorrow.

If the weather peeps are right, bikes will be out and about tomorrow and gardens will get some major loving while the pups play happily in the yard.

I heart warmth and sunshine like nobody's business.

Separate Ways

If there is one thing I've learned from past experience, it is the following: 

When you are in any sort of relationship that causes you pain, that results in you being treated poorly or unfairly, if the other party is not willing to work to make things better, then it is time to cut them loose.

It is because of this lesson that I did something Tuesday morning that I am already beyond ecstatic about. 

I went to the dentist for an impromptu root canal.  See ya, angry pulp! I will always remember the miserable week we spent together.

Okay, so it was only part one of the procedure and part two sounds pretty much terrifying, but all I really know or care about at this point is that my jaw is not experiencing blinding, searing pain every 15 minutes. 
Wow, toothaches are no joke. 

My pediatric dentist, a monster of a man who used to enjoy snapping his rubber gloves in my face and calling his dental instruments by names (I only remember that one of them was some sort of drill he called his "John Wayne"), told my dear, and at that time young and gullible, mother that my new molars were "weak" and would need to be filled in order to save them.  So each of my back teeth would get a nice shiny filling as soon as it was done growing in.  The guy is long gone now and my only recourse is to deal with it.  The awesome part of dealing with it is that thirtyish years later all those fillings need/ed to be replaced.  The particular tooth that was giving me trouble was a large enough filling that my current (completely competent and non-scammy) dentist advised me last year that just replacing the filling may not be enough for that tooth over time.  Almost exactly a year later I felt the uncomfortable ache that two days later would become the bane of my entire existence for the next 9 days.

I will never again take for granted the feeling of nothing that comes with a happy, healthy mouth.

Pup Photo Booth

I just came across a bunch of photos from the week J was in Texas.  The pups and I held a few photo booth nights to send some "we miss you" pics to J.  A month later they made me giggle as I came across them and remembered the chaos that accompanies trying to get dogs to pose for photos.

Miss Lucy, my heart.

Necco, not so sure about that countdown to flash.

Necco and Ollie, taking instruction.
"and when the light goes off, you make a funny face - like this"

Smoochin on Mr Ollie's big noggin.

Ollie and Necco, trying for the candid shot.

Ollie, a handsome fella.

Pup nose smooch with air-drying hair.

Good Morning, Pups

This is what I woke up to:

Ollie decided to leave his dog bed to come snuggle with miss Lucy. 

It's not looking to be quite as warm as I'd hoped the day would be, but the sun is out and it's not snowing, so I'm thankful for moving forward, ever closer to summer...

It may not be the best day for major gardening, but I expect we'll get at least some of it done, we have fun plans for tonight, and with a wake-up like this the day is already pretty awesome.

Spring Sprung

It is flipping beautiful out today.  I met J for lunch at Wildflour and we sat outside and soaked up the sunny warmth while we talked about all sorts of stuff from future plans and life directions, to past Providence reminiscence with an acquaintance who happened to be walking by.  Best lunch date ever.  This weekend the weather is supposed to continue its over 60 streak and we're planning to celebrate with some gardening and yard work, dinner, drinks, and Evil Dead with friends, a bike ride, GoT night, and maybe a fire pit.  The theme for the weekend being to spend as much time outside as possible.

In other news, after seeing yet another crazy-bad driver behind the wheel of an Escalade, I'm realizing those things make for a good unit of measure.  For example: the grotesque looking oversized puddle I pass at the exit for the 37 connector every day is about the size of four Escalades and looks like it's made of battery acid.  I have the overwhelming desire to shoo the ducks away from the thing out of concern for their safety.

Spring Sicky(s)

My poor J is under the weather today. 
We're shaping up to be a whole family of sickies.  Lucy had a bad belly bug Sunday and was about an hour from a vet appointment when she finally ate some cheerios and matzo Monday night.  I was pretty sure I was coming down with something Tuesday and Wednesday, but I'm not bad off, just queasy and super sleepy. I seem to have a less intense human version of what Lucy had. So now it's J's turn, and he got whacked pretty hard. 
I brought him a super smoothie of citrus, berries, greens and ginger today during lunch and now that I'm home I just stuck his cute ass in a hot tub with an herby eucalyptus bath bomb.  Tea is steeping and we're turning in early tonight.
I'm trying to get him on the fast track to healing.  We have a fun weekend ahead and I don't want him to miss out on any of it because of a miserable seasonal cold.

We have a plan to start mapping out our cross country trip tonight.  Fly to Portland, drive the PCH, ... but then we want to get to Zion and few other places before hitting New Orleans, Austin, and an east coast beach tour on the way back home.  Lots to do and not a lot of time to do it.  Maybe we'll break it into two parts, two different trips over the year.  Of course, who knows where we might be living by the time August rolls around.  If we've landed in California or PNW we might have a totally different agenda.  And of course, if that's the case we might not even be taking our August vacation.  The dependable August live-in doggie and house sitters (J's mom and dad) are a huge part of the reason we're planning the trip.  And then, if we move we'll probably rent a place for a while ...that'll be fun with three dogs. I wonder if we'll have the room to host visitors over the summer. Eek. Our fun and easy vacation just gave me a small headache.

Game of Pies

Friday:

Pretty much ruled.

Got home early.

Made two delicious pizzas with J.

Fun night at home.

Ate lots of pizza.

Went to bed waaaaay late.

Saturday:

Beautiful spring-like day.

Slept late (see Friday's last line).

Walked all three pups with J.

Dusted off and tune-up the bikes.

Rode over to Wildflour for smoothies.

Rode over to Swan Point to enjoy the lovely day.

Rode back over to Garden Grille for dinner.

Rode back home.

SO tired!

Fed pups.

Cozied up in bed with kindle movies.

Blew off Saturday night plans.

Had an awesome evening.

Sunday:

My house in Pvd with J, loppers, and saw.

Dismantled overgrown butterfly bush (tree).

Visited with neighbors.

Worked our butts off (especially J, the super saw-er).

Home for Game of Pies night prep.

Super cleaning (me).

Super cooking (J).

Totally ready, just in time.

12 participants for Game of Pies night.

Sheppard's pie.

Pot pie.

Spinach pie.

Strawberry pie.

Peanutbutter chocolate pie.

Berry crumble pie.

All vegan.

All flipping amazing.

All devoured.

Visited with friends.

Watched GoT.

Perfect night.

"When you play the Game of Pies, you eat, or you die." - P.L.