Sadie: starting over with a "senior" shelter dog

We sat in the parking lot of the shelter and very nearly went home without her, for a second time. Then we twisted each other's arm and, just like that, it was done.

A new dog!

Some very basic and important part of me is made happier by having a dog. I'd been trying to deny that the past couple years since splitting with the ex-DH, but all the practicalities in the world couldn't change that part of myself.

So... meet Sadie!

She's 10 years old and a mix of perfectly polite and adorably unsure of herself. She's cowering under the desk as I write this during a thunderstorm. Her first inclination when feeling anxious is to climb on top of something. She wanders around, following behind us like a houseguest that's run out of tourist attractions to visit. She's scared of cars and utterly oblivious to the cat who's in a state of permanent hiss.

Nobody slept the first night. Last night we slept shifts on the floor beside her. For tonight I'm stil hopeful. Little by little her head and tail are coming up and she's making tentative eye contact.

Who knows what her life before was.

Her eyes are sad, sad, sad.

We mean to change that.

Blue daze

Of the twenty-five (!) or so plants that I'm experimenting with out on the deck these are, by far, the happiest. It was so beautiful out there early in the season... I should have thought to photograph the flowers sooner.

Says who?

Who says you can't have strawberry shortcake for dinner?

: )

It's summer, after all and strawberries are in season. I've been using this recipe and the only challenge has been getting the real whipped cream just right. Any tips?