THE AMUSED LIFE BLOG

  LOVE SOMETIMES SHOWS UP ON FOUR LEGS. Today is national puppy day and today I had to say goodbye to my first ever puppy. She was the first dog I had who came to Jim and I as a 2 month old little ball of fluff and joy. Easton was so slow to warm up to her but her tenacity won him over. She was our “perma-puppy” because she forever looked in the face like the little girl I first held almost 14 years ago. She loved chicken and steak and pizza crust. She loved to go for rides. She had a tail that had just a bit of hair on it after dealing with some health issues but you could always see how fast it wagged. Her smile was so big...and she could still catch treats like a pro. She was a dedicated advocate of lawns and would bark through the window at anyone who dared to tread on their own lawns....she would say “Get off your lawn, don’t you know you’re stepping on your lawn?!” She originated the “Uulbear Stare” which is the look she would make when she was tired of all the nonsense. She ...

It's a routine I've known for at least 30 years. I know it like I know the feel of each bump on my skin as I rub my arms. A familiar 8 count of part self-flagellation, part-curiosity it's a dance I do in the wee hours of the morning when my mind is still running around like a kid on pixie sticks at a birthday party rental at the dance studio. I point my toes and leap, deep diving into the familiar dance routine and steps...search google, look up "XYZ" and just tap dance through posts to see how life is treating them.  It's when you stumble trying to remember dance steps that you did when you were in your twenties that you realize you're getting too old. The bones hit the floor harder these days and when you come across a post dated 2015 where you are referenced as a "much-needed and much-desired divorce", you realize that the old wounds from your early years still throb a bit every now and then. Mind you, I wasn't completely floored by that ...