BRAYS OF OUR LIVES

When I was young I had a book called This is How We Live in the Town . I don't remember a thing about it except the pictures and the title, but it sprang to mind this weekend when I experienced some of the joy that comes with neighborliness. Last week, my dog ate chocolate. In the past, I've used hydrogen peroxide as an emetic to make dogs throw up in cases like this. I was all out, so I called a neighbor. Not only did Durand bring me some, but he went to the grocery store for it! In Scatchet Head, which is second only to Baby Island in its magical ability to be stupendously far away from everything, that's a testament to his generosity. Over the weekend, I was making a giant holiday dinner for my extended family when I realized I had rapidly browning pie crusts and no foil with which to cover them. I posted an entreaty on the neighborhood Facebook page and within 45 seconds, my neighbor Tara showed up with a roll of Reynolds Wrap. That same day, Nico stopped by to ask for ...

Sarri Gilman‚ a program leader at the Whidbey Institute and an expert on boundaries, shared some questions for end-of-year reflection in a recent newsletter. I enjoyed thinking about the topics she raised, and while I didn't do the journaling exercise verbatim I did spend some time reflecting on my relationships, my work, my health, and my finances. Overall, I'm proud of how 2018 went and eager to greet the new year! In the relationships realm, I am happily in love. I love his emotional availability, his communication skills, his empathy, and his kindness to me, my kids, my animals, and others. I'm getting better at expressing my needs and wants and recognizing what's mine and what's not mine to fix or change in others. I am proud of my kids, one of whom graduated in 2018, and so glad that my animal family is happy and healthy. The sudden loss of my beloved Fenway Bartholomule in June was the dark spot in an otherwise joyous year, and even that came with the blessin...

I'll never forget caroling in Wickersham . . . Fenway in his sleighbells, Arrietty in her antlers and wreath, the Cain Lake Stables gang, complete with goats and ponies and giant dogs. Those were some of my favorite Christmases. Dahlia and Rosie Cotton are going to be living in a walkable neighborhood soon. If I succeed in Rosie's halter training, we just may have a Maxwelton Beach caroling party in our future! 

Horse showing front incisors.  atliegilsson/RooM /Getty Images I'm irrationally proud of my teeth right now. 11 years ago I had fourteen fillings in one sitting. I'd been a cavity-prone kid, and I'd been neglectful of my dental health in my early adulthood. I was taking advantage of my last month of solid dental insurance, and the dentist thought it would be a good idea to go ahead and give my whole mouth an upgrade—replacing my childhood fillings in every molar and premolar and filling a couple of new cavities, too. When the novocaine wore off, I called my dentist to say my mouth hurt. "What can you compare the pain to?" he asked.  "I had a baby last month, in my living room. This is about three times worse," I said.  "Let's not do 14 fillings at once next time," he said. "Take Ibuprofen—and when you feel better, floss more." I started flossing as soon as that headache wore off, and I never looked back. I now floss daily, and alt...

The girls and I visited Arrietty in Sequim yesterday, and I was reminded that she's exactly where she needs to be right now for her health, happiness, and safety. Her weight looks good. Her feet look great. Her stall is warm and dry and her hay is sweet. The girls and I miss seeing her every day, but she's bonded with her new friend Zoe and we've enjoyed the leisure of mornings and evenings without mule chores. I'm really impressed with how clean and dry her paddock is (the Olympic Penninsula is mostly temperate rainforest, after all). Sue, her foster human, dotes upon her. Sue asked me—as I've asked myself—why I didn't pair Arrietty and Dahlia up, rather than leasing Arrietty out and adding a mini cow. Several reasons, including timing (back then, Dahlia was happily housed with a cow herd) and above all my conviction that herd animals deserve same-species companionship. Arrietty and Fenway were like a married couple—affectionate, bonded, physically and emotiona...