Re-creating my life

Six dogs. They are my daily joy and companions. They are also my exercise program. No matter what else has happened in my day, they must get out for a walk , either in the morning or at sunset. Over the past few years, San Miguel has made lovely little pedestrian walkways in various neighborhoods, and we “dog people” heavily use these areas. My partner and I have several routes, but most often, we use one along the river. The entire walk, if you’re counting, is about 4500 steps, and it takes us about an hour if we allow for leisurely sniffs here and there (for the dogs, not us). So yeah, this is my current exercise program. But, you might ask, what about cardio? What about upper body strength? What about those glutes? Here’s the part where I tell you that my other animals are part of my exercise program as well. I have eight birds in six cages, and I move them outside when the weather is good (most days), hanging their cages from the trees. In moving the cages around, I get plenty of u...

  My mom recently gave me a little figurine. Her mother had given it to her many years ago.  "But that's yours!" I protested.  "I want you to have it, and unless I give it to you now, I'll never know that you got it when I die." This is the reality of life with an aging parent. Her mortality is the elephant in the room, so to speak, but rather than ignoring it, we're looking at it together. And we even talk about it. I was graceful enough to simply accept the gift. When I was less mature and insightful (last year) I would have said, "No, it's yours. I'll be sure to get it later." But last year, she was 83, and I was 60. With age comes experience. "Ok, Mom, thank you," I said and accepted it. This little ceramic figurine is at least 70 years old. Without a crack or chip, or even the tiniest speck of dust in any of the little crevices, despite its travels from Minnesota to various places in California, Arizona, Washington state,...