So, it’s March.
How did that happen? Seriously, I feel like I was just dozing on the couch ringing in the new year. And, yet, here we are. March.
And it’s light out after work again, thank goodness!
This March, I’m determined to come out of our haze. It was easy to slip away from blogging and writing and, really, just being. Being mindful, being productive, being grateful. We had the cocoon of winter to protect us from the loss of Lucas. We had the chaos of moving and painting and cleaning and unpacking to distract from meaningful work. An email from a kind reader friend helped snap me out of it, along with a list of blog posts I’m itching to write. Warning: Soap boxy rant posts ahead, including a doozy I’m hoping to finish for Friday.
I actually dove into those waters with my pit bull post last week but was quickly knocked off my productive course when–within 24 hours of publishing–it had been scraped (i.e. stolen) by three other sites. So, filing claims and whining and so on took up a bit of that brain space.
Then we got some fish. Dalmatian mollies, to be exact. We asked the fish person at the pet store for all of one gender–no hanky panky happening in our fish tank! She gave us three females. They’re so pretty. Turns out, they were also so pregnant. So, yeah. No hanky panky, but that doesn’t matter if they’re already knocked up. A story for another day.
Oh! And then Otto, of course (the “fat” in the title–ha!). He ended up leaving us at 21.3 pounds, a perfectly respectable weight, according to his vet. Now we just have to hope my parents keep up with no junky snacks and extra exercise!
As part of the haze-ditching efforts, I’m also committed to 30 days of dog walks in March. (I know there are 31 days. I giving myself a day of wiggle room, just in case.) We’ve gotten lax with bad weather and a nice yard, and Cooper’s behavior has suffered. So, I got myself some pawprint stickers to mark walks on my calendar–out of curiosity, are any of you as motivated by stickers as I am?!?! the prospect of earning a sticker is real motivation for me!–and the Universe tested my mettle on March 1 when it was snow/raining and 22 degrees. But we did it and I got my sticker!
And that, my friends, is where we are this month. Except the “fun” thing in the title! Heads up: I’ll be sending out my newsletter (remember that?!?!) very soon with a prize giveaway I’m stoked about. Hint: It’s a new book about a dog, and I loved every dang sentence, beginning to end.
Tomorrow Emmett and I heard to Purdue for his next round of oncology checkups. Think happy thoughts, pretty please!
That’s it for me! How are you? How are your dogs? Are you all emerging from winter??
I can’t believe your post was stolen! That really stinks. Happy thoughts for good results and good weather ?
That wasn’t a?
It was a happy face emoji! 🙂
I love your commitment to 30 days of dog walks! It is so easy to get wrapped up in our work and life commitments that we fail to take the time out of our day to take of our best friends! I will also be participating in 30 days of dog walks!
Awesome!! Let us know how it goes for you!
Glad to be in March here. Last month was tough for us. We lost YaYa the day after Valentine’s day. She had a seizure and was not able to get up afterwards. I think she has been holding on all this time just for us. We had to make a hard decision, but I know it was the right one. She has plenty of friends on the Bridge, and will never leave our hearts. Looking forward to warmer weather, and getting flowers started.
I’m so sorry, Kathy. It’s so hard. She was such a lucky girl to have you, and you her.
I second the forward look to warm weather! Sending you big hugs!!
Happy thoughts coming your way!
My husband and Glock walk rain or shine but preferably in snow. The dog loves snow. But, Hubby will be having knee surgery soon, so I’ve been getting Glock used to shorter, slower walks with me.He is a totally different dog on a short leash with Mom.
Slower and shorter walks because the other day I caught a glance of myself in the mirror and figured out that my clothes weren’t shrinking. It’s been a long, stressful winter. (That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.) I’m hoping to huff and puff myself into better shape and keep Glock from going stir crazy.
OMG, Carleen… I am so with you. This was a long, stressful winter. I’m really striving to get more exercise, so I’m counting down to warmer, longer days (when I can come up with fewer excuses…)
New job means that we have to move Daisy from her familiar, rural surroundings to a much bigger city. I am totally stressing everything about it. We will have a (postage stamp sized) fenced in backyard though, so there’s that at least.
YES! We had a postage stamp yard in Bloomington, and the boys did great with that. Of course, we had moved from a bigger city, so I know it’ll be a big adjustment for you all. It will go GREAT, though!!! We are chronic movers, and it always seems to sort itself out!
I love your blog! I just started out with mine called Dogs of Chapel Hill in January for a class project at UNC. Do you have any tips for me on how to keep thinking of new things to write about? I’d love to get some advice from a seasoned veteran. Keep it up, you’re doing an awesome job! Best, Lily
http://www.dogsofchapelhill.blogspot.com
Congrats on starting, Lily! I think you’ll find that once you start, the ideas start to flow. Somehow one post always sparks an idea for another post, and then a comment on that one leads you to another post and so on. Plus, it sounds like getting out and around Chapel Hill will provide you with tons of inspiration!
Thanks for the kind words and good luck!!
Midterms week has had me pretty busy so I haven’t been able to take out my dog April for walks as much as I normally do. Hopefully once those are out the way and my stress levels even out I can get back to it and me & April can start working toward our summer beach bodies.
Good luck on midterms!!
First of all, best wishes for Emmett’s checkup. This winter has been an insane roller coaster of weather….the latest being snow/sleet/freezing rain/rain, ending with plunging temps that made the yard icy again when it had just finally dried out! We spend more time playing in the yard than walking, but I might have to look into this sticker thing and see if it motivates me too!
But all that waits until we move into our new home, two weeks from tomorrow. That has been consuming everything, but you know how that is!
Oh, and good job with Otto!
YES! A rollercoaster. What a strange winter it’s been…
I am SO excited for you and your big move. It is far more consuming than you expect going into it, if that makes sense. And we’re chronic movers! I know it’s going to go great. Wish we were there to help!!
Love your Blog. By the way, me and some friends, who also are dog lover, created a website offering dog walking service and we also shared tips on dog care. I would appreciate if you can take a look at the website and gave us some recommendation.
Congrats on starting–sometimes that’s the biggest hurdle! And thank you for the kind words. I’ll go check out your site!
Wish Emmett the best with his checkups! and good luck with the 30 dog walks of March!
Thanks, Howie! Much appreciated!
As usual, I’m behind again. I DO hope that Emmett’s oncology checkup(s?) went well yesterday and that you got a good report!! As for being motivated by stickers? Nope, not me. Lately it’s been difficult for me to get motivated by anything. I play with the dogs to keep my sanity. They are my lifeline right now – the girls and my blogging buddies. But I won’t go into detail.
Dogs are AMAZING at helping me keep my sanity. Honestly, there are some days when I feel like any sense of balance that I feel comes from all the positive energy they bring to my life. You said it: lifelines!
Sending you hugs!!