There's just as much inspiration here

And then can you believe it I, me, got a hankering to watch a football game for the first time in at least a dozen years. And then can you believe it when we looked up the schedule that was available in our area Penn State was playing Michigan in the prime time game. And then we put on the game and I sat rapt for the next several hours, yelling at the TV occasionally get him or stop im stop him stop him yessssssss, thinking about kaiser rolls with a little mayo, a little mustard, turkey and Swiss and some romaine lettuce and a slice of tomato, generous side of gherkins and dill pickles, Martin's potato chips, remembering the door open to the green-treed yard and my mom yelling, dad on his feet with excitement, missing my siblings, my parents, my childhood dogs. And then can you believe it we won.


All week we have cared for two dogs and Hanna has loved it and aside from needing to wipe down two wet bellies after that chilly impromptu dip in the river so have I



Yesterday we drove the dogs up, up until rain turned to snow and then we hiked through a winter wonderland--snowy creeks, meadows, wooden bridges over water. Evergreen forests tall enough to make you crane your neck


Don't go back to sleep 



Hanna you've got this

Four pumpkins perched comfortably about the living room as if they owned the place, one on top of the bookshelf, one on top of the crate tipped sideways and filled with cookbooks, board games, old magazines, one on top of the speaker out of which we blasted 1990s concerts while deep cleaning the apartment with the windows open

As I write Wilson sits on my chest pressing the top of his head into my mouth and I with my arms extended 'round either side of him rest my occasionally kissing lips on his sweet orange little fuzz head


So many vivid dreams this week I'm pretty sure Ben Stiller wanted to fuck me

What I enjoyed more than knowing that he found me interesting was cussing out that dickbag who squeezed my right butt cheek

Most of all what I am enjoying is my waking life--so many family cuddle times and sleeping better and writing more and eating well and reading poetry and remembering to play a bit and, as my guides have suggested, dancing




After we hiked through the creeksides and meadows and forests in snow we all piled back into the car and exclaimed over the fun we'd had