When you go to the family farm...

You never know how dirty you'll get...

or what you'll find growing...

You might find some pretty things to photograph...

Your parents will probably have fun...

Your kids might learn something new...

or hone a valuable skill like waiting...

There could be treats and a snapping fire...

and your usually obedient dog might, just maybe, need a leash!

company for dinner

hot kitchen,

the loud fan lies to my skin

chopping board

 silver knife, emerald lettuce

my hair dances in the breeze and sticks to my face

ruby red watermelon drips on the floor

fragrant onion sings in the pan

salty slivers of anchovy

 creamy golden egg yolk

big yellow bowl on my black counter top

 forks for 12

 bon appetit!

two black puppies

7 happy children

plastic cups sweating on the table

sharing memories, making new ones

steamy summer night

 bare feet picking up gravel on the sidewalk

car doors interrupt the humid silence

voices drift across the dark dry grass

let's do it again soon!

Sh-hhhhh!

 this is a {quiet} sport!

 talking is kept to a minimum

 

 Ava and I clown around quietly

using bits and pieces to make a forest princess

spying on a quiet spider

and keeping the other eye on a quiet dog

Wordless Wednesday

a moment

sounds muffled

 patio chairs sit askew

 chilly white cushions host a ghostly party

night
gray
  white

shadows soft

 crunching sound of a salty road

puppy moves, a black silhouette

footprints crisp

sky dark velvet

solitary

but not
alone

a moment quiet to breathe

nose grows cold

fingers tingle

 wiggling damp fur in my arms

I head slowly back to the warm

puppy {love}

we couldn't stand being without a dog

so...
we did something about it!

Ruger joined our family on Friday night

nighttime is NOT an ideal time to pick up a puppy

but we made it work

he is a 9 week old German Shepherd

he's very calm

and is learning fast

I can't wait till the potty-training phase is over!

winter is not a friendly season to be dashing outside every 15 minutes

with a wiggly puppy

I miss Ani terribly still

Ruger doesn't bark at outside noises yet

but barked at Ava when she came sneaking downstairs yesterday

He's a sweetie though...

and "talks" when we pick him up to snuggle

my dad teases that if we pick him up enough

our arms will get so strong that when he's full grown 90 pounds

we'll still be able to lift him!

I say we DON"T want a 90 pound lap dog!

the trainer might come next week to remind us what to do with this blank canvas of a puppy

I hope I can remember everything she tells me!