first walk of 2014

it may only have been a block

his little paws hopped hopped hopped

sliding in the slush

speeding up with each step

but it was a walk

a collection of odds and ends - jan. 12

wait, what's that hiding under my couch?! is it a wee troll?! noooooooo, it's a willis! this is how lucas and i spent our weekend - playing with willie, cuddling with willie, feeding willie, laughing at willie. heck, all he has to do is stick is little tail out from under the couch and we drop everything to watch. dog.are.delightful. and after this video, you have no need to see anything else today BUT in case ... here's some linky-links!

i stumbled on this while digging around them internets for work. so simple and oh-so-easy
13 smart and fun ways to enjoy wildlife in 2014

pretty pictures. 100. weather. done
weather.com's top 100 photos of 2013

reason #256 why we all need many, many pets.
30 of the great animal photobombs of 2013

because, why the heck not?
adopt a bison

it's not often that lou and i are impressed with stories on firearms. this one was well done, focusing on the stories and letting the reader use those stories to create their own opinion. as heated as the gun debate can be, it's refreshing to see a piece open the door to conversation for both sides.
firearms in the family

happy holiday month!

photo by my crazy-talented sister-in-law: a.photographer

31 days of willis being delightful

october was my month-long #poopaparty on facebook. what's that you ask? why, i posted a daily pic of mr. willis doing something delightful ... begging for string cheese, hiding under blankets, doing puppy yoga, being insanely cute ... the usual. so, let's keep the joy alive. here's my 31 days of willie nelson being willie nelson.

majestic willis

He saw the dawn ... wistfully longed to stretch ... to achieve ... to truly live the life he was given. But he felt his age. The spring of his youth had given way to summer which was sliding into fall. Would the winter of his life be far behind? Today he would strive to do more, to accomplish more, to excel and to realize even his most impossible dreams ........... Or maybe just get off his leash for a few minutes would be good enough.

- Uncle Karl

it's a willie!

our very first picture of willie at the house. little did we know what a stinker we were getting.

lazy bones willie

a collection of odds and ends, cont.

i'm writing to you on a lovely sunday afternoon ... in my pjs ... on the couch ... the boys still sleeping ... the house to myself ... the sun 'a shining ... the coffee warm. nice. i think it's high-time for a lazy weekend. the past six weekends i've been traveling ... living out of a large tupperware tub i pass for a suitcase. SIX weekends! yup, i belong on the couch right about now. but enough of my weekend ... how 'bout some linky-links?

• my new kick is to get something like this art van up in the cities. each passing day my confidence in actually making this happens grows a wee bit. we may be back revisiting this topic soon ...
  
  
• i love everything about these photos: at home with the huntress. subtle enough to be badass awesome.
  
  
• anyone else think jupiter is super scary?
  
  
• this article hit a bit too close to home this week ... why free isn't free ... "all nonprofit professionals and volunteers have at least one thing in common - making the resources they have on hand stretch to fill as many needs as possible."
  
  
• well it's good to know i'm not the only one that pays special attention to which side of the dorito has the most seasoning ...
  
  
• made buffalo chicken french breads last night ... mine turned out more like a buffalo chicken subway sandwich ... guess that's what you get for subbing the cheese, leaving out the onions and doubling the recipe ... mah, i tried.

because he's so darn cute ...

... i give you a picture of willis

28 in 28: filing filing filing ... always always filing

Look! Look! I'm doing stuff! Step 1 - Get some ideas and make that shizzzzz happen! One of my '28 in 28' goals for this year is on its way to completion! Better give the obligatory shout out to Go Mighty for giving some much needed butt-kicking motivation. More to come as the filing-important-family-papers-without-trying-to-murder-lucas adventure continues! And because everyone needs a little Willice in their lives ... here's Wills helping me file ... thrilling, I know ...

a collection of odds and ends: pt 2

• I told myself this post was for Crosstown Creativity and promoting our blog over there ... but I'm selfish and figure it's good for SP too. Thanks Ciera!

• Oooo! A new blog to add to my morning reads. As she said - "i plan to keep posting, whenever the thoughts feel like tumbling." I need to take those words to heart!

• My sister-in-law sent this over - The Strange World of Basque Sports. Remind me to tell you about my wedding ... and the Basque Festival ... and the fact that we're still talking about that weekend like it happened only yesterday.

• " ... it's not about whether or not they think you should write, but about whether or not you think you should write ... " Are you getting a theme with what's been on my mind lately. Sarah, at It Starts With, was creepily reading my thoughts this week ... 

• While on my computer today, this link popped up in my URL box ... 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag ... who the hell was searching that on my computer?!

willie made it one block in the snow ...

a collection of odds and ends: pt 1

• Nicole at Nicole is Better with her Cure for Comparing Yourself to Other People ... you gotta stop playing the comparison game - more often than not, you only know part of the story.
  
• I'm a wee bit obsessed ... Apple Cider ChapStick ... super clearance at Target ... three for $1.48.  I bought five packs ...
  
• Look! Look! Our new arts group is slowly gaining some traction! We may not have a website or Facebook, but we're on our way with a Meetup group. Anyone familiar with Meetup?!
  
• The West Wing on Netflix. All seven seasons ... I love me some series ... and considering I tend to lean "crazy conservative", that's saying something ...
  
• My new obsession (which is slowly turning into my new time waster on the web). A place to share goals and resolutions ... chat with others who obsess over lists ... and *possibly* get a sponsor ... wha?!?! Sign me up! 

and i leave you with a pomegranate the size of willie nelson's head