Counting My Blessings #22: Our Dogs

"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion"
~Unknown

If you have visited this blog much you know our dogs are an important part of our lives. Annie is an English Springer Spaniel and Shelby is an Australian Cattle Dog ( or red heeler). They entertain us, are very devoted, and ease my stress each day just by being present. They go just about everywhere with us and that suits them just fine. They have camped, gone swimming in lakes,rivers, and creeks, gone on ten mile road trips, waited in parking lots while we shopped, and visited many parks around the Inland Empire. They let us know when they need a treat, when we have a visitor, or when the cats are getting too rough while playing with each other. The most important part is that they love us unconditionally. I think we came out better on this deal for sure! For that I count my blessings.

Photo Hunt: Reflection

Our ponds are a great source for reflection pictures, especially in the fall. Photo images from Sullivan Lake on a beautiful sunny, fall day provide another source for perfect reflections.
For other photo hunters using Reflection go here.

Counting My Blessings # 21: Through the Lens of Another Camera

November sunrise

Because of the time change I am just not home very often when it is light. I catch some sunrise beauty in the morning, but unfortunately I am scrambling around getting ready for school. It is usually dark when I return home. I am thankful JEJ has been experimenting around with his camera so I can catch a glimse of images around our place through his eyes.

Counting My Blessings #20: The Writing Life

I write each and every day. Being a writing teacher gives me practice on a day to day basis . I also do blog posts and also work on some other form of writing when it works into the day. I am thankful that I can carve out time each day to write. Writing helps me sort things out that are troubling me. It gives me a place to capture favorite words and lines. It also gives me an avenue for exploring my creativity and taking some risks in a safe environment. I just purchased the poster above to hang up in my classroom. I am thinking I should have gotten a copy to hang by my writing table at home also. The slogan we emphasize in the Northwest Inland Writing Project is one I try to emulate. " Writing may be the most important thing you do. Do it well."

Counting My Blessings # 19: Signs That Make Me Laugh

I love to take pictures of signs that make me laugh
and spot some online also!

Counting My Blessings #18: Four Seasons in the Inland Empire

I love living in a place that has four seasons. My hometown is now called A City for All Seasons. Sometimes winter moved into this gray time in Kellogg, then summer. Our springs were not quite as memorable as the other three seasons. These new banners hang on street light poles around town to welcome tourists.

Where I live now we get a much earlier spring, a hotter summer, a mild, beautiful autumn and then winter. You never know about winter in the inland empire. It might be cold and icy or wet and snowy. Some years it can't make up her mind what to do. The surprises are another part I love about four seasons. Each season and each year brings unique beauty.

Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting,
and autumn a mosaic of them all.
- Stanley Horowitz