Sept 29 - My Surprise Guest Gets A Big Treat, Because Who Doesn't Need A Big Treat Now And Then?

Sometimes a big shop
is what a lost boy needs most
Haircut. New socks. Rest.

Sept 28 - My "Date" And I Hole Up In A Rear Banquet For Jeff Tweedy And Have What's Possibly Our First Visit Ever Uninterrupted By Small Children

The music's OK
But it's more fun catching up
on the pot-show plans

Sept 27 - In Which The Warm September Sunshine Rewards My Early Rising By Providing A Stress-Free Afternoon

Ready, set - work hard!
Newsletter done before 10
Heffalump Hill time

Sept 26 - An Adventure On The Gorge Just Can't Compete With Cats Prepared To Be Petted In Exchange For Many Treats

Bump that kayak down
Outing lasts for mere minutes
It's the cats she wants

Sept 25 - One Of Those Days That's Both Fun And Awful, In Which I Stay Up Very Late Worrying And Then Have A Terrible Sleep Next To My Restless Little Companion

Wee one sleeps over
Oldest one is in crisis
I am overwhelmed

Sept 24 - Alone In The House Of So Many Breakable Things That's So Close To The Place We Once Loved

Paul is gone again
I'm anxious about the cat
Surrounded by fruit

Sept 23 - Up In The Penthouse With The Working Women

Sexy party time
Less awkward, though I regret
our front-row strip seats

Sept 22 - Pretty Nice To Have An Independent Grandson In The City To Invite Over For Adult Conversation

Teens come for supper
More fun than most of our friends
And glad for the food

Sept 21 - Every Now And Then You Make An Error In Your Housesitting Dates. But No Harm Done When It Just Gets You To The Waterfront House A Day Early.

Surprise call at 5
has Paul packing up and gone
Basil needs him now

Sept 20 - Reflecting On Just How Short A Time We Have Truly Nice Weather, And Why It's Insane To Waste It Working

How'd it get so cold?
Summer is six weeks long here
Make the most of it

Sept 19 - The Girl Wraps Up The Lingering Cold/Flu Thing In Fairly Energetic Fashion

R isn't herself
Still, she's up for octopi
Then deep-water dives

Sept 18 - All A Person Can Do Is Try To Wear Them Out

These guys chase balls well
But damn, they're irritating
Yippy, hyper pups

Sept 17 - Doing What I Should Have Done A While Ago To Move On From Office-Based Work

Steel myself to speak
It's been good but I'm leaving
The open road calls

Sept 16 - And Then We Finished Off A Nice Day With A Viewing Of "Black Panther," Which Is B-Movie Bad

Long off-leash beach walk
This crazy pair barks at waves
More fun than working

Sept 15 - The Benefit Of A Harbinger Street Address Is That You're Two Blocks Away From Homegrown Produce And Delicious Pecan Rolls

Gravenstein apples
Rare treasures from the market
on a rainy day

Sept 14 - And Here We Are With The Shelties Again, Who Haven't Actually Gotten Less Excitable Now That They're Three Months Older

Bye, cats. Hello, dogs
Good riddance to that damn crawl
Soon, no more commutes

Sept 13 - Getting The Chance To Touch Creatures Who Are Nervous About Being Touched Turns Out To Be Best Tried Right At Feeding Time, Though The Goats Are Always Game

Late day at the zoo
Perfect for petting creatures
Edging close for meals

Sept 12 - We Grab A Tour Of The Inner Harbour And Explore Fisherman's Wharf

Nice day for boat rides
R likes to sit near the edge
Unsettling the guests

Sept 11 - Snooty Penny Finally Gives In To Our Charms, At Least A Little

What's up with this cat?
She ignores me for a week
And now I'm her pal

Sept 10 - The Real Problem With Having Your Life Partner As Your Work Partner Is What To Do When They Leave You Doing Everything

Ah, the frantic time
Stamp. Sort. Write. Plead. Make more plans
I'm so mad at Paul

Sept 9 - I Do Not Understand Why I Have Taken On So Much Work

Rain days are for work
I log 10 hours, but still
can't get it all done

Sept 8- Finally A Free Day To Check Out The Little Mountain Right In Front Of Us

Mill Hill here we come
Almost wish we had a dog
Cats just don't hike well

Sept 7 - Seriously, This Painful Commute Eats Up Any Free Time. I Know, I'm Going On And On About It, But It's True

Damn you, crawl - I'm late
I buy big steaks when homeward
Better to delay

Sept 6 - You Can't Expect Every Child-Minding Day To Be Fun, Especially When So Much Of It Involves Fighting Traffic

Day feels off-kilter
Routines changed, season shifting
And that blasted crawl

Sept 5 - Come On, Would It Kill Them To Shake Up The Routines A Bit?

We're back at gym class
Wonder if the kids grow bored
with how "same" this is

Sept 4 - I Would Go Mad If This Was My Everyday Work Routine

First day of preschool
And for me, the awful crawl
Who can live out here?

Sept 3- People Invest A Lot Of Energy In Imagining Stuff To Distinguish Their Animals As Special

This is a strange scene
Please go catch your flight now
The cats will be fine

Sept 2 - A Little Holiday In Cowichan Bay

Car jammed, we drive north
Eating burgers with bikers
Some things never change

Sept 1 - An Unusual Mix Of A Visit To The Museum's Egypt Exhibit, A Celebration Of Life, And A BBQ At Lewis's House

Tunes for sad people
Hey, that's got my name on it
I miss pianos

Aug 31 - Hanging Out With Carmelo, Who Takes Up An Enormous Amount Of Space In The Bed

This dog is hairy
Bad thing for those who wear black
Though he's very sweet

Aug 30 - And Not Only That But The Burgers Are Dry

Chelle comes with big news
Paul has big news of his own
Happy-sad dinner