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Invisible Mikey

Kindergarten was awful at first, then wonderful.

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The Mysteries of Life and Death

Some title, huh?  I would have liked to be more creative about it, but I’ve been put off-balance, spun round and sat down by the magnitude of mysteries lately.  It’s not as hard to accept the inevitability of death when the person dying is old, but it can still pop up in unanticipated ways.

Into Sure Wood

(The best Robin Hood in movies was Errol Flynn’s, performed in 1938.)

I grew up loving stories about Robin Hood.  Were these tales based on the exploits of a real outlaw?  There might have been a number of Robin Hoods in the original region, including some women.  It’s an open question if he really lived or not, but what an inspiring symbol.

This is How

Here’s a better answer than I wrote before for those of you who wondered how it’s possible to emotionally handle giving up a wonderful dog like Spice, after raising her for a year in preparation to train as a guide dog.  This is excerpted from a letter we recently received from the new owner of one of our graduates, a black lab named Camille.

The Best of Mikey (so far)

Since I’m nearing 300 posts, it’s time for another retrospective.  These articles were among those most viewed, but more importantly, I thought they were good even when re-read.

This One Starts Out Boring

Firing the big gun (1915)

My recent inability to access the most interactive features here on WP.com are producing interesting results.

First Love

The sweet things in life stay in memory forever, long after injustices, obstacles and hardships have all fallen away.

My Wife Fell Down Today

Mary took a misstep on the concrete steps outside church this morning.  She had a moment’s dizziness, went to one knee, and her head bounced.  Gravity never forgets.

Building and Letting Go

Our guide-dog-puppy-in-training is 14 weeks old now.  She’s bright, energetic and confident.  Much of her happy demeanor is reinforced by success in performing routines.  The biggest challenge for her has been learning to restrain herself when she encounters new people

Therapy Pup

I realized a new reason I love raising our new “guide-dog-in-training” Lila early this morning.  She’s a clean slate.  She doesn’t share the neuroses my wife and I have

The Spirit Awakes

His Master’s Voice by Francis Barraud (1899)

I might have called this post “Whine-O-Rama”, but I’m trying to understand the process from a more enlightened position.

Black Puppy L, Day One

Her Safety Zone

Stay…in… the moment.  It’s early, and I’m sleep-lagged.  Check the world.  Yep, still out there.  Check the supplies.  Crates in place.  Carriers, food, leashes, ties, towels.  Check.

Stupid Cloud

We see a gray finger of beach from out front – Beckett’s Point

The past few days have been, well, I’m not sure how to explain it.

Polite Romance

Early in our courtship, my wife and I each risked participation in the other’s creative hobbies.  She was an experienced ballroom dancer.  I had never danced except in the uncontrolled, untrained fashion acceptable between horny teenagers.

The Curse of Catwoman

I became an actor to help pay the rent.  I didn’t have a full-time job at the time, and temping as an actor pays better than temping as a file clerk.  People outside the biz don’t realize that nearly all actors are part-timers.

As it Appears

My pastor during childhood was a man called Father Elmer.  Toward the end of winter he visited the Sunday school classes to teach the children something about the concept of resurrection.  Little kids aren’t interested or equipped to analyze holy texts.  We wanted to know how Jesus could die, but not stay dead.

Act Three

Because her mother has moved to the area, that baby (my Brother’s Granddaughter) from a previous post (here/) visited my home last weekend.  She’s nine months old already, and she says “BAP-fff!” with specific emphasis.

The legends about the members of my tribe have something in common.  If you look at the life stories of those in my extended family as if they were plays, there’s a similar arc of development.  We all have chaotic first acts.

My Trigger

I was reading Zeenat’s post about daily methods for reinforcing your inner upside (http://positiveprovocations.com/2011/02/21/top-9-ways-to-be-positive-and-happy-everyday/).  The first one listed was to Carry a positive Trigger.  She was writing about having a token of something that makes you happy with you at all times.  When you get sidetracked, you can use it to get back in the game of life.  She did not realize that by saying this she reopened a beautiful memory from my early childhood.  I’ve had a positive trigger inside me since I was three!  It’s Trigger

Too Much Love

The Red Roofs by Camille Pissaro (1877)

Many published posts about LOVE around Valentine’s Day.  Love is always important. It’s also possible to have too much to handle.

Valentines in Kindergarten

(When I re-read what I posted this time last year, I realized I can’t say it any better.  So, here it is again.  Maybe this will become my annual “Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus”.)

Kindergarten was awful at first, then wonderful.