saturday morning - westfield heritage village

We hiked through some history this morning....through some trails that weave in and around a preserved heritage village. I've always loved history...not the facts, figures, politics and events details of it...but the richness of it.






Walking today with Sophie past the old houses, I could feel the stories of the people that lived there over a hundred years ago rise up from the buildings and wrap around us. The stories drew me in to the details of frosted window panes and aged, timeless wood.





parking for the horses




While Sophie rolled around in the snow, perhaps frolicking with a phantom canine from 1910, I simply reveled in those stories for a while....imagining the clang of the blacksmith's hammer; a smiling crowd in the town square; the breath of a horse hitting the cold winter air as he waited, tied to the tethering post, outside the general store.

sunday stills - macro

Each week there is a photo challenge over at Sunday Stills. I figure it's a good way to force myself to take photos of subjects other than Sophie...and to continue learning how to use my new camera. This week it's a macro challenge...this is the handle of our wood stove at the cottage.

our beginning - part 2

Prior to bringing Sophie home, I fell victim not only to the ideals of movies, but of books, television shows, websites and any other piece of canine propaganda out there. To my credit, I spent a considerable amount of time learning about dogs, especially Border Collies, so that I would be well prepared for her arrival. But in the process of my extensive research and prep work, I also managed to dream, fantasize and create my firm notion of, not what life would be like with a dog, but what life would be like with MY dog. In my mind, these following statements were completely true and realistic about my future puppy:

1. She would never go to the bathroom in the house
2. She would love her crate.
3. She would never bark unnecessarily or excessively.
4. She would not chew anything except her own toys.
5. She would not chase the cat.
6. She never pull on her leash when walking.
7. She would always be obedient and know all my commands.
8. She would not jump up excitedly on people.
9. She would get along with all other dogs.
10. She would be a Canadian Agility Champion.


9 months old, she completed her first Terry Fox Run and
she raised almost $500 for the cure

I believed all of these things because a) those were the kinds of dogs I saw in the movies; and b) I had done my research and was prepared. I was certain that with all of that research behind me and with diligent planning, my dog would be trained properly from day one. I would teach her to know better. We would have the perfect owner-dog relationship. I was convinced that if other dog owners had just done the research and properly applied what they had learned, they also would have experienced the pleasure of raising a perfect puppy. As I look back now, I'm pretty sure that even then...even before Sophie's arrival....reality was winding up to give me the slap of my life. Life was about to get real in the messiest, craziest, most whirlwind adventure-ish, best sense of the word. Life with Sophie was about to begin.


learning to herd...she was breathtaking

Part of my diligent planning involved trying to prepare us for the changes in our routine. Jones....my significant other....loves his routine. I consider it one my responsibilities to ensure that his routine remains relatively stable. So a few weeks in advance of bringing Sophie home, I created a spreadsheet (Yes....I said spreadsheet. No...I am not joking) of the new routine for plus one puppy. It involved her times to go out, her walk times and durations, her feeding times, her playing times and which of us was responsible for that block of time. This was carefully put together based on my research. I gave this to Jones so that he could mentally prepare and adjust to the new routine and so that he would not be surprised at the old one being disrupted once Sophie arrived. A perfect proactive solution! I did forget one step, however. I forgot to send the spreadsheet to Sophie.


introduction to dock dogs....she did not take to it :)

For two weeks we lived in the hazy, make-believe cloud of preparedness known as Sophie's Spreadsheet that was attached to the fridge, perfectly square with four little magnets. Then she arrived. I believe the first night went something like this:

At 1am:
(Whining has not stopped for 45 minutes now)
Me: Do you think she is okay?
Jones: She should be sleeping. The spreadsheet says she should be sleeping.

At 2:30am:
(Sharp barking to be let outside)
Me: Are you going to take her out?
Jones: It's not my turn. My time on the spreadsheet is 6am. Whose turn is it?
Me: I just took her out an hour ago, but since there are only two of us I guess it's my turn...AGAIN.
Jones:(heavy sigh) No...I'll do it.

At 2:45am:
Me: That was quick. I didn't even hear the door open.
Jones: That's because it didn't. She went in the kitchen on the way to the door.
Me: Oh no! Did you clean it up?
Jones: Yes. I used the spreadsheet.

And so the spreadsheet, the routine, the planning and the ideallyic notions fell by the wayside and we began learning to live with Sophie. It has definitely been a roller coaster, but we've had more highs than lows; more laughter than tears; more real moments. No matter how many posts I put on this blog, nor how many columns for newspapers or magazines I write about her, nor even if I get to writing that book one day, I will never be able to truly express in words what this little dog means me...what joy she genuinely brought to my life.


agility fun - read more about our agility experience here

I will conclude the story of our beginning with my new list of ten statements about Sophie....and these ones I know for sure are true because I live with them everyday:

1. She is wicked smart....and even smarter if there's a cookie involved.
2. She loves being near at least one of us.
3. She was born to be on the trails, not led around on a leash.
4. She actually does only chew her own toys.
5. She thinks the cat is a little doggie friend to play with.
6. She has a love for people that is infectious.
7. She has a zest for life that is unequivocal.
8. She is definitely Jones' best friend.
9. She opened my eyes, my soul and my life.
10. She is the champion of my heart.

our beginning - part 1

I've had a few requests to tell the story of the very beginning of mine and Sophie's journey, so I thought I would take the time to honor those requests. I will break it up into two posts. So first.....a little bit of background.....


first day home - 8 weeks old

I would like to blame the movie industry. Blame it for what, you may ask? I would like to blame it for, on more than one occasion in my life, being slapped in the face with reality's firm hand. Not necessarily in disappointment, although there have been a few cases where disappointment would be the right word. More often though it's just in surprise as I attempt to reconcile my notion of what I had believed something would be like with what it actually was like once it happened. Most of the time, my beliefs were firmly and sensibly grounded in the movies.


cozy with her teddy bear...8 weeks old

It started early in life...this belief that the way I saw it in the movies was an accurate portrayal of how events would and should play out in my own life. I saw Fame and was convinced that I would be attending a high school where students and educators alike would break in to spontaneous, yet perfectly choreographed, song and dance routines throughout the day. (That was one of the rare instances that did, in fact, end in disappointment as I was a big fan of spontaneous song and dance routines.) I saw Dirty Dancing four times in the theatre and begged my parents to take us to a summer resort with the notion that I too would find a misunderstood hunk of a dance teacher who would rescue me from a corner. And many a potential suitor was left in a cloud of inexplicable dust and confusion due to their inability to provide me a romance that was on par with every Meg Ryan movie ever made.


still a big fan of spontaneous song & dance

As I got older and, supposedly, wiser you would think that this sort of slapping reconciliation would happen less often. Not so. But I am okay with that. I still love chasing the ideals. Dreaming is where the possibilities lie....where the magic begins and what compels me to begin a journey. What has changed as I have gotten older is this: I now appreciate the imperfections that exist ONLY in the reality....in what the journey actually is. It's the imperfections that make it unique and personal and real. And this has never been more true than during my journey with Sophie.


12 weeks old

Stay tuned for the second half of "our beginning"...

two roads

early morning on the lake

It's been a week since I posted on my blog. For most of that time I have been up north with Sophie and we both loved. every. minute. of. it. We walked. We squinted in the early morning sun. We breathed in cold, fresh, winter air. We welcomed the first few days of 2009 with a renewed spirit and the notion that it was going to be a good year. A year for the soul.


my soul dog

For years, I have walked a road in life that ran parallel to another road....a hazy whisper of another road. And from where I walked I would often glance over wistfully and longingly at that other road....and at the different, better version of myself walking on it. The girl on that other road was the person that I always wanted to be....the person that I desperately wanted to be reflected in other people's eyes when they looked at me. And, man, did she shine.


reflection

I don't know all the reasons why I have never been able to make those two roads merge....laziness, insecurity, fear, uncertainty were all definitely part of it. But I also know that I was never really able to articulate how to get to that version of me....how did that girl live, how did she spend her time, what was bringing her such joy, such a genuine sense of self? And that's the difference now. Now I know.


sunrise over the lake

Those two roads started to come closer together when Sophie arrived in my life. She started changing the way I viewed the world and my place in it. She also led me to writing. And now she has led me to photography. Each of these things has brought those roads closer together....and I can see now, for the first time, the rest of the work that I need to do to be that girl that shines.



shining sophie

letting go

As the year draws to a close, I am normally cast into deep reflection. But this year is different. This year I am focused on the road ahead...I am looking forward rather than behind me. I can feel something shifting...a change in my consciousness and I am eager to pursue it. To see where it is going to lead me. I can feel myself letting go of ideas, of notions, of stuff that I no longer want cluttering up the way I live my life....I've been holding onto these things for years but now feel ready to just open my tightly clenched fist and let the wind carry them away.



I feel ready to walk down the road ahead. To walk on this new road with a genuine heart, with a sure foot and...always...with Sophie by my side.



Sophie and I are heading up north, to the cottage, for a few days. I am hoping to get some great winter shots with my new camera. I want to spend some time thinking about this new road and the stops I would like to make along the way this year. I want to finish letting go. I want to be quiet for a few days as the holidays come to an end. And most of all, I want to take long walks in the snow with my dog and sit with her on the deck, silently watching the sun come up over the lake.



I will write more about my thoughts on the road ahead, and about our days up north, when we get back on the weekend. I won't say Happy New Year....but I will say cherish your memories from 2008, let go of what you need to and I hope you celebrate new beginnings.....

merry christmas

Sophie and I are signing off for a few days as we savour the Christmas season with family and friends.



To all my sweet friends in the bloggerland...we wish you many wonderful moments with your family (the people and the animal kind) over the next few days. Take the time to just be with one another...to be thankful for each other and to remember those who may not be with us any longer, but who are always present in our hearts.

Have a lovely, authentic, very Merry Christmas.