Catching Up

My last entry ends with, "along came Ranger." The summer continued to be jam-packed, but Ranger's entrance into my life (and Shadow's too) certainly kept things in an upheaval. I laughed, I cried, I screamed, I whispered. He is a joy. His trip back to the city in the same crate as Shadow worked out well. Shadow had a calm trip, for the most part; this is the first calm ride he has ever had, so I am grateful. Ranger, however, did learn how to open the crate and did so three times which made for some interesting manuevering on the interstate as I tried to get him back in.

So I am in the city but feel at home. Quite a paradox since I miss home, the mountains, at the same time. Somewhere in all of that confusion comes a balance in my life that really keeps me enjoying life. There have been some scares of late: my other mother was seriously ill and operated on on her 87th birthday. She's tough, she's back home, and doing well. An old childhood friend who was more like my little sister and I have reconnected via email, but so far, unable to do so by phone. A friend passed away a week after I saw her, which is disconcerting as well as sad; and a friend from my road up north had a heart attack and died while fishing the Swift River, which must have been traumatizing to his family, but I can just see him smiling now because if he had to choose a way to go, I know that would have been his choice.

And so, I am catching you all up with a bit of closure here, and hopefully, getting myself together to write consistently now, a promise I make to myself.