Play along on this one, will ya? What breed is my dog?

This is Sandy. She is six months and probably almost as big as she is going to get. Currently, she is about 25 lbs. We got her at the pound and have no idea what breeds she might be. She was listed as a "Shepherd Mix," but, really who knows?

Because everyone asks us what breed she is and because everyone has an opinion, I have decided to spring for the DNA test (for kicks and giggles). So, place your friendly bets on this one.

I'll give you the info I have:

"Shepherd Mix"

25 lbs at six months

Paws are white

Intelligent

Willful

Good jumper (can jump without assistance of a chair from the floor to the top of the table)

Not in love with water

Territorial

Loves to play

Hates being left alone

Very much bonded to me (one person as opposed to everyone in this family)

If you have questions or need more pictures let me know. Pick up to three breeds. Winner gets the privilege of being right.

Joy Is. . . Another Beautiful Fall Day (also, when Daddy comes home early)

This fall has just largely been lovely around here. Anyway, I've been busy. I needed to get my second Biochemistry exam done (I'm behind in the class and trying to catch back up). Rather than go for my long run on Friday, I decided to stay at work, put in some last minute studying, and take my exam.

So, I did.

And, then I went to Hobby Lobby to get some more pictures and posters framed.

And, then I came home. I let the dog out and welcomed the kids. Eric had come home at lunch to let the dog out and rake some leaves. We had a note that said, "let the kids know that they can play in the leaf pile, but they cannot move it." So, when the kids came home, I passed the message on to them and they were out the door in a flash. Not a few minutes had gone by and Eric was home. I love when he gets home from work early.

And, so we played outside and enjoyed the last few days of fall we will get. Winter will be here soon. Most of the trees have lost their leaves and the color is starting to fade. Only a little bit longer and it will be cold and grey. So, we will enjoy what we have in the last few days that we have.

Can you see the boy in this picture?

How about here?

Joy Is. . . Community

It is nearing the end of November. It should be freezing here by now, but today, as I type, it is 71 degrees. 71 degrees!! In Kansas. At the end of November. I have the kitchen door open and I am hearing the voices of my children play with some of the neighborhood kiddos in our backyard.

Yesterday was equally lovely. A bit cold in the morning, but warmed up in a way that felt like a gift from God.

Eric and I started our day going to the Bar Mitzvah of my mentor and his wife's youngest child. Though I have known them for almost as long as we have lived in Kansas, our relationship has been largely confined to the office. I was honored to have been invited and pleased to go.

After the Bar Mitzvah, we came home and ran a few errands and then just relaxed outdoors while the kids played. First the next door neighbors came over, then came the neighbors across the street. They played so well together and the weather was so delicious that Eric suggested that maybe we have a 'smores night.

And, that is how we found ourselves sitting around the smoker filled with a wood fire out on our back deck last night making 'smores with our neighbors.

The combination of the weather, the beautiful fall coloring, and community made me so grateful for the life that I have.

B is for Beets. . . or I must love running.

Recently, I read an article about how certain weird foods/drinks are good for runners. I've been feeling pretty run down lately, so, for some very strange reason, I got the beet juice stuck in my head. Here's the thing: I think beets are revolting. Not just an "I don't really care for them." I think they are disgusting.

I know many people love them. I think that you either love them or you hate them. There is no "ehhh" about beets. I've tried them all different ways in response to everyone who ever said, "oh, but you HAVE to try them this way. They are delicious." Nope. Gross each and every time.

But, tell me it'll make me a faster runner and I'll be all over that. I'm already planning on drinking pickle juice (but, that's easy because I happen to crave dill pickles frequently - no, not pregnant) and I regularly drink coconut water (super-yum for me).

Anyway, Jonathan has been begging me to make juice with him, so I used this opportunity to do so. We made some carrot, apple, orange juice for the family. He had a great time wiggling his bottom and singing, "I'm a chef!" as he flung various pieces of fruit or vegetable into the juicer.

Then, when he was done, I went to work on the beet juice. Straight beet juice, but I'd had some of the other juice. No matter what you think about the taste of beets, you have to admit that they are rather pretty in their cut form.

And, then, after juicing, I drank about a cup. Honestly, while it was bad, it wasn't as bad as eating beets. Much sweeter than I can remember. I can see how they make sugar from these veggies.

Darned if I didn't perk up after drinking this. I did have more energy. And, I really don't think it was placebo as I sort of expected the benefits to be cumulative rather than immediate or short-term.

So, while it didn't taste yum, it did have a more positive immediate effect than even a Redbull.

What is good one day, must be good every day, right?

So, the next day, I did it again. Only this time, in the absence of the other juice and on an empty stomach.

I was, um, projectile vomiting within 15 minutes. And, what didn't come back up, was observed later in some, um, beeturia (sounds so much better than saying, "my pee was beet juice colored"). Turns out, both of those aren't uncommon. And, the beeturia often happens in people who are undiagnosed anemic. And, I've been super-tired and I've flirted with low iron levels in the past (whenever I donate blood, my iron levels are literally as low as they possibly for donation). Also, I read that people tend to not puke if they sip it (oh, so hard to do with a substance one does not like) and if it is mixed with other juices.

So, today, I decided to start again. Only this time, I included the carrot, apple, and orange. And, I drank it a tad slower. One cup over 15 minutes. So far, so good. And, I do feel less tired.

Rebecca's Beet Energizer:

1 beet including greens

1 apple

1 orange

3 carrots

Juice. Toss your left over fibers in the compost bin.

Should make two cups.

Drink slowly.

More Fall Joy

Autumn has almost completed her fall show. I have to enjoy these last few days while I can. Winter will be here before I know it.

How can you have Joy when your neighbor has Loss?

I'd had a normal day today. Kinda slow. I did a disability evaluation and a psychotherapy session, wrote up a couple of reports, got a large payment from a former client that I thought would never pay me, paid some extra bills, ran by the grocery store, went to the pet store with Sandy to buy a car harness (best $35 I've ever spent on that dog), and drove home. As I approached my home, I saw no fewer than 10 emergency vehicles including at least six long bed fire trucks (you cannot see all the vehicles in the above picture; they went down two different side streets and extended behind where I stood; this is the view from our home). Overhead flew a couple of news helicopters. My heart started to race.

The road was blocked off and I wasn't able to drive to my home. I couldn't tell whose home had been on fire, but mine was certainly a realistic possibility. My heart raced and my eyes started to tear. I asked someone standing by and got the impression that it probably hadn't been my house. I parked, got the dog out, and walked toward my home.

It wasn't ours. And, I exhaled with relief and joy, but the very quick feeling that followed was wondering how can I feel joy and relief when a tragedy has happened to my neighbor? (It was not anyone on my cul-de-sac, but the home is only a few homes away). My relief was because the tragedy was not mine, but someone else's. That isn't joy.

So, extend that. Where does someone become not my neighbor? One block? Two blocks? Different subdivision? Different zip code? Different city? Different county? Different state? Different country? When is someone not my neighbor?

My religious belief tell me that all are my neighbors. And, if tragedy and pain occurs to "the least of these" and all that, then they occur to all. It brings to my consciousness how so many tragedies throughout the world occur to people who are my neighbors. It just feels so overwhelming, so I shut them out and focus on my little family and my little neighborhood.

I find no joy in their tragedy, but I am human and I am relieved and grateful that the immediacy of the tragedy was not mind to manage. Somehow, that feels selfish. Human, I am sure, but selfish. But, I am grateful. And, I am especially grateful that the only loss was material and not life. And, I am grateful for our emergency response personnel.

Joy Is. . . A Beautiful Fall Day

I used to live in the San Francisco Bay Area. Gorgeous. Lovely. Flowers year round. But, no true fall. Over the past nine years in Kansas, I have truly come to look forward to fall. It is even my favorite running season. Not much better than running on a lovely fall day.

Not that I ran today.

Saturday is my rest day following my Friday long run. It was so lovely, I almost ran today anyway.

Our Ginko tree dropped all her leaves today. You can see them dropping in this picture. She was full in the morning and totally bare by noon.

I've decided that my Hawaii vacation is truly over and that I need to get back to cooking meals, rather than throwing things together or going out. So, I made a Mexican lasagna tonight a la the November issue of Southern Living. Served with butter lettuce/pear salad and garlic green beans. It got a thumbs up for all four members of our human family. So, I'd recommend.

I cannot currently find it on-line, but it is the November 2010 issue (and, I HIGHLY recommend Southern Living).

And, then, for kicks and giggles, I made my first ever sweet potato pie. Also from the November issue. For a pie, I'd say that it isn't too terribly unhealthy. The kids had their requisit three bites plus two more on a voluntary basis. Eric and I finished our slices. But, I'm thinking that this won't be repeated. It wasn't bad, but not awesome either. That said, I'll probably have a slice for breakfast tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow should be another lovely fall day. We have an extra hour, we got to the church we love so much, and I'll get to go out for an easy seven.

Team Rasmo Cousins Trip HAWAII, Day Nine Sunday

After flying from Kona to Honolulu to Oakland, we slept at the Hampton Inn in Alameda (lovely rooms, btw). We woke up to say goodbye to each other. And, it was Halloween. Brooke passed out funny glasses for the kids.

And, then we had to have a few goodbye pictures. Cousins.

Of course, we had to do some jumping pictures. Unfortunately, we neglected to get the sacred marshmallows of departure. We will not forget again. It felt wrong and dirty to leave without them.

We had so much fun and we are so grateful to Gammie and Papa for helping make this possible. We know that we are blessed to have a family that enjoys spending so much time together and who makes an effort to regularly spend significant time together. I have such awesome siblings who are married to people I also love. I am lucky, lucky, lucky. I hope that my children someday realize who privileged they are and that they never take it for granted.

This all brings me joy.

Team Rasmo Cousins Trip HAWAII, Day Eight Saturday

Time to go home. Sniff.

We had to rise early (now that we are finally on Hawaii time) and leave. Complicating our travel was the security problems with the tampered toner cartridges being shipped from Yemen. We had to prepare for tighter security (though we were flying out of tiny little Kona airport).

I had to snag a couple of pictures from the moving car as we drove to the airport.

"Save Ferris." How I caught that particular one is completely beyond me.

Goodbye Hawaii. We will miss you.

For what it is worth, I'm really glad we went to the big island, but I prefer Maui. I'm thinking that we will next hit Oahu. Maybe with the Rasmo Cousins in the future. But, next up for the Miles family: Playa del Carmen for Joey and Nayeli's wedding in January.