the new normal

It seems that the new normal (for a while at least) is going to be rather bumpy, so it's time to adjust. Find the moments of calm and delight. 

Which is easy to do at breakfast time, what with the blooming flowers, and roses, and the fruits of the season and Millie...

Speaking of anxieties (were we doing that?), I have finally accepted the fact that my pup belongs to the class of dogs that hates, hates, hates with a passion anything out of the ordinary, Since it's decent weather, I decide to take her for a longer walk. Usually we just go to the end of the long block and home again. Or the dog park for exercise. But today I thought we should go for a proper walk. Along the bike path that is just a few steps from me and runs along the very beautiful wetlands (that also border the farmette lands). 

Well now. This is something new! I tug at her leash to encourage her forward. No. She resists. Tail's down. I coax and cajole. Nope. She refuses. But Millie, I want to see the backs of the houses across the street from me. I hear there's a beautiful garden there.  Nope.

I carry her so that I can view the gardens -- that's how scared she is of the new.

At home, I open the windows downstairs. I haven't done that in July because it's been so hot that the AC has had to be on most of the time. I do open the door (and let flies in!) so that Millie can go in and out sometimes, and so that I can refresh the air in here, but the windows have remained closed.

Millie does not understand. Is the outside world encroaching on her space? What's happening? Woof!

I propose we go to the dog park after her nap. I see her look at me with suspicion: that means a car ride, correct? She hides. I take her out. Again she shakes in this new vehicle. Yesterday I put her in my lap for the last minutes of our trip. Today I let her sit and shake riding shotgun. 

She doesn't really remember the dog park. We haven't been to it since before my trip to Poland.  Familiar, yet unfamiliar.

She's not exactly excited to be here, but she trots alongside (and occasionally rests in the shade)...

And importantly -- at least she gets some exercise, since long walks in the neighborhood seem to be... not her thing at the moment.

Oh, Millie! Sometimes I forget how young you still are! 

When she naps, I think about how to create a new normal for myself going forward. Here are some options: move to the coast of Maine and live on blueberries in the summer and learn to catch fish for protein. No, I'm not a fan of black bears and besides, old women living alone by a rocky coast -- that's asking for trouble.  How about this: pack the car with essentials and with Millie and head out to unknown destinations, staying in campgrounds or in motels with thin walls and soiled carpets. No, Millie would hate all that novelty.

Do you see "escape" written all over this post? Yes, daydreaming of it, but not really wanting it. My life is here, in lovely Steffi's House, with Millie, Ed nearby, and of course the roses.

Roses for today? Look at the shapes of these flower heads. I love the cupped ones, like this:

But also the rosette of this Honey Rose (it's edible!):

Nature gives us so many gifts... 

with so much love..