QS PRN

I said goodby to a dear friend today. While I am full of sadness, I take comfort in the fact that this little dog brought so much joy to not only my life but to my son's life. Ruby was his first dog, and she lived a great life for 14 years. 

She was stubborn and bull-headed, but that’s what made her adorable. She always ate first and asked questions later. But, cancer reared it’s ugly head. She tried to battle it, and was brave to the end. It’s only fitting that we say goodbye on a Tuesday. Goodbye, sweet girl. 

Ruby Tuesday

Ruby bonded with C from the moment we brought her home. And, she taught us to see the simple joys of life in your 14+ years with us. Oh, she were stubborn but that’s just one of the things we adored about her. She was always up for adventure and she wagged that tail until the very end. She was pure of heart and she was absolutely the bestest of doggos. 

Run wild, and sniff all the things. Eat first and ask questions later. Be free, Ruby girl. 

Traditionally, this is a time of year for giving thanks. And, while I am thankful for many things, I have been giving that word "tradition" a lot of thought lately. Gratitude is a constant in my life but as I get older I am beginning to understand that some traditions carry forward and other traditions come to an abrupt end. And, I’m not sure how I feel about that.  

One tradition that is coming to an end, after a 30-year run is the tradition of meeting for Thanksgiving and Christmas at my parents home. They have decided to sell their home and move to a condominium. I’m going to miss that 6-acre property and all the memories made there, during holidays and regular days. I already miss the animals: the dogs, cats, llamas, goats, chickens, and miniature donkeys. 

It’s an odd thing to watch traditions be slowly disassembled. My parents are in the process of downsizing, donating and selling things. In some ways, it is odd to see them part with so many things they've gathered over their 50+ years of marriage, and as individuals over 80+ years of life. When I visit, I take as many pictures as I can...knowing that those images may be the last things left after the traditions are gone. 

Upside: I am so close to completing the prescribed list of courses for my doctoral program, and should be finished by the end of October.  

Downside: I am forced to wait until Spring 2022 semester to begin the research/dissertation phase. 

Honestly, there are so many positives and negatives to my current situation that I feel like I should make a T-chart. One the one hand, I will have a nice break over November and December. On the other hand, this delay pushes my graduation date out by a semester. I'll stop there before I get myself irritated over the whole mess that was initiated with Concordia University Portland suddenly closing their operations after I was 1.5 years deep into the program. Ugh. 

Instead, I will focus on the positives. Hey, maybe I'll have time to clean up this clown show of a website. It is in serious need of updating. After all, I began this site as a way to document the processes, pains, and products of my doctoral studies. And, maybe get back into the letterpress workshop and make something! 

This summer I’ve been sorting. Sorting a lot of things: assignments for my terminal degree, schedules and timelines, clothing for donations, items in the garage. 

Yesterday, I had a few minutes to sort my type cabinets. Technically, the individual drawers are known as job cases. Although, I realized that I had not sorted them properly since moving my work shop & letterpress printing equipment last April. All 48 drawers were stacked in the garage and then reinserted into the cabinet in no particular order. "I'll sort it later," I told myself. 

Over a year has passed, and I am still sorting. Only, my sorting logistics seemed to be constantly shuffled this past year. C will be moving out mid August to attend University of Nevada Reno. I report to the school district August 9 for the 2021-2022 contract. And, I am continuing to pursue my doctoral degree (approximately one year til completion!).

While sorting this out, I realize that I also need to sort this site...to add additional classes, topics of research, and published papers. For now, I've got a solid to-do list going on my notepad app. I'll get it sorted soon. 

*image of 48pt titling sorts   

Finally made it to Kaua'i. This trip was planned for the summer of 2020, but delayed due to the pandemic. It was a bit of a battle to get there...COVID test 72 hours prior, uploading information to the Safe Travels website, obtaining the wristband to board the airplane. But, it was worth it. 

I actually read several fiction books while on vacation. Caught up on the Harry Hole series by Jo Nesbø. I'll spare the full reviews but they did not disappoint. First time that has happened in two years, since I began my doctoral program. Had a wonderful dinner at The Beach House. Swam in the ocean and the pool. Tasted some amazing Kōloa Rum.  Ate the most delicious Sugarloaf Pineapple.