pelle carlberg

Oh my goodness. Just saw the Swedish phenom Pelle Carlberg play at a tiny bar in town. Nobody knew who he was and they made him play first--before two local bands. Works out for me because I'm home early, but It's sad to see him not respected in the states like he should be. Here he is with Henrik from Edson backing him up. Excellent, excellent show.

dusting for paw prints

Tomorrow is garbage day. As i was getting the kitchen trash together, the sun was setting and hit the stainless steel waste basket at just the right angle to uncover a paw print on the side. There's only one member of this family with paws of that size, so it became quite clear that someone in particular had recently jumped up to smell the garbage inside the basket. Even though that's a big no-no. I won't say who that someone is, but i will say that i quite love the little sneaky pants.

memorial day peony

Happy memorial day! It's been a beauty of a day--seventies and sunny. I didn't get any pictures of the local parade, but i did snap one of a pretty peony. I seem to have a thing for flowers these days, but the first peony of the year has been special to me for a while now. Long story. Here's the first one i've seen this season.

best thing to come home to

So, i'm officially a working man once again: i got my first paycheck. So nice. But still, i totally treasure the year off that i spent with Nick and coming home to him every day is the best thing ever. I try to watch a movie with him every night, so we can still have some quality bonding time. Here's my guy a little bit ago. He loves sun bathing.

some more spring beauty

I've been so busy trying to adjust to a new job and a new daily schedule that I think I've been taking all of the beautiful weather and spring world for granted. I put an end to that this morning. I was walking Nick and noticed some stunning irises. I love how these different flowers come in waves--there's always something new to look at. To borrow a concept from Alice Walker, 'God makes the different flowers for their beauty to be noticed.' Only that's not the language she used and she was comparing love to wildflowers, but you get the point. I need to make sure I appreciate the beauty around me.

elvis costello

Just riding home from seeing Elvis Costello & The Imposters--great show. He played like five encores which is usually pretty annoying, but this was Elvis. So many great songs. Here they are playing 'Pump It Up.'

welcome little bird!

This shell was found in my backyard this morning. It was clearly a robin egg, but I'm not sure that properly comes through in the picture. Either way, finding things like this remind me of the world of mystery that surrounded them as a child. Like how Nick must still see it when he ran up to the shell, sniffing it. I love having a dog and rediscovering the world and the outdoors.

(this) man's best friend

So, today is my last day of unemployment. After a year of hanging out with Nick the dachshund every day, I will once again return to the nine-to-five world on Monday. I've been looking forward to getting back to work, but I'm having a hard time accepting the fact that I won't be spending my days at home with Nick. I've gotten used to always having him around, and I quite like the way our relationship has totally become a companionship. This little guy has completely stolen my heart. I'm thankful I was able to spend so much time with him this last year. I'll always treasure it. Very sincerely. Here we are on the porch this afternoon, enjoying the perfect weather. Next to sitting in laps and going for car rides, this is one of his favorite pastimes.

smell of spring

Well, the flowering trees are all going bananas, causing the air to smell like spring. I love that smell. It's beginning to feel like the winter is officially over!