Five simple things

Hello.

We've had a pretty slow week this week. we've been slowly getting back on a normal schedule since Baz's passing. Yesterday we got a call that his ashes were ready and I will share a picture of them next week. I feel right now that it's private for us and we want the week and the time to continue to grieve. It's still really weird to think he is gone, but we are healing and getting each other through it slowly. I was talking to a neighbor on Wednesday and I had to pause a minute before telling her what happened to Baz. I am holding back crying and "pretending" to be strong, but I'm not strong and as soon as the door closed I let the tears flow. His loss has really knocked the stuffing out of us and taken a bit of our spirit away. I am not ashamed to cry when needed and neither is The Mr., or The Bean. We miss our dog and there's no shame in that.

On a more positive note, we went on a walk last Sunday to an area in Corvallis, Oregon, known as, Willamette Park and Natural Area.

There is a space near the back of the park that has a paved walking path with disk golf and a small soccer field in the middle. The section of trail is a "leash-free zone" for dogs. PITA was able to run and be a dog while we ate lunch on a nearby bench facing the Willamette River. It was a nice moment to sit and relax. We happened to sit down just in time to see two bald eagles fly over the water looking for fish.

We couldn't help but be a bit upset that we didn't find the place before Baz passed. He loved being off of his leash and free. After lunch the three of us walked along the path while PITA ran around us smelling, greeting other dogs and people, and leaving his mark everywhere. We all talked about positive topics and mentioned what a great time Baz would have with us. There were tears, but they were happy tears. It's definitely a place we will visit again in the future. It was a great start to the week, for sure. With that, here are the other things that made this week great.

1. This sign.

Judgement-free zones should exist anyway without a sign needing to be posted. This sign was on a local bookstore in Corvallis, Oregon. It's a shame that we live in a world where such judgement exist and people from all walks of life need sanctuary cities to feel safe. The talk of terrorist crossing the border and plotting to harm us is white noise. Especially, when we have a United States-born citizen taking aim at innocent people enjoying an evening out in Las Vegas. Instead of building walls to keep people out, we need to focus on our own failures as a country that has allowed someone like that to get a hold of weapons that can kill 58 of our U.S. citizens that did nothing to deserve their untimely deaths. Maybe it's time to reevaluate the definition of "terrorism."

2. This book.

At said bookstore, this book was found. Hear! Hear! I love how people are actually creating books of resistance and cooking together. This book above and also this one here, are fantastic! Cook to resist and feed yourself so you can be fueled to get involved! "The Revolution Must Be Fed!"

3. This tip.

While we are busy here in our house trying desperately to become more waste-free I figured out how to cut toothpicks from everyday use. Instead of testing with a wooden pick whether that delicious yellow cake/bread is done in the middle, use a spaghetti stick. Works just as well as the wooden version for your teeth, but no waste. You can either break off the part you used and add the unused part back to the spaghetti jar, or throw the entire hard strand in the compost.

4. Fresh tuna.