I don’t believe in an immortal soul – when you’re dead, you’re dead. (If I’m wrong, I owe you a coke.) Still, I marvel at the immortality in photographs. Yes, she lives in my memory, her voice in my head and, sometimes, coming out of my mouth, but here she is caught once so lively.

A remembrance on the 25th anniversary of her death.

My Mom 12 photos

Mom is a post from: mjh's blog. Thank you for subscribing. Let me know what you think. peace, mjh

Leonard Pitts: For introverts, working alone works best – Leonard Pitts Jr. – MiamiHerald.com

[W]here shyness is an outsized fear of other people’s disapproval or of social embarrassment, to be an introvert is to be inward turning, more at home in small, intimate groups than large, boisterous ones. It is to prefer the quiet to the loud, reflection to exhortation, solitude to socializing. …

[I]t is not that the introvert doesn’t enjoy the company of others. Rather, it’s that after a certain point, it leaves [one] feeling physically drained. That’s who I am — less Bill Clinton than Al Gore — and I’ve given myself permission to stop fighting it.

Leonard Pitts: For introverts, working alone works best – Leonard Pitts Jr. – MiamiHerald.com

Has anyone read Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain. (I have not.)  peace, mjh

Introverts unite! But not all at once, mind you. is a post from: mjh's blog. Thank you for subscribing. Let me know what you think. peace, mjh

On this day in 2010, we met Luke the Dog. Recently returned from Guatemala, Mer suggested we “just look” at adopting a dog, seven months after Lucky’s death crushed our hearts. Mer suggested we go to a pet store where a local group, HART (Homeless Animal Rescue Team), had rescued animals. We walked in and the very first dog we saw was Luke. Mer knelt beside his cage and cried. We discussed Luke with one of the volunteers. We walked Luke out of the store. He seemed oddly short and stocky, but very gentle and easy-going. Mer liked his interaction with small children; I liked his calm manner under the circumstances and as he met other dogs. Of course, we couldn’t just take the first dog we saw, could we? So, we looked at all the dogs available there, many of which stressed us out with their energy. Then, we went to the Humane Society, filled out a compatibility form, and looked at many more dogs, some virtually unadoptable. Then, we went to the Humane Society’s mobile station and test-walked a dog. After a couple of hours of looking and seeing so many dogs that needed homes but that just weren’t right for us, we went home.

The next morning, we talked about Luke, who was so different from all the other dogs we saw. And so, we called HART about him and, thankfully, he was still available. Coincidentally, if you believe such things, he was in Los Lunas, which was where I was headed that day to play volleyball. So, a HART volunteer (Jeri) brought Luke to volleyball. Although I put him in the back of the truck’s extended cab, he had other ideas and jumped into the front seat. Fine, I thought, let him ride in the passenger’s seat. But soon, he crawled over and laid his head in my lap for the drive home. He’s a 65 pound lap-dog and a love hound.

In the years we’ve been together, Luke hasn’t traveled as much or far as Lucky did his first year with us (5000 miles). And, we’ve left him at home with a dog-sitter, something we never did with Lucky in 10+ years. Luke is gentle and mellow and loving and we could only be happier if he and Lucky had known each other.

Luke the Dog (8 photos)

[first published Mar 6, 2011 @ 7:47am]

Luke, the Love Hound is a post from: mjh's blog. Thank you for subscribing. Let me know what you think. peace, mjh

All of Spike’s posts on Ah, Wilderness!

Sam, Roady, and Hot Lips say we are not alone. is a post from: mjh's blog. Thank you for subscribing. Let me know what you think. peace, mjh

		Birding near Alameda, New Mexico VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Birding near Alameda, New Mexico is a post from: mjh's blog. Thank you for subscribing. Let me know what you think. peace, mjh

Happy Anniversary, Darling! xox, mjh

“I’ll be your man.
I’ll understand.
Do my best
to take good care of you.
You’ll be my queen.
I’ll be your king.
And I’ll be your lover, too.”
– Van the Man Morrison

See also http://www.edgewiseblog.com/mjh/the-atheists-pulpit/30-years-ago/.

Thirty-one years kissing Merri Rudd is a post from: mjh's blog. Thank you for subscribing. Let me know what you think. peace, mjh

		The Illumination of the Niche 2013 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Niche in Time (the Illumination) is a post from: mjh's blog. Thank you for subscribing. Let me know what you think. peace, mjh

Pope resigns, admits “it’s all just bullshit.” Religion ends abruptly. is a post from: mjh's blog. Thank you for subscribing. Let me know what you think. peace, mjh

The wheel of time turns.

The cycle of the niche is a post from: mjh's blog. Thank you for subscribing. Let me know what you think. peace, mjh

Another year used up beyond all recovery is a post from: mjh's blog. Thank you for subscribing. Let me know what you think. peace, mjh