Gavin woke me up in the middle of the night Sunday to go outside. He yelped once while he did his business, then sat and stared at me when we came inside. I sat behind him for a moment while I mentally planned the most efficient way for me to quickly grab all our things… View more
When I trained dogs, I had a lovely client with an equally sweet dog who jokingly told me once that her dog’s behavior was either magical or tragic. That’s where my perfect-for-me Gavin is right now. Every morning, I’m so appreciative that we have a beautiful, stress-free rhythm to his pill-eating routine, especially now that he’s… View more
We had big plans (huge) to push volume on Tuesday, a peanut-butter-and-blueberry-making day to get stocked up before Thanksgiving and my offish last week of December. However, we decided because the new peddle still needed to arrive for the piston filler and the makeshift repair that my amazing team made possibly couldn’t withstand a 500-ish pouch… View more
I sat down last night, depleted. Nothing catastrophic happened, but it was a non-stop 13-hour day and roadblock, pothole-filled race-of-a-week. Most recently, potential dog sitter number three canceled our meet and greet last minute. I opened my laptop and contemplated doing yoga. But instead, I grabbed my blanket and decided to give myself the glorious gift… View more
My new mantra every morning is, “please let today be boring.” We had to veer from a 500-pouch-making day on Tuesday because I misjudged how many pouches needed labeling. As the day progressed, one of our kettles broke, and we had to fuss with one of our sous vide motors, so it worked out. We likely… View more
At the tail end of one of the not-the-greatest-last-week, I found out Gavin has cancer again and needs to have surgery again. He just recovered from his stomach surgery months after having it, so I was looking forward to giving him ease and joy for the remainder of the year. But that’s not what’s in… View more
My friend Annie used to say when she saw someone who seemingly had it all together, perfect hair, impeccable clothes, a loving partner, overflowing bank account, that they had life by the balls, and it always cracked me up. I certainly don’t have it all, but the older I get, the more joy and peace… View more
When I’m alone in the shop, I listen to inspirational podcasts. Tony Robbins and Oprah Winfrey are among my favorites. Listening to people who do and give back to the world in significant ways inspires me to want to do the same. Then I go back to my day, making three grocery store trips to… View more
When Gavin and I lived with my brother Chris, my nephew Isaac often joined us on walks, which I loved. One day, we were traipsing through their neighborhood when an off-leash dog approached us. I panicked, yelled, “go, go, go,” while my heart raced, and I emphatically flailed my arms around. Gavin and Isaac looked at… View more
Gavin’s never been food motivated. Getting him to eat his morning pills has always allowed me to practice patience and calm, even in a hurry. Now that he needs more medication and supplements, I’ve learned that if I take time to relax, softly pet him, and put myself in a peaceful state, the process is… View more
