MY RED COUCH

The picture quality isn't so great but here's a photo of my new red couch. I love the cozy look it has snuggled by a fire crackling in the fireplace.

Even the simple act of buying a new couch can make me philosophical. It started when the delivery man was unwrapping my couch. "WHOOOHOOO RED!!! Last week we delivered green and this week red!" He was NOT making note of the Christmas coincidence. I thought this was very funny. I sent an email to someone I know to show them a picture of my new couch and told her about what the delivery man had said. I added "apparently the couch is bright". Her reply was a list of things I could do to tone down the color. Hmmm. My email had not said that I was unhappy with the couch. I don't want to tone it down.

But now I am bothered. You may think that I am bothered by the fact that people will not like my couch. Like my friend, they will probably see it and suggest ways to tone it down. Yes I am slightly worried about that but I am more concerned by the fact that I am even slightly worried about what people think of my couch! I'm 42 years old and you would think that I'd have this under wraps by now! I don't like the idea of being controlled by other's opinions. Some day I would love to be in a state of mind where things like this don't even cross my mind. I wonder if by mentioning the delivery man's exclamation that I showed some sort of insecurity. An insecurity that invited suggestions on ways to "fix my mistake". Was the insecurity already there or did it show up once the suggestions had been made?

I AM THE RED COUCH KIND OF PERSON but many times over the years I've found ways to fit in with the status quo. Most people try to fit in and those that don't usually are labelled weirdos. I want to be comfortable with being a weirdo!

WHAT WAS I THINKING?

Erin was only 11 months old in this picture. Notice that she has climbed onto the arm of a rocking chair and is working her way up the Fisher Price kitchen set.....and all I could think of doing was snapping a picture. Keep in mind as she was balancing precariously, I had to go get my camera and take the shot. Apparently, I felt like I had enough time to call Thomas over for a picture together because I have another photo with him in it. What kind of mother was I?

NIGHTTIME WALKS WITH BEAU

Our dog Beau has never needed to have a regular schedule with his walks. Mostly, he would just hang out with us outside and the days that he didn't go on a walk he would just wander around in our large yard for his potty breaks (we own over 5 acres). He always got enough exercise tagging along with the kids. At the end of the summer after months of dealing with his bouts of diarrhea I decided that along with new food and medication I needed to make sure he got a "real" walk almost everyday. Many times this walk ends up being at the end of the day in the dark. I grab a flashlight and head out along our dirt roads. I would probably be a little nervous about meeting a bear if I didn't have Beau with me! Its a weird feeling strolling along through the wilderness at night. I sometimes wonder what little eyes are watching me from the bushes. On the otherhand I probably have nothing to worry about with Beau barreling through like a bull in a china shop! So far we haven't met any fragrant little friends!

Last night my walk was spectacular. We've had an unseasonably warm fall and all I needed was a sweatshirt to keep warm. A storm had just blown through and the wind was still whipping. The sky was clear with only a few puffy clouds left over. The moon was beaming so brightly that I didn't need my flashlight to see where I was going. It was a bit unreal looking up to see the clouds moving so quickly acrossed the face of the moon. It almost felt like a dream but then I realized this is my reality. I realize how lucky I am to love where I live.