Going Backward

Every day my pups and I head out for an hour or so to release the poops and the Ya-Yas before I head to work and they laze about at home. Depending on the time of year, we may revel in the sunrise or enjoy the chorus of birds looking for love, or like today - view the path through a cylinder of foggy light shining from my headlamp.

We are fortunate enough to be surrounded by an urban trail system and have several routes to choose from. We try to vary the routes daily to stave off any boredom of "the usual". We all enjoy seeing a pair of glowing eyes of a night critter in the dark brush or the deep thuds beneath our feet as a group of deer flee our threatening presence. For Meg and Dobby and their talented noses, varying the route can bring sniff perks as well.  Duck poop by the pond is always a favorite, and the occasional beaver scent gives them a huge puppy-thrill. The forested trails bring familiar odors of squirrel, deer, and raccoon crossings with dog nostrils pressed against the leaves, brains calculating how much time has passed since the animal crossed the path. The most exciting walks include a coyote sighting/smelling and we have to pause as they inspect the area with their noses squished against anything the wild dog-relative may have stepped on, touched with its own snout or brushed with its gamey fur.

On this particular morning, lacking the sensory expertise of my pups, I decided I was bored and chose to take a trail BACKWARD!  This choice strangely felt revolutionary because we tend to stumble out the door in a sleepy brain fog and follow a route the way we have always followed a route. When I turned right instead of left, I felt a tug on the leashes. Dobby, my nervous one, looked up at me and I swear I saw her lips muttering, "but...but....we can't do that!". With my patient encouragement she and Meg led the way DOWN a trail that we normally climb UP.  

After the initial confusion, the pups fell back into their rhythm of trot, sniff, trot, pee, sniff and all was well.  It was ME who felt bewildered.  When we reached a turn, my brain said, "How are we here already?"  Descending a muddy trail that we normally climb, I was surprised at the pitch and slippy-slidey mud, and was forced to pay attention to where and how I stepped - actually using my conscious brain to navigate the terrain.  Once back to the alley that led home, I viewed homes and gardens from a completely different perspective, as if it wasn't my familiar neighborhood of the last 20 years.

This walk felt different. We were no longer stuck in the rut of the same-old-same-old. We appreciated different things from new perspectives. After we returned home, my dogs settled into the snoring of paw-twitching dreams, and I noticed that my brain was refreshed with a new approach to the day.  Maybe the word "backward" gets a bad rap. When we are bored or feeling "stuck", simply turning a different way, taking the opposite direction on an old path or looking at life from a new angle can bring a fresh outlook on the old and familiar. 

On the journey through our days

Backward or Forward

It's our choice how to view it

(Remember - your backward could very well be someone else's forward!)

Happy New Year from the Stone-Kerrs

Apparently it t'is the season for family update holiday cards and we're late to the party. In fact, we've never done one of these, but after reading others', I thought I'd take a stab at it:

The Stone-Kerrs are alive and well, enjoying all the good that Bellingham has to offer!

Ella turned 24 on February 24th 2024, which makes it not only her golden birthday, but she was born in the auspicious Year of the Golden Dragon in 2000, which only happens once every 60 years. But the Dragon year comes every 12 trips around the sun, so this makes it her own personal Golden Dragon year, making it, like, a double-golden

amazing year!  That must have worked, because she landed a job she loves, starting as the Assistant Manager at Claire's (we called her the A** Man for short) and then quickly promoted to Store Manager (now we call her Boss B*tch for short...and for fun).  She is just as sweet and sparkly as ever and spreads joy to many little girls!

Delaney continues to kick butt in the gym, and in fact is the Senior Wellness Coordinator at BP. She is employed by Premise Health to run the gym, help people get strong, do ergonomic consultations and teach classes to the many workers at the refinery.  I know many folks that work there and let me tell ya - it can get annoying hearing about what an amazing and kind daughter we have...and how much she kicks their asses in workouts.  Also Lou (that is what we call her) is wrapping up her master's degree at the University of Glasgow, where she spent a few weeks on labs in-person, but does the rest of the work remotely.  In her free time she enjoys getting trapped under her lap-cat, Geraldine, seeing Taylor Swift and hanging out with her partner, Michael.

Mark is enjoying his third year teaching at Lummi Nation School, inspiring kids with history, silliness and occasional costumes. This year he coached the XC team to a first ever team score (you need 5 kids to score and they had never had a full team!) and took a talented young athlete to compete at the State XC Championships.  The only drawback of Mark teaching at a tribal school is that we've pretty much given up hope of him EVER cutting his hair again....

I (Sharon) am still working at the YMCA with Girls on the Run, but have shifted a good chunk of my focus to grant writing for the Y.  It has been a fun change, and it feels good to use my writing hobby to do some good in the world.  I get to deep-dive into the many human service programs we have at the Y, talk 'em up and bring in financial support for the work we do in the local community.  AND I still get to spread joy to little girls with GOTR - which brings me a heck of a lot of joy too!

Meg-the-prey-driven-dog has lost her off-leash privileges due to an injured knee and me growing weary of tracking her GPS all over Galbraith for hours on my trail runs.  She and her adorable daughter, Dobby, still enjoy daily long leash walks on local trails.  Lyra the cat is...well...a cat - she's sweet and quiet, except for at 4:30 in the morning when she makes a racket, stomps on my chest and head butts me until I get up.  Alfie the turtle continues to entertain us with his ball chasing and toe-biting, but if you ask the other pets, he's just the annoying little jerk that bites them when they are napping by the fire.

We hope this finds you smiling and healthy and ready to tackle the upcoming year with gusto!

Lyra, Dobby, Meg and Alfie in descending order.