so long, old friend

This week was a tough one. We had to say goodbye to our 11-year-old furry friend, Kodi, whose spinal stenosis made her unable to do the stairs in our house on her own for more than a year and had lost control of her bowel and bladder. It was the right time, but that doesn't make it any easier. In case you never got to meet her or just wanted to be reminded of how sweet she is, at the bottom of this post is a video of our gentle giant playing with nephew's dog, Squirt. Watch to the end for a good laugh -- such a tough watchdog! We all miss her quirky ways, her twinkle toes, and the white eyelashes around her big brown eyes.

:::deep breath:::

Meanwhile, my mom is working on a pretty scarf...

and it is the beginning of another
beautiful autumn in New England...

and we know friendly farmers
who like to share the abundance, as do we,

and this weekend is chock full of funstuff,
including going out with an old friend and a new one tonight,
so forward we go with lots to smile about
even though the tears spill out a little easier than we might like.