I have fallen into bed exhausted this past week. By ten o'clock I can't keep my eyes open. I am surprised at how tired I am ... it feels like I have run a marathon or something!


I awoke about 7 AM this morning and decided to get on with my day … by myself for a change. I grabbed something to eat, took the Border collies and Zoë, the Rottie (leaving the lazy hound pup and the old dog behind) and headed north to the walking path that was right behind the duplexes where we lived for 9 months last year. I walked four miles with only dogs for company … I was going to say quiet dogs (as opposed to not-quiet kids) but that wouldn’t be true. Reilly is quite noisy. Reilly was very happy to be running the familiar path and herding the cars that populate the highway adjacent to the path. Ben chased rabbits until the electric collar convinced him that running off and ignoring me was a bad idea.


I believe this was the first couple of hours I have had to myself in weeks. How do you folks who have 10-39 kids survive? I have decided that not only am I no spring chicken, I think I must be an old hen.


Last night the girls wanted to have a “rocking party”, so we all crowded into one of our two rocking chairs. Before we were even settled, I took an elbow to the eye. The girls seem to be getting along beautifully. Beth is more distressed by school than by her new sister, and actually seems very happy to have a ready companion to explore the outdoors or share a bubble bath.


Dora is enjoying the heck out of our dogs. She really is a dog lover, and that doesn’t lose her any points with me! I figure anyone who loves dogs has to be a pretty cool person!


She informed me yesterday that she thinks she has purged about half of her mad and sad. I said I would agree she has expressed some of her feelings, but how did she know it was “half”? Next up I’ll tell you how that discussion unfolded.


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