It's staff meeting day and I have to bust out of here and go pick up the catering... bagels, scones, coffee, etc.

Just wanted to share this shot from last week. Cold and clear day. I was up on the plateau doing a photo shoot with one of our clients who had just gotten adaptive landscaping equipment. Charming young man, great smile.

As I was leaving the school, Mt. Rainier looked like it was close enough to fit in my pocket! This is from right outside the ball field. The shot yesterday was taken from home plate and not zoomed in like this one.

Okay, the scones are calling my name!!

AG out!

Welcome back to Wide Open Wednesday. This weeks rambling discourse is on Tolerance...

It's been on my mind a lot this week. It is difficult to ignore the examples of intolerance we see and hear every day... it feels like we're bombarded by it in the media through reports of religious and political intolerance. This week I also read some fairly strong examples in blogs I visit semi regularly.

I realize it's a cliche to say I can't tolerate intolerance. Mutually exclusive terms and all that. It's a conundrum for me.

I remember my proud-to-be-non-traditional Grammy becoming more and more traditional in her views as she aged. And my dad has gone from a fairly tolerant attitude to a markedly rigid view of the world in what seems like a few short years. So much so, that I've made certain topics off limits for us. I feel like I need to be ever aware of the possibility of becoming less tolerant of people with differing views.

Yet I feel very strongly (another conundrum for a passive person such as myself) that we're becoming such a polarized society that taking a non position is viewed as taking a position against someone or something else. Politically, it seems to me that the extremes of both major parties cannot tolerate an ideology anywhere near the middle. Are you with us or against us?

And I'm almost scared to bring up religious intolerance even on my own blog. Although in my heart of hearts, I don't think religious views or differences should affect my online or real life friendships. It is a non issue to me.

All of which just leaves me wondering.... whatever happened to civil discourse? Compromise? Finding common ground? Acknowledging our differences and moving on? Whatever my dearly held beliefs, I assume yours are just as dear to you.

Enough rambling... time to go squeeze my chubbiness into my work clothes. Those thin mints are irresistable!

AG out!

This weekend, The Old Goat had to clean the gutters, a job he particularly dislikes. I thought perhaps I should join him and keep his spirits up....

Hello Dear! Fancy meeting you up here. No... don't turn around... I don't want you to lose your balance!

Now... for those of you who are unfamiliar with the lay out, over here.... look to your left, no right... look to your right!

No, that's my foot. And part of my leg. Yes, I'm scrunched in tiny ball. Despite the ziplining bravado, Asthmagirl retains her trepidation of high places. That is, they are to be experienced as infrequently as possible with no photographic evidence until after the event. Pass the inhaler! 

Now... look to the right of the photo above. Can you see it? No? Let me adjust my position...

Whoa! Slightly dizzy here! Trying to show you the little pink flowers next to the brick. And there's a white thing down there... good night! What is it? I don't even recognize my own flowers from this elevation. Never mind. Backing away.

TOG? Where'd you go?

Crap! He's all the way over there now! And doing a dandy job with those gutters.

Now you may have noticed the lack of development across the street from us? Wetlands. Our boy cat lived there for 6 weeks when he got lost when we moved here. There's all sorts of critters in there... moles, mice, rats and the killer raccoons. Sunday morning there was a woodpecker that drove the Brute Squad crazy!

Hey TOG! Don't leave me over here...

Okay, I'm outta here. Hey, wait a minute...! Is that my turkey brining bucket?

Ah heck! I'll reclaim it later!

AG out!

This was my pick...

another year of disappointment...

Throughout the great Northwest, the signs of springs abound. I took a few shots yesterday to share with you... including TOG's Flowers, above.

The azalea in our front yard....

and of course....

.... the true precursor of spring...

... more reliable that the darn gopher back east...

... that most cherished of all springtime symbols...

.... The Chihuahuas that migrate north every spring to bask in the watery rays of our sub-alpine sun!

Sorry... I couldn't resist!

Wishing you the loveliest of weekends!

AG out!

It being dark by the time I finished making dinner and cleaning up the kitchen, I turned to my favorite camera subjects... the Brute Squad. I don't know how they ever made Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Getting them all to sit still and look at the camera is beyond me. And even if I do...

Maddie picks that moment to primp...

Cassie averts her eyes...

And don't even get me started on looking abused...

Or pathetic...

Still, 20 minutes of wrangling Chihuahuas and playing with my camera... very theraputic!

How was your evening?

AG out!

Top Five List - What I've learned in the last week...

1. I've spent an insane amount of money on the innards of these two girls. But they're worth it.

2. Loss of technology is the great equalizer.

3. People show their true colors when the server is down for 36 hours.

4. Passive aggressive behaviors are inappropriate in the workplace.

5. People who give the starving tech person (who can't leave for lunch) half their "sammie" are saints!

With the crisises resolved... I would now like to spend some quality time with my camera which I haven't touched for a week.

AG (who sincerely hopes that your week has been swell) out!

An initially recovering "Dopey" took a turn for the worse resulting in a 2am emergency vet run on Sunday morning.

All seems well now, but challenges remain in getting her to eat, drink and take her meds. To give her credit, I'd be reluctant to take on nourishment if I'd had a similar experience... particularly 2 days after I'd had my innards worked on...

Just to end on a high note... I have clean clothes this morning. And I got more than three hours sleep!

How was your weekend?

AG out!

Cassie is in full recovery mode from her hoo haw surgery.

Quote of the day goes to TOG.

"Hopefully her personality wasn't in her uterus and she'll be the same goofy dog she was before."

Well said, honey!

Here's hoping your Friday is all that!

AG out!

It's Thursday...

I'm supposed to be going back in today but my doctor's note that was supposedly sent yesterday never arrived at work...

K3 is taking the bus today for the first time since her accident. She's pretty nervous. I told her I believed in her and her ability to make good decisions. Then I went in the bathroom and cried after she left....

Cassie is going into the vet today to get her hoo haw permenantly altered....

I'm probably a failure as a mother... just ask my kids...

My husband is working ungodly hours...

Maybe I'm hormonal...

At least I have this:

And this...

Gah...