We
didn't have the traditional markers that give pace to autumn and move
us gently into the holiday season. Halloween really did not happen. The
fall foliage only had a brief show before Hurricane Sandy ripped off the
leaves and winter storm Athena buried them under heavy snow. When
the landscape emerged it was broken, empty, and brown. The colors of
fall did not fly for long. Winter arrives early and the days are often
grey and cloudy. I cannot seem to accept the arrival of the new season.
How will we decorate, shop and go forward? Stalled, stuck in place
I
think there is a sort of confusion about what is appropriate when many
are suffering -my friend Lynne describes it as a "universal sorrow"
for all the loss around us. 
On Sunday, Liam's doggie cousin, Winnie, disappeared from my sister's house. Winnie is a 15 year old 4 pound Maltese, blind and deaf. Possibly wandered out in the post Sandy confusion. With routines upended and people stressed, pets also do the unexpected. This morning, three days after Winnie went missing, my sister located her at The Shelter Connection in Port Washington. http://www.theshelterconnection.com/She was there with about 9 or 10 pit bulls and was on the verge of being adopted. Tonight Winnie is back home, thanks to the observant folks who called 311 and had her picked up. A huge joy from such a tiny dog.
And there are other joys. Liam shows the way. Today, free latte at Starbucks, my reward for going so often. Liam gets last licks.
Simple pleasures. This card from a 
Liam joins in
A card from my niece Liz with a message. Has to be little things this year- feeling mindful of the enormity of what is changed and gone.
Woof, Woof
