Joy is not made to be a crumb*

• I spilled turmeric on my sweater (turmeric-ginger oatmeal, to be specific, on a new sweater Mark's mom just gave me for an early Christmas gift, to be specific) and then went down a YouTube rabbit hole, into a world where Indian woman clean turmeric stains out of white garments. Also, I successfully removed the turmeric, although it took about 72 hours for the sweater to dry.
• I thought today about how I always feel bad for the people on passing city buses who see me through the dining room window, happily eating oatmeal in my cozy, warm house. And then I thought, some of those people on those early morning buses are perfectly happy to be there. Maybe it's the first day of a new job they're thrilled about. Maybe they're getting to campus early to see someone they have a crush on. Maybe they're reading the final pages of an excellent book that's ending in a thrilling, satisfying way. 

*Don’t Hesitate 

If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, 
don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty 
of lives and whole towns destroyed or about 
to be. We are not wise, and not very often 
kind. And much can never be redeemed. 
Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this 
is its way of fighting back, that sometimes 
something happens better than all the riches 
or power in the world. It could be anything, 
but very likely you notice it in the instant 
when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the 
case. Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid 
of its plenty. Joy is not made to be a crumb. 

Mary Oliver

Rabbit rabbit!

Cheek swab

Wow, I blew the daily bloggery thing this month. Somehow winter has arrived and Zoë has turned 26, neither of which is an adequate excuse for non-blogging, but there you go. 

Today I swabbed the cheeks of my canine amigos so that we can learn more about them. I registered Gus under my name, so I'll get his DNA results by email, and Clover under Mark's name. Our plan is that I'll put Gus's info in Mark's Christmas stocking and vice versa, for a big gender-reveal-type reveal on Christmas morning. 

Mark's mom is here for Thanksgiving, and Isaac arrives later today (or tomorrow, if he heeds his mother's pleas not to drive in the snow). We have plans to cook a feast.

He's 100% dog, but she may be part monkey.

My life was the size of my life

Uh oh, looks like this entire month could be a collection of posts about how I keep forgetting to write in this here blorg. The weekend went by, and I utterly forgot. Mark came home from his travels, and we had some catching up to do on lengthy dog walks, screen printing, and cooking food that's not a bowl of cereal or a roasted sweet potato, which seemed to be what I subsisted on in my solitude! Oh, and cheese and crackers too.

We made Moroccan fish stew last night, and I bought a lovely loaf of bread from Standard.

Despite writing my dreams down lately, I keep losing them by the time I'm upright. I know something interesting went on in my brain last night, but I can't remember a single detail.

Living must be your whole occupation

I'm not off to the best start, as far as this posting every day thing. Ah well! I have been spending my days writing things, printing things, and stitching away on an endless embroidery project while watching Bojack Horseman and Forever. In between, I walk dogs, talk to dogs, pet a sweet cat, and let the dogs out in the back yard to wrestle and chase squirrels. Even though I suspect she's out for actual squirrel blood, I love to watch Clover fly around the perimeter of the yard like a cartoon reindeer.

Mark is helping Isaac and Edna move to a new apartment in Ossining, which looks from photos like it has a lovely ornate ceiling and beautiful floors. I am making holiday plans — I always start off with such energy and focus!

A couple of complaints to follow. My house is so dirty right now. Everything is covered in layers of dog and cat hair and dry leaves. I am washing our duvet right now because I'm tired of sleeping with hair in my mouth. Also, I fear that we really really need a new mattress, unless there's some other reason I keep waking up feeling like I've been cage fighting all night long. End complaints.https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/living

Our movements give off light

Looking so peaceful and innocent.

Dogs basking in the sun, after coming frighteningly close to catching a squirrel. The squirrel, to be fair, was teasing them, running back and forth along the top of the fence and doing death-defying leaps from fence to tree branch and back. It ended up on the ground and tore off toward the willow tree, dogs in pursuit, and I swear I saw Clover scramble up the trunk of that tree at least five or six feet off the ground, snapping at the squirrel's tail the whole time. I mean, she almost had that squirrel's tail in her mouth. She was over Gus's head. 

Hello, day after election day, things here are more good than bad, glass at least half full from where I stand. We have the first woman governor of Maine, and she is not (to my knowledge) a nasty racist. Yay!! 

Did I mention how much Gus enjoys when I fill the bird feeder with shelled sunflower seeds? The birds like it too, but Gus thinks it's an awkward treat for him, and he vacuums up all the tiny seeds he can find on the ground. For days afterward, his poop is full of sunflower seeds.

Trigger warning for election map

Gulp.

This fucking map

To watch/listen to election returns, or not to? Just thinking about the map above (much less looking at it) is utterly nauseating.

Still, it's cheering to see everyone's "I VOTED" photos on Instagram and the Book of Faces.