Much like a house needs spring cleaning in order to clear out the winter clutter and make space for bustle of summer, daily life periodically demands the same action.

With my wedding coming up in October, a giant veggie (and weed) laden garden to tend at Bounding Hound Farm, a new skincare business on the horizon (be on the lookout for Artemisia soon!), two geriatric hounds and two frolicking puppies, two very fulfilling but time consuming jobs (Story Story Night and McCall-Donnelly Education Foundation), and a weekly blog commitment, I had to draw the line somewhere…..so, FU fans, this is the last you’ll hear from me for a while.

Rest assured, I will be posting a blog after the wedding (what will she wear?? oh, the suspense!). In the meantime, I leave you with a Bounding Hound Farm photo album. Farewell……for now!

red plum tree

white plum tree

pear tree

lemon tree

orange tree

concord grape

grape tomatoes

big boy tomatoes

eggplant

cucumbers

cantaloupe

bull's blood beets

rainbow chard

beets, carrots, and turnips...oh my......

horseradish

ginger (planted from a store-bought root that sprouted!)

sweet corn

Our "little" corn field and the future Bounding Hound Farm greenhouse.

glory rose

peace rose

lincoln rose

hydrangea

rose of sharon hibiscus

goldflame honeysuckle

fuchsia calla lily

The original "bounding hounds" - Ed and Sarah

The new "bounding hound" brood - Cindy and Evelyn

Sarah makes one hell of a fine farm dog......

.....but no dog loves the garden quite like Ed.

The perfect logo from an incredible artist. Thank you, Heather Bauer!

So…….here’s to it…..not losing site of one’s priorities, doing whatever it takes to realize those priorities and to staying in a perpetual state of forward motion. Onward!

Here’s how I feel today:

The lady with the flowers on her arm says “meh”

Most days, I feel a bit more like……

Gazing with conviction toward the future…….onward and upward, and all that….

There comes a point when turning around is no longer an option; when you’ve invested so much time, love, energy, hope, (insert appropriate noun here), that taking it back or starting anew simply doesn’t make sense. Best to just push the hell forward….onward……because it takes a lot more guts to see a life choice through til the end than to push the reset button.

To quote the great political-philosophical teachings of Public Enemy, “Don’t believe the hype.” All that new-age garbage about recreating yourself whenever you want and following your dreams at whatever cost is a whole lot of hype. If you make a choice, see it through til the end. When things get rough, that’s when the real learning begins.

A good friend of mine told me recently that one of the reasons she values having me in her life so much is that, for as stubborn and headstrong as I can be, when I make a mistake I own it and apologize. That’s one of the best compliments I’ve ever received, and I think it’s an important aspect of seeing plans through til the end – you build and mend, build and mend, and at some point you find yourself in a place better than where you started. Or at the very least, in a different space with a new perspective.

Thanks for the photos, Bethany Walter.

Dress: Mixie Clothing
Slip: no tags, thrift store find
Shoes: no label, vintage store find
Necklace & Earrings: Hazel Cox
Glasses: Salt Optics

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Yesterday, July 17, was the 6th anniversary of my stepfather Charley’s death (or deathiversary, as my morbid sense of humor compels me to call it…..grief begets levity, eventually…)

Quintessential Charley - boiling the head of a mule deer in our kitchen. The house reeked for days. Never again, Ma told him......

Charley was a true modern renaissance man – one of those rare people who didn’t mind being defined by what he did. He didn’t work to live, he lived to work because he actively pursued the things in life he wanted to do…….actor, musician, dancer, comedian, carpenter, craftsman, hunter, fisher, gardener, father, companion…….he did it all with charisma and intensity.

Charley in Moliere's "The Mandrake" - his facial expressions were legendary. This production is how my mother and Charley met...and fell in love.

Ma and I carved out a little space in an otherwise frantic Tuesday to do one of the things Charley loved best – take a dog walk along the Payette and get a lungfull of mountain air.

Ma in what she calls her "real living" clothes - lightweight cotton shirt, denim skirt, and dweeby sandals. This is how I always picture her.

Had he been on this walk with us, Charley would have repeatedly interrupted the calm to wave an excited hand toward the massive thunderhead building in the sky and speculate on whether or not it held any rain.

I suppose this is my own "real living" outfit, because I wear versions of it allll the time - silk t-shirt over a cotton tank, skinny jeans, leather mocassins, and Hazel Cox jewelry.

We did not always get along – his intensity scared the pants off me when I was a kid – but Charley and I worked hard to forge a loving relationship between our stubborn and headstrong egos. In the end, strangely, it was his cancer that disarmed us both enough to build that bond.

Cheers - sitting on the back porch of the lovely home Charley built for his family. We cherish it.

What I do is who I am, because I strive to do what I love. Just like Charley. Happy deathiversary, you odd and incredible man. You will always be missed and fondly remembered….for our 6th year without your physical presence, we toasted you with champagne and made your favorite dinner – tacos. Here’s to you, Charley Taber.

Beef tacos - Charley style