saffron and sass

Personifying the dog

It has been suggested that, in some ways, taking care of Clover is somewhat like caring for a toddler (but not as difficult).  So, I thought I would chronicle some of the ways in which Clover is like a small child:

1. She loves to be the center of attention-demands it actually.

2. She likes to cuddle after meals, when she is not feeling well and when she is tired.

3. When she wants something she barks (cries) and you have to figure out whether she is hungry, thirsty, has to go to the bathroom or just wants her toy.

4. She does not like baths.

5. She is grumpy when hungry.

6. She wakes up ridiculously early.

There are also some ways in which she reminds me of some adults I know…

For example, when she is going to be sick, she runs into a back room and hides so no one can see or find her.

on (not) cooking

Here’s the thing…it is REALLY hot here.  I feel like I am living in an oven and when it feels like you are in an oven, there is really not much motivation to use an oven, or a stove, or even really a microwave.  The only cooking appliance I have regularly been using is the grill…primarily because when you are cooking outside on a 400 degree grill, the fact that the thermostat reads 90 degrees doesn’t feel so bad.  Or, if I’m not grilling, I’ve been cooking one big meal on Sunday (like spaghetti) and then eating it (or its variants) for the rest of the week…one recommendation though…if you make bolognese with ground turkey instead of beef and then put the meat sauce on some sourdough, you get a delicious sloppy joe (did I invent this? should it be a sloppy sarah?).

Anyway, apologies for the lack of cooking stories…we are supposed to get a cold front (read: 89 degree high) next week so maybe I will be inspired!

(Please note: you must appreciate this post because it took around 40 minutes to type due to the fact that Clover was insisting on a post-dinner cuddle and kept putting her face on the keys to prevent me from typing.)

signs you’ve lived in ny

1. you notice that coming out of every conversation with a stranger, you are the less friendly one.

2. you don’t understand why, even though you live in a small resort town, it is impossible to get thai food or sushi or pretty much whatever you want delivered.

3. a bird poops on your leg from a tree and your first thought is “#%^$c@ pigeons”.

4. you can’t sleep because it is too quiet

5. when hiking uphill, you calculate height based on what level walk-up apartment is equivalent to the distance you must climb

true in new york and also everywhere else:

- people do not like when you talk to their children if they don’t know you

- being pooped on by birds sucks

calamity and rambo

When I was a kid, I would always come home with all sorts of marks on my body; Ink from magic markers on my hands, and often on my face as well, grass stains on my knees or pants and jelly (saved for later) from my sandwich at lunch on my cheeks.  But, the marks I remember most and which were the most frequent throughout my youth (even in high school…horrors!) were the bruises and scratches that mark an active life.  I was the girl that ran with the boys, played dodgeball every day, was willing to dive head first to catch a fly ball in softball practice. I suppose you could say I was a tomboy (my haircut certainly was more male than female) but I prefer to think that I was just someone who threw herself into life full force regardless of the bumps and bruises along the way.

Somewhere along the way, in my life since high school, I became much more cautious, less willing to throw myself into things and see what happened.  I spent more time indoors and when I was outdoors I was more likely to be lounging and talking than playing touch football or trying a new game or sport.  I retreated from my earlier self to the point that when I announced that I was an “outdoor person” there was some surprise amongst my friends.  I was shocked by this until I realized that very few of my friends had ever seen me play a sport or go for a hike or even really try a new adventure.  They didn’t know that I spent every summer from when I was 7 until I was 13 at my grandparents’ cabins on a lake, fishing with my grandfather or paddleboating in the morning and hiking all afternoon while my grandparents napped.  I lived for visiting the lake, swimming in the early evening with the otters, picking blueberries (and sometimes seeing a bear in the patch!) and more than anything, driving my grandmother’s boat around the lake at full speed. 

Reading this, I hope you are thinking, “OH, that is why she is spending the summer on a lake,” and you would be right.  I’m here for several reasons and with several purposes but one major one is to recapture the sense of adventure I seem to have lost in the insecurity of college and post-grad life. 

Right now, I am proud to say that I have at least 10 separate bruises from various adventures as simple as running into the grocery cart at the supermarket and as complicated as my first attempt to kayak.  I have nicknamed myself calamity sarah because probably a normal person would not have quite so many bruises from my daily life.  Nonetheless, I take it as a sign that I am on the right path.  Tomorrow, I plan to go for a long hike.

Since I mention my nickname, I should probably also let you know that I have taken to calling Clover “Rambo”.  Yesterday afternoon, she was trying to visit some friends a couple of houses over (they host a summer camp out of their house, it is crazy over there) when she encountered their not-so-friendly rescue dog.  Clover tried to play nice and go sniff hello but this dog was not having it.  The result: a bite to the face.  Don’t worry, she is ok but she does now have a large cut on her nose.  The vet says it will heal naturally and gave her a shot and some antibiotics but for now, she looks a bit like a prize fighter.  Her biggest concern: no swimming for one week.

Speaking of nicknames, I have never had one and I want to…suggestions?

there is a big stick in the lake near our dock that clover has decided is her sworn enemy and has attacked during every swim this week.  so far, the stick is winning.