Eeny, meeny, miney, moe, which is the strongest tomato?

If I grew nothing else in my garden this year, I would at least grow tomatoes. Lots and lots of tomatoes. Because from the time the harvest is over in the fall until we're starting seeds again in the spring, there is nothing like the taste of a meal made using tomatoes - or sauce from tomatoes - you grew yourself.

Pizza with thick, pasty sauce. Chili with chunks of last summer's abundant harvest. Spaghetti topped with homemade marinara. YUM.

The last couple summers, in the interest of saving myself some time and possible heartache, I purchased tomato plants. The frugal side of me couldn't stand the idea of shelling out the amount of cash I'd need for as many plants as I want this year though, so I decided to start some seeds myself.

I spent about $13 on three packs of organic seeds and a Jiffy mini greenhouse seed starter (which I can re-use). As soon as I got home I soaked the peat pods and planted my three varieties of seeds, labeled the lid and set it in one of my south-facing windows. Less than five minutes later my dog had one of the clumps of seed starter spread all over the floor.

Bad dog.

I was able to gather up most of it and stuff it back in the little mesh thingy that holds it all together, plant a couple new seeds, and set it back in the container. Within just a few days I had sprouts. Happy!

I cared for those tiny plants over the next few weeks, rotating the container so they'd each get sun and keeping them just the right amount of moist.

One day apparently the dog made the connection that what I was putting in that little dish at his nose level was WATER. You can imagine how that went.

I lost one plant.

And then one day a certain offspring grabbed something from the corner near the window and bumped the table where my seedlings were thriving, upending the whole container.

Ugh. Is all I'm gonna' say about that.

Miraculously, just a few of the plants didn't make it. But after that incident I had no idea which plants were which.

What I did know is some of them were beginning to outgrow their little home, so it was time to do some replanting. This afternoon I gathered up some containers and soil and did just that.

So much for labeling. I have no idea how many plants of which varieties I have.

 I have 17 seedlings in various stages of development. I'm not sure I won't start a few more. Because you can never have too many tomatoes, right?

I'm excited to see how these babies turn out, and if I can manage to harden them off in a few weeks without losing them. That's the part I lose interest in pretty quickly - the shuffling things outside during the day, in at night, out during day, in at night.

Though I suppose if they can survive my animals and my kids, they have a pretty good chance of making it to summer.

Wish us luck.

Hello, October. Woof.

Today was one of those perfect fall days ... sunny and breezy one moment, the next moment overcast and a harbinger of what's to come.

I've had a lot on my mind. Some things I just need to put onto paper and sit someplace quiet and sort out myself. Others I can do nothing about but pray. For intervention. Guidance. Grace.

I also just finished with a pretty extensive DIY project - installing about 600sf of laminate flooring - and in the week it took me to finish it I let some other things slide. So of course now certain areas are in chaos until I find time to pick up the pieces.

This afternoon I needed to get away from all the crap about the government shutdown - on TV, online - and away from the phone and e-mail and just breathe for a few minutes. So I grabbed my camera (which was dusty! For shame.) and took my sweet, silly Gunnar for a walk down the driveway to grab the mail and say hi to my brother-in-law's dog, Baby.

It felt so good to just watch them play and smell the leaves and feel the breeze on my face. I got down on my belly and rolled around with them and got some great photos. It's amazing what a little time outside with our four-legged friends can do for the soul.

How can this not make a person smile?

My handsome boy.

I just love those expressive eyes.

 Giving Baby a little love.

 Rollin' around. We should all do this now and then, no?

 Hmm. Ball or apple?

Ball?

Apple?

 Oh, that tongue. Gunnar's just about worn out by this point.

Sweet Baby. There's a lot of energy in that little dog.

"Hey, that's MY ball!"

 Pure joy.

Dogs are so intelligent. We sure could learn a lesson or two from them. Like, need a pick-me-up? Go outside, meet a friend and toss a ball around. Voila!

So close to perfect ...

My hands smell of rosemary and thyme. They are what's left in my garden - along with the Chives That Will Not Die and a lone green onion sprout - after what feels like the longest winter ever.

Sometimes I think God must allow us to feel a little pain so we remember just how blessed we are once the sun shines again. Oh, and am I ever thankful the sun is shining now. I am thankful for these recent days of warmer temperatures, and the beautiful thunderstorm I awoke to yesterday morning. Day after day I think today couldn't possibly be better than yesterday. And then it is.

I go through periods of discontent. There are times when I think I might not be on the right path. I wonder if this crazy life we live is really the right life for us. But then I take a long look in the mirror and I see the pink cheeks and shoulders from a day spent in the sun and I know: this is the right path, we are in the right place, I am and I have enough.

We've had an amazing few days. Lots of sunshine and family time. The kids and I spent much of last weekend outdoors, raking and shoveling and prepping for summer. My plants and shrubs are starting to poke up through the ground and show some color. It all makes me so happy.

One evening the kids asked me to go back to the creek with them - a short ride on the golf cart on family property - and it's a wonder we ever came back. It's so beautiful out there. The birds were singing ... frogs croaking ... kids playing and exploring. We all got our feet wet. I took a few pictures, which I will share when I download them from my phone.

Even my allergies have been minimal, which surprises me with all the time I have spent outside and sleeping at night with my bedroom window open. Not to mention two shedding dogs. Mercy. I spent about a half hour outside brushing Gunnar this morning and got a good bushel of fur (I swear!) before he had enough. It cost me a chicken breast to keep him distracted, but no sneezing! And then he thanked me by laying in a mud puddle. *sigh* It's a good thing I'm pretty much ignoring the interior of the house right now because two dogs and a swampy back yard make spring cleaning a lesson in futility. If I can't stand to look at it anymore I just go outside. Which is where I'm headed now.

All this activity is good for the soul. As I walk around and survey the progress of our little homestead I am grateful for the opportunity to be present, not just in the grand scheme, but daily, for the small moments. I can appreciate the small changes, the growth, the color, even if I only see it in passing as I chase down Gunnar The Giant Puppy to retrieve my gardening glove.

Life is good.

Really feeling it today.

I started to update my Facebook status, but it got too long to really reflect how good I feel today. So I'm putting it here. I'm feeling just ... so blessed.

I have some phone calls to make to rearrange some appointments - the rigamarole I'm going through to have testing done to determine the cause of these breathing issues I've been having. I went to the ENT specialist last week, and had a breathing test (I can't remember what it's called) at the hospital this week. Now we move on to allergy testing. It's kind of a pain, but if I had a Twitter account this is something I would tag as #firstworldproblems. I know I am fortunate to have this opportunity so I will keep my griping to a minimum.

And this morning, after I dropped the kids off at school (three more days until Sammy's cast comes off!), I hit the grocery store and came out with a full cart to be met with gorgeous sunshine. People I came across at each stop I made were cheery and wished me a Merry Christmas.

On the drive home I felt uplifted. Full of joy. Is it the sunshine, maybe? The realization that Christmas - and a week-long visit from my sweetheart - is just over a week away? Is it that I'm looking forward to trying a fancy soup I splurged on for lunch? Or that I'm getting my hair done later today? That it's payday and I feel like I can exhale?

I don't know. And it doesn't matter. I'm just going to enjoy it.

I leave you with a picture. My little Gunnar, who has never really been little at all, is six months old today.

He loves playing in the snow.

Enjoy!

Bring it.

Yesterday it was so warm outside I had windows open in the house.

On December 4. In Michigan.

This morning? Not so much.

We keep getting teased with a little snow here and there, but it melts within a day or two. Up until now I've enjoyed what we got but I was only marginally ready for a big snowfall. Rachel helped me do the last of the tidying-up outside last night though, so now I'm ready for the fluffy white stuff to start piling up and to stick around.

Except I'm not. Because Sam is still on crutches and I worry that he will slip and fall. He has just shy of two weeks before he goes back to the doctor to have his cast taken off. And then I'll be ready. Maybe. Because as soon as the snow starts to pile up and Sam has the OK from the doctor, he's going to start bugging me to hit the slopes. Hhhhh.

Praise God for healthy, active children, right?

I really am ready for some snow. I actually saw some dandelions in the yard yesterday while I was out playing with the dogs. For serious! All this grey and blah out there and then I see these BRIGHT YELLOW flowers poking their heads up. Tough little suckers. I hope they enjoy the snow, too. Ha!

But seriously. Christmas is 20 days away and I would really love a white Christmas. Every day I play my Pandora "White Christmas" station while I putter around the house, and I leave the lights glowing on our teensy little tree.

That tree, by the way, looked like a hot mess this morning. We have had some close calls with the dogs bumping into the table - or the domino effect of chair, then table, and the tree goes a wobblin' - but so far she's still standing. Gunnar can get his nose pretty high, though, so he can slide stuff right off tables, countertops ... basically any surface where you've put something to keep it away from him.

Exhibit A:

 Our makeshift tablecloth-turned-tree-skirt.

Gunnar grabbed one little corner with his mouth, apparently thinking the tree wanted to play a game of tug with him.

I caught it before the whole thing came tumbling down.

Exhibit B:

 Stockings will not be hung until Mr. Gunnar is safely crated in the bedroom on Christmas Eve.

Aww. Despite his daily shenanigans, there is the occasional Christmas card-worthy photo. How could anyone not love this face?

He's ready for snow, too.

We had so much fun!

I took the dogs to a nearby dog park today.

And by "nearby" I mean a 30-minute drive to the next county. Totally worth the drive, though. Even with a hound dog breathing down my neck.

Ladybug and Gunnar ran and ran and ran and played and ran with, at one point, four other dogs - all of them of the designer "doodle" breed, like Labradoodle and Goldendoodle. Gorgeous dogs. Big dogs. I kinda' felt like I had the misfits of the bunch, but Ladybug was so well-behaved and Gunnar charmed the other dogs' people with his handsomeness.

Enough dogs and people came and went that my dogs stayed busy and happy for a good hour and a half. When I got them back in the truck their typical roles were reversed as Gunnar was pooped out and ready for a nap, but Ladybug was uber excited and still bouncing all over the place.

"Mom. Make her stop."

 Here I think Gunnar has actually fallen asleep on Bug's backside.

Look at that smile!

"Are we home yet? Huh? Huh? Huh?"

And poor Gunnar finally gave up and sacked out.

We're all gonna' sleep good tonight!

Biggest. Baby. Ever.

He was all "I'ma kick your ass" when he saw that giant (and not so friendly to other dogs, so says the owner) Mastiff get out of the truck down the way.

And then mama held him while he hollered at the vet tech for clipping his nails.

But then he got a treat and it was all good.

Gunnar: my not-so-much-a-baby-anymore baby. He's four months old and 45 pounds. My guess is he will at least double that weight. At least.

All I can say is he better start jumping in and out of the truck by himself.

Who wants a treat?!

Quick update.

I'm here! I feel like I have really neglected my blog lately - which mostly means family and friends who don't see my occasional posts on Facebook might not be as up-to-date on the goings-on of the Pipe Lifers as when I am blogging regularly. For shame.

Well. The business of life continues. Big highlight: Sam shot a beautiful 9-pt. buck during the youth hunt weekend here in Michigan. I will pick it up from the meat processor next week, and will take the head/hide to a taxidermist. We decided to have it mounted for him - Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas for like, the next three years, kid! OK, not really. But close.

And here's the "Pipe Life" part of the story ... Steve made arrangements to come home and take Sam out hunting over the weekend, but they didn't have any luck. Steve had to head back to Detroit Sunday afternoon, but Sam still had the opportunity to hunt that evening. His Uncle Tom took him out, and that's when Sam shot this deer. I was (and still am) so happy for our boy, but gosh I sure wish Steve had been here to be a part of it, and to see this beautiful deer. Especially since the same thing happened last year, except I was the one with Sam when he took his 4-point. Ah well. Thank God for e-mail and texts and the good ol' telephone.

In other news, Gunnar the puppy is growing like a weed. He is in that puppy "teenager" stage where his legs are long and lanky and he hasn't quite grown into those big ears. His fur is getting shiny - losing that puppy fuzziness - and he is so handsome. Smart, too. Almost too smart for his own good. Some days it's a darn good thing he's that cute. *ahem* And he and Ladybug are getting along splendidly.

A rare "still" moment.

Rachel has started another busy year of Girl Scouts (her Troop will be walking in the Homecoming parade tonight) and is looking forward to signing up for a rec basketball league soon. Sam is halfway through football season (he would want me to mention his team is 3-0) and while he's not getting as much play time as he would like, he is learning a lot about the game, about working together as a team, and his overall health is improving with all that activity.

There's so much more to mention but I said quick update, so I'll stop there. It's Friday and I have errands to run and stuff to do. Enjoy your weekend!