Where have I been for the last week? Why have I not been posting anything on my blog? Did you even notice? Did you miss me? I created my blog site almost ten months ago. I set a goal of one year for continuous blogging. Early on, I did not miss a day without posting. Sometimes I went into great depth and other days it was just a short entry with a picture. I wrote lists, poems, tips and questions. I wrote blogs about blogging. As I examined the stats provided to me from wordpress.com I started to see that readers were not checking in daily for my posts (except for a few dedicated fans—I love you too Mom).

I was relieved at the realization that my blog followers are patient people with lives of their own and not eagerly waiting at the electronic mailbox for my next puppy post. It took the pressure off of me to not let a day go by without posting something. It’s not that I run out of things to say, tons of ideas circle through my crazy head and make their way to post it notes. There is definitely no shortage of puppy and kitten pictures as my “out of storage” notification on my iPhone tells me. So why have I let seven whole days go by without posting on my blog?

LIFE. The living gets in the way of the writing, which happens to be okay. Taking a little break from documenting my days and thoughts will ultimately give me more to write about down the road. Writers often find themselves alone on a soft chair in a sunny spot in their homes, while their fingers transport them to other locations filled with many people (or dogs) along the way. Memories are experienced once more as the writer retells the stories. I love this about writing memoir pieces.  Revisiting the past with family, friends, and pets, enjoying it for a second time.

Yet, I believe it is important to put down the pen, paper, and laptop, and make new memories. This past week I did just that. I traveled to California to visit with my parents and my sister. I met up with dear friends to eat, drink, and laugh together. I took in the majestic beauty of the west coast of northern California. I ate the “best clam chowder” with rough crusted sour dough bread, washed down by a light chardonnay from Sonoma Valley. Every bite I ate, sip I drank, and conversation I had will be stored in the archives, filed under “L” for living. 

I miss Koda, Summer, Sansa, and my human babies at home. I miss my routine. Very soon, I will back into the afternoons of dog training, daily litter box cleaning,  rapidly approaching-graduation planning, tennis playing, exercise workouts, etc… It won’t be long before my hikes on the cliffs of Bodega Bay will be a distant memory, when I will have to close my eyes to hear the crashing of the waves against the rocks to remember my weekend with friends.

Home sweet home. I am back. The dogs look bigger. The kitten is just as active. I’m back on the grid, posting again on my blog. By the way, the countdown is now 40 days! FORTY DAYS! Mama Bear is not ready.