One - Poopie Puppy, Rain, and Roasted Chicken

Hello! My name is Julia, welcome to my blog :) I have decided to share my passions and loves with the world, with hopes that I can spark some inspiration, and remind people of how beautiful our world is. There is so much negativity out there in the news, in our interactions with people day-to-day that can really get us down, so much so that we often forget to rejoice in the beauty, the magic.

I'd say I'm a pretty happy person. The trick? I pay attention. I stop, I breathe, I take notice. I feel people have stopped paying attention because they have been disappointed in what they notice. But to stop paying attention, to block the world out, to avoid the sadness, the pain, is to also neglect the good and wonderful parts. You need to read that horrible story in the news about the boy who was abducted from his school, in order appreciate how joyful a story about a dog saving an elderly woman's life is. It's the balance of life, the ying and the yang...

So today began with my not-so-little Bernese Mountain Dog Watson waking me up at an unearthly hour to take her outside. I reasoned that her scratching at the door frantically must mean serious business, not playtime, so I raced her outside and the Poopie Puppy Saga began. Yeppers, diarreah. This calls for a sick day!

In and out all day, and even though Watson is clearly under the weather, she is pure joy. She is inspiring, who knew a dog could teach so many life lessons? On walks she literally stops to smell every flower, it's a funny and beautiful thing, and makes me smile every time.

Right now she's completely spread out on the floor, legs flat out behind her like a frog, just now falling asleep to the sound of the rain falling outside.

Today was a perfect day for rain, and even though I've had to get the umbrella and the wellies out 17 times so far, I'm loving it. It's a pensive kind of rain, the big wet drops make a perfect soundtrack for thinking. Not all of my trips out in the rain today were devoted to Watson. I had to take a time-out from nursing the pup to buy some underwear for my husband. Although he had an overflowing drawer full last month, he's now down to 7 pair. And for those of you who live with a man you know that 7 pair will only last him two days max. Needless to say when my husband heard I'd be taking a sick day from work his first order of business for me was that I go get him some new underwear. (If anyone knows what actually happens to the missing underwear I'd love to be let in on the secret, because my husband swears he has no idea).

I walked to the department store, since I already had my umbrella and wellies prepped I felt it would give me and the rain some time to soak into each other.. and boy did the rain ever soak in. I guess 16 "business" walks was just too much for my blue wellies because my left one sprung a nice leak. 3 packages of mens undies, and a left-foot soaker later, it was decided that tonight's dinner was going to be Roasted Chicken. It's the only meal that can warm a chill that deep.

I have just recently learned how to roast a chicken. If you have never made a roast chicken, you need to learn. It's dead easy, makes the house smell incredible, and tastes like heaven. I use Jamie Oliver's Roasted Chicken recipe. Actually I'm having a one-sided food affair with Jamie Oliver. He's completely brilliant, but that's a story for another wonderful day...