I have a pasture. Only accessible while I’m sleeping, the dream pasture bears earmarks of the one behind the house I grew up in, yet is all its own. There is much open space, but the boundaries are clearly defined. There is a smattering of large, shade tree worthy oaks at the front, and a copse of smaller scrub near the back of the property. Visiting this dream place all my adult life, I’ve subconsciously taken my father, all the dogs I’ve ever owned and many friends with me to walk and talk with me there.
Around 2:00a this morning I awoke with a start, realizing that I had just been walking the pasture with Bree, and that it had been her first visit.

What’s really going to bake your noodle is that in that moment I also realized that I had the pasture at all, and that I’ve seen it in my dreams for at least 30 years. While I’ve probably been aware of that secret before and lost it again, now that I’ve written it down only senility will rob me of it.

Chinese food will do that to you.

Our favorite little Chinese place, located a half mile away, closed. A very sad thing, since the food had always been *perfect*. Hot, fresh, the recipes spot on. Every single time we ate their food we spoke of how good it was. So last night, tired from cleaning and unwilling to cast an eye to the defrosted bird in the fridge, I ordered from its ’sister’ restaurant. It was horrible. So bad that I threw their number away. So bad that we won’t be eating the leftovers. Now, that’s bad.

Speaking of cleaning…

I was reluctantly into it yesterday when the phone rang Arthur’s oh-so-special ring.
“Whatcha doing?”
“Cleaning”
“Oh… because I told you that I was bringing…”
“No, of course not. It’s just time. Stuff is dirty”
“You really haven’t cleaned since YsD left, have you?”
*Bou Blink*
“You think I haven’t cleaned anything since YsD left?”
“Uhhhh….”
“Take your foot out of your mouth and get back to work, darlin’”

I need to mow today; that’s long overdue. It’s a really beautiful morning, though… a beach morning.

Why don’t I have a dream beach instead of pasture? Because I spent my youth in pastures, I guess.