Dogs do many things for me, they enter the spirit of my life, calm and settle me, show me acceptance of life.

This was an exhausting week for Maria and I, she is like a man in some ways, she will never admit to vulnerability. She succumbed to exhaustion this afternoon.

I felt vulnerable this week. I was upset at the plight of the displaced Mansion residents, I am determined to help them in the coming weeks if I can. We lost our water temporarily and I was concerned about losing our water and much of our heat in the wake of this storm.

We spent hours shoveling and scraping cars and gates today, and we painted the bedroom for  hours. I suggested we sit down before the fire, and rest and read in silence. She agreed, a sure sign she was exhausted – she worked so hard to shovel the paths today. And so did I.

She sat next to me with a book, I put the wonderful Mary Lattimore on speaker. I don’t usually read in that quiet afternoon hour, or sleep, I sit in silence and just keep on learning to be with myself. Bud has entered into the spirit of this restful time. He jumps up into my lap, puts hid head on my chest and stomach and sleeps. The sound of his snoring and breathing, and the sight of his smushed-up face grounds me and settles me.

I could hear the sounds of the wind shipping ice and snow against the window, the bleating of a sheep, calling out for more food, Red and Fate at our feet, Maria by my side, quiet and recovering from the exhaustion she hates to acknowledge.

One of the many things I love about getting older is that people expect me to get exhausted on a day like this, I don’t have to deny that it happens any longer, I am free to be me.

Usually, Bud rests his head against my hand, and sighs. He trusts me know to hold his head up, something he didn’t do at first. I find this restful, spiritual, we trust one another, we rest together. We are bonded together in this peacefulness, we each make it possible for the other.

Maria was reading quietly right next to me, and I appreciated the beauty of solitude, so necessary for the creative life, so necessary for life.

I’m up now to blog briefly – it’s a good night for blogging –  and make dinner on this brutally cold and windy night – I pray for the federal workers, for the helpless people, for our animals out in that cold. For the people who follow me on my journey. We are all connected, I know it now.

Dinner is fresh salmon for Maria, a turkey burger for me. Spinach salads. I am happy to have a dog who enters into the spirit of my meditation hour.