In December, if you remember, we added a new family member. Lilly is a miniature pinscher, and she is…. I have no words. She is the strangest funniest dog.

I know there are some people who would be a little nervous living where I live because it is a remote area. But thanks to Lilly, I shouldn’t have to worry about anything untoward happening to me. She lives to protect. Here she is in her attack mode…..

She is always alert for danger. Here she is listening for anything out of ordinary. As you can see, she is equipped to hear the smallest noises. This explains why she will run into the living room barking at something down the hallway that Zeus and I (both already in the living room) cannot hear even though Zeus and I mistakenly thought no one else was home. Obviously she hears something because she barks at the empty hallway for the next 30 minutes….

I could have used Lilly around several years ago when we had that snake inside the house because Lilly does not hesitate to attack snake-like things. In fact, Lilly has been keeping herself very busy because there has been a huge infestation of these snake-like things in our house lately. Lilly probably spends hours every day defending us from these things, and she does not hesitate to show how brave she is even when they rise up against her…

We have no idea where these cylindrical brown things are coming from, but Zeus and I lack some of Lilly’s skills for detecting danger. Zeus even sits down on the job while Lilly remains diligent and even manages to save Zeus just as one almost gets him…


When Lilly isn’t busy chasing the unidentified snake-like thing that is invading the house, she stays busy barking at that dog that keeps trying to sneak in. Here she is sitting on the back of our couch, barking at that wayward dog clearly visible in the round glassy (almost looks like a mirror) window. (Although the wayward dog would have been more visible had Lilly stopped to cleaned the window….)

It should be no surprise to any of you that Lilly is a sister of that other mini pin we lost earlier this year, Neutron, who I affectionately nicknamed….
Stupid Dog.


Thanks for playing.

On Sunday, March 2, my mom, Bernardine Denton, will celebrate her 70th birthday.

This is a photo of me, my sister Kari, my mom, and my sister Dee.

She was born in Eagle, Colorado in 1938. She moved to Arizona when she was pretty young. Growing up, her family was poor. I believe it was the year she turned 16 that both her brother and her father died. Her brother died in a car crash on “dead man’s curve” while her dad died within a month or so (I am not clear on all of these details although I should be); I think it was a heart attack….

Her mom had four children at home when her dad died. My grandma took in laundry and would iron people’s clothes to earn an income.

My mom talked about getting a china doll for Christmas. (The only present, and one that was more extravagant than she ever expected.) My mom has told stories about not having new shoes and catching scorpions in the desert and swimming in the canals. When she talks about going to friend’s houses, she often mentions the food she would eat there. Her own family meals were often tomatoes and macaroni noodles — a poor man’s goulash.

When her family first moved to Arizona, they lived in tents. Her dad built their brick house over several years. She had to do the family’s dishes using dish pans and hauling water. She tells a story about telling her dad she wouldn’t ever complain about doing dishes if she had running water.

My mom has always talked me up to everyone. She is always going on about how proud she is of me. She has been a constant source of support. She would read to me tirelessly when I was a kid. She spoiled me horribly (my sister would say I was a brat). She always reminds me to hug and love my children. She battled breast cancer. She has spent her entire life taking care of other people, and she is a bit lost to find herself living alone without anyone to care for.

Happy (early) birthday, Mom!

My niece Jessica has been going back to college. While doing this she is also the mom to three boys and a wife plus has employment too. I know how hard it can be to juggle all of these things AND get your homework done.

She did well her first semester, and she is in her second semester and taking honors classes but that’s not why I’m writing this post.

She wrote a poem for a diversity-themed writing contest, and she won. She doesn’t know what she won yet (or what position), but she promises to update me when she found out.

Congrats, Jessica!