i think portland is having the most magnificent display of autumn colors since i moved here in 2006. i almost cannot stand the gloriousness of it. seriously. there has been a great deal of squealing and clapping with glee. (i often think that i should not be allowed to drive in the fall. i am horribly distracted.)

apparently atlas spent this visit to the doggy ranch trying valiantly to catch bella, a little weimaraner who can outrun every dog there. he never caught her, but he certainly gave it his all, as evidenced by his trimmer waist and more visibly muscular torso.

the tiny leaves in the last photo looked like stars on the sidewalk.

since now is the time of year when so many of us need to pause (to rest and recharge and renew) more than ever, and it is also the time of year when it is the hardest to find the time and/or money to do so, i am offering a special on that service for the remainder of the year. if it speaks to you and the time is right, do sign up. there are a couple of spots available in november and a few more available in december.

i usually drink a great many eggnog lattes this time of year but i don't love coffee. yesterday, i had a brilliant plan. i always have a box of chai tea latte on hand and you add milk to it, so i bought eggnog and i am going to make eggnog chai lattes! i am anticipating the goodness of the eggnog without the coffee taste. fingers crossed that it actually is tasty.

do you want a good salad idea? roast cauliflower with olive oil, sea salt, and curry powder. toss salad greens, thinly sliced pear, red onion, and walnuts into a bowl, then add the roasted cauliflower (warm or cold, both are good). for a dressing, i like to drizzle it with olive oil and add a pinch of sea salt. it is delicious – and perfect for this season.

speaking of cauliflower, in my personal experience, one head of cauliflower equals one serving of cauliflower, especially if it's roasted. i always wonder what people do who are cooking for more than one person.

i'd love to hear what's going on in your world today.

i feel like i had a funny atlas story i was going to tell you, only in this moment, i cannot for the life of me remember it. oh well. instead, i thought i'd share another atlas song, sung to the tune of "oh my darling clementine".

oh, my darling. oh, my darling. oh, my darling atlas pup.

you're so sweet, and how i love you. love you so much, atlas pup.

brown he was and very furry and his tail was very small.

smelly feet and a wet no-ose, ears like velvet, yes there was.

oh, my darling. oh, my darling. oh, my darling atlas pup.

you're so sweet, and how i love you. love you so much, atlas pup.

on tuesday, i took atlas for a walk at 7am because i needed to leave earlier than usual. he walked a few yards and went to the bathroom.

i continued on because, yay! a morning walk with my puppy!

atlas took a few steps. then, he stopped and gave me a look. the look said, "it is cold and dark and there is a still-warm bed calling my name. i already did what you wanted. why do you torment me so?"

i always put atlas’ bed on the rebounder while i vacuum the downstairs. i paused my vacuuming efforts yesterday to take a quick photo in the kitchen. while i was doing so, i heard a thump, and came out of the kitchen to see what was going on. this is the sight that greeted me.

i am pretty sure there is a rule that says no dogs on the rebounder. apparently that rule is rendered null and void if the dog’s bed is on the rebounder.

p.s. apparently atlas fell in love with a little white pug at the doggy ranch. they’re in the photo on the left, six rows down, surveying their doggy ranch-dom. don’t they look cute?

"there are people who do this sort of thing, you know. they're called models. maybe you need to hire one.

i can hear you thinking that you don't want a picture of a model; you want a picture of me. you don't need a picture of me. you can just look at me. you can look at me 24/7 if you want, and yet you actually choose to leave me behind sometimes. someone who leaves the house without me definitely doesn't need a picture of me.

i can also hear you thinking that this only ever takes a minute. a minute is 60 whole seconds of my life that i'll never get back. there are things to be sniffed, lady. the outdoors is not meant to sit still in."

(a very disgruntled elizabeth says: "i left out the photo where i asked him to stay and instead he moved and peed on the pretty ivy.")

p.s. in case you missed monday's post, there's a celebration going on through saturday!

you know your dog is an angel when you leave him alone in the car with a hamburger and sweet potato fries while you run into the post office and then wait in line to mail your packages and you come back to find the food where you left it – completely untouched.

yes. that was atlas yesterday. i was so impressed with his cuteness and angelic-ness. as we drove home, i told him how angelic he was and fed him most of my sweet potato fries as a reward.

except that all of a sudden, it occurred to me that if i had come back to find that he had eaten the hamburger and sweet potato fries, i would have been impressed with his cuteness and cleverness.

either he eats the hamburger and sweet potato fries on his own, or i feed most of them to him as a reward for good behavior. either he is cute and angelic, or cute and clever.

clearly he wins no matter what he does.

(it is at this moment that i realize – yet again – how very well trained i am.)

if you were there with us, the next thing you'd see would be atlas wandering off.

"oh. wait. it's misty. she doesn't like me. we can go now."

p.s. there's still time to enter the giveaway!

(apparently atlas is getting ready to help.)

doesn't it feel like it's time for a giveaway? i can't remember when i did my last one, and it occurred to me that i am horribly negligent at celebrating any of my blogging milestones (for example: my blog turned one last july, my blog turned two this july, i wrote my 500th blog post over 100 blog posts ago, et cetera).

yes. it's definitely time for a giveaway.

if you want to enter, leave me a comment. i'll draw two or three names on friday evening and send each of the winners a set of postcards. i am so fond of postcards. they are such a lovely – and easy – way to let someone know you're thinking about them.

(i could use some new quotes so, if you want to share a favorite quote in your comment, i would very much enjoy reading it.)

friday edit: the random number generator picked michelle and kim. thanks, everyone, for playing! and just fyi, it's kim's birthday today, so do pop over and wish her a happy birthday!

whenever i come across this series of photos in my photo library, i like to flip through them quickly. it makes me laugh. it also makes me wonder how on earth i ever get a good photo of the pup. whenever i want to take a picture, he will not stay still. if his body actually stays in one place, his head moves a mile a minute instead.

do you know what atlas thinks is one of the strangest things ever? people actually throw bread to ducks when he is nearby and they could be giving it to him. who on earth would want to feed a duck when they could feed him, he would say.

{my attempt to capture 52 photos that represent trust – my word for 2011}.

i often say that atlas has been my greatest teacher, so i wondered what he might have to say about trust.

here 'tis.

"trust yourself. if you want something, you want it. if you need something, you need it. if you feel something, you feel it. i wish you wouldn't spend so much time questioning and judging and doubting yourself. if you just listened to me, there would be more time for walks. and unless it's pouring or hailing or there is a cat in the house (hint), it is always a good time for a walk."

by the way, if you'd like to receive wisdom from atlas in your mailbox, there's still a bit of time to sign up for his postcards.