the airshow was in town this weekend, so you can consider these images a collaboration between nature and myself to combine the essence of both fireworks and fighter jets into a single image.

there are two large empty fields near my apartment. every once in a while, i notice that the grasses are tall and wild and gorgeous. i make a mental note to go back someday with my camera. alas, i usually forget, and then they mow the fields.

this past week, when i saw that one field was still wild while the other field was mowed down, i walked atlas right back home, got my camera, and we walked out the door and to the field immediately.

it was full of enchantment.

1

did you know that she used to have a twinkle in her eye? it ran away one day and got lost in a field of flowers. the twinkle wanted to come home, it really did, but it nestled underneath a daisy for a nap and was wooed on awakening by a passing moth who saw it and fell madly in love. they set up house together underneath an overgrown mushroom. when winter came, the twinkle grew tired of outdoor living, but it just couldn’t find its way back to its girl.

2

when i was little, i spent a long time in a burn unit in ann arbor. years later, do you know what i remember most? i remember that i got to ride in a helicopter. i remember that one of my very first meals consisted of a hamburger and strawberry shortcake – and my mom let me eat the shortcake even though i hadn’t finished all my dinner. i remember trick-or-treating. i remember the art & play room. i remember playing with water and fat syringes and a dinner tray; i used the syringes to move water from one compartment to another. the days in a hospital can be long, so when you join the story club, part of your payment will be used to help me gift stories to children in the hospital. (i was going to give the story club, but now i may buy books from my favorite local children’s bookstore and give them to hospitals instead.)

3

i had the most delicious idea earlier this week. there is still a suggested price for the story club, but i am now inviting you to pay what delights you, whether that is the suggested price or another one. the story club is – and is going to be – full of possibility & wonder & magic, and it seems a shame for money to be a reason to not be part of it. i am over-the-moon-delighted about this idea. i have been smiling ever since it came to me.

once upon a time, i told you that if i were going to write a dog book, the dog book i’d want to write would be: “the things no one tells you about having a dog (& if they did, you wouldn’t believe them anyway)”.

well, here is another entry.

i was lying in bed one night, quietly reflecting on my day before i went to sleep. atlas’s butt was by my head. (who knows why. possibly because he likes to arrange himself at odd angles. possibly because he was asleep on the bed and i didn’t have the heart to make him move so i squeezed myself into the tiny space that was left.)

i was nearing slumber when atlas farted. did i mention that his butt was by my head?

the thing people do not tell you about having a dog is that after years of living with one, you will just smile at your beloved silly dog and try not to breathe through your nose and go back to your quiet reflection.

once upon a time, in a land that time has forgotten, there lived a painter named gaston.

gaston had been painting since he was a very little boy. it was his favorite thing to do. anytime anyone went looking for him, they would find him curled up in a corner somewhere with paper and paint.

gaston painted when he didn’t have paper and he painted when he didn’t have paint. he painted on trees, he painted on stones, he painted on the hillside. he painted with charcoal, he painted with crushed flowers, he painted in the air with dandelion seeds. he even painted in his imagination.

one afternoon, gaston stumbled upon a small still pool of water. the pool was surrounded by a grove of impossibly tall and straight birch trees.

the whiteness of the birch captivated him and he stood motionless, staring at the crystal clear water.

all of a sudden, gaston realized that more than anything in the world, more than anything he had ever wanted in his entire life, he wanted to paint that pool of water blue.

he thought the scene was perfect exactly as it was, and yet, he really wanted to see what would happen to the pool if he painted it.

he could see the exact shade of blue that he wanted to use in his imagination. it was remarkable. it was almost indescribable. it was as if someone had taken every shade of blue that had ever existed, and some that had never existed at all, and then made a single blue that somehow brought to mind all of them.

gaston could see only two problems with his idea. first, he had no idea how to paint on water. second, he had no idea how to create the shade of blue that he envisioned.

{to be continued in the story club}

I am in the mood to shake things up a bit. Also, I am in the mood to talk about Atlas.

Weimaraners – really, active energetic dogs in general – need lots of physical activity. And by lots, I mean LOTS.

When Atlas gets enough exercise, he is a fabulous dog. When he doesn’t, he drives me crazy. Well, not as crazy as he did when he was a puppy, but crazy enough. It’s as if he channels the energy he didn’t expend into determination and cleverness. And oh, he is determined and clever.

When the weather is warm, he rarely gets enough exercise. He does not do well in heat, so unless I can get to the trails in the early morning, our walks are short. If he were a water dog, I’d take him swimming, but alas, he isn’t.

Fortunately, mental activity is also tiring, so here are five games I play with him to keep his sauciness at bay.

Scent training.

You need: a stretch of grass and some dog treats.

The basics:
Pick a starting location and stand there with your dog.
Put the dog in a stay.
Walk forward with dog treats in your hand.
As you walk, shuffle your feet in the grass to make a path.
Every couple of feet, touch the grass, as if you are putting a treat there, but rub the dog treat in the grass instead.
After a short or long distance, place the dog treat in the grass.
Turn and walk back to the dog, without walking on the marked path.
Release the dog.

(I will say that Atlas doesn’t always follow the path. But even if he doesn’t, he spends a great deal of time sniffing all around so I consider it a success either way.)

(The one trouble with this game is that you quickly run out of grass because you need a completely clean stretch of grass every time you play.)

(An easy alternative to this game is to throw a small dog treat in the grass and let the dog search for it. You might just want to watch where it lands so if it looks like they’ll never find it, you can help. I like to shout HOT/COLD at Atlas, even though I am pretty sure he has no idea what I’m saying.)

Hide and seek for treats.

You need: dog treats.

The basics:
Put your dog in a stay, ideally somewhere they can’t see you.
Hide dog treats around a room or around the house.
When you’re done, release the dog and let them find the treats.

At first, you’ll want to hide the treats in plain sight, somewhere they can be easily found. Slowly, you can hide them in more difficult locations. Under couch cushions or carpets can be fun. Also consider balancing them on doorknobs. Just keep in mind that your dog will be excited so maybe avoid spots with breakable objects.

(I put Atlas in the kitchen. If he peeks his head out while I’m hiding the treats, we start over.)

Cups.

You need: a few cups and dog treats.

The basics:
Put a treat under one of the cups.
Shuffle the cups around while the dog watches.
Let the dog find the treat.

(I think the idea is that they will use their nose to locate the right cup. As far as I can tell, Atlas checks under all of them. But it’s still fun.)

Find the treat.

You need: dog treats.

The basics:
Put a dog treat in one of your palms with your dog watching.
Make two fists with your hands. (There will be a dog treat in one of them.)
Place your hands behind your back.
Sometimes you’ll switch the dog treat to the other hand; sometimes you won’t. I like to switch it back & forth a few times and see where it ends up.
Place your fists out in front of you and tell the dog to find the treat.
When the dog sniffs a fist, open your hand. If there is a dog treat, they get to eat it. If there isn’t, put your hands back behind your back and shuffle and let them try again.

(Atlas has developed a strategy. If he picks the wrong hand, he picks the other hand the next time. Unless he’s picked the wrong hand a few times in a row, after which he starts picking the same hand again and again. He’s so cute and silly.)

Hide and seek.

You need: nothing, unless you want to give them a treat.

The basics:
Put your dog in a stay.
Hide.
Release them and call them to you.
When they find you, jump up and play with them and scratch them.

(You don’t really need a large house for this. I hide behind doors and behind the bed. The only trouble with a small house is that after a while, all they have to do is check all the available locations.)

Have fun!

Feel free to ask if you want me to clarify anything.

{remember when atlas was in a splint and we sat on the couch for two months? oh, sweet splinted atlas. i just love him.}

i am a treasure trove of information.

i read a lot. about everything. (to give you some random examples, i read about divorce & childbirth & recruiting talent, none of which apply to me at all.)

i am immensely curious. i love learning about things. i love trying things. i can make useful connections between things that seem completely unrelated.

i am also very good at explaining technical and abstract and confusing things in a way that is accessible.

if you have a question or a problem or an issue that is troubling you, there is probably something stored somewhere in my brain that can help.

whether it’s an idea, or a resource, or a place to look, or someone to talk to, or a different perspective.

in my quest to create a business that sustains me, i have tried to find a way to use this knowledge to create an offering that helps people with a particular problem and is of value.

i have the knowledge and the creativity to do this in a lot of areas. it is a beautiful way to be of service. and i cannot make myself do it. (for various reasons, none of which seem relevant.)

i’ve also tried to think of a way to share this information on my blog. the problem is that my knowledge is vast and is accessed best when someone or something draws it out.

so, i have all this useful information, and it is not often that it does anyone but me any good.

at the same time, one of the best things about me is atlas.

well, it is both atlas and my relationship with atlas.

atlas is wise & loving & much more succinct than i.

he is also one of my greatest teachers.

so together, we are starting an advice column: dear elizabeth & atlas.

it’s an advice column that’s gone to the dogs! (sorry, i couldn’t resist.)

think of us as your own personal version of dear abby.

if atlas doesn’t have an answer, i probably will.

(side note: advice might be the wrong word, but suggestion column just doesn’t have the same ring.)

here are the areas in which we can best be of service.

dogs. self-help. mindfulness. holistic wellness. photography. creativity. finding your style. communication. writing. relationships. inner work. books. dealing with stress & overwhelm & anxiety & body issues & self-hatred. healing. seeing things through new perspectives. accessing your inner wisdom. incorporating rest & play & pleasure. choosing joy. finding beauty in the ordinary. seeing yourself & others with love & compassion.

email us!

ask us a question. ask for our help. ask for ideas or suggestions.

we’re at: eahalt (at) mac (dot) com.

if it’s personal, we’ll answer you privately.

if it’s useful, and you don’t mind, we’ll share the question and answer on the blog. (once i decide on a day, that is.)

if we’re stumped, i’ll tell you, but i’m pretty good at research so i can probably point you in a general direction.

if you have questions about this service, please let me know.

we’re looking forward to your questions!

years ago, i went to see a shaman for a soul retrieval.

i was generally skeptical about everything, including shamans, and i didn’t see how it was possible for a soul to be missing or to have missing pieces. but i went because on her website, she talked about feeling like something was missing.

i felt like something was missing, so i figured that at the very least, it would make a good story. plus, i was pretty comfortable with doing things that were out of the ordinary in the name of alternative healing. (i think my old coworkers still remember when i licked a paper towel every month and sent it to someone to diagnose and send me herbs and such back. i know my sister amy does. i suspect all her med school classmates do too.)

i remember two things from that session.

first, she told me that my family was known for its intellect but that i was going to find a way to work that included body & spirit.

the first part was true, which made me think “maybe there is something to this”. the second part gave me hope that i would find my way.

second, when she scanned my sixth chakra, she told me that the voices in my head had turned vicious.

that was also true. only i hadn’t even noticed. they had been there for so long that i had grown accustomed to them. they seemed normal and expected. i had somehow missed that over time, they had gone from critical to cruel to vicious.

when i look back, i think that was the first small step on my journey toward love & compassion.

there was something about having someone tell me that the voices in my head were vicious that helped me take a step back and realize that a) they were voices and not the whole truth and that b) something else might be possible.

most days, i think we could all use a lot more hope & delight & wonder in our lives.

so, i have been sitting with the magic of my story club and it inspired me to create a video for you.

i hope you enjoy it.