September 2024 recap
We moved to Substack, I wrote some things, we drove west, etc
Hello hello! In case you missed it: Over the last month I moved the Paws and Reflect blog to Substack. This means I now have email newsletter functionality—but I’ve never sent emails to supporters before, and I do not want to overwhelm anyone’s inbox.
So I’ve decided to post most blogs “web only” like usual and then send out this lil’ recap once at the end of each month. (I’m always here for feedback on what works best for you!)
Getting into it…
🚐 September travel
We kicked off September still in Wisconsin before hitting the road again. We’ve lived in Hermes the whole time (when we visit family or friends we sleep parked in the driveway) but it’s a different feeling to explore uncharted territory. We are so happy!! Scout seems especially thrilled to no longer be in suburban neighborhoods 😅
We drove through Minnesota, briefly visited the Badlands, snuck through the Tetons (where we stayed at the most beautiful campsite of my life), treated ourselves to a hot spring in Idaho, and finally wound up in Utah (where Sean’s been dying to be this whole time).
🐺 Scout highlights
I know she’s who we’re really all here for!
Epilepsy update
No seizures since August 28th, thankfully. We scheduled her annual vet appointment for the end of November.
Wins I’m proud of
Another dog handler was absolutely awful to us one morning, and Scout didn’t make a peep. She took treats and looked to me for direction the whole time this woman yelled (and her dog whined). I was shaken but impressed with my own creature.
Our cattle dog is truly the greatest camping companion nowadays. There’s a lot of wildlife out west. Sometimes I remember crying on the sidewalk over her squirrel chasing back when we lived in Florida… and it feels like a different lifetime. Is it always easy for her to resist the urge to pursue prairie dogs or puff up at bison? No, of course not. But is she able to, reliably? Yes. I hope I never take that trust for granted.
We had a few looong driving days and she handled being confined to her travel crate without complaint. We made sure to play before and after stretches on the road, of course—but I’m under no illusions it’s fun for her to be shut in a small space (on sometimes-bumpy roads) for hours at a time.
We faced an aggressive dog encounter just outside our Tetons campsite. When I got back to Sean and Scout after keeping the other dog away from her? She immediately asked me to play!! This. Felt. Huge. Play is the greatest, always.
✏️ September writing
Here on Paws and Reflect:
My old favorite park appears to be cursed 🐾
(reflections on the worst encounter we’ve ever had with a fellow dog handler)Noah Kahan at Alpine Valley Music Theatre 🎤
(this was the concert that brought us home to the midwest in the first place this summer)Reflecting on social media, again 👩🏼💻
(and lovely face-to-face time with friends)My dog is less confident when my partner isn’t here 🐾
(on Scout and me spending a solo weekend in the van)My Scholomance series soundtrack 📚
(I devoured these fantasy books and paired them with a few favorite songs)Running list of dog- and animal-related reading 🐾
(updated this existing piece with some new titles)How do I even make sense of this summer? 👩🏼💻
(personal journaling on what has felt like a rollercoaster of ups and downs since June)Fur against skin against blankets against moonlight 🐾
(on Scout breaking our furniture rules… and me leaning into it)Two years since I met foster puppy Joey 🐾
(nostalgic reflections on missing my favorite baby dog)My relationship might be most romantic when it isn’t 👩🏼💻
(ramblings on “romance” and definitions and connotations and personal values)Reflections on A Brief History of Intelligence by Max Bennett 📚
(organizing my notes from August’s AI/evolution read)I thought I was going to get bitten this morning 🐾
(on a scary dog encounter we had in the Bridger-Teton National Forest)On "owning" my flaws and struggles and mistakes 👩🏼💻
(reflections on self awareness as a necessary—but not sufficient—part of being a “good” person)
Published elsewhere:
I officially get to call myself “Editor” at Juniper! I’ve worked with Allison and her startup pet community for just over a year now—there’s been a lot of fun transition—and I’m excited to flesh out the editorial side moving forward. This month I wrote an article about sleeping in bed with our dogs.
📚 September reading
Nonfiction
★★★ Home. Made. by Michael Baines of TMTRD, a memoir about how he came into the dog rescue world
★★★★ Hidden Potential by Adam Grant
Fiction
★★★★★ A Deadly Education, ★★★★ The Last Graduate, and ★★★★ The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik (Sean and I read these together… then I immediately re-read them 😂)
★★★★★ The Mysterious Benedict Society, ★★★★ Perilous Journey, ★★★★ Prisoner’s Dilemma, ★★★ Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict prequel, and latest ★★★★ Riddle of Ages by Trenton Lee Stewart
★★★ The Fury by Alex Michaelides
