Sóla’s very early AM walk. 74/70%/5MPHSW; Dogs:3; Deer:3; Runners:5; Cats(window):1. Tis the season of early AM walks/avoid extreme heat. First dog vomit slime mold seen in months. Keeping window blinds mostly closed to reduce heat. Sky is a yellow white color. Frogs are chirping. #Dogsofbluesky

Good friends! The hours/days/weeks/months/years spent standing (I was a stroke and turn judge) on the side of a pool or running the meets (friend) while our sons were at daily practice, competing in a swim meets or teamed together at All Stars. We never lost touch even as our sons moved on and away.

Sóla’s Monday AM walk: 74/68%/3MPHSW. Dogs:11; Fox:1; Runners:2; Cyclists:2. Garden is planted, TG! The heat is on w/storms forecast to begin mid-week. Looking forward to lunch today w/swim mom friend. Field tested Repel:Lemon/Eucalyptus yesterday and it kept gnats and mozzies away. #Dogsofbluesky

Bird watching- saw this bird or one like it yesterday on Sóla’s AM walk. This one seems to be leaving Andrews AFB while yesterday’s was heading there. You can also see a cloud of gnats, if you look closely.

Bird watching- saw this bird or one like it yesterday on Sóla’s AM walk. This one seems to be leaving Andrews AFB while yesterday’s was heading there. You can also see a cloud of gnats, if you look closely.

Sóla’s Sunday AM walk: 71/66%/3MPHWSW. Dogs:10; Runners:2. This weekend is for planting the vegetable garden. Yesterday, M planted 10/13 tomatoes. Today, the peppers, tomatillos and basil must go in, after M prepares the raised beds. Biting gnats, mozzies +heat are the issues now. #Dogsofbluesky

Sóla’s Saturday AM walk: 59/68%/5MPHSSW. Dogs:18; Runners:1; Swingers:1. It is all about Sóla today. I read somewhere that massaging a dog’s ears where they joint the top of the face makes them high. So I tried it and it works. She was in high heaven on her walk. Getting bagels today. #Dogsofbluesky

Yesterday, I drank coffee & what I thought were a few coffee grinds clinging to the side of my coffee cup. M said later, “Did you see all of the ants in the coffee. Wonder how they got there?” This morning, again, boiled ants. Made new batch, strained it, no ants & I drank it. WTH? Ants like coffee?

“Poppies..Poppies will put them to sleep.” Wicked witch, Wizard of Oz. One of M’s favorite quotes and he will say it if he sees poppies or if anyone says the word. A neighbor down the street has the most beautiful bed of poppies and they delight every year. We have had them too in our yard.

Sóla’s Friday AM walk: 49/73%/10MPHNW. Dogs:14; Runners:2; Outdoor boot camp: 5. Trees I would not want: mulberry and a female ginko. Both make a mess in your yard. The ginko drops fruit on the ground that reeks like rancid butter and birds drop mulberries in their poo on your cars. #Dogsofbluesky

Now to let the mosaic set for a couple of weeks before adding grout. 5th century Byzantine, from mosaic on the arch of the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna, Italy. Photo by TMR. This was fun! #Stainedglass

Sóla’s Thursday AM walk: 42/78%/10MPHNNW. Dogs:6; Runners:4; Deer:4; Cyclists:2. Warblers heard: blackpoll; black throated green; parula; redstart. Also, gr crested flycatcher; cedar waxwing; blue gray gnatcatcher. While cleaning my last fused glass from the kiln, I filleted finger. #Dogsofbluesky

Final fused glass window project from the fusing in 3-D class. Picked it up straight from the kiln today. Current stained glass mosaic project, 9/10s completed.

Squirrel condo builder - we saw a squirrel drag a limb held in its mouth down one tree and then up another. At one point another squirrel tried to rob him of his branch. He leapt with the branch from one tree to another to protect his property from the thieving squirrel. “This is mine, all mine!”

Sóla’s Wednesday AM walk: 58/55%/13MPHSSW. Dogs:14; Runners:3; Cyclists:2. “The very problems you must overcome also support you and make you stronger in overcoming them.” George Yeoman Pocock, Boys in the Boat. He was speaking about water resistance but that the water supports you. #Dogsofbluesky

Grrrr, this giant wasp flew in the back door and I am leaving it be.

Sóla’s Tuesday AM walk: 42/61%/5MPHNE. Dogs:9; Runners:8; Outdoor boot camp:2. “If you simply keep your eyes open, …you might find something valuable in the most unlikely places. The trick is to recognize a good thing when you see it. Boys in the Boat. Mosaic is now 50% complete. #Dogsofbluesky

Sóla’s Monday AM walk: 53/63%/7MPHNNE. Dogs:9; Runners:1. Drizzled on us throughout the walk. Final glass window is still in the kiln. Mother’s Day-M repotted tomatoes & I worked on the stained glass mosaic & both kids reached out. “Boys in the Boat,” current book. #Dogsofbluesky #stainedglass

Fused 3-D glass projects: Mesh/weave and rusty window. #stainedglass

3-D fused glass projects I made, as seen on the light table. #Stainedglass

Waves, fins or ribs. The fused glass project I made using the scraps found in a pile of glass.

Sóla’s Sunday AM walk: 55/67%/3MPHW. Dogs:18; Runners:3; Swingers:1. Lots of color (with dew); so happy that M is home and joining the walk; Bagel and Cream Cheese, the two beagles, are super friendly. Sóla gets jelly when I pet them. Our fav dim sum place for brunch closed last year. #Dogsofbluesky

Sóla’s Saturday AM walk: 55/61%/9MPHSSW. Dogs:24; Runners:3(2/dogs); Swingers:1. Sóla was on a sniffari today. Last day (5) of fusing 3-D glass class. We are all very tired. Sóla will be very happy when I’m home all day again. She greets me each day as if she hasn’t seen me in weeks. #Dogsofbluesky

My windows piece turned out well and I’m pleased. Will look better when held in the light. I tried some things that had not been tried before: the small rods cut into cross sections., adding dichroic glass, using 2MM stringers to make a design- my signature block. There are abstract animals too.

Sóla’s Friday AM walk: 42/66%/3MPHW. Dogs:10; Runners:1. Day 3 of glass class: we removed the ThinFire ceramic fiber paper from our fired pieces yesterday; stuffed our windows project with used ThinFire, put that in the kiln; and created a tower of woven glass, put that into the kiln. #Dogsofbluesky

Listening to The Pretenders, I’ll Stand by You”, before today’s glass class, Day 3. I’m in a class with pros, some of whom have their own studios and have been fusing glass for 20-30 years. You would not believe the things they are doing. I’m a “kindergartener” amongst teachers, best way to learn.

Sóla’s Thursday AM walk: 53/68%/5MPHN. Dogs:12; Runners:4; Outdoor boot camp:4; Sweeper:1. Was sprinkling rain when we headed out but it soon stopped. Yesterday we learned how to build a 3-D “window” out of glass strips cut into 3/8”. Sóla is fine after yesterday’s attack by a doodle. #Dogsofbluesky

Back from glass class day 2 & took Sóla out for her PM walk. She was attacked by a mini doodle whose owner told me to just walk away as her dog repeatedly bit Sóla in the hind quarters. The doodle chased us and it had a mouth full of fur from biting - Sóla is blowing her winter coat so she is okay.

Sóla’s Wednesday AM walk: 65/72%/11MPHSSW. Runners:6; Dogs:1(Sóla). Sóla gave a “rain alert” this AM. She barks when she hears rain hit the skylights. Had a fun/exhausting 1st day of glass class. Lots of strip cutting to build “fins”. Really learning new ways of working with glass. #Dogsofbluesky

Sóla’s Tuesday AM walk: 63/55%/9MPHSW. Dogs:14; Runners:5(1/springer span); Deer:2; Cyclists:2. Today is Day 1 of a 5 day glass class: “Creating with light,” Tony Serviente. Taking advantage of my grass widow status w/all day glass classes. Chicken pot pie is an improvement over SOS. #Dogsofbluesky

Good news needs to be shared and this is truly good news. Well done Michael, well done! www.nei.nih.gov/about/our-im...

Sóla’s Maybe bday AM walk: 48/62%/8MPHSSW. Dogs:24; Runners:2. We had a good walk. No deer or foxes but I have learned that there is at least one additional fox family of four: mom + 3 kits, nearby. Yesterday I saw crows chase a raven thru our backyard - was Star Wars aerial combat. #Dogsofbluesky

Sóla’s Sunday AM walk: 41/41%/13MPHNW. Dogs:13; Runners:1; Cyclists:1; Soccer players:16; Outdoor boot camp:3. Sóla spent hours at the top of the stairs yesterday looking for her dad. She really misses him! My SOS was not as good as I had hoped. Chicken pot pies next-a dog’s dinner. #Dogsofbluesky

Sóla’s Saturday AM walk: 42/67%/10MPHNNW. Dogs:7; Deer:2; Runners:1; Tennis players:2. Will play role of “grass widow” this week while M is on travel. He claims he is a “glass widower” and he is truly. Sóla and I will resort to eating SOS, I like it, and such. You make do. #Dogsofbluesky

Next stained glass mosaic project - based on the border from the arch of a 5th century mausoleum in Ravenna. Spent hours cutting tiny pieces of glass today. It is the most difficult part of the project. Now I can begin the fun part. We celebrate the fuzzy mint with a mojito, first of the season.

We did a good thing today! We saved three peonies and two different clumps of iris from certain death in the landscape of a house slated for demolition. The new owners told me that I was welcome to take anything in the yard. So M and I dug up the plants and moved them to our yard.

Sóla’s Friday AM walk: 42/69%/3MPHNW. Dogs:9; Runners:2. Seen: a second sump installed in the basement of the house under construction. The amount of water flowing out of it is heavy. Have seen a remedy for this volume of water before: culvert buried outside the house w/super sump. #Dogsofbluesky

Sóla and I today watched a raven being mobbed by grackles and crows while it ate a Northern flicker. I know it was a flicker because I watched the feathers fall to the ground and then I went and looked to see what they were.

Sóla’s Thursday AM walk: 53/83%/9MPHNW. Dogs:9; Runners:4; Deer:5. Trash day: scored a heavy 12 beveled brass lantern that could be used to create a new stained glass project. Fog was heavy following heavy rains yesterday. Beginning a new stained glass mosaic project today. Excited! #Dogsofbluesky

First mission/prairie/craftsman stained glass lamp project completed. Took only one trip to the hardware store to pick up longer SS machine screws. The stained glass panels were the easy part. Sticking them into the frame was awful. The screws were small and didn’t want to go into the frame holes.

Three fox kits were startled into running for their den by dogs barking at Sóla as the dogs passed behind us. Oh well…at least one of the three was brave to stand and watch.

Sóla’s Wednesday AM walk: 53/70%/6MPHSSE. Dogs:7; Foxes:4; Runners:4; Cyclists:3. Three Fox kits were outside their den looking for their mom. She was up the street looking for breakfast. “The Fox,” a favorite song of our children, when they were young, was sung as we walked. Rabbit. #Dogsofbluesky

The field vole, painted & stained glass created by our painting on glass instructor, Tony Serviente. He said the field vole is his spirit animal. When asked how he achieved the coloring, he said, I don’t exactly remember but it was through multiple firings. Stains are difficult - you can mess it up.

Sóla’s bff, Squiggy! Sniffing butts tells each dog how well the other is getting on. In human language, Sóla, “Hiya hun! How’s yer ma?” Squiggy, “She’s grand!” Sóla also loves Squiggy’s dad and will do her “BC crawl” for him too. So simple, an exchange, but personally, I’d rather speak than sniff.

Sóla’s Tuesday AM walk: 49/68%/7MPHS. Dogs:14; Deer:4; Foxes:2; Runners:2; Outdoor boot camp:6; Cyclists:1. Seen: deer running after a fox running uphill; a vixen outside her den looking worried. Sleep was interrupted last night (02:04) as a brief power outage turned off the fan. Boo. #Dogsofbluesky

House wrens inspecting their summer rental. Went outside to get better shots but the birds spotted me and went up in the trees and fussed until I went back inside. Sóla was mad too. Soon thereafter, he and she were both down at the rental one in while the other singing outside. They come every year.

Sóla’s Monday AM walk: 44/74%/2MPHNW. Dogs:13; Runners:2(1/Visla); Cyclists:1. Temp was cool at the beginning of the walk. Hopefully it will warm up this pm. Have a new glass project on which to work. Always a great day when there is something fun to do. Listening to birds - warblers. #Dogsofbluesky

The sump in action, from the spring in the basement of the new house under construction. The flow was pretty high following last night’s rain. I like the sound the sump makes pushing water down the pipes. Soothing!

Sóla’s Sunday AM walk: 48/80%/7MPHNNE. Dogs:9; Runners:1; Tennis players:5(1 coach). Catbirds are here! We saw the first last Tuesday but the rest have arrived. OMG I love them so much! The house wrens are also here. We have birds that return to the bird house & trees year after year. #Dogsofbluesky

This here is home: a trip to the Continental Deli in Kensington for an Italian CC w/everything on it except onions and an order x3 of fries. Love my baby girl!