How to avoid a fight

I know the secret to avoiding a fight. It's a very specific kind of argument - the kind where there are several movies you want to see with your spouse but neither of you wants to go see what the other person does. Go on a walk instead!

You can spend the same amount of time watching what passes by on your walk, but you'll be seeing the beauty of your neighborhood, noticing what you've never paid attention to before, and connecting with each other in a meaningful way. Going to the movies is inherently a way to disconnect.

We walked all over Walla Walla, noticing which houses were for sale, what flowers were still blooming, who had nice outdoor dogs - and - where the oak trees weren't growing. See, part of this great idea on how to avoid spending half an hour negotiating which movie to see, involved collecting oak leaves. We found lots of impostors; I'm not sure what species they belong too, but they outnumbered oaks 6 to 1. I did a minute amount of research - the mystery species was indeed an oak, it just wasn't the species I was looking for!

Why am I collecting oak leaves? To make more embossed leaf cards! I have always had a fondness for oak trees. I love what you smell when you stand on the blanket of rotting leaves under one. It's what I imagine the oak barrels used by vintners around here smell like after the wine has been scraped from them. If this valley is going to be known for artisan wines, then I am certainly going to making and marketing some matching artisan paper! "Vintners Special No. 9" is the name I'm going with for now. They are still drying so it'll be a few days before they're ready.

Thanks to our ambitious walk I now have a nice dime sized blister smack on the ball of my right foot. The only thing that feels good to stand, step, or walk on is the sheepskin the dogs lay on. I need slippers lined with that sheepskin!

So for today, I'm staying off my feet :-)