Small Town Oil Wife: Toilets on the sidewalk, dogs watching TV, and an off-lead walk through Kirkhill Forest

A blog is in many ways a continuing conversation.

-Andrew Sullivan-

And sometimes, I just don't want a conversation. So where have I been? First, silence is calming to me. It's when I get to know myself. It's when I feel the most. So yes, sometimes I disappear for a bit. Maybe you should too? Or maybe I just want to sit back and have a beer with my husband. Ever feel like doing that instead of getting on the computer? :o)

Or maybe, Frog and I want to watch TV. He likes shows with birds.

I also like to spend a lot of time cooking, but unfortunately that means that I'm going to spend a lot of time cleaning. However, I've learned to make good things since we moved here. I made a blue and fig salad. It had blue cheese, walnuts, and figs with a dressing made of walnut oil, lemon juice, and pepper. It was really good.

Another thing I've learned while living in a colder climate is that you have to warm your plates/bowls if you want your food to stay warm for more than 3 minutes. Yep, we do this often now:

Speaking of changes...On my way to the store one day I was thinking, 'I don't think I'll ever get tired of this: houses that look like castles and rows and rows of granite houses stacked up like dominoes. Things are just so interesting when you are in a country that is very different from where you were born.'

Although, I did see something one night when Steve and I were going out for dinner that was not so glorious. In fact, it looked scary. Go ahead and go in. I dare you.

That's right. It's on the sidewalk, and you pay to get in.

On a happier note, we were on our way home from a fantastic Turkish restaurant, Nargile (TripAdvisor link), that night. It was very good. We paid about £55 for a bottle of wine, an appetizer, two entrees, two Turkish coffees, and one dessert! I recommend it. Either go early or call for reservations.

Moving on. This past weekend I took Steve to Kirkhill Forest. We took the dogs with us. They tried to attack every single dog we encountered. Steve was so frustrated that he was no longer enjoying the walk. I told him to just stay behind us and let me deal with them. It was an unhappy moment. :( We went on that way for a while. I felt so bad because it's such a beautiful walk, and there we were stressed out and not talking to each other. We encountered one owner with her dog off-lead who stopped to talk to me and pet my dogs. We talked for a bit and decided that maybe they weren't being aggressive, but instead maybe they wanted to play. I asked her to unhook Angel from her leash as Angel howled, snapped, and lunged. I was thinking, 'I must be insane.' The woman just grabbed and unhooked her as I unhooked Frog. The snarling stopped. They ran up to greet her dog. They jumped and played. They were totally different dogs. I've learned that my dogs feel threatened when they are on a leash and all the other dogs are not. It's amazing how differently they behave. I just needed to trust them so that they could trust me and be calm. Steve and I walked together and fully enjoyed the rest of our 3-mile walk. The power of trust is amazing, even when it's with a dog. :) Of course, I didn't attempt that without my clicker and treats. Frog will do anything for food. I sure do like that about him. Cheers and enjoy the pictures.