Welcome to Blind Dog Café

Cafés are wonderful places- full of conversation, warmth and delicious drinks and snacks.  I live in Seattle, where cafés are particularly amazing because of the great coffee but also because the gloomy weather makes it quite easy to enjoy such an atmosphere.  Sometimes people meet up at cafés to see friends and catch up, other days it is just you and a thoughtful book.  No matter what, the atmosphere offers opportunities to relax and enjoy, while also expand and contemplate.  So welcome to Blind Dog Café, where all of those things may take place.  I'm interested in many things and hope to explore topics like food, yoga, pet ownership, music, marriage, books, social work, and so on and so forth.  

So why Blind Dog?  This name comes from my dog Radar, who is now one year old.  He inspired the name and will likely make lots of appearances, but hopefully I'll find other things to write about besides just my pets.  Radar is one of our three rescue animals.  He's a sweet dog, very smart and very capable despite being born blind.  Like many folks out there, my life has stress.  I work too much and don't play nearly as much as I'd like.  It is a huge joy to come home to these fantastic critters, and to the people in my life too (of course).  Radar is a joy and I just love the little bugger.  How can you resist him?

Here's Radar on the Washington Coast,
with the sandy wind blowing on his ears giving him his up-do  

Not to leave out, I'll show you the other pets.  This is Sasha, she is now 3 years old:  

Adopted as a cute little puppy, this gal didn't stop growing.
She now weighs 80 lbs.  She's a horse dog! 

And we can't forget Bobby, now about 10 years old. We go way back.  He moved across the country with me from Alabama:

Yes, he is dressed as a pirate.
I am a horrible owner.  

Obviously, I love my pets.  I also love my dear husband too.  He goes by Q.

Here is Q, hugging the fisherman in Ocean Shores, WA.

And here I am:

Enjoying NYC last fall.
Doesn't the light make me look like Two Face?

A little bit about me, since I'm writing this thing:

• I'm 34 years old and I've moved around a lot- I grew up in Minnesota, Texas and Idaho (mainly in Idaho).  As an adult, I've lived in Costa Rica, Idaho again, Africa, Alabama and now in Washington.  I've called Seattle my home for 6 years and we're now looking into buying a home and I started a business here, so I'm sticking around for a while!  
• I studied art in college and then when I didn't know what to do with that degree, t served for 2 years, 2001-2003 with the Peace Corps in The Gambia, West Africa.  It was a humbling, exciting, infuriating and life changing experience.  
• I make my living as a clinical social worker.  I work in community mental health as a Child and Family therapist and I also have a private practice.  I love working with kids and teenagers, as well as families.  Teenagers REALLY crack me up and kids are just amazing.  I have a lot of experience working with people with PTSD and also with eating disorders.  I am also a yoga instructor.  
• I love spending time with my husband and my animals.  I also enjoy reading, listening to great music (I love KEXP), doing yoga, trying to meditate and eating delicious food. 

Thank you for stopping by, I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoy jotting down my thoughts.