L. R. Trovillion

• “It’s an honor to be in grief. It’s an honor to feel that much, to have loved that much.” --- Elizabeth Gilbert

October has been a hard month. I have not had the mental energy to put together much in writing or otherwise. I am processing grief. The grief over losing my beautiful mare on October 5th at much too young an age as well as the grief over my now lost self-image as a horsewoman. The barn is empty. The fields are empty. I don’t quite know what to do with myself twice a day at feeding...

Welcome to those of you who may be new.

I started these short “ruminations on life” called White Dog Walks because many of my best ideas came to me while walking my pooch, Sitka. Being a white dog (a husky, German Shepherd, Norwegian Elkhound mix) she is a guardian, spiritual guide, and harbinger of peace according to many cultures around the world. I’m not so sure about that—especially that last one since she is pandemonium on paws—but I do derive a lot comfort and inspiration from having her...

It is almost the end of August. Summer always goes so fast.

These days, however, I see August as a transition month. It still has one foot in summer with the hot weather and long-awaited vacations, but the other foot has a few toes over the line into fall. Kids are buying new supplies and heading back to school, the stores are pushing pumpkin spice everything already, and my plants are starting to wilt. (Maybe because I’ve lost interest in watering them.)

August is a gateway. It is funny how we...