ita !, so glad you are home, and being able to see your mom. I'm vibing hard for you and her right now.

Tom -- I don't know what made your childhood so bad, but I've heard you talk over the years about your therapy process.

You have made AMAZING steps -- you stick with it, through the dark. It's a process, and you're doing the bravest thing of all; keeping going through the process and working toward the light. That's the stuff of heroes -- not big-time flashy heroes, but the quiet heroes who keep on going through their personal hells, facing down the demons and flashing a big "FUCK YOU -- I'm scared, but I'ma keep going" at 'em.

Buffistas are picky, smart-ass smartasses -- all the Scola-love and support -- it ain't a fluke, man. You get it because you are worthy of it. WORTHY. You're smart, generous, thoughtful, sweet, self-aware and you're a fucking brave survivor, my man.

I don't know if that cheers you up, but every sunrise and sunset that takes your breath away, every picture or story that stirs your soul, every time you help someone, whether it's work or personally -- store those moments. You went through hell, and you didn't succumb to the status quo of despair. So many, MANY people do.

Bravery takes many forms. You are brave. You are good. You are worthy. And you are loved.

You did good there, Allyson. Shouldn't every little girl have access to her superpowers?

Oh! And this morning, the SO tells me if they were all cow elk, they wouldn't have been bugling. I know there were more there than what I could see, so maybe there were bulls challenging? They were loud! I need to get the video worked out so they can tell me what I heard.

Also I have to replace the hummingbird nectar today. There is finally a sparrow sitting on my oriole feeder, so at least I know it works, but it's also full of bugs. It's basically functioning as an unintentional yellow-jacket trap. So far I have only seen wasp type things in there, not the bees I'm trying to feed with the flowers, so I've kept putting it out, but I still feel bad about it. Also, if we ever get a neighbor and wasps can sting after death, they're going to walk into a heap of wasp corpses one day and be very upset. Okay, probably not, there's lots of stuff in the desert that wants to eat dead bugs, but still, I feel weird about it.

Anyway! Elk! Without any dogs in them! I've known they've been through the yard before, seeing as how they've eaten every tree I've ever planted and so forth, but I've never actually seen them there before, and I've never heard them call like that. We see them almost every night this season when we're driving, but this was literally in my yard. Which is pretty awesome. I love where I live.

"was you ever bitten by a dead bee?"

I'm in the office today and once again, I'm reminded why I like to work at home. Too many distractions. Plus I like being able to control the noise level and the lighting. Ah well.

Tom - I think you are amazing. You are working to deal with your past, which is much more than many folks do. Plus you have that knock-out smile. Which makes me smile, just thinking about it.

Liese, that is SO COOL.

ita !, I'm glad you made it, and that you got to visit.

Stephanie, that is a seriously scary dream. Yikes.

Tom, you always seem to know when I'm doing my worst, and you're there for me, which may be a coincidence, but I like to think of as a superpower. So I don't know if it cheers you up any, but you're kind of a superhero in my book. And a whole lot of us have your back, big time.

Oh Todd, made me smile!

Tom, Scrappy's right, the hardest part is done. More difficulty to come, but you know we're here for you. I've been around to witness your journey longer than many, and one of my cherished moments is an unexpected Scola hug. You're a valued and valuable person, and you've forged a good life for yourself. I admire you.

Stephanie, those dreams are terrible, and so hard to shake off. May it fade soon.

liese, how incredible! It's too bad the video didn't turn out, but it's an amazing thing to have witnessed first-hand.

ita, I'm glad you got to see your mom. May the visit do both of you worlds of good.

Here's a funny video of my friend's kid from a couple of years ago. [link] Especially funny for anyone who has seen Intervention.

Squirrel. In my outdoor storage room. Again. Does not seem to have gone through the roof so I am dealing with this tomorrow. I am running terribly late as is. Damn, do not want more squirrel issues. But apparently that is what I was hearing and not a bird either stuck in my chimney or nesting at the top. Argh.

Also the squirrel was totally challenging Puppycat. Now, she's dumb, but she's still a CAT, squirrel. And I have a gouge in my leg from her claw yesterday when she wasn't even trying to hurt or play with me. I was tempted to invoke the Circle of Life, basically. But I am already running late and I don't want to clean squirrel guts.

"was you ever bitten by a dead bee?"

To Have and Have Not--Walter Brennan.

Allyson's niece is resetting my adorable scale.