My relationship, reading takes, dog training, etc: March recap
What I wrote, what I read, where we traveled, and what I'm most looking forward to
Hi hi! Haley (and Scout) here hoping something wonderful happens to you today.
This is the one email I send to blog subscribers each month. In it I round up everything I’ve written (plus a few life updates) in lieu of crowding your inbox each time I post. To find a middle ground between constant notifications and radio silence, I also recently started sharing links in the Substack chat feature when I publish something new. That means your email remains clean with one newsletter a month—but if you want more updates, all you have to do is log in on browser or the app.
I really appreciate you being here 💛 Enjoy a new cute Scout photo as a thank you!
✏️ What I’ve published lately
Here on the Paws and Reflect blog
On taste, romantasy, thought, and nuance (book reflections)
Everyone has an opinion—and I might not actually care about yours? (Alternatively: I have a lot of thoughts about Fourth Wing.)My weirdo dog likes neighborhood walks now? (dog training)
Reflections on preferences and fulfillment opportunities changing over timeWhy “Start a Riot” by Banners is my Empyrean theme song (books and music)
Not just because of what we call a group of dragons and riders. Plus more songs on my crying-over-fictional-characters playlistDogs need more than love (dog training)
Well, depending on how we define “love”I don’t know what I’m doing (writing, social media, personal)
Is life just a series of feeling stuck? Escapism, social media, insecurity, etc, oh my.Making my own peanut butter pie crust sundaes (relationships)
This is about ice cream. But also more than ice cream.Why I fulfill my dog differently than I used to (dog training)
It wasn't a purposeful shift—but we've become much less pragmatic. Here's a look back on Scout's fulfillment changes and their causes.Close encounters of the creature kind (wildlife)
It is so often these close encounters that fill us with wonder—that allow us to more fully appreciate our fellow creatures. But they are also, so often, one sided.A “virtue signaling” deep dive, anyone? (social media, communication)
Please enjoy (or sigh exasperatedly) at me taking social media conversation seriouslyWhy I love to eschew marriage norms (relationships)
Pride in the juxtaposition between where I used to be and where I am nowOn procrastination and productivity (work, personal)
I often feel like I don’t have the focus or ability to do something perfectly right now… but maybe I will tomorrow. Or the next day. Or, you know, when rubbing right up against the due date.
Featured elsewhere
Does enrichment have to be expensive? for Juniper
A few minutes on Dogstagram or a canine Facebook group encourages me to try dozens of new enrichment staples. Many of these inventions are incredible. Some of them are also inaccessible, boasting high price tags that make pet parents wonder if we’re really doing enough.Does it matter how long an enrichment activity takes your dog? for Juniper
As usual: It depends. Effective enrichment is about how satisfied your dog feels after an activity—not just how much time they spend on it.
📚 What I read last month
My March book recap
Click here for brief thoughts on a romantasy rabbit hole, a favorite essay collection, dark corporate surrealism, plant intrigue, and more.
And a few articles that stuck with me
Either because I loved them or they made me think or I was compelled to forward them to a friend or all the above:
A memento mori for the anxious age by Courtney Bowers of Half Life
Go, Dog. Go! by Jon Klassen and Mac Barnett of Looking at Picture Books
See also: This open letter to the dog in a hat that I found via the comment section of the above piece
They’re Stealing Colour from Your World by David Speed of Creative Rebels
jeremy strong, kieran culkin, and the cost of caring too much by Sophie of that final scene
wanting to be a writer vs actually writing by Lindsey Peters Berg of dear diary
“Protecting your peace” can kill your friendships by Allie Volpe at Vox
🚐 March shenanigans
Since moving into a van, my sense of time’s passage often correlates with how much physical distance we cover. Just over three weeks ago we were taking one last dip in the Atlantic before leaving Florida. Today we are traveling east through Ohio—and I feel like so much happened in between!
This month saw us saying goodbye to our favorite places on the Space Coast, camping at Cloudland Canyon in Georgia, making dinner with Sean’s little brother in Nashville, taking a guided tour in Mammoth Cave National Park, playing board games with friends in Indianapolis, spoiling my niece after she had another ear tube surgery in Wausau, celebrating my sister-in-law’s wedding in Milwaukee (we learned to salsa for the occasion), getting to visit friends in our old city of Madison, and driving all the miles connecting those memories.
Busy, exhausting, fulfilling.
Sometimes I struggle with creativity when we are around other people this much in quick succession (hi it’s me, introverted!) but we are so damn lucky this lifestyle allows us to see loved ones in different cities.
😁 What I am excited about!
I did not have an excitement list in last month’s recap, and January’s felt rather forced (which is fair considering the sociopolitical climate; I do not want to have full blinders on). But this month I have actual news:
We signed a short-term lease in Portland, Maine for May through July! If you made it to the bottom of this newsletter, congrats on being one of the first to know (until now I have not said anything publicly about it on the internet). 😉 Many more thoughts to come. Suffice to say I am hyped!
Before we get to Portland, we’re going to spend a week or so in New York City, which has become another of my favorite places.
I’ve been almost entirely off of Instagram—and while there are still moments of grief and uncertainty, I mostly feel great about it. I am exploring Substack’s social media functionality a little more, and some of the publications I’ve found via Notes are delights.
