Where are the dancing ladies/couples and the families with their tents camping out for a day in the park???  Seattleites, take a cue from the Chinese who know how to have fun in their parks and get to socializing.  Wake up and smell the coffee (preferably Stumptown) and realize that life is short so stop and enjoy this fine, fine weather, aka Global Warming.  Whatever, it’s warm and sunny in February in Seattle.

Enjoying El Nino to the max, Thom and I spent the weekend wandering about and walking around town, usually with the puppies.  Yet, I couldn’t help but compare the park culture here and Shanghai as we traversed downtown Seattle.  In February in Shanghai, if the sun came out with temps way above average, every park would be filled with families socializing, flying kites, dancing, drawing calligraphy on the sidewalks, and celebrating the good fortune of being able to be outside during the winter instead of being shut inside their typically small homes with no heat.  Here, while you do see folks out and about, it’s definitely more of a “get to where I’m going” vibe as people move through the parks  with purpose on their way to something vs. just being in the park with friends & family to enjoy being together.  While we have the dogs as the main reason to walk around, we are also guilty of moving with purpose as well.  On a typical weekend in Shanghai, we would go to Fuxing or Century Park just to soak up the culture, always seeing interesting people enjoying the outdoors.  I miss it.  Lots.   Don’t miss the foul pollution though.   Wearing masks are no fun and neither is chronic bronchitis.

So, we enjoyed the sermon today from Rev. Moe-so relevant with social media references to “liking” comments on Facebook and tying in the scripture with a movie quote from one of my fav movies, You’ve Got Mail–encouraging parishioners to ” Go to the mattress” from The Godfather to parallel Jesus telling the disciples not to give up in their religious journey.  Funny.  After meeting Cowboy, the dog who enjoys church services with his owner, we ran home to get the pups and take them to the dog park near our home.  Izaak used to go there all the time but Thor is new to the dog park culture and doesn’t quite get it, though he made a friend and started to learn to chase the tennis ball he couldn’t quite fit in his mouth.

After all that fresh air and sunshine (sorry friends in the Midwest/Northwest enduring snowpocalypse), it was nap time.  Izaak threw his long arm over tiny Thor and they spooned together like the Brothers from a Different Mother that they are.  Cuteness x2..seriously.  It’s just like having kids–you take them to the park and run them ragged to wear them out so they will give you some rest when you get home.  Only difference–you can throw them some bones to chew on to get added peace and quiet.  Dog park fun:

At the end of the day, Lord I pray for more wonderful weekends like this to enjoy life as good as it gets.  Thank you, God!