STRICTLY POSITIVE

Some goodness to take your mind of the ills of the world after a long week. I'm thankful Han Solo made it through that plane crash because the alternative would be too much for this column to handle (Listen up, Bob Newhart, you'd best stick around awhile):

Exhibit A:  Jordan Leopold plays hockey with the NHL Columbus Blue Jackets, but his wife and five kids live in their home in Minnesota. They haven't enjoyed being apart, to put it mildly, and his 11-year-old daughter Jordyn finally took matters into her own hands. Jordyn wrote a letter to the Minnesota Wild, explaining how lonely they had been and that they couldn't take the separation anymore. Her answer? The Wild should trade for Leopold so he could come home. And that's just what happened. Welcome home, Jordan.  Goodonya, Jordyn. (I think Dan Malmon first hipped me to this story, so a hat tip to Dan/Don/Julie for this gem):

Exhibit B:  Squirrels playing with snowballs and a camera. Must I really say more? For the whole story and more pics, click here. (P.S. I'm calling the one behind the camera Annie Leibovitz, but I'm not sure naming someone showing off his ball in front of a camera is family-friendly, so I leave that one to each of you on your own. Just know I'm giggling to myself on this end.)

Exhibit C:  For the second week in a row, Chris Holm pointed me in the direction of a great story, this one about Pedro the Shetland pony who was too short to see over his stall doors. As you can imagine, Pedro was pretty bummed out he couldn't see what was going on around him or chat with visitors. Thanks to a caring group of kids who thought up a "Pedroscope" and found a design firm to produce it, Pedro can now commune with guests while staying warm in his stall. And I now have diabeetus. Pedro before and after:

Exhibit D:  What's that you say? A dragon lizard playing leaf guitar would make your day? Your wish is my command.  Meet Barry White (I just made that up, but I like it. Can't you just hear that voice coming out of this guy? Sorry, it's been one of those weeks and I'm a bit punchy at the keyboard):

Photo credit: Aditya Permana, professional photographer in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Exhibit E:  Took Bird to my lifelong haven from the madness, Santa Cruz, for the first time this past weekend. Weather didn't permit hiking or beach time, but she was able to hang out with Aunt Cathy, meet our friend Linda and her dog, Bree, visit my favorite bookstore, Bookshop Santa Cruz, and have her first ice cream cone. She is not a big licker in any situation, which meant sharing my cone was fraught with danger as you can tell from the photo below. I adore her with the heat of 1,000 suns, but I ain't giving up my cone. She had to get her own. Smart canine.

In front of Bookshop Santa Cruz. You will note the orange harness, which is mostly to keep her secure in the car, but has the added benefit of people assuming she's a service dog. No one gives us the side eye when we venture out and about - yet.

Inside Bookshop Santa Cruz, where she was a champ, following me from shelf to shelf and never complaining when I stood and checked out a title. She did find some patrons sitting and reading who were more than happy to call her over for a chat. She sat next to one young man for several minutes and quietly let him pet her, prompting him to ask if she was a therapy dog. I tell ya, that harness is a goldmine.

The ice cream cone incident. Either unclear on the concept or just plain piggish.

That's it for this week, folks, I hope you all have a positive weekend.