This is Deputy Digby Pancake.  Isn’t is amazing how much you appreciate something or someone when you are about to leave?

It’s knowin’ that your door is always open
And your path is free to walk
That makes me tend to leave my sleepin’ bag
Rolled up and stashed behind your couch

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For us, the past few months here in Bodega Bay have been some of the best we have ever had.  The birds, the history, and especially the people made us feel welcome and at home.   There was lots and lots of good food, which is always a plus.  And although we have traveled more miles than Christopher Columbus did, it seemed all of our paths led us right here to rest a bit.  It was a long path for sure.

But next week? It looks like we are going to be starting up this Big Blue Treat Wagon again to hit the road back to that Florida place and Amelia Island.

When I walk along some railroad track and find
That you’re movin’ on the back roads
By the rivers of my memory
And for hours you’re just gentle on my mind

It seems a little overwhelming to our family that we have to travel so far again.  In some ways, it is exciting and we know that the paths back there could lead us to wonderful things.  But leaving here again is a lot to bear in some ways, because it is just so wonderful.  It is about as hard to do as Sheriff Brickle tearing himself away from looking in the mirror.  And that’s real hard.

But even though there will be some sadness in leaving here, we won’t let it cloud the wonderful memories we will always cherish of a time when we could say that we lived in Bodega Bay.  Doesn’t that sound nice?  We lived in Bodega Bay.  We truly lived.

Tears of joy might stain my face
And the summer sun might burn me till I’m blind
But not to where I cannot see
You walkin’ on the back roads
By the rivers flowin’ gentle on my mind

We didn’t plan to stay here as long as we did, but maybe that was part of our journey.  Yes, we are a bit sad about the little house that wasn’t to be ours right now.  But we understand why the family wanted to keep it for themselves that own it.

But guess what? There may be another little house just waiting for us somewhere else.  And we can’t let any sadness overtake us.  Because that will not let us see what could be waiting.

All of this week, there have been neighbors trying to help us, there have been birds giving us encouragement, and we have had to listen to our inner voices telling us that we may need to move on.  So we listened.  And now we plan to do so despite missing our friends here.

It’s not clingin’ to the rocks and ivy
Planted on their columns now that bind me
Or something that somebody said because
They thought we fit together walkin’

The truth is, and as a Deputy, I always tell the truth, if we are headed back to that Florida place and something here turns up, well, we will turn right back around.  But we can’t afford to sit here for much longer.  As Deputy, that takes away from my pancake money.  And we can’t have that, now can we?

Despite the sadness of saying goodbye, the memories hold much more depth for us.  Even me, and I am not so deep.  We found our laziness here by just looking at the ocean for hours.  We visited “our beach” every night, we had our routine, and it felt so, so good to have some routine.  But there is a lot to being on the road too, and we have to look at the positive of new trails again, seeing some things we may have missed before, and getting back to that Florida sunshiney. When we think of leaving Bodega Bay, we won’t be sad.  We will prefer for it to be gentle on our mind.

We plan to make the most of our last days here, and then?  We are going to celebrate hitting the road.  Our destination this time?  A yard for Brickle and I.  A place for Girl Person to make yummy food for us all and to grow it.  And a place for Boy Person to make stuff out of junk.  As you can see, our aspirations aren’t that complicated.  And isn’t that how life is too?  We try to make things more complicated than they are.  Finding happiness isn’t dependent on one house, or one state or one person.  Happiness is dependent on us.  Ourselves.  So let’s be happy that our time here in Bodega Bay and Sonoma County was all we hoped for, even with the fires.  Because we felt we were needed here.  And we would not change one thing.

Through cupped hands ’round a tin can
I pretend to hold you to my breast and find
That you’re waitin’ from the back roads
By the rivers of my memory
Ever smilin’, ever gentle on my mind

-Deputy Digby Pancake

We have such an exciting giveaway this weekend from Balanced Health!

You take care of everyone else, including our furkids. But what about you?  What we consume and what we are exposed to in our environment can greatly affect our wellbeing, creating a negative impact on the body. These are called sensitivities. The Balanced Health Sensitivity Scan can determine close to 1000 potential food and environmental sensitivities by testing them against a client’s hair and saliva. The report will include a list of specific sensitivities that resonated. Sensitive does not necessarily mean allergic. Often, if a client avoids a specific sensitivity for at least 30 days or more, the sensitivity will subside and can be reintroduce. And this weekend, Balanced Health is giving one away to one of our fans valued at $60!

To enter:

1) go follow @creatingbalancedhealth on Facebook, 2) tag a friend in their most recent photo, and 3) comment on what sensitivities you think that you have
…Contest closes October 29th and winners will be announced on the November 1 on their Facebook page!