RITUAL NUMBER ONE.

For the most part, Wendell is nocturnal.  The majority of his days are spent sleeping off his night's adventures, so it's rare that we'll actually see much of him between the hours of breakfast and dinner...with one exception. After lunch every weekday, Hannah, Wendell and I all take a walk to the mailbox, and when we call for him around that time––"Come on, Goof!"––he comes running out from under the house, out from our neighbor's pasture, or sometimes just out of nowhere, and excitedly joins us on our walk.This long walk to the mailbox has become our first family ritual, and I think we all cherish it equally. Wendell bounds down the road, joyfully bouncing in and out of the woods, throwing his whole body back and forth as he wags his enormous tail. Hannah and I hold hands, occasionally throwing sticks for Wendell to chase (until he gets bored with that and chases our shoes). When we get to our box and grab the mail, we all turn around and head back together, as a family.It's such a lovely event, and it's one of my favorite parts of every day. I like to imagine ourselves making this same walk, at this same time, when we have children, when those children grow up, and when we're old and it takes up the better part of the day. Not that Bugtussle hasn't felt like home since I first laid eyes on it, but adding this ritual has solidified that feeling for me. We live here now, with the ritual to prove it.- Jesse.