“It is the motion that runs the tail of a dog.”
This line from the poem “Hope” by Lisel Mueller jumped out at me. Noche defines the word every time I sit down to pee. Seated sweetly in front of me, eyes bright and expectant, his tail thumps ever-faster as we make eye contact and the possibility that I will pet him grows ever-larger in his mind.
My dogs are a blessing in my life.
At 100 years old, Bernice’s most-voiced wish is to live another 20 years. She just all-out loves living. On our trip to Oregon for her birthday party, we followed her example and all-out enjoyed life. Neither the endless rain nor a bout of Kennel Cough could keep us down. Beautiful rivers, good dogs (SUCH good dogs), great friends (SUCH great friends) and days together in favorite places. Empty places. Days spent traveling distances that could have been driven in hours. Looking at real estate. Hiking. Nesting in our camper. Putting to use all the cool things we’ve collected over the years. Our portable water heater. Our campfire-in-a-can. Our “Mr. Buddy” Heater. Layers and layers of fleece. We were SO set!
Back at home and back to work, the rain continues. The roof still leaks. The road is crumbling. We’re being sued. We’re hanging onto that vacation feeling though. Loving life. Thanks Bernice. Happy Birthday!
