December Days

Marching homeless dogs in the Liepers Fork Christmas Parade. . .this was all kinds of down home fun!!!!!!

My oh my. . . .December has brought with it all the craziness of the holidays and just a little bit more!!!! Nash, my oldest turned 17!!! Oh man. . .and with him on his new adventure to finish high school a year early so that he can start college in the fall "at sea". . .it has really made me sad. . .thinking that next year he won't be home for Thanksgiving...he won't be home for his 18th birthday....uggghhhh. Why is it that when something is so exciting for our children, we can't help but feel a selfish tug at our heart? Sometimes I feel like I already miss him.

Then. . .the day after Nash's birthday. . .I turned 39!!!!! The last year of my thirties. . . .I can't decide exactly how to embrace this year....with fear or free will. I keep thinking, how will I dress a year from now, when I'm 40 and probably too old for leggings and cowboy boots?....what will I do with my hair....will I be way past a pony tail? I then I wonder....what does it say about me that these are things I fear with my 40's? I think I have severe Peter Pan syndrome!!!!!

At the shelter pulling dogs ready for the journey "home".

AND THEN. . . .to make it all go away. . ..we rescued dogs. . ..that will take your mind off of anything!!!! A trip to Bowling Green in the cold rain to bring back some pooches that couldn't wait to get to a forever home. . .ahhhhhhhh... .now I am at peace again. Because these dogs. ..honestly, they could care less about what I'm wearing or how my hair looks. . .they are just so blatantly happy to have been saved I could be in a clown costume and they would never utter a negative word!!!!

Sheila was a bit afraid of being in the crate for the ride back.

The trips home are always interesting. . .this time Michele made it with me, always nice to have a buddy along. You never know who is going to be okay in a crate. . .who is going to cry....who is going to get car sick. ..or who thinks they should be driving down I-65 instead of you!!!! Luckily, no one got sick and most were content to just hang in their crates and sleep through the journey...except Oscar. Oscar is an amazing Pomeranian who Michele described as "entitled". I'm not sure how this guy ended up homeless because he had obviously been spoiled and well taken care of. . .his manners were impeccable, his heart huge. . .his car etiquette had been serioulsy entertained before as he was quite certain that A. We had made a huge mistake in crating him because B. His steering skills were quite superior to my own!!!!

Giles before his trip to the "spa".

Everyone has been placed in a forever home with the exception of Giles. . .Giles was a senior silky terrier mix who had bad teeth, bad cataracts and was completely deaf. He had been infested with fleas, needed a good grooming, and was very thin. However, he is the epitome of sweetness, wanting nothing more than to be with his human...but, Giles has been very sick since he got home with an upper respiratory infection. I feel like he has started to turn a slow corner, but hopefully will be well soon and we can search for his forever family. Should the perfect family not be found then Giles will spend his golden years with us and that will be just fine. It is hard with the seniors. Most people don't want the hassle of possible medical issues nor do they want to think about the short time they may have with a new pet in his/her elder years. ..but I think senior dogs are the best dogs of all. They are so happy and content to just have a warm spot to sleep, someone who cares enough to make sure they can chew their meals. . .and a soft touch to let them know you are there.

They adapt so easily to their "disabilities". Though Giles cannot hear a thing, he manages just fine. . .his sight is nowhere near perfect, but he never bumps into a single thing and still enjoys watching the other dogs out the window while perched on the arm of the couch. . .I think that what saddens me the most about Giles is that he is truly missing something. ..and I know what that something is. Giles is missing his "little boy". Somewhere along the way Giles was the companion to a young boy. . .I know this because the only time he has truly perked up since he has been sick is when Gabriel comes to visit. Gabriel is the 10 year old son of our dear friends Montie and Sallee. . .and somehow this deaf and blind dog knows when Gab has entered our home and will come immediately to him. For those moments. . .Giles is a puppy again, playing with Gab in a way that we just can't get him to do with us. ..not even my sons (who are both teenagers). It is so odd for a senior dog, especially in his condition to react this way to a child. ..no fears, no intimidation. ..just sheer faith in the scent of a little boy.

So. . . .there we have it!!!! It's mid December and the craziness is just beginning to wage a war against my heart and my head!!!! But, I have so many new ideas for the new year. . .in art, in business, in dog rescue. . . I can't wait to get started and that is what is going to get me through the insanity of the holidays!!!!

Peace and Puppies Y'all!!!!