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1. The dog with four homes and six names

   April 4, 2013 2:51 pm

    

   Kati wanted a dog. And she was relentless about it. Her Sunday evening shows were filled with dance, piano music, gymnastics, harmonica duet with Elena, and a total of one hundred PowerPoint slides on the virtues and benefits of owning a dog. This was her D.O.G Campaign, which was short for a Dog is Our Goal.  After three weeks we gave in. It had been over two and half years since we said goodbye to Sugar and Red. Time to open our hearts and our home again.  But we were still recovering from years of round a clock care with our diabetic Sugar, so we decided to ease into dog ownership by fostering. Little did we know…

   Enter Spike/Ike/Chip/Charlie/Frankie/Baxter, a two year old pointer/pit mix roaming the countryside near a farm. He was looked after on an off, was neutered and had rabies shots. After a fight with a skunk a neighbor took him to a vet, then arranged for him to be entered into Independent Animal Rescue.

    

   

   After living through Sugar’s and Red’s antics, I did not know a dog could possibly this calm and relaxed. Baxter is so sweet and mellow, he either follows us around or chills out on his dog bed.

   But as we discovered, Baxter is a very sick dog. Heart Worms, Ehrlichiosis, and a possible abscessed tooth. The next two months will not be easy. But as a friend of mine once remarked, I don’t  do easy…

    

   

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2. The Monkey Shoes

   2:49 pm

   Monday, February 25

   Elena is not feeling well today so I stayed at home with her. She is sleeping on the couch across from me when I suddenly think of her ragged shoes. Her favorites, pink and gray, with monkeys on each side, and with holes on the bottom, and the fabric disintegrating at the heels. I start wondering if I could find another pair just like it. I go to the garage to look at the label, then get on the computer. After a few minutes I find the exact pair, two sizes bigger. Oh, well, it is almost springtime, she might grow into it by next fall. When I press the order button, I try to imagine Elena’s face when she opens the box.

   Wednesday, February 27

   Elena is feeling better and ready to go back to school. I am already sitting in the car, waiting for her to grab her shoes. The monkey ones.
   “Elena, do you mind the holes?
   “No, mommy.”
   She opens the car door. “I had a dream,” she says, ” that I had two pairs of these, one old and one new. I chose the new one.
   “Are you serious?
   “Yes, Mommy.”

   “Are you kidding me?”

   “No, Mom! It is not a big deal, it was just a dream!”
   “It is a big deal! I ordered a new pair for you two days ago.”
   “Oh, wow, now it is confirmed! I can predict the future! I am psychic!”

   I roll my eyes. “I am not going to be able to give you many surprises, that’s for sure.”

    

   

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3. Riding the Dragon

   2:47 pm

   Wednesday, Feb 27

   There is a 3-mile loop of trail around our campus and I take advantage of the mild winter day. My first and last stop, as always is Page’s bench overlooking  the pond and magnificent fountain. As I sit down on the bench installed in her honor I can feel her spirit greeting me. I say a quick hi to her, then head into the woods for much-needed introspection. An hour later I return to the same spot to talk to Paige some more. My mind is preoccupied by  a book a friend of me gave me last weekend: The Artist’s Way at Work-Riding the Dragon. I read the first few chapters when I was at home with Elena, I could not commit to the recommended exercises, but I liked the main motive of the book: the nine steps of spiritual awakening as depicted on the ancient Chinese Nine Dragon Scroll.

   When I am ready to return to the lab, I say “Thank You” to Paige. I leave the pond behind and cross the parking lot. As I pass a black SUV, a plastic toy laying on the ground catches my eyes. I keep walking, feeling sorry for the kid who lost his toy. It is unlikely that it will be picked up again here. I could tell that it was some animal with wings, and Kati loves unicorns and pegasus, so I decide to go back to pick it up. When I reach the spot I can hardly believe my eyes. The toy indeed has wings, golden colored ones, but it also has the purple body of a dragon.

   Time to ride the dragon.

   At  night I finally sign up with Trafford, a self-publishing company.

    

   

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