Dog Love

My heart was given to a dog a few years back
We found him in a campground, tied to a tree.
I saw him and asked others...
Why is it here?Why is he tied?
No one knew or seemed to care.
One by one, they packed up and left.
The dog sat quietly watching us.
What should we do? We can't drive away
and leave like the others....
But then a cry came from this dog,
A howl so loud and sad:
It spoke of fear and being lost,
It spoke of hardship,struggle, pain.
I turned and walked toward him.
He looked at me and then again he howled,
but then he stopped and lowered his head
as if he knew that we understood....
and as I removed the rope from his neck,
he ran like the wind to the back of our truck
and we knew he was ours,
It was a small and simple thing.
We lifted him in and drove back home.
The shelter said there were no "missing" dogs, no one looking for him .
Well that's just fine. We'll keep him then. One more won't hurt.
I think I saw him smile.

It's been seven years.He's a special dog ;a well trained short haired pointer.The first year he struggled with heartworm, malnutrition and a depressed immune system. The vet said he was a real survivor .

We know this. He still talks to us. He will be forever grateful because we gave him our hearts that day. His name is Moke. Someone said we should have named him "Lucky", but I always say," No,we are the lucky ones."

"We can do no great things, only small things with great love"- Mother Teresa

Valley Fog; Free Spirit in the Foothills

The Road Home

This Winding Road

This has been a quiet day. The weather warmed up a bit and the rain has stopped for the second day. I hear no wind, or rain. There are no owls hooting or coyotes howling. Tonight is quiet and all the creatures that live around us are silent.

My husband and I went to town and voted yesterday. It's kind of like going to church. You feel good about doing it and it makes you proud that you live in a country that allows it's citizens freedoms that a lot of people, in other countries, don't have. My vote doesn't always win, but the fact that we are all a part of this process called Democracy is real a fine thing.

After choosing our candidates and propositions, we went to lunch at a new Italian restaurant nearby. I always enjoy eating out. Lunch is best for us. It's not as expensive as dinner and we get home before dark (This is important, as we have very spoiled dogs that don't like to be outside at night. Ya, I know!) We stop and pick up the mail on the highway, then head back down the road that leads home. Sometimes we have to slow down for a squirrel or to let someone pass us . It's a very narrow, one lane road and many times you have to back up to a wide spot to let somebody by. This doesn't happen too often because we don't get much traffic. The road goes down three winding miles to a very large river and an old bridge that crosses into another county. The road is awful . The county only patches potholes and cuts up fallen trees if they are blocking the road. Halfway down this winding road is the entrance to our property. Our road turns and goes up to the top of a hill. The house overlooks a small town across the river and the foothills and river valleys of the Sierra Nevada. We have lived here for ten years, now, and I'm still amazed that I live in such a beautiful place. When we pull up to the garage, we hear the dogs barking, as if we have left them for days. It's only been three hours.

Today was a quiet day. Tonight, as I write this, the dogs are sleeping in the living room, husband is gone (to a meeting), and I am very much where I want to be. Here...now.

Through my Kitchen window

Reality

Wind brings movement
outside my window.
Moving leaves and branches,
here and there,
passing unseen
except by what it touches
as it moves through the air.

Sometimes I wish I were
like this wind.
blowing through life.
but...

I am more
like a large dog
on it's rounds,
leaving footprints everywhere
in the neighbor's garden,
wagging my tail
and
wearing out my welcome.

The Big Game