Puppy eyes
The house still carries the afterglow of a wonderful Christmas spent with friends. A tiny tree all sparkled with lights and silver ribbons sits on the fireplace mantel, the dining table is set with candles in brass holders and an evergreen swag welcomes visitors at the front door. I chose a simple celebration this year, but the joy lingers even after the holiday. And as I look around I realize what a fortunate person I am.
Bianca’s five puppies, for instance, are an eternal source of love and laughter. Realizing that they would soon breech the walls of their cardboard home, I moved them to the laundry just off the dining room … cardboard home and all. And it was barely in time, for Cassiopeia was over the top within the week and others have followed in the days since. Bit by bit they were destroying my plastic-lined creation as they tried out their new and tiny teeth. After breakfast this morning I heard one of the puppies howling in distress and I made a dash for the laundry
There is always one in every group that moves!
fearing the worst … but it was only that Cato had pulled the plastic loose from the side and slipped between it and the cardboard, thus “trapping” himself. After extricating him I repaired the hole, but within 15 minutes another portion of the plastic liner had been pulled down and this time two puppies were stuck. I could see that it was time to change! So now the puppies have free range of the laundry floor which is covered in rugs, towels and blankets of the ragged variety. But even that remedy has not been uneventful. Cyrus found that by going through the shelving between the washer and dryer he could explore the space behind the appliances … but of course he had no idea how to return to his siblings. A cardboard facing has fixed that problem. Oh, and they discovered the curtains on Christmas Eve … I shortened, and thus saved them, by tying a knot half way up—a look which I anticipate will become a hot and trendy fashion statement very soon … be sure to watch for it in magazines this coming year!
Only a door between us and true freedom!
In two and a half short weeks each puppy will travel to its new home and the house will be back to where it began in the early autumn. There will be no more big plastic-lined cardboard boxes to fill up floor space, no more bowls of mushy puppy gruel, no more yips and howls, no more “leavings” on the floor to wipe up. But there will also be no more puppy eyes looking at me, no more puppy breath, no more puppies asleep on my lap and far fewer awww moments. I will bless each puppy with my tears as they leave, because I will truly miss them. But in those tears also comes a blessing for each of the families as they begin a life with this special little life.
-Jorie
The hot new look--knotted shears!
Mmmm ... shoe laces are good!