“Heigh ho. Heigh ho. It’s off to Pet Connections I go!”
Will I see Brutus today or has he found his forever home? What new stories will I hear today and what life lessons will I uncover learn?
Come back next week to find out.
I don’t know why, but I am madly in love with irises. They speak to my soul, are balm for my spirit; they make me smile.
Irises come in all different colors, stand up proudly and I’ll bet that they don’t suffer fools gladly. They are as close to perfection as you can get.
She said: This is a photograph rich with metaphorical implications.
He said: Really? You sure this is not just your English major education talking?
She said: Yes. I’m sure.
He asked: How come?
She said: How come I’m sure or what am I talking about?
He said: Both.
She said: People are constantly looking for pearls of wisdom; ways to make sense out of their lives and inspirational quotes to keep them working on their dreams.
He said: Sometimes that’s true. Sometimes, they’re just looking for a good meal.
She said: Don’t be cute (even though you are cute.)
He said nothing but he did smile.
She said: So, the table could be “your life” and the objects sitting on top of the table could be the things that you bring to your life.
He remained quiet but he did continue to smile.
She said: It’s important not to sit down to this table empty-handed. And, it’s important to know that you’re not stuck with the first things that you bring. You can offer them to someone else – someone who needs that one thing more than you do.
She said: You can choose to sit by yourself or you can invite someone to join you. If you want to invite a lot of people to sit with you, you can.
He said: I’m thinking it could get pretty crowded at my table.
She didn’t say anything but now, she smiled.
He said: Ah. Is that another metaphorical implication?
She remained quiet but continued to smile.
He said: Let me see if I understand this. That table represents my life and part of the significance of that is inviting others to share my table my life. Everyone who I ask to join me will bring something of value that gets placed on the table. Whatever that valuable thing is can be picked up by anyone who needs it. Or not.
He said: What happens if someone comes to my table and they don’t bring something with them?
She said: That will never happen.
He said: Really. You’re sure about this?
She said: I’m sure.
He didn’t say anything, but he smiled … and waited.
She said: Even if your table had nothing on it, there would still be enough to share. Each person that you invite brings things that they carry inside of themselves – things that are more important than whatever material objects get placed on your table.
He said: Ah. So, I should make it a point to never eat alone, right?
She didn’t say anything, but she dipped her head at him and grinned.
This is the art of canine persuasion according to Tessa. She may look cute, but she’s serious as a heart attack.
“I want that treat. What more do I have to do before you give it to me?”
This is a conversation that we have every day, Tessa and I. It’s a lot like that time-worn, “What’s in it for me?” To answer that question, both of us have to want something.
And, we do.
Tessa wants instant gratification. “Feed me, now … please.” Kind of like me when I’m hunting for chocolate.
“I want it now.”
I want a different kind of behavior from her. “Let’s not charge the fence and bark ferociously at 1) that guy who just stepped out of his huge lawnscaping truck or 2) my new neighbor out walking her 4 year old scottie or 3) the neighbors from down the street who have lived here for years out walking their daughter’s Jack Russell terrier, Ralph.
“And why not bark? It’s what I do.”
“Well, it’s noisy for one and irritatingly so. And, you scare people when they walk by because they’re not expecting to hear that kind of racket. And, if Jasper’s out in the yard with you, your behavior prompts him to follow yours - and that kind of life imitating life – a 160 pound Great Dane imitating an 18 pound whirling dervish creates even more noise and looks really scary from the other side of the fence. All of which starts a domino effect with the dogs who live two houses down from mine — and then there is a cacophony of noise that drives me nuts.”
So, maybe this is more about what I want than what Tessa wants.
Tessa’s yard busy from the moment she flies out the back door until I call her to come back inside. So much to see and to smell and to chase after and to react to. She’s a dog on a mission every minute. Back inside, she’s house busy – defending us from everything that’s outside that she perceives as a threat … when she can get away with it. Which is not as much now as in the past.
I suspect that a good part of her busy-ness comes from a lack of socialization when she was younger – and rather than sympathize with her about this, it’s better to re-direct her.
How do I know this treatment plan is working?
Tessa’s less afraid of my husband than she was when she came to us almost three years ago. She’ll seek him out instead of backing away from or barking at him. This was a long time in coming and it’s still a work in progress.
Which is not all that different from everything that’s important in our lives – understanding that what’s important to each of us (whatever that is), is a never-ending work in progress. That if we stop working, we can’t get any better than we are.
This has been the springtime of butterflies. It’s almost as if someone opened a door and declared this area the butterfly capital of the world. There have been swarms of butterflies, all of them looking much like this one.
There have been so many in my yard alone that a butterfly traffic cop would not have been out of place.
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