We recently made an excursion this weekend to a local park known as the Bog Garden, a park with a meandering trail of sidewalks, boardwalks and dirt through a dense mass of trees along a brook that feeds into a lake. It was a favorite place to go since out daughter Randie was a little girl. It seemed like a good place to take Rosie.
You may notice in the photo that Randie is wearing a mask. So was I. A lot of other people were not.
There were a lot of people at the Bog Garden that afternoon and not always able to stay 6 feet apart. As I noted in yesterday's post, it seems there are people who think this whole coronavirus pandemic thing is over even as cases of COVID-19 are going up here in North Carolina with hospitalizations and deaths also on the rise.
You may also notice that my daughter's hair is... green?
OK, the great project to dye her hair blue hit a snag or something. I'm not sure of the details.
Anyway, Rosie did well at the park. She had endured some trauma as a puppy before she was rescued by the SPCA and we in turn adopted her. She's still skittish around people and too excitable around other animals.
Rosie is a quiet dog, content to let you pet her head or her belly for hours on end. She has her favorite chair she likes to sit or lie in. She will not get up on any other furniture on her own.
She does lie on the couch with my wife Andre, Randie and I but only because Randie picks her up and brings her to the couch.
It's like watching someone carry a deer or something.
Once she's on the couch with us, Rosie will lay quietly across Randie's lap while we watch TV, allowing for an occasional
ear scratch or head pat.
Rosie also likes to lick our fingers. A lot.
Rosie is officially listed on her adoption papers as a black Lab mix. We suspect that somewhere in that mix might be "cat".
Until recently, Randie had to carry Rosie to her bed which is for the moment in Randie's room. Rosie had a thing about crossing thresholds from one room to another. Now. she will enter Randie's room willingly without being carried.
We're making progress.
I'm glad we have Rosie. Sometimes after I spent too much of my day sleeping and not getting anything done, I will stagger down the hall to Rosie's chair. "I need some dog," I will say and Rosie will inch herself aside to make room for me to sit with her and pet her for awhile.
Sometimes I just rest my hand on her side, feeling the rhythm of her breathing and the beating of her heart. It makes me feel better. And I hope she feels better from the troubles and trials of her early life.
I hope Rose feels safe and loved.
And I hope you all stay safe and remember to be good to one another.
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