Remembering Rudy

My dog Ella was born last May, so she is not yet a year old. She's coming along, growing tall and bringing moments of pure delight (well, not always). For those of you who don't know, our last pet (beloved Rudy) died last spring from cancer after loving us unconditionally since 1996. But when you grieve something you've lost, there's no speeding up that process. Remembering Rudy is something I fit into everyday, no matter how much I have to do. And the great thing about remembering someone in this way is that you don't have to include it on a to-do list, or even set aside time to do it. It just happens at its own speed and with its own sense of grace. Thank goodness for that...

New Pets and Old Loves

It's hard to be funny when your dog dies. What started out as a vacation-induced respite from blogging has grown to include my hazy days of grief. Rudy was by my side for thirteen years and no dog will ever replace her. She died on May 19th, and I haven't felt like writing for weeks - I still don't. But we're getting a new puppy on the 4th of July, so it's time to get my head around that. Our family moments have been singly focused on finding the perfect name for our new dog. This consumption has been exhausting and I've taken to spouting wildly inappropriate suggestions whenever inspiration strikes. Names like Maggot and Tree Frog, Pickles and Cereal, Chardonay and Vader have been fielded and dropped. I'm inclined to think that the name doesn't matter too much. All the same, I've been jotting top picks on the chalkboard in the kitchen. This morning when my son noticed a new entry left behind from an erased grocery list, he chimed in with his endorsement for the name Cool Whip.