It’s been a long time between posts. I’ve thought about closing down my blog. With the increase in how much of our lives are digitalized, it’s my inner rebellion then says “Choose analog whenever possible.” Then the renewal notice comes around and I renew anyway.

It’s a Friday night and summer. This means that the terraces in front of our house are full of people enjoying food, drinks and weather doesn’t require an umbrella. Lots of groups tonight, I think people have milestones to celebrate. Earlier today there was a wedding marathon in the historic city hall to celebrate the 750th anniversary of the city.

For me, I am dogsitting. Every Friday, Jax the chihuahua puppy comes to stay while his owner works the 2PM-2AM shift. He’s learning fast. Since last week he has become increasingly more vocal, which is not necessarily a win. He alternates between a chuffing sound like a Gremlin and a high pitched attempt at a bark depending on which message he is trying to send. I am glad to do it as it means that I can enjoy all the benefits of a very cute puppy and then send him home with his owner at the end of the night.

I still think about and talk to Henry and George daily along with my Mom. In January, after fostering puppies for a rescue, we kept the one who didn’t get adopted, Pallino. We were not planning to. However, after his brother was adopted, he went completely back to stage zero and we realized that for him to start over with yet another family was probably worse for him than staying with us, even if we live in a city. The stressors that he experiences from life here could be offset by the time and patience we were willing to give him. It’s paid off. We still have work to do but compared to when he first came and now, he’s on his way to having a really good life.

Here’s the first picture we received of them. It was taken on the day they arrived at the rescue after being seen by a vet. They had been picked up off the street along with their sister. It’s interesting because when I first saw these pictures, I thought Pallino would be the first one to be adopted and we would have more work to do with Lupetto but it was exactly the other way around.

After the summer, we will foster again. Due to the heat and the transit time, the fall and winter are usually when the dogs come north. By that time, we should be ready for another set of puppies. Speaking of, it’s amazingly quiet now as everyone has finally fallen asleep after so many hours of squeaky toy Olympics. The key now is to pick the right time to wake them up for the last walk of the evening.

Much of the grounding I need comes from having animals in my life. The simple, repetitive requirements they have become anchors for me, not only in hard times. Maybe that is what some people get from meditation. I haven’t managed to get there yet. I supposed that’s okay though as it is a practice and it’s expected that you have to work at it.