Well, friends, I have not posted very much of late. The fact is that I have been busy.
Very very…
…busy.
I’m sure we can all understand the time and effort required to bring an assistant gardener into the scheme of things.
Also his brother, who just two days ago was discovered biting carnation blooms, apparently because they smelled so intriguing.
The assistant gardener’s name is Felix.
His brother’s name is Theo.
Occasionally other names are used for the pair. Big Bro and Li’l Bro, of course. Also Smol and Extra Smol. Likewise Fitz and Floyd. Sometimes even May and Hem, though I’ve never known which is which in that case.
So far Felix’s garden specialty is exploration. It appears he will also be an excellent assistant hole-digger; the big challenge will be preventing him from digging holes without the authorization of the garden planning commission. He is clearly a proponent for the use of grass. He explains that he sees it as producing cooler, more comfortable spaces. Whether this will result in any intrinsic planning alterations remains to be seen.
How did Felix and Theo arrive in our lives, you may ask? The neighbors have a German Shepherd. Also a Siberian Husky. Personally, though we don’t know details, we suspect it involved the Husky digging his way out of the fence; no doubt Felix comes by his father’s digging instincts. Anyway, homes were needed for the resulting Gerberian Shepsky pups. (Thank you to Google for informing me of the correct name.)
My sis and I decided we could take a couple; or rather I decided to take Felix home, while the more precocious Theo immediately decided he would go home with Sarah… and had little difficulty convincing her as well. We have been spending all our spare time—and some that wasn’t spare—on puppies since.
There is a curious sense of coming full circle with this. The first dog I remember was my grandparents’ Shepherd/Husky mix Bobo. I was scared of him as I was scared of so many things in my early years (and it wasn’t the dog’s fault at all), but for all that Bobo was always somehow my idea of what a dog should be.
We brought the pups home quite young, younger than ideally I would have done. But I felt it was a bit safer for them, given the situation. They haven’t missed a beat, but I suspect my sis and I have missed several extra weeks’ worth of sleep this way.
One of the most precious things about it all is that somehow this little cream-colored puppy (who is rapidly turning into a lovely wolf-gray) is helping heal and fill the big hole left from the death of my wonderful Labrador Retriever Bella. Some of you may remember my posting Bella’s loss back in 2018. I’ve missed her very much indeed. I still have my precious friend BettytheDog, but the relationships were quite a bit different. One can’t just fit one friend into the spot formerly occupied by another.
But sometimes a new friend really does complete an empty space, and Felix is doing just this with his cuddles, his feistiness, his enthusiasms, his big smiles, and his affection. Apparently I needed this tiny pup in my life.
Adorable! They will bring you so much joy in the years to come, and give life more purpose in difficult times. Puppies are a handful though, aren't they! Our doggie, Anouk, came to us last year at the ripe old age of 13. Although we had not planned on having another dog so soon, we are glad she is here and that she seems to be enjoying her 'retirement' with us!
Oh so so sweet. How wonderful to have a garden assistant!!!! Daughter has a pup, now 7 mos. old, and I think the early mornings are the hardest to get used to. Enjoy your time together!!!!