Border collies are a special breed. Gail’s border collie is named Tennessee Tuxedo…Tux for short. Smart, attentive, and full of life with oodles of love to give their chosen people, this guy is the epitome of the breed. When I first arrived on Tuesday, he was hesitant. He kept his ears back and his tail low. He walked back and forth and bristled his ruff. He growled. But at the same time, his eyes looked to Gail for reassurance that everything was ok. She assured him I was a friend.
I’ve been blessed with several dogs who chose me as their human in this life. I don’t choose to have a canine companion at this point in my life, but I do enjoy the dogs I get to interact with. I know when a dog is a bit skittish and needs a little extra time to warm up so I went in and sat on the couch and was careful not to make eye contact. I could see Tux watching me…sizing me up to see if I was going to be a threat. He circled closer and closer. I let my hand dangle off the edge of the chair. And before I knew it, he came up and gave me a sniff and a careful little kiss.
I spoke to Tux softly and gently rubbed his muzzle. We gazed into each other’s eyes and he wagged his tail. By last night, he shared his brand new ball with me and I knew I’d been accepted in his pack. In the meantime, Bailey the Lab was her mellow sweet self whose whole purpose in life is to hug the rug near your feet.
Gail and I drove out to our friend Jan’s farm yesterday for lunch. She served the best Sloppy Joe’s I think I’ve ever had. When I asked her what was in them, she said there were two simple ingredients. Farm raised beef and Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce. Sloppy Joe’s have never been my favorite thing and now I think it’s because of all the stuff in it…green peppers and the like. Jan also served Grape Salad which consisted of red grapes in a white sauce made of sour cream, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Oh, yummmmmm!
We had a lovely visit. I pulled out my knitting and worked as we chatted. Gail gave me some beautiful hand-dyed machine washable wool sock yarn in a gorgeous light caramel color for my birthday. I started knitting the socks yesterday morning and have about three or four inches done already. It’s a beautiful pattern that gives the sock texture that the solid color accentuates. Before we left, Jan showed us the old timbers and planks of rough sawn wood she is selling next week at a one day event in her barn.
Gail and I ended what was a scorcher of a summer day with a dip in her pool. We spotted the beginnings of what could become a sizable hornet’s nest under the front eaves of her house. She’ll have her husband get after that. I spoke with Mr. FixIt and the power came on around 5:00 yesterday afternoon so he was one happy camper!
It was a lovely day filled with good friends and good conversation. I think we are going to go to her favorite yarn shop today. We may get bad storms again. I certainly hope we all fare better than we did Monday!
Oh, and by the way…my friend in Florida who writes a newsletter for pet lovers contacted me yesterday with a message for you. This year is going to be a really bad year for ticks in West Virginia (and I’m sure other areas as well), so be sure your fur babies are up to date on their flea and tick protection!
Stay safe out there!
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“For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind,”
James 3:7 ESV