Saying goodbye

The people came today.

They were an energetic young couple. One recently back from Iraq, the other bubbling over with excitement. They had come by yesterday to meet our dog, my dog, Murphy.

She performed perfectly. Murphy was bubbly, outgoing, and mannerly. I had a wrenching, twisted feeling in the pit of my stomach. The couple and Murphy were a good match.

We packed up her things; her crate and leash, bones and toys. And the people came. He smiled, she laughed. I walked the three of them to their car. First they wanted to get her a new collar, then they wanted to take her to the beach.

I'm sure Murphy is doing better than I. They really were a good match.

So I went out to see the other animals. Gracie went with me. Graci is our schnauzer, the one that Murphy would take down.



She is a good dog with very little hunting instinct in her at all. She wouldn't hunt, that's why I got Murphy in the first place.

We visited the pigeons.


She checked on the chickens.



Saw to the bunnies.


The cat watched all of this with his normal air of indifference.


Then she went and sniffed around the base of a tree a little way off. I looked at her askance. What was she doing? Then I heard the barking. Up a ways on the trunk was a squirrel, voicing his displeasure.

Hmmmm.