What the dog is doing

Being nicer, I suppose, than the average kid who has left home, I call my parents pretty much every morning. It makes my mom happy, and while sometimes I don't feel like having the obligation, it's usually more of a pleasantry than a hardship. For most of my time since leaving, the nature of my family has meant that two topics of conversation were pretty much always part of the call-- "What'd you have for dinner last night?" and "What's the dog doing?" We're funny people.

For the last two years, since Carmen passed away, that second topic sadly had to be retired, as there was no longer any dog of which to discuss the doings. Not, of course, that her doings were particularly noteworthy; we were just inordinately interested. :-) But it's nice, now that they have Merlin, we can go back to talking about canine endeavors that are fascinating to no one but us.

I learned today that Merlin likes to crawl under my dad's desk while he's working at it to lay at his feet. :-D

Merlin dog!

My parents just got a new dog!

After our old dog Carmen passed away at age fourteen, my mom has really missed having a dog around the house, and she finally determined she was going to get another one. She decided she didn't want a puppy with all the accompanying puppy behaviors, so she thought it might be nice to find a rescue dog, who would be slightly older and in need of a good home. We'd had wonderful experiences with Brittanys because of Carmen, so she thought they might get a similar type of dog. So she contacted the Mid-Atlantic English Springer Spaniel Rescue Service and they connected her and my dad with a sweet, energetic six-or-seven-year-old boy that they just brought home yesterday. They went to meet him yesterday, saying they would get to know him a bit and decide if he was the right dog for them, and it turned out that they loved him, so he is now our newest animal family member. They didn't know what his real name was at the rescue and had given him some placeholder name, so Mom decided to call him Merlin. She always wanted a dog named Merlin. :-)



They say he's very obedient, always looking to someone for direction, though they think as he gets more used to his new home he'll be a lot bolder. He particularly loves my brother. He likes chasing balls but doesn't like to give them up once he's caught them. I wish I could meet him, but it will probably be a long time before I get a chance to visit home again. My parents, particularly my mom, are very happy with him, so I am very happy they've found him.

Good Kincaid

Today is Epiphany, as well as Carmen's birthday. She would have been fifteen today; this is the first birthday she's not been around for. My dad put a picture on her on the refrigerator of when she was in her prime. She really was a beautiful dog.

Had a riding lesson today. Went better than I expected it to, given how long it's been. But I'm pleased with how well I rode, and though Kincaid may have been totally unable to go round, at least he wasn't as stiff as he sometimes is. I hear they've been jumping him again, which I hate since it makes him get all strung out and go really heavy on his forehand, and I could definately feel the effect. He just doesn't carry himself well enough to maintain it with that intensity of work. But I managed to keep him in a good frame. Unfortunately, even though I've been working out, my muscles just weren't used to that particular kind of punishment-- seems like the only place the muscles in riding ever get used are in riding. So I'm parked out with sore hips and thighs for a while. Ah, well, hard work is good for 'em.

Thanks to having to kind of stay in one place due to the soreness, perhaps I can use the remainder of the evening to get some writing done. I made a little progress on Oz since I've been home, but not nearly as much as I'd like to. A little focus of some kind is in order. I get back to Waltham on the 11th, and school starts up again the 13th, so I should try to use my free time while I can.

Missing Carmen

It's still strange being home without Carmen around. She's been gone since the beginning of June, but this is only the second time I've been home since then, so I'm still not used to being in this house without her in it. I still expect for her to come greet us when we come in the door, and several times I've started cutting up table scraps to give to her after dinner. Boy, do I miss that girl. She was such a good girl. The best girl anyone could have.

I wonder when my parents will get a new dog. My mom went through a phase where she never wanted another dog ever again, but as I figured she's come around and would like to have a new one around. I think she wants a big one, like a German shepherd or a retriever. I'm not sure if they'll be sticking around the area for much longer or what, so they may be waiting to get one until they know.

All I know is I miss having a dog.