Remembering Star

Do you see that Schnauzer in the middle of my neighbor's lawn?  So did I.  It was early in the morning one day after our neighbors, whom we really like, had already complained about our dog coming over to their yard.  I went outside and saw Star, getting ready to you-know-what on the neighbors' lawn!!  I called her and she wouldn't come.  That made me mad, so I shouted urgently, trying not to draw attention to myself or the dog.  I was so mad that Star wouldn't respond to me, I started tearing across the street screaming at her.  So much for not drawing attention to myself.  I got halfway across the gravelly road in my socks and realized that "Star" was a granite boulder.  I turned around and went home with my tail between my legs.  Inside, Star was obediently, patiently waiting for me.  I petted her and she was happy.  She didn't know I was dumber than a rock.

I miss Star sometimes, even though it's nice not having a dog.  Whenever I look across the street and see that boulder, I smile.  I remember what a good dog Star was, and I'm glad the neighbors have that rock to remind me of our faithful, furry friend...just without the feeding and walking.

Another Star in the Sky

Star hasn't been herself lately.  She never wants to inconvenience anyone, but she has been getting up in the night to go outside.  She politely taps the door with her paw, and once she goes out, she doesn't come back for awhile.  And she lost a bunch of weight.

While we were in New York, Coco and Bill were watching Star.  Star has always been such a good dog, but she has been wary of Coco and Bill since they took her to the vet to get some teeth pulled awhile back.  So when she went missing Sunday morning, they thought she was hiding, biding her time until the family got back.  But then she didn't come back Sunday night, and she never stays away that long.  They looked, but they couldn't find Star anywhere.

Monday morning, Coco called the pound and there was no sign of Star there either.  Tuesday, Tricia and Jim helped the kids hang up signs around the neighborhood before we took off for Zion's Wednesday.  Thursday, our next-door neighbor contacted Coco with the sad news that he had discovered Star's furry, grey body under a bush in his back yard.  He said she looked like she had been there resting in the shade when she died.  That makes me feel better, that she didn't wander around or suffer.  She probably waited until we were gone to die, just so she wouldn't bother anyone.  The dog I had as a kid, Reese, did the same thing.  My dad, bless his farm upbringing, took on the difficult task of burying Star in the patch of burrs she was so fond of getting into.

I'll miss Star, as pesky as she was.  Even though she followed me around relentlessly, she was the perfect dog.  She dutifully sat by Tziporah's crib when she napped, and slept in the hallway outside Ptolemy's door when he slept.  She took her job as our dog very seriously, and did it well.

We got Star when Golda turned eight because she had come up with a plan to trade Scott in for a dad who liked dogs.  That was when Scott gave the green light for a dog.  Smart man.  It was an exciting day when Star and her friend Deuce came to live with us.  Deuce didn't last long because he was naughty, but Star turned out to be the perfect dog.  After she went missing, I had some sandwich crusts and went to find Star, thinking what a treat the crusts would be for her.  It was a surprisingly bereft and lonely feeling when she wasn't there to gratefully gobble up those crusts.

Thanks, Star, for carrying out your duties so well.  Good dog, Star.  Good dog.

Adventure and Fun-ness

I love exploring the trails with the kids.  They know the crisscrossed landscape by heart, though most of their landmarks are based on memories.

"Here is where we found that stick shaped like a fish and Freestone threw it back in the stream."

"This is called Jake's Trail of Broken Plastic."  Sure enough, there were purple pieces of plastic all over the trail.

"Here's where you turn if you want to go to where we found that turtle shell."

Today Freestone had on his "shirt for adventure and fun-ness," so obviously it was a good time to explore the trails.  And now, we have some new landmarks.  The hill where Ari had to carry Ptolemy.  The place we probably shouldn't have turned, but that led to the clearings where deer sleep.  The fork in the trail where we noticed Xanthe's face was swelling up like the back of a horny toad.  The spot where I had to lift Star over the broken fence to get out of the woods.

And today shall henceforth be known as "The time we went exploring the trails even though it was pouring rain, and we finally found the hole in the fence to get out by the school and we were soaked and covered with burrs, especially Star, and Xanthe's face got all swollen and that big rottweiler came home with us."

A good day. A day for adventure and fun-ness.  It must have been the yellow shirt.

Allergic reaction that made Xanthe look like she was about 90 years old.  Nothing Benadryl and Calamine couldn't handle, though.  She is back to her former beautiful self and fast asleep.

The Dog Star

I wondered how Star would react to having a baby in the house. Over-curious, jealous, protective? When we brought Ptolemy home...nothing. No reaction from the dog whatsoever. Her attitude seemed to be, "A baby. Big deal. I've had three litters of them. Good luck with that, suckers." She paid no attention to Ptolemy at all until she accidentally realized his flailing arms could kind of pet her if she positioned herself right. Now they're best friends. Tolly thinks Star is amusing and Star likes having her ears pulled. Win-win. Whenever Freestone's stories get boring, Star is there to wonder at and grab for.

Now it's Freestone who is jealous. He doesn't like Star getting all the attention. Naturally, he's ramped up the excitement factor in his storytelling and video game tutorials. He said tonight, "Tolly should really sleep in my room with me because he is mostly mine." With all his heart, Freestone believes that. And in the long run, it's probably true. If all goes according to what is right and good, Freestone and Ptolemy will still be together as brothers when their dogs...and their mom and dad...are gone. Makes me a little jealous...

Take good care of each other, boys.

Can't Get Enough Drama

Dogs love flutes. My parents' afghans love to howl along when Golda practices. They live for it. Star and Golda made quite a duo today, Star interjecting her staccato barks every time Golda hit a high note. And there are a lot of high notes on the flute. It's fine with me if they practice together, as long as Star doesn't start complaining about it. There's enough of that going on already.

Golda was pleading with me yesterday to let her do another play this summer. My response was, "I just don't want you to get all stressed and feel too busy."

She replied, "Oh, Mom, that ship has already sailed." So I have a kid who thrives on stress. I guess that's better than being crushed by it. What can I say? Bring on the Technicolor Dreamcoat!