The joy of relief

This morning, I came terrifyingly close to losing my little girl--what I call the 10-month-old Shih Tzu puppy who I adopted two and a half weeks ago. Missy and I were out for our first walk of the morning and I was distracted. Just before we left home, I'd heard a neighbor (though not one I immediately recognized) out behind my house frantically calling a name over and over; I presumed that her dog had run off.

Missy and I went out to help with the search but, by the time we got out to where the lady had been, she had switched to her car and was driving around the property, too far away for us to catch up. Missy and I proceeded on our usual walk route, but I kept looking around to see if I could catch sight of the dog. It was bitterly cold and windy for an early fall morning, so I was also distracted by being physically uncomfortable as the wind battered me.

Suddenly, Missy took off in a strong run--aimed straight for the major highway near our house--and between the distractions and the fact that I was new to wearing gloves while yielding the leash, the leash handle pulled out of my hand when she hit the end of the lead. Missy was running full steam toward the rush hour traffic whizzing by at 50-60 MPH and the terrible image of her being hit by a car flashed through my brain.

In a flat-out panic, I screamed her name over the howling wind and passing traffic until finally she stopped and turned around to see what I was so excited about. Getting her attention was only half the battle--us being new to one another, there hasn't been enough time for me to train her adequately to come on command. So I cautiously advanced, knowing how much she loves to be chased, not wanting her to start running again. After several agonizing seconds that felt like forever, I got close enough to the leash handle to step on it and keep her from advancing into the road if she took off again.

Soon, I had the leash back in hand and we resumed our walk. I'm sure Missy had no idea how hard my heart was beating and how labored my breathing was as we headed back home. To her it was probably just another day of romping in the grass and smelling the flowers. For me, it was a terrifying lesson about how important it is to stay focused on her when we're walking. I am so thankful that my scary experience had a happy ending. I can only hope the same for my neighbor.

The joy of a perfect fall day

Some people think it's weird that I live at the beach and yet I haven't actually been on the beach for more than a few minutes since I moved here in January. I don't find it odd at all. I love living at the beach--I just don't happen to love it as much during the summer as I do during the spring and fall. One reason is that I don't tolerate heat and humidity as well anymore, especially when the water is so cold that I can't easily get in the ocean to cool off. Another is that, in the summer, everyone is on the beach, including hundreds of people who don't live here.

Years before I ever thought of living at the beach, spring and fall were my favorite seasons. My idea of a perfect day, weather-wise, is a bright spring or fall day when the sky is a clear blue with puffy white clouds, there is a light cool breeze, and the sun's warmth balances the coolness so that you can still be comfortable without a jacket. As a person who loves to walk for exercise and yet has a low tolerance for heat, a day like this--with a temperature around 65-70 degrees--is as close to perfection as it gets.

Many days of the past two weeks here have been just like that. It was perfect weather for the new puppy and I to become accustomed to walking together in our first two weeks together. I'm finding that she likes the same kind of days I do--as a Shih Tzu, she has a low tolerance for heat too, so we're well suited. She loves the cool breeze that comes in the window from the trees behind my house along with the sights and sounds of the open window--crickets, cicadas, birds, butterflies, etc.

The past few days have been gray and cloudy, topping out at 60 degrees with a fierce, chilling wind that made me think about pulling out my winter hat and gloves. Not only has it not been pleasant to walk the dog, but I have found myself bummed out by the recent cold front--it is a portent that my perfect fall days are soon to be over and winter is on its way--but first, the forecast says we will have some more (slightly chillier) perfect fall days to enjoy. Get outside and enjoy them while they last!

The joy of puppy love

Today is my birthday. I got an early birthday present that I wasn't expecting--a puppy. A friend recommended me as a potential adoptive mommy to friends of theirs--a family who is going through a health crisis and had made the difficult decision to give away their 9-month-old Shih-Tsu puppy, Missy, because they didn't feel they could continue to care for her in light of this new unfortunate circumstance in their lives. After a meeting with the owner and Missy on October 4, Missy came to live with me.

Physically, I have rarely felt so much my age as I have this week; and yet, emotionally, I have felt young and happy. There is nothing quite like the love of a puppy to make you smile all over. While I am not elated about having to get out of bed and take Missy outside before the sun is even up, this is more than balanced by the joy of being greeted by Missy upon awakening. She climbs on me and kisses my nose and snuggles for a few moments to give me a chance to wake up before we go out.


One of the most joyous parts of being a new puppy mommy is seeing the world anew through her eyes. Her first big adventure was visiting some of my favorite haunts--the boardwalk, Lake Gerar (aka "the pond") and the seawall. She was enthralled by the seagulls, fascinated by the smells (Thrasher's fries, pizza, cheese steaks, fudge, you name it) and enchanted by all the people she met. She could barely contain herself with all the sensory input and it was sometimes a challenge for me to keep her out of the way of cars, bicycles, joggers and tourists.


I will admit, there have been moments when I questioned my decision--she is needy, has horrible separation anxiety, doesn't know how to play without biting and jumps on everything and everyone--but then I look at her sweet face, see how smart she is and how well she is learning new behaviors in just a week and I know she's worth the effort. I see how the tip of her little baby tongue sticks out when she brings me her squeaky toy and there is no way I can't smile. I hear her little baby growl when she says "Come on, play with me!" or "I have to GO!" and I have to laugh...even when she is getting on my last nerve.....like right now! Gotta go!

The joy of a country road

I find it ironic that, now that I'm living in a small town, my commute is longer (by both driving time and mileage) than when I was living in the Washington DC area--an area known for protracted and headache-inducing commutes. A Sussex County Delaware commute and a Washington, DC or Alexandria, VA commute can be quite different animals. In the DC area, you can sit at traffic lights at what seems like every 50 feet. In Sussex County, I'm currently driving almost a half-hour one way to my volunteer job and I do not sit at ANY traffic lights (I do hit a few flashing red lights where I have to stop and look for traffic but, if the intersection is clear, I don't have to wait to proceed).

Since I began this volunteer gig in July, I had been looking for a "nicer" route to work. The obvious route from my town to that town is the one that all the tourists use to get to my town (a beach resort); it being the most obvious and direct route, it is used pretty heavily in both directions, especially during beach season. There are a number of traffic lights on this route (though nothing like driving through Alexandria).

I recently started using a more rural route which completely avoids that major state route and uses country roads. According to Google Maps, the rural route is actually longer by mileage than the other route, but I get there faster because there is much less traffic and many fewer traffic lights. But getting there faster is only one reason why I use this route.

I was driving home from my gig yesterday--the sun shining, the crops waving in the wind, the car windows open to welcome in the strong breeze--and I was smiling. It was like being back in Ohio (where I grew up), except that Sussex County is flat as a pancake and the part of Ohio I'm from was very hilly. The crops in the fields were looking bedraggled, but it was all still so beautiful to me and filled me with a simple joy. A ride in the country was an event where I'm from in Ohio (what the heck else was there to do?); in fact, it still is when my siblings and I make it back there. My mother will pile us all in the car and off we'll go. Maybe we'll go shopping in an Amish town or visit our old hometown or maybe we'll just drive--the sun shining, the blue sky dazzling, the trees dancing--and enjoy the simplicity of being home again.

A friend from the DC area was visiting last weekend and I took her to lunch a few miles out of town. As we were driving, there was a large herd of cows all standing clumped together under the trees at the edge of this huge field. I said to my friend "Now that's not something you see every day in Alexandria." We both laughed, and I told her about my adventures since moving here--seeing huge turkey buzzards right on the road (eating the roadkill) and seeing roosters walking along the edge of the road. It's definitely a different kind of scenery than I had for the 37 years I lived in the DC area--but I'm rather liking it.