Callie

Finally, and this will be my last post of the day, because I actually do have to get a few things done before Mary, Luke, Chay, and Penelope come (eek! I'm so excited!), I wanted to dedicate a post to Callie, our dog.* I'm slightly obsessed with Callie, as anyone who has ever looked at my facebook pictures might have guessed. We adopted Callie (short for Calliope, the muse of epic poetry) in October, from a wonderful organization in Richmond called BARK where my youngest brother Matthew volunteers.

I cannot imagine life before her or without her. As I type this, Callie is lying on the bed, gently snoring, and occasionally, softly groaning in her sleep. And even though she's not awake, I must admit that there is a real comfort in having her with me. After my Grandfather died two years ago, my Mom and Matthew found my Grandmother a BARK dog to take home with her after Christmas, and I am convinced that Ginger (her dog) saved her life. Having a responsibility to another living soul really propelled her to go on, and gave her a purpose when she felt that she had none.

Obviously, my situation differs from my Grandmother's: when I got Callie, I was a bit lonely and depressed in Bryn Mawr, but certainly hadn't undergone a trauma like losing my husband of fifty odd years. However, the results have been remarkably similar. Callie gives me a purpose, and makes me feel loved and needed in a very immediate way that is important for me. As I'm her morning walker, she is literally the reason I get up some mornings. Initially Preston and I were concerned about the time that Callie would require from us (we walk her four times a day for fifteen to twenty minutes), and while I do sometimes have to drag my feet to take her on a walk when I get home from Philly and it's raining and blechy outside, it's rare that a walk with Callie doesn't put me in a better mood. There honestly are few things in the world that make me happier than the way her ears flap up and down when we walk her. Even after the crappiest day or the foulest mood, she puts a smile on my face, and that makes her invaluable. I love the way she smiles at us (I'm convinced it's a smile), the way she makes Preston laugh when she touches his leg with her cold nose, how peaceful she looks when she's sleeping, how she attacks her Greenies, and how she stretches so intently when she gets up from a nap.

I do hate that our apartment is covered in dog hair, and that since we've had her I've probably drunk many hundreds of dog hairs in my tea. I hate that she chewed a hole in one of my favorite summer dresses, and that her favorite place to eat her treats (naturally) is on the white rug in our bedroom. But those drawbacks seem inconsequential and petty when I think about the joy she brings me. And for those of you who scoff at my obsession with Callie, please get a dog (or at least a pet) before you judge me. They are, in my experience, constant sources of comfort, love, and laughter, and keep people wonderfully grounded. Callie is no different.

And if you do become a faithful reader of this blog (as I hope you will!), there will undoubtedly be many pictures, videos, and posts about Callie. I don't know what I'm going to do when I have a child. If I'm this attached to our dog, I can only imagine what I'll be like when it's our child. Ah well. Hopefully, that won't be for a few years (at least)...Callie is responsibility enough! OK, off to get ready for our weekenders!!

*Just for future reference, readers, I write REALLY long sentences. They're usually not run-ons, but they tend to go pretty long, and, admittedly, can be a bit serpentine. I'll try to be better about it.