Feeling Nostalgic

Memories. They can last a lifetime. Through photographs. Stories. Or, for the most part, in my case, through writing. I have been feeling nostalgic lately. About Shadow, my first mutt. I am a nostalgic being, so this is nothing unusual for me!! But I cannot help myself. Not this time!! In the past three days, I have experienced twain beautiful reminders of Shadow. That's right. Yesterday morning, at 6AM, I walked Rose in this creepy, misty fog. I being weird, love that sort of weather!! It is eerie.... As though ghosts or goblins are roaming the area!! Eeeek!! And, depending on its thickness, you cannot see anything!! Like one morning when I walked Shadow. There was this colossal-sized brick building of an Elementary School near our old city neighborhood home--my "milestone marking"--and I could scarcely make out its roof.... If memory serves me right!! Which it seldom ever does!! But we managed our way home. I know the streets of my childhood city by heart!! Now, I am oddly nostalgic whenever fog is concerned!! Oddly nostalgic. Then, on Wednesday night, we were just finished with church, when everything suddenly went pitch black. The entire neighborhood was in ebony darkness. A power outage!! Fun!! I am terrified of the dark, like some small child, yet power outages are, to me, thrilling!! Somehow. On the drive home, which only lacked light for fleeting minutes, I bemused myself with a fond, fond memory. A fond, fond memory. The last time we lost power in church was on January 16th, 2000. That morning when everybody evacuated a pitch-black, windowless sanctuary. Then walked toward the nearby gymnasium. Where, we resumed church service. Seamlessly. Then, by some unexpected, yet divine providence, Shadow became mine!! Mine!! And now my life shall never again be sans a canine to share it with!! For this I am grateful. Two years ago today, I adopted Rose Elizabeth!! Wow. That is 730 days!! I just now added that up!! On paper!! Then, since my math is never correct, I found a calculator for proof!! 730 days. In counting!! Amazing how swiftly time flies!! Rose is now five years old, but I would rather not count age!! Why? Because. To count age seems the same as awaiting life's inevitable. Right? Rose is now, like, seven years closer to death!! Yeah, no. Today is a celebration!! Of the life I have spent with this beautiful creature thus far!! Memories. Past, present, and future!! I baked Rose a batch of dog biscuits today. Our "Birthday" tradition!! I baked "Paw Lick'n Chick'n" again, only with beef broth as a substitute!! I sprayed our pan this time around, which made an enormous difference with removing the biscuits!! And, yes, we are freezing most of them!! If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!! Rose also received two adorable fuzzy new toys as gifts!! A long-limbed floral-print monkey. "Her" name is " Fuchsia Bloom". Because "Bananas" seems so cliché for a monkey!! I was attempting to be creative!! So I channeled my inner eccentric hippie!! Groovy!! Plus, Bananas was already used for one of Rose's previous toys!! Fuchsia Bloom has this cute little patch over her left eye!! I love it!! Then, there is this long-limbed green frog. "He" has colorful swirls all over his body!! Plus beautiful lime-green eyes!! I have struggled all day on what to name this toy. Swirly-Cue? No. Lime-Eyes? No. "Kermit" has already been used for one of Rose's previous toys. And, Froggy? Way too cliché!! Interestingly enough, this toy is Rose's favorite!! She loves her nameless frog!! That's it!! Because life has a huge sense of humor, I shall call him "Nameless"!! There is definitely nothing cliché about that choice!! Well. I should "publish" this Blog post. And go spend some "quality time" with my "birthday dog". She deserves it!!