Jan 4th-the other holiday

Today my husband and I celebrate our 19th dating anniversary. Nice feeling. It's a shame the kids and I are sick and we're broke, but I seem to remember that we started out pretty simply too. Just a pot of coffee and hours of talking at a local restaurant. Until the moment he told me how he felt, he was oh-so-logical and I was the lucky girl he'd chosen from a group of three, after spending time with each of us. However, the minute he took my hand and expressed his feelings, logic fell apart. He was in love and scared to death. It's been a roller coaster ever since.

Today is an important day for two reasons actually. It's (don't laugh) Solomon's birthday. No, I don't celebrate my dogs' birthdays. In fact I only know when he was born because it's on his papers. He's eight years old today. He was rescued (be relieved that I'm leaving out the longer story), given to me by a breeder who didn't think he would survive. Not only did he survive, he surpassed most of his littermates in size and build.

In addition to all the flashy obedience moves--he plays dead, shakes hands (left or right on command) plays "football", hide and seek, and is an enthusiastic (if not accurate) tenor. Most people like him. My 37 year old brother, a non-dog person, will lay on the floor with him and play with his paws and toys.

He is wonderful company and a terrific friend. He loves me even when I am not nice, when I've been rude to him all day or ignored him because I'm busy, he doesn't hold it against me. When I'm sick, he's my constant companion and he doles out hugs without hesitation. He's seen me through depression, back being out, the flu, twisted ankles, and sheer loneliness. He is a typical shepherd--wants to protect me from everything. Obedience training gave me some control, but it doesn't stop him from wanting to stand between me and evil as he perceives it. This includes swimming (just try going under water with 85 lbs dragging you to shore), things that go bump in the night, my husband's "affections" (ahem) and all dogs outside the family. The best thing that I can say in summary is that he is the map I use to draw all canine characters in my books. If you look closely you'll see him romping through the pages.