Puppy Love.....

These days the writing is hard. Staying at my desk is hard, and time away from my desk is even harder. I try to hide in my office and write for as long as I can, but I have other commitments; family, friends, auditions, freelance work, exercising, not to mention I try to keep a beautiful home, do my own cleaning, do almost all the cooking, and worry about the needs of these little guys. I have to admit these days, when I am feeling at my wits end and am not exactly fit for public exposure, these guys, even with their needy little ways...still manage to melt my crusty writer's heart. There is something so great about the love of an animal. They are so sweet and so pure, and really want nothing more than to be loved! These two just love to snuggle, and be picked up and if that fails, they will settle for sleeping on my feet as I write. They remind me to take breaks by harumphing loudly on the floor of my office, staring at me and whining when it is walk time, and if I am late on the evening walk they let me know it, by farting on cue!

For a long time we just had Mabel, our almost 7 year old bichon with the funniest, most particular people like personality. And although we were a good trio, I worried that our dog, who I am sure thinks that she is a person, (sits in chairs, sleeps on the bed, is always on a cushion and stares at animal behaviors as if to say...what the hell is that about?) missed the companionship of another furry being, and so we got her Lily. We have had Lily for almost 3 months now and she has adjusted so well from her life in the shelter. Lily still gets scared of big dogs, doesn't like to be corrected, (she thinks that you are going to hit her) and eats all her meals as if they are her last...but day by day she gets more and more comfortable and has become a loveable annoying little sister to Mabel.

No matter how grumpy I am, the funny jumping on her back legs and high pitched squeal that Lily does when she knows she is going for a walk, or the way that Mabel grumbles and rolls on her back and shakes her legs in the air in the hopes of a belly rub the moment I walk in the door, always manages to turn my mood around. I love these two furbabies, and they have become excellent nap buddies to one another and great writing companions to me. And if one thing can melt my crust writer's heart these days...it's these two lovebugs.