Halfway up the Mountain, the Fog Clears

It’s 1 in the morning. I took a piece of atavan to try and relax my jaw, and so I ‘am a little sleepy. But every time I come to the page, there is the promise of clarifying my thinking. And that keeps me up these late nights. Sitting with the ragout that steams on the table of the banquet of my mind. !!

This morning we drove up the mountain to see little Beatrix. If she’s called Trixie, at least I can call her Beatrix, until we…and I did not anticipate saying this, find a better name for her. The fog along the Columbia was thick as smoke---the St Johns bridge was invisible-- and it wasn’t until we were half way up the mountain that it cleared and we could see the blue sky.

B was busy with the other folks who had come down earlier and we were a little late so we got to sit in the pen with the puppies. Beatrixie no…. sat in Mark’s lap…very trusting, calm and she looked lovely sitting there. And then she sat with me. She is so agreeable. She seems only to want to please and not kick up a fuss. We played a little. B said she loves to play….I figure the 2 mashers in the pen with her were making it hard for her to shine her light…

I stuck out the collar to put on her and she stuck her head right in, and then we went walking up and down the driveway. She kept her delicate nose at my knee, watching…what next boss? The explosion of barking, the strange man and car at the bottom of the hill made her hesitate…but there was no freaking out…and she looked to me for reassurance.

If she will come out in bloom and be as steady as she seems, she could be fabulous. My worry is that there is a spark missing…she has a hard time with eye contact…but it may only be a matter of kicking up her confidence a bit…and I know how to do that.

M thinks she’s perfect. She’s small and mild enough to fit in with the papillons easily; she is steady and sweet and he thinks she’ll be a good therapy dog. And that almost instant trust making her a good candidate. MC of the Dalles says her small size could be a benefit to her work...making it easier for me to lift her up on a bed or a lap. She is invited up to try sheep and see if that boosts her confidence.

The consensus is to ask B for a trial run to see if she will hold up. I remember when I got Flynn JMcL held my check for like 2 months until we were all sure Flynnie was going to stay. (You’d have to pry her from my cold dead hands…. I said). And I just have to give her very chance and be honest about it. If she doesn’t work…there is the B/S litter born Friday. (Tuffe's birthday?)

Meantime, DG wrote and said that she was going to grow Miss C out because she is everything she wants. And MC wrote and said you need to try her and see if the spark is just hiding. I have a feeling it is.

I would get to name her and register it. And she needs a new name!