Family Album

I've been pretty quiet lately, not posting much. Been spending most of my time with this motley crew. This group started out with our cat Simon, who shows his dislike for computers by sitting on them until they cry Uncle. Back in the day, he used to walk all over the newspaper I was reading, now that I'm online way more than I ever read a proper newspaper, he's taken to sitting on the keyboard.

After having Simon for a few years, we saw a dog hanging out on our street corner, obviously a stray. Yep, I'm one of those people who take in strays. (Simon was rescued from a junkyard when he was just a kitten.) The dog on the right, our "old guy", was 12 years old when we found him on the corner. He's now 17 and we call him Schuster. Simon and Schuster had our tiny home overflowing with energy for several years.

Then, this past fall, a relative gave us their 12 year old black lab named Roc. Roc was a great big dog with lots of love to give. He was with us only 2 months before he passed away. I won't go into the story now, it's still pretty upsetting. Suffice it to say, Roc was ill when he came and we just couldn't make him better.

After Roc passed away, the house felt very empty. Schuster really enjoyed the canine company. Since he's getting up in years, 17 is very old for dogs, we decided it was time to consider getting another dog. *Afterall, we had the time and energy to give since we don't have to worry about getting pregnant.* I kept my eye on the streets for months looking for our next companion. I never saw a dog I could catch. DH went to our anti-cruelty rescue center with instructions to bring home a little, sweet, quiet dog or simply the dog that "spoke" to him. I emphasized the "little and quiet" part of the equation hoping he would focus on those dogs and find one that felt like a good fit. He came home with the dog above. He said she was the only dog jumping around her cage, barking loudly to get their attention, as if she chose them as soon as they walked in. DH said she literally "spoke" to them. We call her Fidget. She is NEVER still. Fidget is the kind of dog that gets so excited on walks, passersby cross the street to avoid her. She doesn't look scary, just joyfully uncontrollable. Simon and Fidget are starting to get along. They often do a slow-speed chase around the house. Simon saunters and Fidget is right on his heels trying to sniff his tail. It's a love/hate relationship at this point.

These are the beings that occupy my time. Schuster's health is declining, we don't expect him to be around much longer, (although we've been saying that for 2 years.) Even though we don't have children yet, our home is already full. Throughout infertility, this brood has taken away our sadness and reminded us that life goes on even after a failed cycle. They breathe life back into our home when DH and I are so upset it hurts to breathe. They drive me crazy and keep me sane. DH, affectionately, calls them The Beasts, I call them Blessings.