Hello, loves. It's August now, you know. That month that has winding down and ramping up all swirled together. Yes, you know August. Perfect time, I thought, to pinch the cheeks and straighten the hems of some former posts for you to see & enjoy.
Monday's post reminded me of how small our Nellie girl, a LabraGolden, was one year ago (sniff) and how much smaller she was even two months before that! Oh, we love this girl. She was worth that long, long wait.
From moment one, she was truly our girl. We've made up songs for her, which she KNOWS are her songs. We've given her nicknames - 'Nelson' - by the alpha boy when he's being stern and serious with her, 'Nellie Belly' - by all of us from the beginning, because, you know what wonder a puppy belly is, and 'Belle' - by me, because Nellie Belle? Gracious! How could you not?
She loves delivery people (and their dog treats), plays the 'fence game' with the neighbor dog, wakes boys up in the morning, gets excited when we run for miles, is a profound sock lover/gatherer, and believes with all her heart that the cats love her as much as she loves them.
Oh, Nellie.
There’s a worn and wrinkled leather glove, a cloth napkin smelling like last night’s dinner, a gnawed-up chew stick, a frayed-end rope toy, a pair of boy’s underwear swiped from the bathroom where the boy is soaking in the tub, and a basketball shoe with its laces pulled out – all scatter-strewn across the floor making the great room look for all the world like a tornado has just gone through.
Maybe one has.
But, one look at the furry pile of puppy that’s (suddenly) sound asleep under a fuzzy blanket in the corner, and you’d never even believe that she could have been this morning’s wild child.
People? We’ve got Nellie!
Oh, this little one has been anticipated for so very, very long! Our first puppy!
We’ve always wanted a family dog, but since both my husband and I had country dogs growing up, who were free to run, were never on a chain, in a kennel, or behind a fence, it just didn’t seem right to us to put a dog in our small city yards over the years.
So we’ve waited. And we’ve dreamed.
Last year, when we moved into our cabin that was situated in this spot on the edge of a horse pasture, right near a creek, we knew we’d finally landed in the right place to bring a puppy home.
On Monday, we did. And we (I) haven’t slept much since!
We’ve got Nellie! And silken ears, needle teeth, giant paws, and wrinkled belly skin. We’ve got puppy grunts and puppy breath, a soft wet nose, and snappy little eyes. She’s our girl, Nellie.
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