True Companions
Lately I have been reflecting on the relationships that are shared between people and their pets. Our fur babies have major personalities, which is quite evident to anyone who spends any length of time with them. I have always been confused by people who say things along the lines of animals all being the same as each other and that there is no real personality.
Differences make up our personalities as humans, and the same can be said for our pets. Maggie gets excited over a game of fetch anytime of the day, while River will catch a ball if you throw it his way, and Cooper couldn’t care less about a ball thrown for him, and lacks the skill to really catch anything, even a treat. With the cats, Erza enjoys puzzle toys, especially if there are treats involved. Gobi is food motivated but has issues when it is any harder to get to than placed right in front of him. Pho doesn’t appreciate anyone messing with her food, and is particular about the kinds of treats she will eat.
Qualities that we have in common create connections between us and other people. Animals create bonds the same way. As I am writing this, my Mom is entertaining all three dogs by bouncing between their stuffed bears. Each one has a specific colored bear, and they can often be found playing with each other’s. With the cats, they all obviously enjoy a good snooze, usually on their person’s bed. While the toy in question may differ slightly, they all will play in similar fashion, throwing the toys around and giving chase like the little hunters that they are.
The connections that we form with these animals are just as real as with other people. They are parts of our families. They enrich our lives every day, and provide us with plenty of laughter. I will forever be thankful to have grown up in a family that values these little souls in the way that they do.
A Super Duper Kanine
Cooper was a year and a half years old when we adopted him from the local humane society. He is a blue tick coon hound mix. That means he is black and white. The coon hound part of him becomes very apparent whenever he decides to use his voice. Baying instead of the normal barking that I have grown used to having grown up with plenty of dogs around.
Coop had a bit of a rough start to life. When we rescued him, you could see all his bones. The humane society had put twenty pounds on him already and he was still so thin. We got right to work making sure he knew he never had to fight for his next meal or worry about when he would be fed again. His story from before coming home is a bit of an unknown thing. We know he came from Texas, and was so skinny, but other than that, there is just a big question mark. So I can’t say that anyone ever meant him harm, and I would like to think that he had a loving home that just couldn’t care for him and his brother. His brother was adopted out to a wonderful family around two weeks before Cooper joined our family.
River has become like a brother to him. That relationship was pretty quickly formed. I am guessing because Cooper was used to that dynamic. River is pretty much the same size as Cooper and they love to run around the backyard at top speed. There are patches of dirt that will never grow grass again due to the boys using those sections as racetrack. Cooper looks so graceful when he is running across the yard. He stretches out and can gain momentum with ease. It is a stark contrast to the goofy run he does when one of us humans call his name and he is happy to see us. If you remember the sort of run that Jack Sparrow did in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, then you have a pretty good idea.
It took about three days before he felt confident enough to use his voice. I was actually kind of startled when he first barked at River during a play session. Little steps along the way have shown his comfort level and confidence rising. His silly run, being so proud of himself when he knows what to do for a command, and giving lots of kisses, have been some of my favorite milestones that have come with nurturing Cooper. He really has come out of his shell, and shown us just how goofy and loving he really is.
These days, I am lucky enough to be one of his favorite people. Whenever I am playing games in the living room, he will hop up on my lap and demand hugs. This has lovingly become referred to as a Cooper Break. I must pause my game and snuggle with the boy for a bit. He will eventually get down from my lap and I may resume my game. Being reminded to take time to pause and enjoy the little things like hugs from a giant baby like Cooper, is one of the reasons that I am forever grateful to have him.
I saw on Facebook once, a picture of a dog looking out the window while laying on the window’s bench seat. They were mostly in shadow, because the sun was setting outside. The words on the picture read, “Sometimes I like to look over at my dog, and watch them enjoy the life I have given them.” I couldn’t help but think of Cooper and how much his life has changed since coming home. He is probably chewing on a toy while laying in the giant bean bag chair in our living room right now. He will never have any more worries in life. Just love.
Easter Weekend: Family Style
On my Mom’s side of the family we have never been very religious. Easter mostly serves as an excuse to come together and spend time with family that we don’t see that often. My Mom has an older sister, who has a family unit of four, and a younger brother, with a family unit of four as well. As the youngest generation grows up, not all of us will spend Easter at home, but the majority of the family shows up.
In the grandkid generation there is my older brother, myself, my younger sister, our cousin L., cousin W., cousin A., and cousin C. all together most of the time. L. spent this year with her boyfriend and his family so we were one grandkid short of a set, but she did a video call to make sure she could say hello and pass on Easter greetings.
Cousins A. and C. are the youngest, at seven (C.) and eight (A.) years old. My aunt and her husband live with them in Minnesota, so whenever they visit, I am very happy to see them. Thankfully this time around, they arrived on Friday so we got more than just one day to hang out and have fun. The girls decorated the driveway of my family’s house, since we were hosting and the weather was so nice. Seeing them draw out this massive hop scotch game reminded me of warm sunny days trying to make the biggest and longest course I could on the sidewalk/surrounding pavement. I would use as many colors as I could to make it more fun and pretty.
Obviously part of Saturday was spent coloring eggs. Each person gets one egg with their name on it, and those are saved for the next morning’s breakfast. Any additional eggs that have been hard boiled, are still colored and put away for the next morning, but they are fair game to any who are hungry. We use crayons to make designs and make sure to leave the eggs in the dye long enough to make the colors extra bold. The vinegar smell always brings back memories of past years when we would dye eggs, but it also reminds me of midsummer when we make brine for that year’s homemade pickles.
The dogs absolutely adore the weekends when we all get together as well. My family’s three, River, Maggie, and Cooper, get together with my grandparent’s dog Ruby and the pack truly enjoyed the nice sunny day we were blessed with. They were running around on the grass that is finally showing from under the melting snow, and wrestling with each other. Maggie, because she is about half the size of the other three dogs, mostly barks from the sidelines as a referee. Meal time has to be their favorite though because they are pros at puppy dog eyes. Small morsels of food make their way under the table and to some very happy puppies.
This year my aunt provided plastic eggs for an egg hunt. I helped out with hiding them in the front yard, mostly to avoid potential doggy yard bombs getting in the way. The eggs held small bouncy balls, dino skeletons, tiny unicorns, and of course candy. Over 50 eggs were hidden with various difficulty and thankfully all were found. Jokes were made that we would lose a few and find it months or even years later and laugh about it.
Easter day featured a large brunch as a celebration. My aunt and her crew had to return home that afternoon so we had decided early on to have brunch be our big meal that day. Colored eggs were surrounded by coffee cake, waffles, an egg bake, bacon, sausage, orange rolls, and topped off by fruit. If there is one thing my family can do, it is cook. Several people were asking for half servings of things because they wanted to maintain room for a taste of everything.
Family has always meant the world to me. Easter is just another reason to see them and celebrate life together. I will forever be grateful to have been blessed with such an incredible family to celebrate with.
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-A small message from Maggie, who hit the keyboard with her paw as I was writing.
Warm Thoughts On Cold Days
Growing up, snow days were always interesting. Sledding with my siblings, playing in the snow, and warm drinks when we came back inside. Now as an adult, I don’t participate in these outdoor activities very often and I much prefer to stay inside when the weather starts to turn sour. When it comes to weather, I am very much a “Goldilocks” type person. Not too hot, not too cold, I need it just right.
On cold weather days now, I curl up inside with my cat Erza, and enjoy indoor entertainment. Reading a book, binging my latest show obsession, or playing with my dogs, all serve as activities to help me get through the day. Every so often though, I will through on my jacket and boots to step outside with my dogs into the back yard. River and Cooper, the two boys, will often race through the snow drifts, wrestling and playing tag, while Maggie, the girl, who is smaller than the boys, barks at them as some form of referee or egging them on from the sidelines. Maggie is small enough that when these large snow storms come to my area, my Dad actual takes the snow plow and makes paths around the back yard to allow Mags to actually go out in the yard with the boys and do her business somewhere other than the shoveled out patio. My grandparent’s dog, Ruby, has become well known for loving the snow and will go out and must roll around on her back at least once before she will come inside. When she comes to visit my house, she absolutely adores having more dogs to romp through the snow with and more space to roll around in fresh untouched powder, because her yard at home isn’t very big.
Warm memories also help get through the days where it seems like the white powder won’t stop falling from the sky. I remember making stews and soups with my Grandma and Grandpa when we would come visit during the winter months. Once we were old enough to start helping out, we would be put to work, peeling potatoes and carrots, chopping vegetables, and mixing up dough for either homemade noodles or dumplings. This work was always accompanied by laughter and most of the time some form of music coming from the player in the corner of the kitchen.
I live in Wisconsin where if you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes and it will change. While I really dislike snow, too the point that I tease my family that it is another four letter swear word that starts with S, I don’t think I could see myself being too far from here for that long. Wisconsin is home. Wisconsin has my family, and has been the location that a lot of my favorite memories have been made. No matter my opinion on snow, I doubt I could leave the warm memories and loving people behind.