I would be more horrified about my lack of due diligence in keeping up to date on my blog missives, but given the fact that I only have 12 official followers, I'm not too embarrassed. Yet.
But, here we are - 2014, and already half-way through its second month. February. The month of the Ground Hog, Presidents, Cupid and, this year, what would have been my grandfather's 105th birthday.
But, let me rewind a bit to muse just briefly on how there is, in our house, always enough love to go around. Consider, if you will, Grace and Remy Hastings.
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| Grace (foreground) and Remy (background) ... and Glen's legs |
Grace and Remy were the result of a long-winded discussion that Glen and I had in December. We were mulling over the complications of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Well, actually, we were just asking each other, "what do you want for Christmas?" I responded: "I'd like a puppy and a kitten, please." After Glen realized that I had not entirely lost my mind, he agreed with great enthusiasm. We concurred that getting two babies that have fur and walk on four legs would be much simpler - and much less expensive - than getting the human type. That factory is closed. But that's a blog post for another time.
So, within a week's time, I began searching on the wonderful web site that is petfinder.com. That's
www.petfinder.com. This site links families seeking to open their hearts and homes to stray, rescued and fostered pets to their perfect, four-legged companions.
The first contestant to pique my interest and steal my heart: Ricky.
At the time, Ricky was a 12-week old Malti-Poo, being fostered in our hometown of La Verne. To see his sweet face, big eyes, and overall fluffiness was to instantly fall in love. The kids and I arranged to meet him that night. It was love at first sight. We were done for.
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| The little guy made himself instantly comfortable in David's arms |
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| Yep. I'm irresistible. |
After a brief interview with his wonderful foster family, we sealed the deal, and agreed to pick up the little guy the following Saturday.
Then came the matter of finding a name for him. Look at him. Does he look like a Ricky to you? Nah, didn't think so. Do not get me wrong; Ricky, short for Richard, is an adorable name. But not for this fellow.
Lager, of course, was named after a specific beer style. But, a Malti-Poo just doesn't have that "beer" vibe. A Malti-Poo is a bit too ... fluffy ... delicate ... foo foo. And, over Yahoo Instant Messaging, Glen proposed the name: Remy - after the chef/rat character in the food-themed Pixar film,
Ratatouille. Done and done.
Here are a few photos from Remy's first minutes at his forever home ... our home. There is little doubt in my mind that Remy was sent to us by Spike, my lovely Bichon who crossed the Rainbow Bridge in 2012, and whom I still miss to this day (and always will). Remy evokes the crazy, zany buzz that Spike did in his younger years, and it could not be a more perfect fit for the four of us.
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| Kissing up, literally, to his new big brother, Lager |
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| Instant BFFs |
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| I think I'll like it here just fine. |
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Meantime, in between meeting Remy, naming him, and bringing him home, my search continued for a kitten. Originally, I planned to look for a white cat - again, evoking the memory of sweet Honey, who was called to the Rainbow Bridge last year. My search on
www.petfinder.com yielded a little beauty with the temporary name of Arya. However, this kitten was being fostered just a little farther from home ... in Huntington Beach. Undaunted, the kids and I traipsed out there one weeknight for our first visit with this little sweet girl. Arya was 16 weeks old when we first met her.
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| Getting comfy |
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| Nose rubs! |
Again, it was time for a choice of name. Glen and I could not come up with any food-themed names that seemed appropriate for this dainty little girl, so then we began thinking of key phrases that describe what makes us the most happy, content, and grateful. And, thus, Grace came into being. She brought grace to us before we even brought her home ... and bring her home we did!
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| Say hello to my little friend! |
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| Two little ladies |
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| Safely tucked in for the car ride home! |
My puppy-kitten fantasy included visions of these two little creatures growing up together to be life-long friends. They'd share couch space together, rub each others noses, sniff each others butts, and spoon. They would be such an inseparable mass of fluffiness that it would be hard to tell where one began and the other ended.
Well, it hasn't exactly been that simple. Grace still playfully growls when Remy comes up to her demanding play time. They tangle over bed and couch space. Remy wants nothing more than to be adored by his feline big sister. Grace insists on bonding on her terms. But, over the weeks, Grace's growls have clearly just become "bluff and bluster." She secretly adores playing tug-o-war with Remy's stuffed toys. She'll gladly come up to Lager and give his gray muzzle a soft rub. She remains unconvinced that she and the dogs are friends, but indeed they are.
How, you may ask, is Lager faring in all of this? In short, having two new friends at home has given him a new lease on life, a spring in his step, and an undeniable smile on his face. He adores his companions, as evidenced herewith:
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| You complete me. |
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| Sorry. I work alone. |
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| Okay, ONE photo. JUST ONE. |
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| Okay, TWO. JUST TWO. |
