FURRY Family Members

            

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WHAT I LEARNED FROM MY DOG  

In the autumn of 2008,  we suffered a devastating house fire. Luckily, we all survived and I am appreciative of that because I know how quickly smoke inhalation can kill a person. So the entire family,  3 adults, 3 kids and 2 dogs moved into two very small hotel rooms where we stayed until temporary housing was found. I was devastated, my mind was full of questions, sadness, and mind numbing worry. My comfort from all that came from a very unexpected place, my dog, Shaughnie.


During the afternoon, I would pack up the kids and dogs to go to the park to burn off some energy and get out of the room. Taking delight in this was Shaughnie, who ran through the fallen leaves with wild abandon and enticed the kids to give chase  I couldn't help but smile watching them run, and hearing them laugh. For a moment, I forgot why we were there, forgot about the fire, and forgot about everything we had lost. It was just about that moment. Dogs and kids running around in the golden autumn sun without a care. When reality came back it me, it seemed less ominous. I was more hopeful that we could be happy again, and that everything would be alright. All thanks to our rambunctious sheltie. I looked forward to our afternoon outings and tried to enjoy that moment with my kids.

Now when my mind is overloaded and I feel no answer in sight, I take a  break by playing with the kids or taking the dogs for a walk. Sometimes just a few minutes of  tranquility, brings me a whole new set of ideas and aspirations about the matter that had me stumped earlier.

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Idgie and Ruth

On an afternoon drive in mid August, we stopped at a favorite tourist attraction on Route 50, Cool Springs Park. I have gone to this park for years, as my mother did before me. It used to be a rest stop on the way to Washington DC, before the interstates were built.  It is comprised of a gift shop, restaurant, and a odd collection of things collected spread out over  a couple of acres. Inside you can buy maple candy, cedar treasure boxes, Amish made porch furniture, and foot long hot dogs. It would take you hours to explore each nook and cranny of all the merchandise they sell. Outside, along with picnicking,  you can go through old railroad cars, catch water off the big water wheel, stand at the wheel of a tractor or throw coins inside the wishing well in the middle of the trout stream. YES, it's very eclectic and as a kid,  just plain fun to explore. My favorite part was always the animals that live amongst the parks collection of antique machinery.  Goats graze by the water wheel, rabbits live in train cabooses and an old mule wanders around looking for a handout. But this time, my attention was drawn to the cats.

Cats of all sizes and varieties roamed the park in groups. After purchasing my hot dog, I saw a homemade sign that said..
   " Kittens for giveaway - you catch them, you can keep them "
Well, is there anything cuter than a little kitten, and doesn't that sign imply a sport of it ?  So my husband and I decided to find our new family member.  Quickly, we discovered that, yes,.. it is very much a sport and the kittens are winning. But we persevered  and ending up getting two look-alike kittens who we named Idgie and Ruth, from the characters in Fried Green Tomatoes.  They tamed easily and are now very poised young ladies who love to swat at the toilet paper and chase toys that jingle. My favorite part is the evening, when they curl into little fur balls on my lap as I'm reading. They are my favorite souvenirs from Cool Springs Park, even if I did get scratched trying to catch them.
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