Getting Warmer

Usually MyJerri and I go for a walk in the mornings around 9:00 or 9:30. We used to walk in the afternoons, but mornings seem to be more the thing lately. This morning was different, though. Notice those long shadows beside us? That is because around 8:00, MyJerri put her books down, turned off the coffee maker, WITH COFFEE STILL IN IT, and we hit the road.

Why?

Because of these beautiful things.

Here in North Texas the temperatures are going up, which means walking surfaces are getting hotter, and hot cement and asphalt can burn my feet, so MyJerri is taking care of me and making sure my paws avoid the hot stuff.

Along with making sure we walk at cooler times, My Jerri is now wearing a booty bag (some folks call it a fanny pack from what I hear. In it, she carries a bowl and two bottles of water. Some days I don't need it at all, but some days it is really hot or the air is full of moisture, and days like that are really hard. On those days, we stop regularly, and I got to drink a lot.

Also, I've noticed on the hotter days or more humid days, we go to the park more, which I like because there is more shade than just walking around the neighborhood and the cement doesn't get as hot.

Why does MyJerri go through the extra effort? I'm not sure, but I like it so much I am going to add some air holes to her tennis shoes so they are cooler for her too. I think she'll like that.

Puppy love!
Semper

Mother's Day

Today is Mother's Day according to the secular calendar. MyJerri isn't really into Mother's Day because when a mother is missing or a child is missing, it can be a hard day. So I thought I would offer some thoughts on how to get through today.

 

Be kind to yourself. Really.

 

Be brave. Being brave doesn't always mean doing the normal despite the pain. Sometimes being brave is choosing not to do the normal even when people don't understand. Did I mention be kind to yourself?

 

Do something that feels like joy. Maybe it is going to your favorite place or eating your favorite junk food while you watch you favorite movie or hanging with some folks you love.

 

If you need to, go to a grave and stand there. Be heartbroken. Go through a box of kleenes. Write a letter. Lift a toast and leave a glass untouched. Grieve what is gone or what never came. Grief is its own kind of courage.

 

Don't celebrate if you don't want to. If your church or place of worship makes a big deal of Mother's Day and that feels crushing to you, take a week off. God gets it even if no one else does. It isn't walking out on Him. It is trusting Him to love you where you are, literally and figuratively.

 

Celebrate the time you had.

 

Celebrate the mom you had or the children you had. Even if they aren't connected by blood, they are just as real and just as beautiful. They are gift and are worth celebrating.

 

Most of all, make it through today. If that is all you can do, then do you all you can and feel proud of yourself.

Praying you find joy and love today...and above all else, may you know you are loved by God.

Shalom and puppy love,

Semper

Finally, An Update

Semper Update:

Some folks have asked about me and where "things with Semper lie". Well, it is pretty clear I'm staying with MyJerri, MyBoy, and MyGirl.

I am now about 7 months old and around 40-ish pounds. That sweater you see on that tiny puppy in the main picture might fit my head. They know my mom was Lab/Hound, but no clue what the other gene donor was, but they seem to think my beautiful ace says there is some Pit in there, but my body is long and lanky, so Hound? Something else? Does it matter? No.

I have won them over with my charm, my expressive face, and my incredible ability to know the exact place to link them that makes them jump, like ankles, toes, and back of the knee. It takes someone who loves deeply to be that observant, and they appreciate that about me. I also help clean house. My tail is the perfect height and length to totally wipe of the coffee table (full cups of coffee included). I also help recycle paper, and I have only used MyJerri's reading glasses to check the paper before I ate--I mean recycled it--once.

For the last three months I have spent a lot of time with MyJerri on the couch because that is just where she has been (virus turned bronchitis turned pneumonia--just ugh), and I am not leaving my wingman. But yesterday we went for a walk, and she gave me lots of treats and told me I was good. We also met some neighbors up the street, and they petted me. Mr. Tim was in the USMC, and they scratched my head when they heard I am Always Faithful.

Gotta run. Literally. MyJerri wants to go for a walk, and I need to be there to meet and love the other peo--I mean protect her from the other people on the road. You know, I distract them by letting them pet me and tell me what a great dog I am while she can get away...or something like that. That is what we will go with for now.

I hope you are all well, and I will update you again soon. Until then...

Puppy love,

Semper