Mornings

We have always had this routine, which sometimes gets interrupted if the girls are tired or I have to rush off to a meeting.  But, most mornings, after the girls have breakfast, they find a toy and play.  Usually it is a few turns at fetch down the front hallway.

But since Sage's death, the games have become more raucous, with fetch and catch me if you can along with tug of war.  It is as if they and I need more time together, a sense that we are a team.

Yesterday I was at a meeting with about a dozen other folks for our state wildlife agency.  We hadn't seen each other in a number of months so we did the exercise where we tell something about ourselves that happened during the months.

I told them about Sage.

Murphy's Day.

On Being Outside with Labs

Last Friday was an absolutely gorgeous day.  After a long week of work and morning of making sure all the work was done....sense a theme here....we packed up and headed to one of our favorite spots on the Yakima River.

This kind of time with the girls is vital to me.  They run, sniff, gambol over logs, dive into the river, and race around each other without restraint.  And I get to laugh.  It is how we should spend all our time with each other.

On this sunny afternoon we all spent a little time thinking of Sage, who loved this spot.  She would find a particularly sunny spot where she could see me casting then lay down and nap.  Annie and Willa would run amok while she observed and occasionally engaged.  But mostly, she just kept her eye on me.  Last Friday, I could feel her watching.

We are still grieving, missing her terribly.  It felt good to be out, good to run amok.  And good to be so close to Sage.

Murphy's Day.

And This is What a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon Puppy Looks Like

A little too cute.

Murphy's Day!