Stella, Huey, Eli…I am partial to golden retrievers. It is my personality. I guess my spirit animal. I have a friend who channels turtles. There is another who has a “monkey” daughter. I have a passion for golden retrievers. There is a sense of peace, calm, focus, with a hint of unpredictability that appeals.
My first was Eli. She was my divorce gift to me. After my then-husband and I decided to “try out” divorce, my first act of independence was to buy the dog I was longing for. She was the fluffy one. As for the name… well, I figured that most women, when confronted with a trial might resort to soothing the soul with large quantities of expensive, rich chocolate. My decadent comfort food was cheesecake. The best of this is Eli’s cheesecake from Chicago. Eli, she was my gift to me.
When she passed, I waited a year and a half. Luka was begging for a dog. He wrote stories in school about how much he wanted a dog. He played a song on the piano for his recital entitled “I Want a Dog”. Huey was the happy choice. Unfortunately, our hearts were broken when, at 2 1/2 years old, she slipped on the stairs after roughhousing with the kids upstairs. She hit her neck “just right” on the newel post at the base of the stairs…
After her sad and early passing, we knew we needed to fill the hole in our family. Stella fit the bill…another retriever. Another sweet, fur baby with the calm presence that brings peace and happiness to our crazy lives.
Stella loves to lounge in the garden, squashing my Lemondrop hostas, to watch the grass grow or the leaves fall. She enthusiastically entertains her neighbor-friends, Milktoast and Rascal, when they come to visit. Her greatest torment in life is her inability to catch the pesky squirrels that tease her. She has a passionate longing to befriend our cat Pickle. (I’d put my money on the fact that it’s never. gonna. happen.)
I hope she’s with us for many, many years to come. She is quirky, patient, persistent, and kind…my inspiration, my spirit animal.
#sidetrackedsisters #sidetrackedlisa #family #furryfamily #pets #soul
