This must be love

In the past week I've touched 6 ticks. I'm pretty sure that is more ticks than I've ever touched, well, maybe not, I did live on the Outer Banks one summer, in Nags Head Woods, and that is tick haven. Of the 6 ticks, 5 were pulled directly off Fresa, ewwww, but today, today was worse. Today I was changing my sheets and when I pulled off the fitted sheet I noticed a tiny speck sticking half way in and half way out of the mattress pad cover. Upon closer inspection I noticed it was a TICK - IN MY BED. Ugh. Touching those 8 legged creepy crawlies sends chills from my hand up my arm and down my spine, ugh. So far the ticks are being diposed of in the toilet. I don't have the guts to squish them in half with my nail, or burn them, so they're going to take a ride in the sewers of Santo Inferno.

(Have you ever google image searched "ticks"? I wouldn't recommend it.)

If you could be any animal for the day...

One of my former colleagues currently teaches English in Croatia. Well, she gave a class "flash write" prompt of "If you could be any animal for the day..." As a teacher we model good learning by doing the activity and here's what she sent me:

I would be Lisa's puppy. I would feel her warm breath on my face, smell her Lisa-ness, hear her familiar voice and the surf and the gulls and the oooohs and ahhhhs evoked by my perky cuteness. I would begin to see the familiar tattoos on her body, esp. her shoulders because my head usually rests there. Oh, and I would taste the doggy treats she uses to teach me how to sit, stay come, and even lay down. I like those treats so I try REAL hard to get those commands right. I will master roll over eventually. I love being me.

Puppy Time in Playa Bonita

It is low season here at DR beaches and you know what that means? Cheaper rates, less tourists and a bit of rain - worth it. Playa Bonita is exactly how it sounds, beautiful, and my favorite place I've been to on this Island. The gov't has been doing work on the roads and a once 5 hour drive has been dwindled down to 2 1/2 hours. The cost for the speed, however is a bunch of tolls. Not a terrible price to pay to leave Santo Inferno for the weekend.

The teachers tend to congregate at a place called Atlantis on Playa Bonita and they allow dogs. I know I needed time to heal from Winnie's death and I've been living out of suitcases, but I MISSED having a dog in my life. I feel a huge wave of relief having her around. Of course it's more work and I have to change my schedule a bit, but it is worth every sleepless moment.

You know what else I've figured out... it's not that I'm not a morning person it's that I've been waiting for someone to share my mornings with. Fresa's routine has been established to get up at 5:30 no matter the day, so at that ripe time she whined and we headed out to the playa. Without her I would have missed this...

Early morning beach walks are the best. Especially in a place with perfect temperatures.

Las Terrenas has done a great job vaccinating and fixing their street dogs. A bunch of dogs hang out at this beach and since you are isolated from any roads and there a few tourists this time of year, Fresa was able to run and play to her and my hearts content.

She rarely sits still for very long when she's awake, so I hung out with her in the grassy area above the beach and we had a little photo shoot.

I love having a puppy. One of the things I always missed with Winnie was that she never looked at me. She was too abused and too old when I got her and I saw my other friends with their dogs have a different connection than I had with Winnie. Getting a puppy is the way to go.

Fresa Sacapuntas

I may be foggy from the lack of sleep, a little short tempered, and my mind may still be racing with unproductive thoughts, but for the past 6 days I have smiled more than in the past 6 months. There is just something about the lick of a puppy, the accomplishment when she potties in the right spot, or her tromping though the leaves that brings a deep, pure smile to your face.

It's impossible to take photos when she's awake, because if she's awake she is running around at top speed trying to bite everything in sight. I have to wait for her few moments of calm when I'm around. I've been leaving her alone all day while I work and she seems to be entertaining herself ok, but I'm sure she mostly sleeps and then waits til I get home to be crazy. I'm looking forward to some doggie time this summer.

I finally decided on a name... after almost a week and a hundred suggestions, I've chosen Fresa, which means technically is strawberry, but also can mean high maintenance. Like if a girl is taking a really long time to get ready because she's being super primpy, you can call her a fresa. Her middle name is Sacapuntas in honor of a close friend that I worked with in Bolivia. Sacapuntas, literally pencil sharpener, is her favorite word and when I asked what I should name her that word instantly came up, which also made me have a huge smile!

Pooch face #2 needs a name

I would like to introduce you to my new companion, and you can fully expect to be inundated with puppy photos for a while.

She's right here next to me on the couch. I wonder what Cesear Milan would say about that? I do want a well adjusted dog and I realize that she is a dog, but she sure is cute enough to cradle like a little baby.

She was dropped off at school this afternoon and I had a student meet her in the parking lot and bring her to my class (I was proctoring an exam). The first chance I got I ran out into the grass with her.

She is super affectionate and I instantly and completely fell in love with her. We ran around for a bit and then I put her in her little airplane carry bag and she slept for the rest of the exam. 

I rushed home and put down some food for her, which she gulped like a crazy dog, and then we headed for our first visit to the park.

Her little neck is too tiny for a collar, I'll probably have to get a cat collar for now... I bought the smallest leash possible, but it still seems to bulky for her. Her paws are super tiny, she has short legs and an awkwardly long body. Her short fur is like a normal short haired dog, but then she's got these long pieces of black fur with white tips. They said her mom was a poodle, she sure doesn't look like any poodle I've ever seen.

I wonder if she's ever been inside a house/apartment? She sure is whiny. She must miss her siblings back in the kennel. I've set up the little carry on as a den for her and she's already claimed the space for her own.

You know I must be in love, I've set my alarm for 5:45 am.

Angel doggies

Don't think just because I didn't write on Winnie's anniversary that I haven't been thinking about her - a lot. I started this blog four years ago right after she - it's still hard to find the right words - died, passed away, left earth... Not a day goes by that I don't think of her and every singe time I do I stop and smile. I could be in the middle of an argument (not that that happens much) and see a photo of Winnie and all my thoughts stop and a smile creeps out. I've looked through my collection of photos a million times, and each time a wave of peace and calm settles over me. This is the magic of dogs. This is why we put up with chewing, barking, poop patrol, because there is nothing like learning to love like a dog. 

Out with the girls

Last night my sister and I went out with a few of her friends. We went to a place called The George in downtown Raleigh and had apps and dessert, yum. Do you think we look like sisters? We can't decide. I think I really look like my mom in this pic.