Happy 15th Anniversary Mr. Bullet!

Today is my 15th anniversary with my beloved Mr. Bullet (my best friend and trusted knitting assistant (of sorts)). I can't believe it's been 15 years since he first came home with me from a shelter in Elgin, Illinois.  I was a senior in college back then (and I drove across Chicago to adopt him because the local shelters wouldn't adopt to students).  So much has changed in those 15 years.  He's been such a steady rock for me in those years. 

The picture below reminds me of one of my favorite times with Bullet.  (Do you see him about half a block ahead of me?)  It was during the Snowpocalypse last year.  We were shut in the house for days but managed to sneak out of a few hours for a walk through the streets (literally) of Capitol Hill.  He had such fun romping in the snow, and the whole world felt so peaceful. 

Pictures with Santa

Look who had his picture taken with Santa yesterday!  I'm not normally that dog owner, but the Santa pictures were a fundraiser for one of the Montgomery County animal shelters, and a good friend of mine was staffing the photo booth, so I couldn't help but make an appearance with my best friend.  I can't say Bullet was particularly cooperative, but he tolerated the whole adventure and left in moderately good cheer.  Special thanks to Santa for being such a good sport!

Happy Anniversary Bullet!

Dear Mr. Bullet,

It's hard to believe it's been 14 years since you first came to live with me.  I remember so well that Friday afternoon in 1996 at the Anderson Animal Shelter in Elgin, Illinois.  After the adoption was final and as we were getting ready to leave the shelter, you shook off your collar and took off, charging all around the big lawn in front of the shelter.  It took three people from the shelter to corral you and get you into my car for the hour-plus drive back to Evanston, during which time you repeatedly puked all over the back and front seat of the car.  By the time we got to my (now our) apartment, I was wondering what I had gotten myself into.

Fourteen years later, I can't imagine life without you.  We've been through a lot in those 14 years--lots of ups, a few downs, and some really down downs.  But I'm so glad that you've been with me through it all--my constant, faithful companion.  You are a good dog, and you are a great dog. 

I love you!!!



Happy Fourth of July!

The Fourth of July is quickly becoming one of my favorite holidays, probably because I've developed a Fourth of July routine that includes some of my favorite events.

First, I ran the Autism Speaks 5K in Potomac, Maryland.  I've run this race every year for the past five years, and I've watched it grow from a small, community race to a real event.  The course runs through a Potomac neighborhood and, while lovely, is really hilly.  Which means that it kicks my butt every year.  But it's all worth it because the race raises money for a great cause.  And they always have pizza at the finish line.  (Nothing like a slice of pizza at 9am after running three miles!).

After the race, I rushed home to make it in time for the Capitol Hill parade.  The parade is, hands down, my favorite Hill event.  It is not a sophisticated affair (more like festive chaos), but everyone comes out to see the parade and celebrate the holiday.

The Marine Corps band is the most polished part of the parade.  But in my opinion, cheering as the local boys' basketball team does its thing and collecting candy from the Girls Scouts is just as much fun.   To me, the parade epitomizes the community and neighborhood spirit that I love about the Hill.

The parade is not Mr. Bullet's favorite event.  I think the heat and noise and crowds are a little too much for him, but he tolerates it.  And he puts with the American flag and parade beads I make him wear at least through the end of the parade.

Later in the evening, Mr. Bullet and I walked to the Library of Congress to watch the fireworks.  It's a great place to see the fireworks without having to brave the crowds and security checks on the Mall.  I think they were better than ever this year!

Hope you had a happy Fourth as well!

I Am Loved

Since my most recent (and hopefully final!) trip to Indianapolis was a little longer than other trips, Mr. Bullet spent the week with my parents rather than at the Big K (our euphemism for the kennel).  I thought it would be a nice vacation for him because he's stayed with them before and--for as truly neurotic as he is--he travels beautifully.  Plus my parents have a big back yard, and he loves to be outside.

Not so much this time.

It turns out that he hung out under my bed the whole week--they couldn't even lure him out to eat or do his business.  And, he apparently collected all of my shoes from my bedroom, dragged them under the bed with him, and made a little nest for himself.  Doesn't sound terribly comfortable, but I'm glad he was able to find a way to feel close to me.  And I have to admit that it's pretty darn adorable.  When I saw all of those shoes under the bed, my heart melted.

Needless to say, we were both so happy to see each other, but I get the sense that Bullet will be the first one in the car to drive back to D.C. this morning.

Happy 14th Birthday (Observed) Bullet!

Happy Birthday to my favorite April Fool!  Of course, today almost certainly isn't your actual birthday.  I don't know when you were born, but the shelter estimated that it was probably in the beginning of April 1996, so April 1 seems as good a day as any to celebrate.

Unfortunately I missed the first seven months of your life.  I so wish I could have seen you when you were a little puppy.  I imagine your ears were a bit floppy and your paws were too big for your skinny legs.  And you were probably pretty wiggly and likely quite speedy, which may be how you became known as "Bullet." 

But if given the choice between knowing you as a puppy and watching you grow into the wise, distinguished old man you've become, I would always take the latter.  Even though you were the one who was in a shelter, I like to think that we rescued each other.  You have become my best friend, my confidante, my protector.  Now, as your glossy black fur gets grayer and your steps slower, I'm reminded of how precious our time is together.  And I'm so grateful that I have you in my life.  

Happy Birthday Mr. Bullet!  I cherish you.

  

Adopt A Dog

Anyone who's even glanced at this blog knows that I ADORE my dog, Bullet. I adopted him from a shelter more than 13 years ago, and it was one of the best things I ever did. I love animals generally, but I think dogs in particular are such wonderful creatures. They truly are man's (and woman's) best friends.

I volunteer at the Washington Humane Society on occasion--not nearly as often as I'd like on account of my restrictive work schedule--and I support WHS financially. I am in AWE of the dedicated staff and army of volunteers who give so generously of themselves to make the shelter run and to find good homes for all of the cats and dogs (and goats, ferrets, rabbits, snakes, and other animals) that come through the door.

Every time I volunteer, I fall in love with a new dog. It's probably a good thing that Mr. Bullet doesn't much like other dogs because I would take them all home with me if I could. I would be the crazy dog woman with a house full of barking dogs!

All of the dogs below are currently available for adoption at the Washington Humane Society. In the future, I'll post additional dogs looking for their forever families. If you've brought a dog or cat home from a shelter, thank you! If you haven't, how can you resist these faces?

Blizzard of 2010

Well we survived the massive snowfall. In the end, I think we got about 20 inches, though it was hard to tell with all of the drifts. It was a fun, relaxing weekend, but now the Big Digout begins. It's going to take D.C. a while to recover--and the predicted additional 4-8 inches on Tuesday and Wednesday isn't going to help much with that.

Here are a few pictures for effect. That's the yellow house itself in the first picture, and Mr. Bullet out for a walk in the second.

Snowpocalypse! Snowmageddon!

Call it what you will, but the D.C. area is bracing for a major dumping of snow. It's been snowing fairly steadily for the past few hours, but so far no accumulation. Apparently, it's going to start to stick soon, and we can expect to see 20-30 inches before it's all over. I've lived in a lot of cold-weather places (Boston, Chicago, Michigan), so that much snow isn't entirely novel to me, but the folks in our nation's capital are not accustomed to dealing with the white stuff. So it looks like we could be stuck inside for a while.

Here's Bullet in the last snow storm. You can bet he's excited about this one as well. Actually, not too long ago, he used to LOVE the snow. But as his age is catching up with him, it seems that the snow just makes him grumpy.

The good thing about all of this snow is that it will give me plenty of time to knit this weekend. I have a bunch of projects that are almost finished, so I'm hoping to make some significant headway on those. I'll post whatever I finish.

Enjoy the snow!