family life, gardening

A dog for every season

JOY journal

“…for love is strong as death…” Song of Solomon 8:6

When I was young, I lived in a garden. There was technically a house in that garden, but I wasn’t in it very much other than to eat a few bites or to sleep in a glass-walled sun porch that looked out on — you guessed it — the garden.

Miles, 2009-2022

This garden was a multi-roomed masterpiece given the generous nature of California weather, the creation of a woman named Daisy who found even the smallish bungalow at its front too much to contend with in her later years and sold it to my parents.

A farmette at the back of the property — full of fruit trees and berries and an English walnut whose branches stretched out over an alley — was nice. But, my favorite space was the “room” closest to the house.

This might have been a function of youthful fear. More likely, it was the flowers. This space was loaded with roses and daisies and was an excellent place to hang out with Bobby, the dog of my childhood, who seemed as interested in following the magical silver trails of snails as I was.

Bobby has long since gone on to that Pantheon of the Good Dog. As has Luki, the scrappy stray who graced my single-lady years, rejecting every date until one young man arrived with such unlikely things like cheddar cheese bits in his pocket. (We will celebrate 27 years of marriage this summer.)

Aldo is also in the pantheon. This astonishingly beautiful dog-child of our newlywed years went everywhere we did, even across a national border. When human babies at long last arrived, he recognized them as the pups they were and responded in kind, carrying about and grooming a tiny pink bear of his own.

And, Miles, too, is now there.

Sweet Miles – the dog of my daughters’ childhood, the dog who once raced to the front of the line when it was time for their evening haircare, the dog who settled onto the couch with a relieved sigh, his head propped on my right hip, when those wilder things finally went to bed. The dog who would absolutely have hated their imminent fledging.

His season, like our daughters’ childhood, is gone. Suddenly gone. But, there is a garden in back of our home that both Aldo and Miles loved in turn. It’s full of daisies and ants, birds and chipmunks, the occasional silvery trail of snail.

Someday, there will be another dog there. The dog of our empty nest. But, for now, I like to think of Miles in that space, sunning on the deck with his snout nestled in a crook of the railing. I can almost see him still.

Published by JOY journal

After a long career writing for local newspapers — and, on rare occasions, for publications such as The Washington Post — Nora's word life is now focused on blogging and occasional writing projects of special interest. Also the author of several books, Nora lives in Appalachia with her husband and a goodish dog named Finn, who is delighted whenever the family's two adult daughters are home from college.

23 thoughts on “A dog for every season”

  6. Nora, this is absolutely beautiful. What a delight it was to meet Bobby, Luki, and Aldo as you remembered Miles. I can’t think of a more honorable role for him to have in your life and memory- the dog of your daughters’ childhood.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  7. Beautiful Nora. I prob met Miles somewhere along the way. He seemed like a nice dog. We have had our daughters dog with us since 2016. He is 15.His name is Buddy. Tom and I enjoy watching him very much. He is starting to loose his hearing, but does pretty good. We spoil him.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  9. We said goodbye to our canine companion the day after Christmas. 💔 It’s so hard, isn’t it? But you’re right, their presence can still be felt.
    Thanks for commenting on my last post (“My Soap Opera Life”). I saw the comment, but when I tried to answer it, it disappeared. Not sure what that’s all about, but I appreciate your stopping by.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. You remember his name! That’s impressive. Yes, the Lord taught me some things through him. I spoke about one of them at a speakers ‘conference and was referred to the rest of the time as “Hollywood’s Mom.” 💕

        Liked by 1 person

Leave a reply to JOY journal Cancel reply