Lucky dog

Things that made me smile today...

- Jo improvised this float for Lucky so he could join them in the pool. She said, "Isn't my granddog the cutest ever?" I think he is.

- The version of the song "Roxanne" arranged as tango music, from the movie Moulin Rouge, set as background music for a YouTube video featuring two men from the show "Heroes." Probably not the best use of my time, but thought it very funny anyway!

- A woman cried with happiness and then thanked me ecstatically when I called to tell her that her son's case has been approved.

Lovely people

Three things that made me happy today (and yesterday):

- Seeing Amanda's happiness with her new job, her house in town and her new car (pictured above). She is the "baby" of the family and it is difficult to accept that she is actually an adult now.

- Enjoying my sister's company while we hung out during Amanda's training class. I thought it was touching that Amanda wanted her mama to come with her to Atlanta. It was a bonus for me and Jo got to sleep in a bit while I worked yesterday morning. She said she felt treated like a queen because I left her a pot of coffee and a bowl of sliced strawberries for her cereal.

- The genteel looking elderly man who I see walking every morning on my way to work had stopped this morning to talk to a neighbor lady and had removed the baseball cap he is always wearing.

Monday's done

- The polish on my toes is called "Kangarooby." The nail attendants held a conversation entirely in Vietnamese with lots of hilarity.

- Having the leg and foot massage was a little slice of heaven.

- A man at the grocery store gave the three bouquets of flowers he was purchasing a bemused smile.

One week ago today

- One week ago today I awoke to the sounds of Washington, DC stirring. There were helicopter noises and emergency vehicles. My sister and her husband and I had spent the night of July 4th with friends and I slept on the couch downstairs. The men left for work silently around 7am. A few minutes later the two perky gals pictured above clattered down the stairs and wanted to know if I would like to go for coffee at Starbucks.

- Never one to rush in the morning, I nevertheless quickly got myself together to go with them. Kathy's dog Utah lead the way along the neighborhood walking path that leads to coffee. It was fun sitting with the girls outside watching commuters come and go and not having to work ourselves that day.

- Later we went to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and got caught in a rain storm under a tent that had Irish linens. The red haired young man manning the tent explained that he was "a bit of a dog's body" for the family owned company that makes the linens. Apparently "dog's body" means you are the bottom of the totem pole, if you will. He certainly should be promoted for his ability to entertain and show fabric amid a soaking rain shower.

The beauty of life

My friend Vernon took this photo at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens and calls it "Medusa in the City." At night the gardens take on a mystical quality.

After dinner tonight there were several women in the restaurant parking lot saying goodbye. It was clear they had just had a lovely time. When I returned from my short errand at the grocery store, three of the women were holding hands and praying together.

The guard at work makes every afternoon better just by smiling his huge smile and asking me about my day as if he is genuinely interested. I actually think he is interested. He is from Ethiopia and in our line of work I have learned that citizens of Ethiopia are wonderful, proud people.

Little journey

New home

- Brenda and Buck have moved to their new home in the Shenandoah Valley. It is an "active adult" community and indeed seemed very much like that. Neighbors sat with each other on porches visiting. Really lovely people.

- You can barely see Buddy standing beside Brenda in the photo above. He is just the best dog. On Sunday I was in the downstairs bathroom and he kept me company outside the door. He came in and nudged my leg to let me know he was leaving to go back upstairs.

- I sat next to a man on the plane who raises Shelties. Before take-off he was concerned about a dog in a carrier sitting out on the tarmac. The dog seemed a little worried, but was rescued by an airport employee and toted off somewhere.