In the Dark

Hello my lovelies. I'm so very sorry I've been away for so many days in a row. I fully realize that your day does not HAVE to have me in it, but I try to be present most days of the week just as a matter of being fully engaged.

But I've allowed myself to become overwhelmed with little and big things, and somehow the blogging has fallen by the wayside. And it may remain spotty for the remainder of this year... or at least until puppies have grown and gone to their forever homes, and the festivities of the Christmas season have been fully enjoyed.

Here I offer a glimpse of what my world looks like in the wee hours of the morning. What I see each night around 1:30 or 2:00 am as I take my one shift to check on welfare of Mama and pups.

Bright stars some nights (Orion! there you are... shoot that arrow far), with frosty crunchy grass underfoot, bare branches of our Anniversary Tree seen silhouetted against the dark, pale glowing window from a nightlight inside.

And on my return trek, with motion-sensored brightness at my back, bed calling loudly.

I haven't posted many puppy pictures, as this has been a challenging litter to raise. Born early, and lots of them, we lost a few too small, too fragile, too underdeveloped. And the clumsy Mama, despite our around the clock vigilance has accidentally been the cause of a few more lost lives. So hard, this part of what we do.

But the remaining puppies are getting stronger by the day, and have begun to romp and play in such an endearing way. Practicing their fierce growls and barking so suddenly, so loudly, that they knock themselves off of unsteady feet. We will welcome the first of their families as they come visit this weekend. We look forward to meeting these people for whom we have put in the mid-night hours.

And I look forward to your Hellos, left in the comments and my email box. Always so happy to know that you're out there.