It’s 4:30 a.m. and Katie the dog wants to go out. Just like every morning, her timing is meticulously accurate. I shake the sleep from my eyes as she shakes the tags on her collar and together we stumble to the front door where she prances impatiently as I don shoes and coat and gloves.
And then we step out into the blackness that is early morning.
Deep silence surrounds us. No cars out on the freeway, no stirring in the neighborhood. Only the far away wail of a train intrudes on the thick blanket of quiet. I whisper to her, unwilling to pierce the silence myself, to find a good spot as we wander the yard.
Almost directly overhead is the big dipper, sitting upside down, spilling good wishes down upon us. Orion’s belt has long since gone to bed. “Hi Dad,” I whisper. “Here’s to a New Year. Another one starting without you and mom.”
And then I pause, a bit of happiness floating from me up to him. “Well, not really without you…I feel you right here. See you tomorrow morning…say hi to Mom”
Katie and I head silently back to the house. At the front porch she stands on her back legs asking to be picked up. I do, picking up her awkwardly lopsided bobble-headed cone encased self and give her a tight hug and a kiss.
“Happy New Year baby-girl, Happy New Year.”
January 1, 2017 at 5:29 am
Happy New Year Dawn! Best wishes to you and your family for an enjoyable 2017.
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January 1, 2017 at 5:36 am
Good morning Mike! Happy New Year to you and your family as well! Looking forward to seeing more of the world from your lens!
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January 1, 2017 at 8:22 am
Have a wonderful 2017 Dawn!
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January 1, 2017 at 11:24 am
And a wonderful 2017 to you to Karen! Maybe we’ll even get over to Robin’s this summer!
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January 1, 2017 at 5:56 pm
I’d love an adventure!
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January 1, 2017 at 9:12 am
She sure is an early bird..er dog. I love the silence and fresh smells of the morning too. Wishing you a mostly cone free 2017 Katie (and Dawn too)!
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January 1, 2017 at 11:25 am
And we hope no cones enter your world Sara and boys! Happy 2017!
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January 1, 2017 at 9:45 am
Happy New Year to Dawn and Katie. Here’s hoping the cone comes off soon. It is not fun to be so restricted, is it Katie?
Our stray is settling into a family routine and after she gets her innoculations and spaying, she will be living near Katie, in NE Ohio. I hope she can manage the cold.
Thanks for posting all your entries, Dawn. I do enjoy every one of them.
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January 1, 2017 at 11:26 am
Happy New Year to you too, and all your family, and best wishes to the adoptee. NE Ohio CAN be pretty snowy and cold. I hope she comes with a few jackets!
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January 1, 2017 at 11:06 am
Wishing you, Bruce, and Katie a happy new year! With fewer 4:30 a.m. outings.
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January 1, 2017 at 11:27 am
Happy New Year to you and your crew too Carol. We can hope about the 4:30 thing. It’s good to have hope.
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January 1, 2017 at 11:11 am
Happy New Year, my guys were good today and let me sleep in.
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January 1, 2017 at 11:28 am
Happy New Year Helen. You have a very nice crew to let you sleep in! Could they maybe inform Katie of the benefits of sleeping later?
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January 1, 2017 at 11:51 am
[imagine a whisper] Happy New Year Dawn! Happy New Year Katie girl!
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January 3, 2017 at 7:40 am
Happy New Year Gerry!
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January 1, 2017 at 1:00 pm
What an uplifting post. Our sky was covered in snow last night making this morning’s dog walk a challenge with all the paths newly swaddled in snow. My dog cannot walk more than 10 steps in the snow w/out asking to be picked up. He has boots which he objects to when I put them on – usually by farting – but w/out them he wouldn’t walk. They protect him from all the salt and chemicals that get thrown on the road, too. Happy New Year to you and all your family, four-legged and tall-tailless.
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January 3, 2017 at 7:41 am
We have rain now. Snow headed this way soon.
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January 1, 2017 at 1:24 pm
Beautiful ((((hugs))) Wishing all of you Happiness and Health in 2017!!!! DakotasDen
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January 3, 2017 at 7:41 am
And to you
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January 2, 2017 at 8:37 am
Happy New Year to you and yours. 🙂
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January 2, 2017 at 10:37 am
She’s still wearing that cone of shame?? Yikes, she must be totally frustrated by it now. Love how you greet your dad amid the quiet of the nighttime snow. Happy New Year to you and yours!
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January 3, 2017 at 7:42 am
We’re all frustrated. We had it off for a day but she chewed off the scab.
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January 3, 2017 at 1:14 pm
Ouch, sounds painful. I know how hard it is to keep them from “helping” along the healing process.
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January 2, 2017 at 8:03 pm
Happy New Year,
We hope 2017 brings an end to the cone. We love reading about going outside so early and hearing the wailing of the train. No trains in KW. Plenty of early morning walks.
God Speed,
Dog Dad, Sherman & Gemini
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January 3, 2017 at 7:42 am
Happy New Year Dog Dad!!
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January 4, 2017 at 5:55 am
Glad New Year Dawn! All the best to you and your family for a charming 2017…
http://www.ranthamborejeepsafari.com/
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January 12, 2017 at 10:06 am
Thank you!
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January 12, 2017 at 6:18 am
4:30? She operates on farmer’s hours doesn’t she?
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January 12, 2017 at 10:06 am
Sure does. Exhausting, as you know.
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