Whirlwind weekend, whirlwind emotions

Thank you to all who shared your care and condolences over the loss of Brian's parakeet Sprite. She was a real sweetie, very bonded to my son – which is just what he wanted, a pet that liked him best. She wasn't her normal perky self Tuesday night, and I knew with depressing certainty when I had to leave for work late Wednesday morning that she wouldn't be alive when I got home. That evening Brian took her death much harder than he did either of the dogs'; together we buried her in the yard. And the house was quieter still.

So it was probably a blessing that the next morning, as planned, we all left the too-quiet house for a high school basketball tournament in Walla Walla, WA. Brian drove himself to school very early so he could ride the bus; Rick and I picked up his mother (who went along to visit an old friend in Walla Walla) and headed east down the Columbia River Gorge a bit later. At the last minute, Rick agreed to stop on our way to look at a litter of Decker rat terriers. I have been looking into the breed with growing interest since meeting a pair of brothers last May, but it wasn't a breed Rick is familiar with or attracted to. Lately we've been talking about our next canine family member without any movement toward consensus, which was depressing, and to add salt to the wound, friends were sending a flurry of ads, mostly for Aussies which Rick didn't want. Then, two days before we left, the friends who had agreed to do our farm chores while we were gone told us they were getting a Decker puppy from the breeders I had been following! Since we hadn't talked about the breed together at all, I was flabbergasted – and more interested than ever. This was the backdrop to Rick's begrudging agreement to stop and see the puppies, which we did. I knew better than to hope – or push – too much....

This is the one our friends have reserved. 

This is the rear view of her very similar sister.
I didn't get good photos of two others.

Then it was on to Walla Walla and basketball . . . and melancholy. Posting those photos of Brian with his bird and with Jackson were a forceful reminder of how fast time speeds by, and there we were on the campus that Brian plans to attend next fall. The reality of my single chick flying the coop soon echoed in the void left by three beloved pets in just three months. Yeah; I was a sad sack.

On our way home today, Rick waited until we were entering the town in which the puppies were located to say (again begrudgingly) he guessed we could stop and put down a deposit on my preferred puppy. Say WHAT!?! I texted the breeder to make sure she was still available, but also learned we wouldn't get to see her again or take any special photos because one of the resident children had the flu. So you'll have to wait until next Sunday, when I'm hoping to travel with our friends to pick up our matching set of sisters. 😁 Here are a couple photos of our girl (from a litter of five girls) from the breeder's Facebook page:

This rainbow over the Columbia River felt appropriately celebratory as we continued our way home:

With all that driving and game-watching, I had time to finish one color of J&S Shetland top and start another (the second is much farther along since I took the photo):

Two of my friends are starting to come out on the other side of the most difficult period of puppyhood with their dogs, so I have no illusions about the challenges ahead. But I know I will be building a special relationship as well, and look forward to that.

Thanks for being along for the ride; your comments mean more to me than you'll ever know!

That's it for now from . . .