Introducing Oggi
Photo by Linda Gallop
(Linda and I were best friends in NYC)
Good news, I wrote the below story when I woke up at dawn. Now Bill is up and calling Beanie "Shrimpy." I brought Bill his cup of coffee in bed, because he has TV tuned to sports news. Lulu is sleeping next to him on bed. "Shrimpy" is on floor right next to Bill, looking up at him. How nice that everything is back to normal.
Back in NYC Linda's friend Marilyn had the same experience we did. Marilyn's beloved dog went to Heaven, Marilyn was heartbroken, and Marilyn adopted Oggi. My friend Linda (a photographer) took this photo. Linda said "Marilyn always had mutts before, now she has a show dog."
Wednesday December 6 2006
“Beanie Arrives”
Well things are settling down. A new dog arrived yesterday and spent his first night here. This is his first dawn in his new home. He arrived yesterday afternoon with the name Bean, but by dawn today he is Beanie. He is exceptionally curious and has been exploring and re-exploring the house.
Bill said he spent the night with him, watching our basketball team, the Wildcats, play in Madison Square Garden. We won the game. Then Lulu climbed on the bed and Beanie curled up on Bill’s jacket next to the bed. Even tho it was not that cold last night Bill turned the heat on full, so Beanie would be nice and warm his first night in his new home.
It’s nice having Beanie here, because we are used to being a foursome. Happy moved to Heaven two months ago, so it was just me and Bill and Lulu. There was an odd beauty to those 2 months of our threesome. Because Lulu had always been second dog, she had never had a chance to be the only dog. It gave me and Bill a chance to give her our full attention, and for our every thought to be Lulu's happiness.
Not only had Lulu been second dog, but she had been second place. She arrived when we had Skipper, and Skipper was the apple of Bill's eye. After Skipper Happy arrived and Happy was the apple of Bill's eye. He doted on Skipper and then he doted on Happy. Lulu never was doted on, and who does not love being doted on. Her whole life was short shrift. Her whole life was seconds.
I really loved it, and so did Lulu, that for these two months she was the family dog. She got everything. Bill got so close to her, that he was totally tuned into her desires, and he set himself to gratify all of them. She had been such a frustrated little doggie for so long, that it meant a lot to me that finally she was having her day in the sun.
I think now that Bill got so close to Lulu, that even tho he has Beanie, he will love them both equally. I don’t think he will forget about Lulu now that he has remembered her.
I notice how carefully he planned in his mind his second dog. I mean how he planned so it would be good companion for Lulu. He wanted one the same size so Lulu would not be overwhelmed, and one who was gentle, so he would harmonize with sweet Lulu, and one which was not so young he would torture Lulu. Lulu's happiness was priority in Bill’s mind.
And when he brought Lulu to Petsmart yesterday, and the Humane Society was just arriving with their dogs for adoption-- when Beanie was led in, Lulu rushed to greet him, and he rushed to greet Lulu, and they liked each other so much-- Bill said “that is the one.” They are close in age too, Beanie is two years younger than Lulu. And now Beanie is here and Lulu has a brother.
Lulu has always had a brother. Even when she was Mike's dog, she had a brother named Elvis. And when she arrived here, Skipper was here. And then Happy arrived. And Skipper went to Heaven, so then it was Happy and Lulu.
Even tho Lulu was here before Happy, Bill only had eyes for Happy. He called Happy “my little knadela” (which means matzo ball in Yiddish, altho I don’t know if Bill knows that.) He doted on Happy. Happy was the light in Bill’s life for the whole 6 years he was with us.
And when Happy went to Heaven two months ago Bill’s life turned dark. Altho a lovely Moon came out to light his path, and that Moon was Lulu. She slept with him with her velvety warmth.
She took him on huge hikes thru endless washes, and chased all the animals.
She sat with him under the tree at the park while he drew with his oil pastels. He had an art companion, he had hiking companion, he had someone to offer tit bits from his supper to. And when he got into bed at night and turned on the radio, Lulu was already sleeping sweetly softly warmly in the bed. It was a time of sorrow for Bill, he was so upset about losing Happy, but getting to know Lulu, having her companionship, brought the softness and sweetness into his life.
And those long hikes with Lulu in fresh air and bright sunshine, because Lulu is as strong as a bull and loves to hunt, brought a vigorous refreshment.
I saw how sensitive Bill was to her feelings. How tuned in he was to her desires and wanting to satisfy them. When we got in car 3 days ago to go swimming he said “Lulu really wants to go, can’t we take her, we can take turns swimming in the pool.”
“Of course” I said “of course, Lulu is invited.”
And when I got to the pool I said to my lifeguard friend, “Lulu is here, we will take turns swimming.”
And she said “I love dogs, bring Lulu into the office, and you and Bill can both swim at same time.”
And Bill and I had glorious swim in bright sunshine, and Lulu got to be doted on by the lifeguards in the office, which she loved.
And then we went to Fry’s so I could do a small shopping and she and Bill sat in car and listened to the game on the radio together. And we all went home together, Lulu was not left out, she got to go on the outing too.
And the week before Jerry, who is the head of all the lifeguards, invited Lulu into the office when we were going to take turns swimming. And he did not even have Lulu tied up in the office, she was allowed to walk around the office, she hung out with the lifeguards till we finished our swim.
And she got to go to the shopping center which has Sunflower and Factory 2 U, and be held on leash by one of us outside while the other one went in and shopped.
In fact last month, when we took Lulu with us when we went shopping at Sunflower, I could not believe my eyes, it was such a joy to see, but when I was at checkout counter, I looked up at the tables and chairs by the door, and there was Bill and Lulu sitting at the table.
They had let Bill come into Sunflower with Lulu, he did not have to stand endlessly in parking lot with her. You don’t know what it meant to me, last month, to look up, and see Bill and Lulu there together, right in my own supermarket as I am joshing with check-out girl.
Lulu held the light for us for two months until Beanie arrived yesterday. Beanie’s arrival is like the first daffodil after winter. All the yellow sunshine of Spring.
“Let’s get him a yellow collar” I said.
“Red is a nice color” Bill said, “altho he looks good in blue.”
Bill will probably get him red or blue. But for me the arrival of Beanie is what is bringing yellow back into my life. These two months weren’t as dark for me as they were for Bill, but it was a palette with no yellow in it.
